< Previous30 Business Link www.blmforum.net RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT recycled over sent to landfill. These costs generally increase annually, as a government incentive for increased recycling efforts, therefore getting into good practices early could save a lot of money down the line. Once you have whittled down your non-recyclable waste, you may find that it is so significantly reduced that your business would not require a large load capacity waste collector, or that you do not need to employ one so frequently. This will further reduce business costs. It can be difficult to get employees on board with recycling initiatives. One way to tackle this is to conduct an audit of the locations of the recycling bins in your office. If they are not highly visible, or difficult to access, it may be time to move things around. You could print signs signposting the locations of the bins, or ensure that each office room has its own recycling bin. Research suggests that there is a 75% reduction of recyclables in general waste bins when a bin audit is undertaken. From this research, key takeaways can be seen as to the prime bin hotspots; place bins in a prominent and accessible location, preferably in places where employees tend to congregate (such as kitchens and near water coolers), ensure that there are enough bins for the size of the company to prevent having to use general waste, and group bins together and separate them by materials (general waste, paper, recycling etc.). You could encourage employees to download a “what- goes-where” app to make sure that everyone knows what can be recycled, thus reducing the likelihood of everything going to general waste. Such apps can provide information on county-specific waste management policies. Another method is to discourage creating waste, via a paper conscious policy. This entails encouraging employees to consider the necessity of printing and the use of binders. For example, messages could be placed within email signatures which encourage the reader to carefully consider before printing. This also saves costs on business materials. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are all looking for ways to make our day to day lives more hygienic. Consider the hygienic impact of recycling. The provision of multiple office bins will reduce the potential for overflow and spillages. Furthermore, bins full of stagnant waste often cause horrible smells, which is not only unpleasant, but could have the potential to reduce productivity from employees. Beyond hygiene is the potential cultural impact for employees. As pollution and climate change becomes a reality we must all confront, it can provide a boost to employee morale to become a part of a positive force for change. It can give a boost to individual wellbeing in feeling like there’s something that one can do to improve a huge problem. This is not withstanding the reputational impact that going green could have, particularly if you publicise © stock.adobe.com/romaset 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:36 Page 3www.blmforum.net Business Link 31 RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT Why scrap when you can recycle with Stokesley Metals Limited? Based in Stallingborough, Grimsby, Stokesley Metals Ltd are a scrap metal merchants with an excellent reputation that they work hard to keep, which is a result of constant commitment to providing high-quality scrap metal services. Accepting all ferrous and non-ferrous metals, including cars and vans weighed at their public weighbridge, Stokesley Metals pay top prices for all types of scrap metal, whether it be an old car or full site clearance. Stokesley Metals Limited have a full set of licenses to work in the scrap metal recycling industry, and are also an authorised vehicle de-pollution processor, which means they have an on-site de-pollution plant where we safely remove substances that are harmful to the environment before scrapping cars and other vehicles. The Stokesley team are friendly and experienced scrap metal merchants with years of expertise working with private individuals and with businesses in the area, making them uniquely suited to dealing with commercial scrap in the North Lincolnshire area. For more information, or to contact directly, visit www.stokesleymetalsltd.co.uk your green journey on social media. Staff can take pride in the forward-thinking company they work for, and customers can purchase whilst secure in the knowledge that their money is going to a business which cares. Auditing and overhauling waste management systems could significantly increase business profitability. Identifying areas of waste, and how to minimise this (either by internal recycling, going paperless, or introducing employee schemes such as cycle to work) could put a stop to unnecessary business costs. In a market where consumers almost always have an abundance of choice, being green could give your company a real edge and the ability to get ahead of the curve. Furthermore, being able to decrease running costs will mean you are less likely to have to pass massive price increases on to the consumer, once again creating potential for improved customer relations. © stock.adobe.com/Natallia 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:36 Page 432 Business Link www.blmforum.net EDUCATION AND TRAINING W ith the cost of living crisis in full swing, businesses are seeking ways to improve their efficiency. Internal training could be the answer. In training staff internally, businesses can diversify their staff and job roles, as well as increase the opportunity for development and new ideas. Training is an exceptionally valuable resource to a business. In a recent survey, 56% of UK workers stated that they would leave their current role if their workplace stopped providing training. 31% of those surveyed had in fact left a position after experiencing this. In house training generally means that one employee is used to run a training course for other employees of the same business. This usually involves the use of the company’s own expertise, resources, and unique perspective. This can be at their workplace, or at an external venue. This provides many benefits to both employers and employees. However, in house training can be difficult for businesses to justify, given the time away from other duties required to develop and run these programmes. So, what are the key positives derived from taking the in-house training plunge? Contrary to popular belief, in house training can be cost effective. If multiple employees need training, it allows all employees to attend at once, rather than training them individually. This also reduces travel costs and expenses, as the training could be held in-office or somewhere close by, meaning that mileage or even hotel bills do not have to be considered. It also means that new starters could be trained from day one, rather than waiting until an external trainer is available, thus increasing the productivity of the new employee early on. Employment of internal training allows businesses to put their own stamp on training courses. It means that trainees can be educated in the unique product, way of thinking and, or working that makes the business successful and distinctive. This helps to promote a group mindset, and a consistent way of working. It also means that all employees can be highly educated on the product or service they provide, increasing their understanding and ability to utilise their own services. In house training removes the need for unnecessary mixing, as those training them are people with whom they would already be interacting. Moreover, courses can be delivered online, via platforms such as Microsoft Teams. These sites allow screen sharing for easy demonstration Training the internal team Hiring is difficult right now, which is why internal training up of existing employees is the go-to option for businesses, especially in the worsening economic climate. 32-35.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:38 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 33 EDUCATION AND TRAINING Bespoke training solutions Lincolnshire & Counties Training Solutions (LACTS) deliver high-quality training solutions across the UK that are typically delivered at your business premises, ensuring the most cost- effective and efficient use of your personnel’s time. We are recognised and authorised by the leading UK governing bodies such as, QNUK, FAIB and BALI to train accredited Food Safety, Health and Safety, First Aid, Fire Safety, ROLO and a host of other qualifications throughout the whole of the UK. and have a hands-up function to allow employees to easily ask questions. As many businesses continue to operate on a hybrid basis, this could seamlessly integrate into everyday operations. Whilst taking a day out for training will result in some lost productivity, an employee who is unskilled or incorrectly trained could result in a long term lack of productivity as the potential for mistakes and having to rectify them increases. Furthermore, businesses miss out on the opportunity to upskill employees and help them to develop new skills. This helps the business to stay current and provides the opportunity for diversification of thinking and business approach. This could entail a training programme of creative problem solving, technical knowledge implementation, and out of the box thinking. As well as increasing business productivity, it stimulates employees and motivates them to take on other responsibilities. This has the dual benefit of making them less interested in looking elsewhere. So how can a business put together an effective training programme from 34 Á © stock.adobe.com/Andrey Popov 32-35.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:38 Page 234 Business Link www.blmforum.net EDUCATION AND TRAINING scratch? Firstly, it is important to conduct an analysis of the performance gaps within the organisation and base the training around this. This can be done through an ongoing analysis of managerial attention. It is imperative that regulatory and legal requirements are covered in training, and are regularly reiterated to employees, such as health and safety training. This maintains compliance and quality assurance and reduces the likelihood of legal concerns over employee and customer safety. Secondly, combining in person and online methods provides the flexibility and safety of online learning, whilst being able to have someone physically present for more challenging sessions. Recorded video sessions could also provide flexibility for employees to go through and open at their own pace, which means that there would not need to be a significant workforce drop for a period. However, it should be noted that this is not always a good replacement for hands on learning. A survey found that 33% of office workers preferred to learn by doing, whilst being guided by an expert. Training should be seen as fundamental to business growth, given the potential it provides for honing and exploring new talent and ideas for expansion. Investing in the ability to provide internal training could save the huge cost of hiring training services, as well as provide the opportunity to take stock of the workings of the business, and how they could be improved. Whilst developing a new training initiative could involve significant up-front effort, as well as the potential to hire a training manager, it will likely provide massive savings long term, as well as ensuring that all new starters are properly trained from day one. Ultimately, internal training promotes consistency within business operations, which could mean significant streamlining of work and communications internally. © stock.adobe.com/fizkes © stock.adobe.com/Andrey Popov 32-35.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:38 Page 3www.blmforum.net Business Link 35 EDUCATION AND TRAINING NEW COURSES STARTING FROM SEPTEMBER 2022 INVEST IN YOURSELF PROFESSIONAL, SHORT AND ONLINE COURSES FOR ADULTS Call our Enrolment Hotline to secure your place 01484 437100 kirkleescollege.ac.uk Verner Wheelock offering Issue 9 update courses The BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 9 is published this month. All audits from 1st February 2023 onwards will be certificated against the new Standard. To help companies prepare for their 2023 audits, Verner Wheelock is offering two new courses: * The official BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 9 Conversion for Sites course (with exam and BRCGS certificate) and * Verner Wheelock’s own BRCGS Issue 9 Update course (VWA certificate), written by an experienced auditor. Rachel Coote, Marketing Manager, says, “Working through the new Standard to see what’s changed is time-consuming, so our trainers have already done this. The training focuses on those changes and how to implement them into day-to-day working environments.” Delegates can attend in person or remotely. The Verner Wheelock course can also be delivered at your own site if you have 5 or more staff to train. Course dates and information can be found at www.vwa.co.uk 32-35.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:38 Page 436 Business Link www.blmforum.net EDUCATION Can you tell us a bit more about the Collegiate and what it offers? The College offers a focused and dynamic academic curriculum. Students follow a traditional GCSE or A Level pathway alongside an exciting range of super-curricular and enrichment options. Our students are academically challenged and encouraged to aspire to excellence. They leave us as confident, independent learners, well prepared to succeed in higher education and their future careers. The Faculty, meanwhile, caters for students with a wide variety of talents and abilities, and helps them to achieve highly in a range of courses. We recognise and celebrate students’ successes in their academic and vocational courses, their creative, artistic and musical skills, and their sporting achievements. Our varied, interesting and individual programmes of study ensure that all students are supported to fulfil their diverse ambitions and prepare them for higher education and employment. How do your students typically perform? QE has two senior schools on their modern, well-equipped campus, which is close to York, Harrogate and Leeds, in Thorpe Underwood. This allows for a high level of personalised care and guidance for all students, and an innovative curriculum model to suit each individual. Students in QE Faculty achieved 86% A*-B grades at A Level and in QE College achieved 96% percent A*-B grades. The percentage of BTEC Distinction* and Distinction grades in QE Faculty was 81%. QE students are also successful in a wide range of sporting, cultural and outdoor activities included in the schools enrichment and co-curricular programme, focused on helping them to gain necessary skills in leadership, teamwork and decision making. What can students expect to learn on your Edexcel GCSE Business Studies course and, moreover, what will they be able to do with the qualification? Business Studies helps students to develop an understanding of organisations, how they market their products and generate profit. This involves looking at how businesses are managed, how decisions are made and how businesses react to different circumstances. This course provides a great grounding for the A Level Business course and any related courses at university. It also supports a wide range of other courses, from art to science, which increasingly have elements of business management. Q&A Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate We spoke to Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, an independent school based in York, about growing the next generation of business owners and entrepreneurs. 36-37.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:39 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 37 EDUCATION A GCSE in Business Studies can open many doors to the business and finance world. The course offers a huge insight into all areas of business and provides a strong but not essential platform to A Level Business, Economics and Accounting. If students decide to progress to university then it can help them enter any business and international business related degrees at some of the best business schools in the world. It is an exciting course that will provide students with so much more than just a GCSE but knowledge on how the world works and help set them apart from other students when it comes to university applications and applying for jobs. What about your A Level Business Studies course? As with our GSCE course, it enables students to develop a thorough understanding of organisations and the complexities involved therein. This involves investigations into how businesses are managed, how decisions are made and responses made to changes in the external environment. Of course, being an A Level course, it goes much further than GSCE level. It provides a good grounding for business related courses at university and careers in Business Management. It also supports a wide range of other university courses, from Art to Science, which increasingly incorporate elements of business management. In the modern world every career choice requires some understanding of business and the global business environment. Moving onto a more specialised subject, what can students expected from the Edexcel A Level Economics course? Economics is concerned with the key issues facing us today, including globalisation, pollution and poverty. It is essentially about choice: why different sorts of people and groups of people, such as governments, have to make choices; the choices that they make, and the consequences of those choices. The work of economists transforms our lives – if you are a firm, consumer, worker, homeowner or the government you are concerned with, and affected by, economics. Economics teaches students to think logically and to use theories to understand how economies operate. Students will be taught methods used by economists and how to understand issues such as inflation, unemployment, pollution, demand and supply, exchange rates, interest rates, and the difficult decisions the UK Government face when they attempt to steer the economy in a chosen direction. Students will need to apply their knowledge and understanding to both familiar and unfamiliar real life contexts in their lessons and assessments. They will also need to demonstrate an awareness of current economic events, trends and policies. Finally, what does the BTEC Nationals in Business offer? The Level 3 BTEC Business course is a two year programme designed to allow the students to gain an effective understanding of the overall business environment. It provides a solid understanding of the business world and gives the students knowledge of the business functions and skills required to succeed. Due to the diverse nature of the business course it provides a strong foundation for any student looking to continue business studies into Higher Education and a good basis for studying business degrees such as Business Management, International Business, Business and Marketing etc. It is predominantly a vocational course which helps our students to develop a number of skills desired by universities, such as assignment writing, research skills, teamwork, presentation skills and independent learning. Students can choose to complete the course based on size e.g. Extended Certificate (one A Level), diploma (two A Levels) or Extended Diploma (three A Levels). The course consists of a range of assignment based, examination and synoptic units which gives the opportunity for all types of learners to succeed. Do you have any open days coming up in October and November? Yes, we do indeed. We have one taking place on 2 October and another on 27 November. Both take place between 9:30am to 12:30pm. Join us to get an in- depth, insight into Queen Ethelburga’s and our community, which welcomes children from 3 months old to Year 13. Anyone interested in attending should do so using the form found at www.qe.org/home/admissions/open-days. To find out more, visit www.qe.org, email info@qe.org, or call 01423 33 33 30. 36-37.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:39 Page 238 Business Link www.blmforum.net CORPORATE HOSPITALITY The cost of recruitment is through the roof, and companies are finding it hard to find good staff, which means it’s all the more important to keep hold of the ones you have. We look at ways to accomplish this, and why the idea of “entitled employees” might be less of a curse and more of a blessing. If you play your cards right. Keeping a team motivated, cohesive and involved is more important now than it has ever been before. The economy is in a bad place, the cost of living is rising, and jobseekers have all the power – which means that employees are more likely now than ever before to be looking for new jobs, especially with the new year only a few months away. It’s now or never when it comes to having a chance to cement your workforce and ensure employees are motivated by more than just pay, because there will always be someone who pays better. Business Link has touched upon the importance of team building and employee engagement in our corporate hospitality features before, for facilitating bonding, collaboration, motivation, strengthening communication and more, however this usually refers to taking part in events such as escape rooms, sports days, activities out in nature et al. - essentially tasks that will involve being physically close or in contact with others. These were not possible during the lockdown and may not be overly appreciated now either as they take time and costs in fuel to attend, which is already much too expensive. It might be time to look at easier (and thankfully cheaper) alternatives. Something as simple as weekly team Zoom or Slack meetings, virtual coffee breaks, lunches and happy hours are a good start, to build rapport and get the team reconnected, engaged, motivated and as a result productive (just ensure these are not entirely business related). It may seem simple – even too simple – but even taking staff out to a local eatery on the last Friday of the month and having the business pay for meals will do wonders to both cheer your employees up and ease the burden on them a little. If you know for a fact that your teams are willing to get out and about then Keeping staff happy Keeping staff happy 38-39.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:40 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 39 CORPORATE HOSPITALITY © stock.adobe.com/Jacob Lund things like mini-golf, pub visits or other events can certainly work, and help foster a business culture that is not just sit down and work. It may seem very Google or fancy, but many of these large and successful firms allow time off for staff to mingle for good reasons – and it’s not just to look good in the newspaper. They understand that staff are too expensive to lose, and that any losses to competitors not only means having to recruit and train afresh but deal with company secrets being leaked. Better, and cheaper in the long run, to invest in a fancy staff room and give them time to relax. How expensive, really, is a decent sofa, some music and some drinks? How expensive compared to the cost of advertising a vacancy in a newspaper or online, collecting CVs, going through them, calling interviewees, arranging interviews, finding the right candidate, training them up. The list continues. The costs of all of that can reach into the thousands, and even more if it’s a constant problem or an upper management position. Giving staff a relaxing place to let loose in the office and chat during their lunch hour (or even giving them an additional 30 minute break during the day) is far cheaper. It will also factor into their heads when they consider new offers or think about their work, and it becomes an expectation. Staff will look and expect this in other jobs, and shy away from offers that don’t include it. If your office has every member of staff sitting down at their desk to eat for instance, ask yourself how happy they really are. A simple place to eat communally and chat could immediately perk up moods, and costs nothing more than a table and some chairs. The word “entitlement” is something of a dirty one in the media and among many business leaders, but why should it be if a savvy business leader can use it to their advantage? If employees feel entitled about something you give, and that others do not, then it only makes them more loyal to your company. This can only be a good thing, despite what people like Alan Sugar might claim. Businesses nowadays are having to adapt, and having to offer more, and people care more about the experience and their free time than they have before. In a way, people are less motivated by money specifically because house prices are too high and the cost of living is too expensive. When achieving your dreams with money feels impossible to many, it makes sense the focus will turn to trying to enjoy the present. Ignore it and call it entitled at your own risk – but staff have the power, and there are plenty of jobs out there. If they truly become disillusioned, they will leave. The balance of power has shifted, and it is not in the hands of employers. 38-39.qxp_Layout 1 06/09/2022 09:40 Page 2Next >