Danbro Blog
← Older postsBIBA’s (Be Inspired Business Awards)
This year the BIBA’s will be Incorporating the Official Preston Guild Business Ball and they will open Guild Week on Friday 31st August. After being crowned ‘Business of the Year 2011’ and ‘Employer of the Year 2011’ we are hoping to defend our title again this year. We are also proud to be sponsoring the 2012 awards. It’s a competition that searches for businesses which have excelled in their field, punched above their weight and demonstrated passion, growth, and commitment. So supporting the BIBAs 2012 has been an easy decision to make.
We will be applying for the following categories:
- ‘Business of the Year 2012’
- ‘Employer of the Year 2012’
- ‘Excellence in customer service’
The finalists will be announced on 15th May 2012.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentOur expansion
• New Tele marketing department- In March 2012, a new Tele Marketing team will be launched, aimed at providing HOT leads to traditional Accountancy Practices throughout the UK.
• New office Aberdeen- We have wanted to tap into the Oil and Gas sector for while now and we are opening an office in Aberdeen where a new Business Consultant will be partially based. They will be establishing and developing the accounting services offered to contractors in the Oil and Gas sector, generating new business and building good customer relations.
• New Employees- Already this year we have employed 4 new employees (temporary and permanent) who are all great additions to the Danbro team.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTop 10 things to do now to save money for Christmas!
I came across this article on ‘Money Saving Expert’ about the top ten things to do now for Christmas and thought I’d share it with you all, you may think Christmas is months away but 100 days will fly by. So start saving now and in January you will realise that early financial preparation counts!
1. Try the DemoHoHotivator. www.demohohotivator.com shows how much you can save with small sacrifices to boost your Christmas cash. Eg, cut out crisps and Coke every working day and you’ll save £140.
2. Bag 5% off ALL Christmas shopping. Capital One* World Mastercard pays a huge 5% cashback on all spending on up to £2,000 in the first 99 days. So apply now if you’re planning a hefty Christmas spend. Repay IN FULL each month or the 19.9% representative APR dwarfs the gain. To get it, you must earn £20,000+, be 21+ & a homeowner. If that’s not you (and for full info) see the Top Cashback Cards guide (and Official APR Example).
3. Xmas Travelodge rooms sub-£15. If you’re visiting relatives, budget chain Travelodge still has some sub-£15 rooms for 23 Dec 2 Jan. Yet GO QUICK to bag prime dates. Full help: Travelodge Sale
4. Christmas costs £650, use 4 mths’ income. Typical family Xmas spending is £650, too much for most from December’s pay alone. So why not put money aside each month now, at no cost (better than borrowing & paying back later with interest). Work out how much you need and put a quarter aside in Sept, Oct and Nov. If you can’t afford that, cut your cloth accordingly.
5. Max cash from old mobiles (eg, £150). To generate cash, don’t just flog old phones to anyone, use our MobileValuer Mobile Selling Comparison to speedily find top payers so you avoid the worst, eg, HTC Desire Z £120 (some buyers pay just £55) or iPhone 3GS 16GB £145 (some pay just £80).
6. Play Freebie Roulette: Our Freebies, Freebies, Freebies guide lists 100s of giveaways, from make-up to tea, plus a freebie roulette machine. Save them up for an Xmas freebie tombola (MSE Lee does this for his family every year).
7. Reclaim lost Tesco points, then treble ‘em. Quickly check and reclaim lost vouchers online. Many have found £100+. Yet DON’T save them for festive food, check Tesco’s Rewards to triple their value (£10 becomes £30) on items such as jewellery or mags. See Reclaim Tesco Vouchers
8. Turn old gold into Christmas cash. Postal gold produces more horror stories than Hollywood, but we have found a few good ‘uns, eg, £105 for an 18ct gold ring. For full help and guidance see the Gold-Selling guide.
9. Set up a Christmas cupboard. Set aside space for Xmas goodies now, and plan your shopping list. Then keep track of vouchers/sales and be ready to pounce. We’ll help in this email (if someone has forwarded it, get it free here), plus the Discount Voucher page, Grabbit while you can and Christmas forums.
10. Amazon hidden gift discounts of 80%+. For stocking fillers our ever-popular Amazon Discount Finder manipulates web-links to create customised bargain basement pages, eg, 90%+ off kids’ DVDs* & 90%+ off toys*.
Posted in News | Leave a commentExpenses & Comparable Pay Under AWR
Professional Passport recently published a document clarifying the process of establishing comparable pay under the agency worker regulations.
Some providers are suggesting that expenses cannot and should not be used as part of the equation when comparing pay under AWR.
Professional Passport have confirmed that BIS have no intention of removing expenses from the equation and they have confirmed that they stand by their guidance.
The guidance is quite to the point:
Equal treatment on pay for agency workers who work through umbrella companies
Where an agency worker works through an umbrella, the pay they receive should be the same as if they had been recruited directly – or paid to a comparator if appropriate. Where an umbrella worker receives part of their pay as reimbursement for travel expenses and, for example, where a directly recruited worker or employee would receive £100 per day, the umbrella worker must still receive £100 a day but this can be made up of £80 plus £20 reimbursement of travel expenses.
Professional Passport explains: “We fail to see how this statement could be made any clearer.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
5 WAYS TO GET BRITAIN ON ITS FEET AGAIN
- Gerry Gregoire – Marketing Manager at Danbro
I came across an interesting article in Management Today (A business management magazine) which put forward some interesting suggestions of how Britain could avoid a double dip and get back on its feet. My opinions are mixed on some of these suggestions and I would be interested to hear your views.
1: TORPEDO OUR OBSESSION WITH HOME OWNERSHIP
The first suggestion made by Management Today focuses on why Brits feel the need to tie up ludicrous proportions of their take home pay into their mortgage.
MT explains that “mortgage money could be far more productively saved or spent elsewhere rather than being locked up in bricks and mortar.” In 1953 the proportion of UK home ownership was 32% and now the figure is close to 68%
I DISAGREE: At present it is actually more financially beneficial to have a mortgage than it is to rent. MortgageStrategy.co.uk estimates that it is actually £100 cheaper per month to buy a house rather than renting one. For more information click here
2: GET OUR KIDS READY FOR WORK
With more and more employers highlighting the lack of high calibre school leavers, the biggest threat to the UK’s long-term competitiveness could be the failure of our education systems.
I personally for one agree with this point. Despite academic exam results improving year, upon year, do school leavers really have the necessary skill sets that employers seek?
A recent CBI survey of more than 500 employers revealed that 44% of them had to invest in some sort of remedial training for school or college leavers to address skill deficiencies.
Management Today suggests that we should introduce a compulsory employability qualification for 16 year olds, designed and taught in partnership with schools and local businesses. They called it ‘a driving test, but for jobs’.
I AGREE: In my earlier days; through high school, college and finally through university, I did sometimes question the practicality of some of the theories and subjects that were covered. I think educating kids about what skills various industries require is crucial. This will help kids/young adults to make informed decisions on what courses, apprenticeships and general skills they should pursue.
3. STAGGERING INCOME TAX
This point may raise a few eyebrows. As we know, Income tax is currently banded and the more you earn the more you pay.
Management Today makes the suggestion of income tax bands that rise and fall according to how old you are. They recommend a low base of 10% for those under 25 and increases up to a peak of 60% for those aged 60 to 65.
Their ideology focuses on the imbalance in wealth created by the property boom in the 1990’s which created a glut of wealthy empty nesters sitting on a fortune through the positive equity created in their bricks and mortar – ‘simply because they were born at the right time’. Management Today goes onto explain “their children by contrast, are the first generation to be poorer than their parents in living memory”.
This would help the younger generation get on the property ladder (contradicts the first point they make), start investing in a pension and “all those grown-up things which they say they cannot afford to do now”.
I DISAGREE – I’m 24 and on the face of it, this seems like an attractive proposal, however when I reach my mid 30’s, with a mortgage and family to support, would I be happy to pay 40% or more despite being on an average salary? I think not.
4. Light a real red tape bonfire
With the introduction of departments like the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS), the government is attempting to identify and eradicate red tape that actually causes more harm than good.
The forum of Private Business recently estimated that complying with bureaucracy costs the nation’s small businesses some £16.8bn annually.
Management Today suggests that this money could instead be invested in innovation and growth. They go on to mention initiatives such as simplifying employment law, to make it cheaper and less terrifying for small businesses to hire more staff and fire them when necessary.
I AGREE – need I say more
5. Get ready for the Olympics
The Olympics is inevitably going to help boost the economy. With the weak pound and the Olympics just around the corner, boosting tourism is a ‘no brainer’.
Management Today paint a picture of millions of British tourists ‘enjoying the regional delights on offer and spreading their much needed cash about our beleaguered economy’.
They suggest that VAT exemption should be extended to all visitors from abroad with preferential rates for accommodation and attractions which will help attract more visitors.
I AGREE (with some scepticisms) – I agree that Britain should make the most of the Olympics , however the idea of giving VAT exemptions to tourists seems a bit farfetched in my opinion – how would such a thing be managed?
Do you have any suggestions or opinions? Please share with us!
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentRevamped website and awradvice.co.uk
As you know we have recently revamped our website in order to better serve our customers. It has proven a huge success and is a much easier site for our customers to navigate around.
The revamp brings extra features for contractors including a new online instant messenger, and a combined calculator which allows existing and new clients to indentify which service is the best for them.
We strive to improve our customer experience, which is why we have decided to introduce these new features to our website.
AWR Advice
With new Agency Workers Regulations coming into effect on1st October 2011, we have recently launched an AWR advice website, www.awradvice.co.uk, which provides valuable advice to recruiters and temporary workers who will be affected by the regulations. It also allows agencies to book into workshops which gives them clear understanding on the effects such regulations and legislations can have on both themselves and their candidates.
Posted in News | Leave a commentCharities
Operation Orphan
Recently we started a new charity cause, virtually cycling 8000 miles around the world to raise £8000 for ‘Operation Orphan’. We have made a great start to the miles cycled and have already reached Australia, 1860 miles ahead of our starting point.
Cake Sale
We are holding a cake sale on 2nd September; it would great if everyone contributed a little by either baking or buying cakes!
Shopping online
We have also set up an account on easyfundrasing.org.uk that allows you to shop on line at all your favourite stores at no extra cost while also raising money for charity, click here for instructions on how to sign up .
Children in Need.
This year Children in need is on Friday 18th November, there will be a fancy dress theme which is optional, but hope everyone gets involved. The theme is any TV or film character of your choice, there will be a number of fundraising events throughout the day a few of which are; best costume, raffle, find Pudsy and guess the egg. Yvette is collecting any unwanted gifts or prizes for the raffle; let’s see if we can beat the amount raised last year!
Posted in News | Leave a commentDeveloping our coaching culture
As you all know, we have been making strides in developing our company culture. All the Danbro team leaders are currently working through a leadership and coaching program which we envisage will be completed by the end of 2011.
What is the ultimate goal of this programme?
Once your leaders have completed the programme, they will introduce the coaching management style into the everyday routines and processes. This will ensure everyone within Danbro is being lead in a consistent, positive and engaging way, aiding further growth and personal development.
We want to develop a culture where we are helping one another to learn, develop and make informed choices.
Danbro is a place where you as our employees are empowered to do the right thing for our customers, in line with our values.
Posted in News | Leave a commentOur expansion
- New Employees- Already this year we have employed 26 new employees (temporary and permanent) who are all great additions to the Danbro team. We wish to carry on this high employment rate throughout the year, growing from strength to strength.
- New office Unit 14- As you know, after taking on such a high number of additional employees we have now opened a new office next door, Unit 14. Our success is a tribute to all of you that have made a great effort to provide our clients with the best possible service at all times, not only has this allowed us to keep hold of existing clients, but also enable us to attract new ones.
- New office Unit 5- As well as unit 14, we are also re-opening unit 5 where the New Business Team will be located. For those of you who don’t know, Unit 5 was our very first unit on Whitehills Business Park.
Success in gaining inclusion on several Preferred Supplier Lists with Agencies
Success has come in the form of securing Preferred Supplier Status for some of the biggest recruitment agencies in the industry. Names amongst those are: Venn Group, Jonathan Lee and Qualitaire. These groups are fantastic recruitment companies to work with, and we will be making sure we continue to develop a long lasting business relationship with them, delivering the highest standard of customer service possible. Great work New Business and Marketing.
Posted in News | Leave a comment ← Older posts