Record Keeping, Business, RedRite, Leeds, Virtual Assistant

Record keeping – why it is important

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Record keeping is a vital task for any business but why?

For the past two years I have been dealing with a utility company whose administrative and financial record keeping leaves major room for improvement. It all started with a request to update serial numbers, a simple process of updating a database through a step by step process. It should have taken no more than 6 months, however it took nearly 18 months of monthly phone calls and complaints before I called in a governing body to handle it for me.

On several occasions I provide the same details over and over again including the address I reside at, opening usage readings and the current readings. The first attempt they blamed new software being the cause for delay. Second attempt they claimed the previous attempt had actually been done on my previous address and therefore needed to be reversed and done again. Third attempt they had reversed the last attempted and then successfully changed the serial number to have a member of staff then put a request through to cancel it on my behalf (trust me I never asked for it to be cancelled).

It took months of the governing body being involved before someone was able to successfully change the serial number and provide an accurate bill. At this point I had had enough and switched provider thinking that a final bill would be issued and my problems would end. Boy was I wrong! I was sent several final bills each with different financial figures, different dates and even debt collectors claiming I owed nearly £500 for one month’s usage! So once again requested the support of the governing body. Today I received notification that my problems are at an end, a correct statement was provided and analysed to calculate a final accurate bill which I have now paid and wished them good bye.

It had me thinking about the lack of organisation and the issues they must have between departments. I am always advising people to record everything, no matter how little, so if something was to happen they had information to help them. In this case I had made note of every phone call I had made, all the details I had provided and due to this was able to show a very clear picture of my utility usage, while the figures provided by the supplier seemed to change with each invoice, as well as the requests I had put to them. When requesting what the previous notes stated on my account some where missing and at times not even my phone calls where recorded which is a big no-no for businesses. 

RedRite Record Keeping

It is essential to keep clear concise notes on all your accounts – both clients and suppliers. After every phone call send an email covering the points made in the call to the caller and even keep a record in a CRM system or a database of some kind. An accurate billing system which tracks every income, every expense, even refunds means you are never financially caught out. It can also provide you a clearer view on where your business stands. Use an app or diary to record when you need to make a call, or as a reminder that something needs doing – even keeping notes on social media posts you want to send.

All of this can seem like additional stress and work but in the long term can save you such a headache. If I hadn’t kept record of communication between myself and the utility company, they could easily have fobbed me off. It also helps when dealing with my clients as sometimes they may mention something offhanded which I can use that to improve the services I offer to them; find them a connection they might not realise they needed or even get an idea as to the type of person they are to create a much more personal service.

I have several apps and software systems – particularly cloud based systems – that I suggest to my clients, if you are interested I will be more than happy to share. Send me a quick email with your business, the type of information you wish to record and I will have a nosey through my index.

I would love to hear if anyone else has had an experience such as mine, an experience that has had you questioning the administrative practises of a business. It doesn’t have to be a big business or a corporation we all know. So get sharing!

SEO, Search Engine Optimisation, RedRite, Leeds, Virtual Assistant

Search Engine Optimization – 3 Top Tips

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Search Engine Optimization is a vital tool when owning a website. Here are 3 top tips on how to get started on a successful SEO plan.

 

When owning a website paying for AdWords is not enough to get noticed in search engines and can end up costing more than it’s worth, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most organic way to be seen in search engines. Although there is no guarantee you will be on the first page of Google, SEO is the necessary method to at least get listed under searches relevant to your services and products.

The main aspect of SEO is keywords – using the correct words associated with your business that lets searchers find what they are looking for. Researching the best ones to use with your business is the first step in creating an SEO plan.

Take for example someone is looking for a cake maker. What words can be associated with the business? It could be cake baker, wedding cake, birthday cake or even cupcake party towers. Picking the correct keywords, ones that are most likely to be used in a search, are vital.

Knowing these terms can also help with building the content for your website, as this is where search engines obtain the information necessary to list your website. If the search keywords do not match the content on your website, you may obtain visitors to your website that are looking for something completely different to what you are offering.

When choosing keywords from your researched list there are three things that need to be considered.

First should be the frequency or number of times the terms are searched. It is logical to pick those terms with high search rates. However, consider how common the word is and if it will help differentiate your business in the search results.

This takes us to the second consideration – competition. A large well established website may rank higher for commonly searched words like wedding cakes. However, using a little less commonly searched for term can help new, smaller websites get noticed. These terms are known as the ‘long tail’ of SEO.

‘Long tail’ terms are things such as Cupcake party towers in Leeds which may give you more immediate SEO results. For a small business this can often be where your better SEO opportunities lie. Providing better ranking opportunities with less effort than using a more commonly used search term.

Thirdly, and the most important consideration, is that of relevance. As mentioned above the keywords you pick have to be relevant to your business and match what you are offering. If someone is looking for a cake stand rather than a cake maker, they are more likely to ‘bounce’ – when a visitor to your website visits for a very short period of time.

To discover how effective your keywords are and to review your SEO plan use Google Search Console. This can show you how many times your page is showing in results and for which keywords, it also can show how many clicks those keywords are getting for you. One thing you must not do is add extra keywords or numerous variations of keywords to your page. This is dislike by search engines and they won’t list your website for keyword stuffing.

Through all your SEO efforts, remember the golden rule: Your site’s content should be made for your human visitors, not for search engines. (Google Garage)

So to recount – when selecting keywords consider Frequency, competition and relevance. This will keep you on track for successful SEO.

RedRite can help get you a basic SEO plan in place, or if you have one already we can modify your content to help increase your SEO ranking. Get in touch today.

Posting Content Top Tips, RedRite, Leeds, Virtual Assistant

Top tips about when to post your content

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Posting content right in order to attract your target audience is vital, follow these basic tips to get started.

The way people interact with marketing is changing, attention spans are getting shorter and more consumers are using dual screens – a mobile and a laptop – at the same time in order to multitask. So being seen by your target market is getting harder and harder. Getting the content right and when to post it out is vital. I recently listened to a video by Gary Vaynerchuk called Stop Storytelling Like it’s 2007.

Gary discusses how the content itself needs to be modified to each platform used. One story, one visual is not enough to advertise on all platforms the content needs to be adaptable. Examples are such as those who visit Pinterest – this is usually for aspirational and inspirational content rather than a business advertising their services. LinkedIn is a professional network, where content needs to be kept in a professional tone and appeal to those primarily looking for business to business content.

On top of this it is necessary to understand where exactly your audience is looking, understand who they are, what platforms they interact on more and even at what times. Knowing the answers to these questions can help you adapt your content to been seen better by the right people. There is no point posting hand knitted accessories on LinkedIn when your customers are going to be found on Pinterest or Etsy. The same can be said about timing your posts correctly, business individuals who work a 9 to 5 job won’t be online at 10m in the morning and parents are less likely to be online between 6-8pm when its kids bed times.

Finding the answers to the above questions can be a case of trial and error, sometimes what seems to work may suddenly stop working and the strategy needs to be re-evaluated. This can be true for all platforms and businesses, especially around school holidays and special events throughout the year such as Christmas and Easter where people’s habits change. There is no set perfect time and dates or even the perfect type of content in which to use, it all depends on the individuals you are appealing to. Many suggested timetables can be found online but there is no guarantee they will work, it purely is all about trial and error. Keep your brand the same but adapt your posts till you can obtain your optimum interaction level with your audience.

Another thing is to consider the correct use of hashtags in your content, I have written an article on the use of hashtags and this can be found HERE.

If you want some help understanding the analytics and insights of your posts get in touch and I will happily help.

 

Email Marketing, Leeds, RedRite, Virtual Assistant

Email Marketing – Top tips to be successful

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Email marketing can be an attention grabbing marketing tool – but only when done right!

There are so many different avenues in which to engage with your consumers and potential consumers, with the changing times however things such as newspaper ads and billboards are not as effective as receiving an email directly in to their inbox, setting of a notification alert on their mobile phone.

First step is to collect your email lists. Be careful though, many countries have laws on how you obtain your email lists, so only add those that have given you permission to add them – some email marketing companies actually ban you from emailing if these rules are broken. Current or past customer who have provided their details previously are ok to add. A sign up form on your social media profile and website can help you gather new subscribers and detailed information from them such as their business name or their gender (for gender related products). Once you have your lists in place you can start creating your email templates.

Something eye catching yet readable on desktop screens, mobiles and tablet will get more opens than those that are only readable on desktops. Basic, clean layouts make it easier for the content to be read, and keeping the content to a minimum is something to consider. You can link to an article or your website for them to read further. Many people do not spend too long reading emails unless work related and necessary, therefore the point of the content needs to be direct and contain a strong call to action. The use of bold writing and design to highlight important information or links. Short paragraphs no more than 3-4 sentences and focused on one idea while persuasive and using the right tone of voice for your customers.

By law all marketing emails must contain in the footer a contact address for yourself, an unsubscribe or change of subscription settings or update their contact information.

Set out a regular schedule for the emails to go out, with flexibility for special events, commercial events and to adapt the schedule for the most popular opening times – this can be found using the statistics provided by your email marketing provider. Too many emails can annoy the receiver and end up with them unsubscribing, the wrong

So now you have an idea how to get started, why not give it a try! If you struggle or run out of time to dedicate to designing email templates and creating content to fill them then give RedRite a shout. We can assist you with getting your name out there and your customers engaged.

Contracts, RedRite, Leeds, Virtual Assistant

The importance of Contracts!

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Contracts – what can seem a pain to put together can save you time and money in the future.

Recently RedRite have had a handful of our associates and colleagues ask about our stance on contracts and the importance they hold for small businesses, particularly ones who provide a service. We believe that no terms of service should start without a sign agreement and Terms & Conditions – Personally we require all clients to sign a ‘Sign Up’ sheet accompanied with the Terms and Conditions before we will do any work for them. This way we are protected in case they choose not to pay and the client is protected if we do not provide the work promised.

I cannot count the number of times someone has said to me ‘So-and-So client has not paid and now won’t return calls or emails. I am now out of x-amount of money’ when asked if they had a contract the typical answer is no! They fear that they have no standing in court because of this lack of a contract, however this is not necessarily true but matters are easier if there is a contract in place.

Why is a contract important?

Contracts provide a written document that outlines the full understanding of the business relationship and scope of the work so that no one can claim any misunderstandings later down the road. Contracts can minimise the risk involved in business and are legally enforceable. They should stipulate how and when you get paid, what needs to trigger that payment, and what recourses you have if the client stiffs you.

On our contract we do not stipulate exactly which service is being provided as we offer a variety of Virtual Assistant services and our clients’ needs are constantly changing, however this is a personal choice and your contracts can be written how you feel comfortable. We do provide all clients with an email that covers what services they are initially interested in as well as the cost for this in which they then must accept. If at any time they choose to change their services in any shape then we will again follow this up with an email requesting acceptance of the services. Their responding acceptance of the emails are then filed with the contracts for future reference in case a client ‘forgets’ what it is they agreed to.

What should a contract include?

A typical contract requires both party’s names, contact addresses and numbers – we include email addresses as well – and the starting date. An ending date is not necessarily needed unless there is a time frame on the period in which the services will be provided. If you wish to specify exactly which services the contract covers then they need to be clearly stated also. A copy of a legally correct Terms and Conditions must accompany it so the client is aware of exactly what they are agreeing to. You do not need a lawyer to write up Terms and Conditions, many versions are available online as long as they apply to your business and the different clauses do not contradict each other (this can make a contract invalid). If there is some terms you and the client agree on outside of your standard contract these need to be included as well and initialled by both parties.

If you are handling customer data there must be a Data Protection clause included (You can register with the Information Commissioners Office to provide additional confidence within your business – As long as you abide by the laws). We highly stress including a termination clause as well which will include any notice periods, termination fees and anything else that you would like to happen when a client or yourself choose to terminate the contract – this is something you do not realise is necessary until too late.

Contact us today if you need help with your contracts.

 

Buy Yorkshire, Jessica Zeun, RedRite, Leeds, Virtual Assistant

Jessica Zeun – Digital Marketing at #BuyYorkshire

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Jessica Zeun – Vodafone – Digital Marketing for Small Business

My first seminar of the day at the #BuyYorkshire Conference was looking at digital marketing and the impacts it has on small businesses in particular hosted by Jessica Zeun on behalf of Vodafone. Jessica Zeun is the managing director of Zeun Digital Ltd, she has worked with digital marketing and computers, even teaching as a lecturer for Sheffield Hallam University, since 2006. I was lucky enough to partake in her talk at #BuyYorkshire and took away some interesting facts I had not considered or were aware of beforehand.

Firstly Jessica introduced us to some very interesting facts about the access methods for the internet and the volume of usage within the UK including the following information (sourced from SocialFresh.com/Future)

There are currently:

  • 57.3 Million Active internet users.
  • 38 Million active social media accounts
  • 74.8 Million mobile connections
  • 32 Million Active mobile social media accounts – social media accounts that are accessed on our mobiles.

She also showed us the below image which highlights the percentage of users currently Social Media Marketing

Jessica Zeun spoke passionately about the developing 4th revolution known as the Digital age where Millennials will be the driving force for social media and digital marketing. Millennials are those individuals born between early 1980s to around 2000, many the freshest faces in the workforce and just entering in to the workforce. Millennials have grown up with the developments of the internet and therefore far more comfortable with the uses than those in previous generations are.

What is the 4th Revolution?

The 4th revolution is the generation of data and customer service where marketers need to be asking questions such as Who are the customers? What do those customers like? And more importantly what problems need solving? What could your competitors do that could ruin you – could they offer a more advanced service to even just a more reliable service than yourself? Asking these kind of questions and adapting a company’s product or service to fit offers a more substantial chance at success. For example companies such as Blockbuster who ended up going bust in the early 2000’s due to their lack of interest to develop with the times and stay stuck offering physical rentals while everyone else was moving to download rentals.

Other questions that can be asked is whether your current social media and web presence could be improved for better customer experience and functionality, even making it mobile accessible – 50% – 80% of traffic for mobiles and websites are through mobile applications. Those accessing social media and websites through their mobiles are accessing up to 150 times a day with 68% of people checking within 15 minutes of waking up. An astonishing 82% of buyers consult their phones while out purchasing items to look for better priced items elsewhere, or may even find a company with a better reputation in which to purchase it from. More astonishing is that 91% of mobile users access their phones mid-task for just a few minutes at a time. Therefore it is essential to be Be There – Be Useful – Be Quick.

So should I change my current marketing strategy?

Adapting your marketing to get in front of this audience would benefit your business significantly. Having a relevant and useful website, or even an app, can result in 1 in 3 people choosing your brand over their original intended store. 40% of those shoppers however will leave a website within 3 seconds if it is not clear or easily navigational, the action in which you want them to take must be easily understood. Jessica mentioned the Zero Moment of Truth, (More about ZMOT can be found on google – https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/collections/zero-moment-truth.html) which looked at the introduction of online research to fulfil a need or a desire where in previous generations people would automatically go to associated businesses for a product – I.E. B&Q for garden and building materials or Mothercare for Baby goods. So get your website tested by friends and family, or even random people from social media to assure it is both clear and navigational.

ZMOT Model - Digital Marketing

Figure 1 – Zero Moment of Truth model.

If you have a functional and clear to understand website/social media presence then you need to get advertised, Jessica highlighted several different types of advertising including:

Paid Content

  • Pay Per Clicks
  • Banner Ads
  • Affiliate programs

Owned Content

  • Website and Social Media content
  • Videos
  • Blogs

Earned Content

  • Editorials
  • Bloggers talking about you
  • Word of Mouth
  • Social Shares
  • Advertorial – One of the best ways to advertise and be seen

On top of these there are also paid guest blog posts, boosted posts and apps. It is vital though that once you have a marketing strategy in place you measure it and are aware of what is and is not working. All while making sure your website is core to your strategy as it is your own platform and you control all content, functions and the way it looks unlike on social media platforms. Always monitor regularly and respond to every interaction. Collect information and learn more about your audience so you can target marketing far easier and finally generate active content – do not just sell but interact, provide sharable content and appear approachable within your posts.

For more information on Marketing why not follow Jessica on LinkedIn – Zeun Digital

And also follow us – www.LinkedIn.com/in/RedRite-uk

Buy Yorkshire 2016, Leeds, RedRite, Virtual Assistant

#BuyYorkshire – What an event!!

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We attended the #BuyYorkshire 2016 event this week and can not wait to share what we learnt.

The 17th and the 18th of May saw me at the #BuyYorkshire exhibition and seminars in The Royal Armouries, Leeds alongside hundreds of other business owners and personnel. There was hundreds of stalls advertising the services and wares of companies, from digital marketers to local Universities and everything in between. I had fun meeting a variety of people from these companies and making new connections. I learnt about their services and how they assist other businesses expand and grow. I will be happy to forward on details of anyone I met to those needing support within your business, just email me your requirements and I will see who I have in my contacts list.

#BuyYorkshire is run by the Yorkshire Mafia who also run Leeds Biz Week in October (another event I will be attending), The Yorkshire Sportive, Yorkshire Mafia cycling club and many more networking events throughout the year.

The Yorkshire Mafia are:

  • The Yorkshire Mafia is a new model of business support.
  • It’s a thriving ecosystem of thousands of business across the Yorkshire region and beyond
  • It’s big society for business.
  • It’s an army of thousands of business people
  • It’s a dynamic and highly active group where members freely and gladly assist other members

What they do is:

  • It plugs the gaps following the decline of the regional development agencies and Business Link advice network.
  • It makes a stand for Yorkshire and Yorkshire business.
  • It facilitates the building of business relationships for thousands of businesses across Yorkshire
  • It brings businesses together to share, learn, support each other and ultimately, where appropriate, trade.
  • It enables members to support and guide each other in meaningful numbers and in meaningful ways through sharing wisdom and expertise both on-line and offline.
  • Offline, we meet in various guises from small round-tables sharing best practice and expertise to larger more social events for over 500 people to our mighty annual conference (over 2000 expected).

(Source: www.TheYorkshireMafia.com)

I was lucky enough to take part in some amazing seminars teaching us about digital marketing, never giving up and embracing change within business, all given by some amazing speakers and even some famous faces. Over the next few days I will be posting blog posts about the seminars I was lucky enough to partake in and sharing the advice I have taken away from them. These will start with a delightful seminar from Jessica Zeun, from Vodafone who discussed digital marketing and the impact it has on business.

I hope you will enjoy the following blog posts and if you were there I would love to hear your experiences and what you enjoyed the most!

Mailchimp Guise, RedRite, Leeds, Virtual Assistant

MailChimp Pop Up Forms – How To

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How to set up Pop-Up Sign Up forms using Mailchimp

Social media can only do so much to bring in customers, but keeping them attentive to your business is even more essential. This can be done by creating mailing lists and keeping people up to date with special offers and the goings on within your business. Creating a mailing list takes time and patience as well as some nifty sign up forms. In this help sheet we look at making a pop up form through MailChimp that can be placed on your website every time someone visits your webpage.

Step 1   

Log in to your MailChimp account and select Lists across the top

Step 2 Select a list that you wish to create a sign up form for, if you do not have one then you need to create one. (Please ask for the help sheet for this)

Step 3

Select Sign up forms from the options given and then select which type of sign up form you require. We will be looking at the pop up sign up form so please select this one.

Step 4

Now you get the MailChimp design screen as seen below. You get four choices when creating a pop up form – Just text, text and a top banner, text and a right picture or text and a left picture. You can also change the font style and colour, Button text, colour and layout as well as the ‘X’ close button in the corner.

Step 5

You can add fields such as First Name and Last Name using the Fields tab at the top.

Add a picture and any additional text using the Content Tab.

Settings tab allows you to decide how long a person needs to be on your page before the sign up form pops up and how wide the form needs to be. Always preview the form as you make changes to make sure it fits your preferences – This is done by clicking on Pop Up Preview in the top right corner, just click the ‘X’ in the corner to close this down, hitting the back button takes you back to MailChimp’s Sign Up form page not your designing page.

Step 6

Once satisfied with your form, click generate code. This will then provide you with a pop up filled with text – HTML coding to be precise. Copy and paste the text.

Step 7

Access your WordPress site, and select either your main page or a post in which you want the sign up form to appear on. On the editor screen select the text tab at the right top corner of the text box. At the bottom of the text box paste the code you copied earlier from MailChimp. Save/update the page/post and view it. Now after the designated time you should see your sign up form pop up.

If you have any issues with these instructions or with MailChimp and WordPress do get in touch and I will be more than happy to help. If you want more tips an help sheets sent straight to your inbox why not sign up to your Mailing list?

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RedRite UK – Virtual Assistant Leeds

Research, importance of research, RedRite, Virtual Assistant, Leeds

Research – How important is it?

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Research seems to have filled every spare moment this April, but how important is it?

What a busy start to the month I have had so far, with Easter holidays, birthdays and plenty of interest from people I feel like the year may have finally truly begun for RedRite and hope the shower of interest this April will help my business bloom like the flowers of May.

One of the biggest services I have had an interest in this month is research. I have had clients who are looking to expand their connections and need help researching suitable individuals and businesses to contact. Clients who are interested in a particular app but want the full story and alternatives before making the final decision, and clients who need a little help coming up with blog content. All different types of research but each just as important as each other to the recipients.

According to Wikipedia “Research comprises creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humans, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications. It is used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems…”

Research can come in a variety of forms, even watching the evening news can alert you to so much information that you can put to use, or converse with others about and expand your knowledge more. With so many access points to use when researching the amount of content out there is phenomenal, and finding what is relevant to you and what is not can be a tricky task. In my recent University studies I have been looking at information management and it is intriguing how the theories taught in the book can give insight to the way we research.

Every action of research starts with the need to obtain knowledge and to find it first a person needs to investigate the data available to them. For example you want to obtain knowledge regarding new technologies for your business. You can do a Google search for new technologies and those results are your data. This data then becomes what is known as capta (the process of Capturing Data) when you go ahead and click on several of the search results to investigate further. The data provided on each of those web pages are turned in to information because you are taking on board the data in front of you, making an opinion regarding it and placing in to context – the use the technology may have for your business. Once the information is applied in theory to its possible impact on your business you then hold the knowledge of new technologies for your business.

Research can be a time consuming aspect of everyday life in a business and sometimes not everyone has the additional time it takes to find the information they need to make an informed decision. Many apps and businesses obtain business purely because they are suggested to them or they happen to catch a fancy looking advert, when in reality there could be something far more suited to their needs out there. Unfortunately freedom of time makes the decision for a business owner in these situations rather than financial aspects or easier usability aspects and in the long term may end up costing the business more time and money.

Save a few quid by hiring someone to do the research for you. All it will take is to read over a well-structured document listing pros and cons of each app, the ease in which each app would fit with your company and any other information you require. We at RedRite would be more than happy to help.

Government budget 2016, RedRite, Leeds

Government released Budget 2016. How does it affect you?

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Last week saw the new Budget announced by the government and with it comes a lot of changes that could seriously benefit people with in business.

No matter what industry you are, employees or just you, the changes could mean a big difference with such things as tax changes, threshold increases and even the end of Class 2 National Insurance contributions. We have looked through the Budget and picked a few of, what we feel are, the most imperative changes to small businesses.

Lower Taxes for working people

  • The Government have chosen to increase the current personal allowance to £12,500 and the higher rate threshold to £50,000 by the end of this parliament. Starting with increasing the personal allowance in 2017-2018 to £11,500, higher rate to £43,000 by April this year and then £45,000 by 2017-18.
  • This means that the average employee on National Minimum Wage working 30 hours a week will not have to pay income tax in 2017-18 and there will be 585,000 fewer higher rate tax payers since the start of this parliament.

Soft drinks levy to benefit schools PE curriculum

  • An unusual one in relation to business but the government plan to introduce a levy on soft drink producers and importers, the funds raised will then be distributed in to the school system by providing up to £320 million per year from 2017 to help schools support healthier and more active lifestyles. Up to £285 million a year provided to 25% of secondary schools to increase the school day in order to include a wider range of activities including more sport. Finally £10 million per year to expand breakfast clubs in up to 1,600 schools starting September 2017 to ensure pupils are receiving a nutritious breakfast. If you happen to run sports programmes or wrap around care for schools this may be of interest to you, offering you an added avenue in which to market your services.

Apprenticeships

  • The government announced in the Autumn Budget 2015 an introduction of an apprenticeship levy. This has once again been mentioned in the Budget 2016, with employers receiving a 10% top up of their monthly levy contributions in England which will be available for them to spend on apprenticeships training through their digital account. Further details on the operating model will be realised in April with details on the funding rates published in June.

Employment Reforms

  • The government are seeking advice from an external independent stakeholder group and will offer new peer and specialist support for those suffering from mental health conditions and young disabled people to help them get in to work. A White Paper will be issued later this year with more details on the roles to be played by Health, care and welfare sectors in this reform.
  • Although there has been increase in women returning to work after having children there is still 90% of women who haven’t due to caring for family or children and 1 million who want to work but cannot due to these situations. The government intend to launch a consultation in May 2016 on how to implement its commitment to extend Shared Parental Leave and Pay to working grandparents, with hopes to streamline the system and simplify the eligibility requirements, with intentions of using digital technology.
  • From Early 2017, the government will introduce Tax-Free Childcare to help working parents with the cost of childcare. Allowing more parents the ability to go back to work when they are ready and increase the number of hours they can possibly work. It will be rolled out with younger children enrolled in to the scheme first with all eligible parents brought in by the end of 2017. This will sit alongside the existing scheme Employer-Supported Childcare until it closes in April 2018 to support the transition between the schemes. It will also sit alongside the doubling the childcare entitlement from 15 – 30 hours for working families with 3 and 4 year olds from September 2017.

High wage Society

  • The mandatory National Living Wage will come in to effect 1 April 2016 at £7.20 for workers aged 25 and above. There are hopes that the National Living Wage of 60% of median earnings will reach around £9 in 2020.
  • The National Minimum Wage for 21 to 24 year olds will be £6.95 from October 2016. Other rates will increase accordingly

Goverment Budget

Tax System changes

  • The government are hoping for lower taxes for everyone by aligning tax treatments and imbalances.
  • Up until now employer-provided benefits are taxed more favourably than cash salaries and the self-employed pay lower taxes. The measures in Budget 2016 will aim to treat different forms of income in a similar way to fund a fairer more sustainable tax system for everyone.
  • The Government is considering limiting the range of benefits that attract income tax and NICs advantages when provided as part of a salary sacrificing scheme. However pension saving, childcare and healthcare benefits will continue to benefit from relief when provided through salary sacrifice arrangements.

These are just some of the changes proposed for working people. Come back next week when we have a look at the changes the government hope to implement to support businesses, enterprises and the self-employed.

For more help understanding what these budget changes could mean for you and your business, or want tips on how to take advantage of them please get in touch with us by clicking here.