< Previousmaintain the status quo on this matter - at least until things settle down, but that’s not a guaranteed fact. Simply put, it’s a legal and political minefield at the moment, which will only get more convoluted as time goes on. That said, in the long run there is little to show that any of these changes would be intrinsically bad for business, it is simply that even for changes that would be beneficial, there will still be that period of uncertainty. The knock-on effects of these changes could also have financial implications for many, with contracts needing to be amended, or HR teams sent on training courses to learn more about what has - and has not - changed. These are just some of the changes which are going to be perhaps made as we go into the New Year. There are still the age-old issues faced by employers now in regards to issues such as grievances, sickness and absence - and the dreaded tribunal. Employment tribunals have long been an unpleasant experience for employers, with many suggesting that the system in the past has been weighted too far in favour of the claimant. Indeed, many would doubtless suggest the fact that those using the tribunal service did not have to pay any fees rather encouraged a host of speculative claims, often without merit, which simply added to the burden of employers, HR directors and managers. And the issue could be getting worse. In a case touted across most newspapers, judges ruled in favour of a Morrisons customer who was subject to a violent assault by one of their employees. The Supreme Court ruled that Morrisons could be held liable for this, due to vicarious 40 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk EMPLOYMENT LAW © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / SYDA PRODUCTIONS 39-41.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:40 Page 2liability - where someone is held accountable for another’s actions. This could have far-reaching consequences on many companies in the region, especially if they employ people who work with customers directly. In reality it’s unlikely to lead to a raft of new claims, as even before the legislation companies were hardly going to employ - or keep employing - people who would racially attack another. However, it does open the door for claims and lawsuits, which even if found false, could have disastrous effects on the reputation of a company, not to mention the legal costs - which will be felt much more keenly by SMEs. It’s important to note that the law has not changed, per se. Vicarious liability was always in effect, and will continue to be so. But it does open the door for further questions as to how far it can be taken, as originally both the High Court and Court of Appeal declared Morrisons not responsible. With all the changes taking place it’s certainly going to be necessary for companies to take a look at their process and seek the aid of a professional. © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / CREATE JOBS 51 www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 41 EMPLOYMENT LAW Family Breakdown and your Business: What often happens after the holidays David Winnett, Family Collaborative Solicitor at Hopkins Solicitors, explores how family breakdowns can affect a business and how company heads can offer support. Imagine the scene. You’ve had a great summer. You cannot wait to get back to work. But when you do, one or more of your staff/colleagues is upset. As a caring boss or colleague, what can or should you do? Well, you could copy a character in a soap opera. You could wag your finger and say, “Don’t bring your personal problems to work”. But will that do any good? When a couple is separating, they do not leave their separation at the office or factory door. They carry it around, like a ton weight on their shoulders. So what should you as the caring boss or colleague really do? Well, you can recognise that a staff member’s divorce is a business issue. So you can say, “I am going to help you deal with this separation in a way that causes the least damage possible. That way we both benefit”. And how can you help? Firstly you can say, “Do not get into a nasty conflict. You will waste a lot of time and money, arguing over everything in Court. And the longer and nastier your legal dispute, the longer your period of recovery will be. Imagine not being able to attend graduations or weddings together in 10 years’ time because you are still angry?” A Legal Disclaimer: we have no magic wand. Even collaborative lawyers cannot guarantee happiness. But we can help couples to mitigate, some of the worst effects of going at it hammer and tongues when they separate. Do not let your valued colleagues get sucked into nasty disputes; give them the right advice. Then the next summer holidays might be happier all round. 39-41.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:40 Page 342 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk NEW YEAR, NEW SIUPPLIERS In with the new This year, East Midlands Business Link is calling on businesses to inspect their supply chain, examine each and every one of their suppliers and ask themselves a simple question – am I getting the absolute best? If not, then now is the time to change. The beginning of a new calendar year brings with it the opportunity for businesses and company owners to stop and take stock and look towards the year ahead. The process of looking back and evaluating the last twelve months can yield valuable insight into the trading period, highlighting successes and areas where improvements can be made. From this, businesses can make changes and avoid repeating the same mistakes and ensure greater productivity, efficiency and profitability. One of the changes that can yield the biggest impact is by swapping suppliers. Although it’s easy to remain with a supplier out of a misplaced sense of loyalty, a poor supplier can not only be costing a company time, but also money. At a time when uncertainly continues to affect the whole sector, companies simply cannot afford to let a subpar supplier drag them down. A company is only as good as its suppliers, with their end products dependent on the raw material and ingredients that they purchase. It serves to follow, then, that a company that is reliant on subpar suppliers will be unable to achieve its full potential and profitability. There are several understandable reasons why a company would remain with mediocre suppliers, other than loyalty, and that’s from the need to trim back supply chain costs and run a leaner operation. However, using cheap suppliers for cheapness sake can be counterproductive and, conversely, end up costing a company in the long run. While loyalty is a powerful motivator, the lack of any meaningful relationship with a supplier can also be good grounds to look elsewhere. It only takes a visit to any of the shows and exhibitions taking place across our region to see the strength of these relationships in action. If a company head feels as though they’re getting the cold shoulder from any of In with the new 42-43.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:42 Page 1their suppliers, then it’s worth considering a replacement. It can seem as though it’s easier remaining with a supplier so as not to upset the status quo, but that attitude can be costly to a company, especially in this economic climate. Finding a new supplier can be well and truly transformative, whether it’s for raw ingredients or machinery, the difference from supplier-to-supplier can be startling. For example, one supplier of machinery and equipment might just want to squeeze a company for all they’ve got and supply a piece of top end machinery for the sake of it. However, a supplier that you’ll want on your wide will take the time to get to know a company and its operations and offer a machine that’s best suited to a company’s production and processing needs, rather than the most expensive. They might also be able to offer a bespoke option which, while not the cheapest, ensures a company gets a tailor-made solution designed to meet their exact needs and specifications. Having quality supplies can literally mean the difference between hitting profits and not, of using the very best ingredients and something mediocre. The importance of good suppliers cannot be overstated, but it’s also important not to lose sight of how bad, or even middling, suppliers can affect a business. So, this New Year, make it your resolution to find the right suppliers for you. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 43 NEW YEAR, NEW SIUPPLIERS © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / PORMEZZ © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / DRAZEN ZIGIC Seeking finance As well as equipment, ingredient and component suppliers, it’s also important for businesses to use the New Year as an excuse to ensure they’ve got their financial services and funding in place for the months ahead. It’s also an ideal time to consider looking elsewhere, such as alternative lenders and loaners, as well as seeking expert financial advice. 42-43.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:43 Page 244 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS By Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and Enterprise Nation Champion for Nottingham. Recently I attended a business conference run by Nigel Botterill and his Entrepreneurs Circle team. I get great value from these days out of the office as I get to work ON the business not in it and pick up loads of new ideas for my clients. On the day, there is often a ‘celebrity’ speaker who are always good value to hear from BUT what a lot of attendees don’t see is the wider opportunity. The photo. Now, this costs me a little more in terms of ticket price and many people baulk at that but what I can do after the event with the photo is pretty powerful, in fact, I’m doing it now. Secret Sauce I see lots of other delegates sharing their photo too BUT they could be doing more. Deborah discussed a wide range of topics, including Dragons’ Den and ‘missing’ the Levi Roots opportunity, so here’s my secret sauce to leverage celebrity moments. Before the event – I mentioned I was going Dragon Slaying in a few meetings, tagged Deborah on Twitter to say I was looking forward to it and on my Facebook page and Group. I also used my Out of Office message on my emails to good effect to explain to clients where I was, whilst also trailing a blog after the event and causing conversation. Crucially, I didn’t just say I was going to meet Deborah, I asked what other people wanted me to ask. I was USEFUL to my audience and added value. On the day I kept this up, whilst making notes on the interview and planning how to leverage it. I then bagged my photo AND I dropped a note to a friendly reporter I know asking whether he fancied a guest article on meeting Deborah, part of which you are reading now. After I have now written the piece you are reading, which I have published across my social media channels to drive traffic back to my blog, and tagged all parties involved to see if they will share. Again, I have ensured there is something in it for them if they do in terms of exposure. I also sent it out via my e-newsletter subscribers, and I used it as part of a round-up blog of my Top Tips for the year in December. So next time, if you have a similar opportunity, by all means consider the ‘cost’ of the VIP ticket but also consider the OPPORTUNITY to leverage it and achieve much more than a seat close to the stage and a photo. 44-45.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:44 Page 144-45.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:44 Page 246 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk RENEWABLE ENERGY Transforming the energy mix Renewable energy is transforming how we generate power, creating an energy system that can accommodate the UK’s needs whilst helping the country meet emissions targets and clean growth ambitions. Although the East Midlands has historically been flagging in this area, there are signs that the region is progressing. The East Midlands has been accused of being behind the renewable energy revolution, with researchers at Imperial College London and E4tech reporting that a regional divide is forming, putting London and Scotland miles ahead of our region in the UK’s shift to renewable energy due to their more modernised energy infrastructure. The region is progressing, however, towards a greener, cleaner future with Loughborough University leading a new national solar energy research network with aims of boosting the renewable energy industry, Leicestershire County Council pledging to use 100% clean energy by 2050 from renewable or low carbon sources, and the Trent Basin project in Nottingham, which is a development constructing low energy homes through a community energy initiative. The development is installing Europe’s largest community battery and solar photovoltaics to serve the neighbourhood with the aim of creating a development as close to zero-carbon as possible. On a national level, the picture for renewables is bright. 30% of UK power generation came from renewable sources in 2017, according to government statistics. Moreover the DUKES energy statistics show that coal power fell sharply once again in 2017, with overall coal generation dropping 27% year- on-year. Gas power generation also decreased by 4.6% while renewables output jumped 19.5% to make up 29.3% of all power generation in 2017. Wind power made up a significant share of renewables contribution to power generation and is certainly recognised as the leading light in the sector, with an 8.6% contribution from onshore wind farms and 6.2% from offshore wind farms respectively - together providing almost half of renewables contribution to power. Though fossil fuels remained the primary source of energy supply for the UK, it was at a record low in 2017. 2018 continued the rise of renewable energy with renewables generating 30.1% of UK power in Q1, with onshore wind farms generating 10.6% and offshore supplying 8.5% of UK’s power, accounting for almost a fifth of the UK’s entire electricity in the quarter. This positive momentum extended into Q2 where the renewables industry’s share of electricity generation reached a 48 Á Á Transforming the energy mix 46-48.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:45 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 47 RENEWABLE ENERGY © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / METAMORWORKS 46-48.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:45 Page 2record 31.7%, while coal fell to a new record low, highlighting a welcome step forward in the UK’s plans to phase out coal power by 2025. Though onshore wind generation decreased by 12% in the period, due to lower wind speeds, offshore wind increased by 19%, offsetting this. Other stand-out increases noted in government data came from bioenergy, with generation up 8.9%, and plant biomass (wood) in particular which grew by 12%. The growth in the period has also been accredited to the success of the solar sector in the summer heatwave, which generated enough solar power to fuel over 1 million homes. Despite the contribution of solar, and it being voted the most popular source of energy in the UK, concerns are strong in the sector after new solar power installations were revealed to have more than halved in 2017, attributed in part to subsidy cuts. With this decrease, UK solar growth is anticipated to decelerate, and according to predictions from SolarPowerEurope, the UK will only add 2.1GW of solar by 2022, making it the slowest growing market amongst the world’s top 20. However, solar farm cost reductions have passed expectations this year, with solar now anticipated to become the lowest cost form of new generating capacity in the next decade, which has led the Solar Trade Association (STA) to predict a rise in solar farm development in 2019. Solar is now recognised as cost competitive with fossil fuels and the STA state that with the right policy framework for solar and storage, the government will allow the technology to realise its potential as an affordable low-carbon energy system. 2018 also marked the first instance in which the UK’s total renewable energy capacity overtook fossil fuels, according to the latest Drax Electric Insights report. While a third of fossil fuel generating capacity retired in the past five years, capacity from wind, solar, hydro, biomass and other renewables has tripled, with total renewable capacity available on the system reaching 42GW, overtaking the 40.6GW capacity available from fossil fuels. Broken down, wind farms offer the largest share of renewable capacity with more than 20GW available, followed by solar with 13GW and biomass with 3.2GW. Despite the increasing contribution renewable energy is making to power, the UK is still not on course to meet its emission targets for the late 2020s and early 2030s. In response to this, those in the renewables industry have called for the government to improve domestic and industrial energy efficiency and better allow for development of cost effective solar and wind farms. Additionally, with the contribution onshore wind farms make to the UK’s energy, the lack of support for new onshore wind projects is causing frustration, with opinion polls showing that two-thirds of people think current policy, which has placed planning restrictions on onshore wind farm construction, should be altered to allow onshore wind to proceed wherever it has local support. Since 2015 onshore wind projects have also been banned from competing in the UK’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) framework - the government’s main mechanism for supporting low-carbon electricity generation - and will continue to be so for the next auctions in 2019. The 2019 auctions have received further negative reactions as the £60 million assigned for them is lower than the level of support expected. This has been critiqued for jeopardising UK climate goals and hindering the expansion of the renewables industry, though a spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has said that the £60 million is a reflection of “the fall in costs of renewable electricity” which “means that we should be able to secure more generation than the last auction at a lower cost for consumers”. In December 2019, wind energy generation almost surpassed 17GW, breaking the previous record that had been set just days before. Make no mistake we’re entering a tipping point where renewables including wind power are transforming our energy mix. 48 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / METAMORWORKS RENEWABLE ENERGY 46-48.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:45 Page 3FEATURES Engineering Spotlight Business Travel & Leisure Printing & Packaging Meet the Experts Training & Apprenticeships REGULARS Commercial Property Corporate Hospitality Motoring Watch out too for the latest news from across the region in every sector Next month in February 2020 - Deadline 22nd January Visit us at www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk where you’ll find the latest news as it breaks – and why not subscribe to our newsletters so you can have. the latest news emailed to your inbox 47.qxp_Layout 1 19/12/2019 12:47 Page 1Next >