< Previous20 Business Link www.blmforum.net IT AND TELECOMS © Shutterstock /ShutterOK companies to be cognizant of security risks such as hacking and phishing and tool staff up with the knowledge they need. A robust suit of virus protection services is also a must. Some businesses may think they’re saving money by using a cheaper – or even free – virus protection but, ultimately, it’s a false economy. Businesses cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to cybersecurity. Though hacks are never welcome, bigger businesses are often in a better position to endure them and may even have insurances in place to cover them in such an event. But for SMEs, a hack can be truly devastating and something they may not ever fully recover from. But the benefits outweigh the risks. Take, for example, video conferencing, which has existed in one form or another since the eighties. But now with web- based video conferencing, teams can convene in virtual meeting rooms. Most video conferencing solutions typically come bundled with online collaboration tools such as document sharing, text chat and screen sharing. The benefit, of course, is that teams can collaborate over distances and meetings can be hold from parties in two or more different countries. It’s all well and good saying that businesses should adopt digital communications and cloud technologies, but that’s often easier said than done. Given Yorkshire and Lincolnshire comprise the nation’s two biggest counties, and that both have wide rural areas, it’s no surprise that connectivity is a challenge for many businesses. However, the government’s ongoing £22 million Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is helping to ensure that rural businesses aren’t left behind and can have fast, reliable broadband. With the pandemic showing no signs of abating, it’s critical that businesses future-proof themselves where possible and sure-up their operations, and that means © Shutterstock /Andrey_Popov 18-21.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:42 Page 3www.blmforum.net Business Link 21 IT AND TELECOMS guaranteeing they have good broadband in place – after all, so much of businesses is conducting online now. But businesses in rural locations need to be quick to apply as the scheme closes on 31st March 2021. On a similar note, the continuing rollout of 5G connectivity is taking businesses to the next level with promises of lightning-fast uninterrupted connectivity. It’s also crucial here that rural businesses aren’t left behind and, encouragingly, 5G technology was installed along the Lincolnshire coast earlier this year. As major towns and cities across our region continue to enter the new age of digital connectivity, it’s important that our vital rural businesses are included. One of the biggest business communication trends tipped for growth is unified communications – that is the integration of real-time and near real- time communications systems. This means bringing together chat services, phone, video conferencing, messaging, feedback and commenting systems into a unified system which reduces infrastructure and boasts more features for a more responsive experience. What has taken place with video conferencing becoming near inseparable from other collaborative communication tools will happen right across the sector as companies bring their communications increasingly into one unified solution. Necessity in the wake of the pandemic has driven the widespread adoption and use of video conferencing applications such as Zoom. Likely, these tools will simply become part of a business’ toolkit rather than just being a means of surviving the coronavirus crisis. Though none of us would have asked for the pandemic, we can use it is a catalyst to usher in step changes in outdated IT and telecoms systems and usher in an age of more unified, interconnected business communication. 18-21.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:42 Page 422 Business Link www.blmforum.net LEGAL SERVICES © Shutterstock /Stock-Asso The business of law We explore the various different branches of legal services and the ways in which solicitors can help assist businesses dealing with IP infringement, new data privacy laws, or employment law. 22-24.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:39 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 23 LEGAL SERVICES G iven business law is a complex and nebulous branch of legal services, the quality and effectiveness of the advice and assistance a company receives can directly impact its future trading and endeavours. To put it another way, if a company opts for the cheapest option available, they can be putting themselves in jeopardy. Fortunately, companies can be checked out online to ensure they’re fully compliant, and with online aggregators and review services, it’s easy to see reviews other companies have left for a firm. Companies can also use the Legal 500 to make more informed decisions. Although having quality and respected solicitors on side will help to safeguard a business, it’s by no means a silver bullet and businesses must ensure they not only have a good understanding of business law and legislation, but remain compliant. Employment law is an umbrella term regulating the relationship between employers and employers from recruitment right through to exit. Within that it describes what employers can expect from employees, what they can ask of employees, and employee rights at work – things such as working time, holiday entitlement and pay. Businesses also need to bear in mind what they can and can’t ask about its employees. Diversity in the workplace is to be celebrated, with safeguards in place such as the Equality Act – in which people of all race, genders, ages and sexualities are treated fairly – and job applications asking applicants to supply this information if desired. But employers must be mindful around issues of sexuality and gender, especially with the rise of trans visibility both in society and in the workplace. If a company – or even its employees – ask another worker if they’re trans, for example, that employee may well pursue litigious action. Equally as big a topic of late is sexual abuse and misconduct in the workplace which has entered a tipping point in the wake of #MeToo movement. Although the movement was focused on Hollywood and the behaviour of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, it has since spread to many other areas, including offices across the UK. As in all aspects of business law, employers must be cognizant of forthcoming changes and legislation so they can prepare and take steps to ensure compliance. Examples include the government’s new immigration policy which functions on a points-based system similar to the model used in Australia. Employers wanting to hire someone from Europe will need to comply with these new policies. Another recent change is the government’s plan to make any part of a termination payment over £30,000 subject to employer NIC. Although it was delayed from April 2018, it became law in April of this year. The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018, which became law in September last year came into effect earlier this year. It gives employees who lose a child under the age of eighteen, or who suffer from a stillbirth from the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy, the right to two weeks leave as a ‘day one’ employment © Shutterstock /Dmytro Zinkevych 24 Á 22-24.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:39 Page 224 Business Link www.blmforum.net LEGAL SERVICES right. It will be pay the same statutory rate as other family friendly rights, such as maternity leave. There is much more than just employment law when it comes to legal services required by businesses. Intellectual property (IP) not only refers to products or services produced by a company, but that company’s identity. Solicitors specialising in IP can offer a range of services, whether that’s IP disputes or strategy, or management and protection for patents, trademarks, domain names and designs etc. There are three steps recommended by government in the event a company needs to defend its IP and take action if it’s being infringed. Firstly, a company is advised to get the other party to stop using their IP or come to an agreement, such as a license. Secondly, a company can use mediation or another type of dispute resolution, or, lastly, take legal action should these preceding steps fail. Advice can be sought from solicitors at any stage, though they are only legally required for the third. As IP disputes fall under injunction-based law, they must be handled by a specialist IP dispute lawyer supported by commercial litigation colleagues. Disputes are handled in separate courts whose rules and expectations have little in common with those of other courts, and IP disputes often involve associated contractual disputes and specialist applications requiring the input of commercial litigation colleagues into the team. IP infringement covers a wide variety of occurrences such as counterfeiting, to using a similar packaging design, or the appearance of trademarks and symbols that come close to existing branding. Companies should be aware, however, that not everything can or should be trademarked. In 2008, for example, Cadbury attempted to trademark the colour purple, but was thwarted by Nestlé. It could not trademark the Pantone 2865c purple used on its Dairy Milk wrappers because it did not meet the requirements of what could be trademark, and the company are hardly alone in this. Where IP law refers to a company’s branding and products, data protection and privacy law issues have an impact on most HR activities from recruitment and employee record keeping, to performance monitoring and references. But it’s also becoming an increasingly hot topic in business with the rapid evolution of digital technology. Consequently, changes in legislation have occurred in order to keep up. In May 2018, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force and replaced the previous Data Protection Act 1998. GDPR affects how organisations gather, store and use data and individual rights over access to information. Augmenting this legislation is the forthcoming ePrivacy Regulation which will provide greater regulation of electronic communications within the European Union. Once it comes into law, it will replace the EU’s existing ePrivacy and Electronic Communications Directive 2002 which was implemented in the UK back in 2003. Despite the European focus of the legislation, Brexit is unlikely to have much of an affect. Experts say this is because UK companies will likely want to continue to do business in EU countries and will therefore adopt these regulations either fully or in part. For now, all adopted EU regulations continue to apply in the UK until the end of the Brexit transition period on Thursday December 31 2020. The moral is that businesses will continue to face even more regulatory burden going forward and so they must be prepared. Solicitors can advise on a range of data protection laws – including preventing breaches and violations – but the onus is on business leaders to ensure they have a working understanding of their responsibilities and liabilities under data protection law and take the appropriate steps to ensure compliance. Solicitors can help to defend against allegations of unlawful data breaches, for example or, if a company has breached data laws, how best to handle and engage with the situation. When it comes to business law, it pays to be cautious – doubly so in the current climate. © Shutterstock /PopT ika 22-24.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:39 Page 3www.blmforum.net Business Link 25 CORPORATE HOSPITALITY Speakers can be make or break when it comes to online events. As the Government does a U- turn on larger events, restricts how many people can meet up at once, and tells us to work from home again where possible, it’s clear that progress towards the resumption of widespread corporate events has hit a standstill. Events will firmly remain in the digital space for some time. Whether a virtual event is hailed successful and worthwhile comes down to numerous elements. Here, Business Link considers one particular factor that can easily become the downfall of an online event despite good intentions: speakers. People frequently sign up for virtual events and webinars, intrigued perhaps by a stated topic, only to be majorly disappointed by a dull, unenthusiastic speaker. Though flashy software and a smooth-running experience are to be lauded, if a speaker cannot share content in an engaging way, attendees will log off unsatisfied, and might even want a successful 26 Á © Shutterstock /fizkes Securing speakers 25-27.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:38 Page 126 Business Link www.blmforum.net CORPORATE HOSPITALITY refund if the event has a paywall. When running virtual events, then, sourcing a professional speaker versed in online events and able to present information interestingly is key. Finding these speakers does not differ too much from how you would source them for in person events. In actuality online events expand your presenter pool, past what in person options would have been, as there are no issues with distance and travel. In addition, if dealing with paid for speakers, by taking away travel and accommodation costs you may even see speakers once outside of the budget become a possibility. Upon starting the speaker search, ensure you know the goal of your event, the kind of speaker you want (e.g. to take control of a breakout session or as a keynote speaker), the date and time you want your speaker to address your audience, the speaker’s allocated session length, topic and what they can include, budget, the date by which you need to have booked the speaker, the date that you will want their session information, headshot, and bio by to publicise on websites, agendas, and event listings, and whether you will be asking the speaker to promote the event alongside you. These are all factors to consider in order to secure the right speaker for your needs. There are a variety of channels through which one can find a speaker; one could consult your audience, or people within it that you know well, make use of experts within one’s own business, look to those you have partnerships with, seek out keynote presenters in your industry or those well known in your community, or look for people with online buzz, perhaps selecting someone who runs a popular podcast or blog. However you find them, ensure to enquire about the speaker’s virtual presenting experience, to gain insight on their ability to engage audiences, and once signed up, make clear guidelines and expectations so speakers can be prepared - are you for example expecting a microphone to be used for high sound quality, are you looking for a particular background, such as a plain wall? A rehearsal should be arranged too, especially if the platform your event will be using is outside of those usually employed like Zoom. Just as you would expect from a hired speaker, if you will be presenting at a virtual event there are a plethora of things to do to become a better online speaker and provide a better experience. Firstly, ensure to be prepared, to enhance confidence. This not only means understanding your platform, creating good quality slides if required, practicing, having content ready for clear delivery, and testing microphones and cameras, but readying your voice by remaining hydrated. It can be useful too, to watch other speakers online to learn from. It is important to understand your audience as well - their jobs, expertise level, possible questions they have - so that the points you make and how you make them are tailored for them. One will also want to make sure your environment is suitable - tidy with no distracting elements, and well lit - and that anyone else in your vicinity is aware of when you are presenting to prevent disturbances. Further, place cameras at an eye-level setting, raised to achieve virtual eye contact with the audience. While speaking, it is vital to remain coherent, avoid long pauses, be enthusiastic, and keep energy high. Adding dynamics to pace for emphasis on certain points can help prevent sounding monotonous and maintaining eye contact can help one connect with the audience. To engage with the audience on a deeper level make use of your chosen event platform’s tools, such as polls. It can also be worthwhile keeping presentations shorter and more straightforward in the digital space. Attention spans for virtual events are shorter and audiences are more easily distracted when watching from home. 25-27.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:38 Page 2www.blmforum.net Business Link 27 CORPORATE HOSPITALITY © Shutterstock /Girts Ragelis 25-27.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:38 Page 3Warehouse optimisation Warehouse optimisation 28 Business Link www.blmforum.net WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION © Shutterstock /Don Pablo With increased pressure placed on the industry by the pandemic, and in the run up to the Christmas trading period, warehousing and distribution operators can act now to improve efficiencies to save both cost and time. 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:35 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 29 WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION T he coronavirus crisis has led to a spike in consumer demand for everything from food, drink and consumer goods to home appliances. Not only has this placed greater stress on retailers, but also on the entire supply. Growers and producers have been forced to turn in longer hours and bolster production and capacity to keep up with demand. One of the industries that has keenly felt this rise is warehousing and distribution. Now, in the run up to Christmas and with no signs of the COVID-19 pandemic abating, there will likely be a severe lack of resource availability, leading to a spike in storage costs. As retailers and supermarkets significantly expand their storage and warehousing footprints, operators can take measures now to improve warehouse and distribution efficiencies, leading to time and cost savings. It’s critical for operators to regularly undertake warehouse assessments. This is a means of assessing whether one’s warehouse operation is productive and efficient in meeting both its operator’s needs and those of its customers. It’s a crucial step to identifying and instigating efficiencies as it’s almost impossible to improve something without first being able to measure it. There are five basic parts to any assessment. The first, and perhaps most obvious, is the walkthrough and observation of the operation. It’s a look-before- you-leap step, walking the facility floor right through to loading bays in order to identify inefficacies and where best to focus improvements. This is then followed by the second step of gathering data of necessary information and metrics, and the third of interviewing key staff members. This step is particularly prudent for an operator to gain valuable insight into individual 30 Á 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 07/10/2020 07:36 Page 2Next >