Contractors' Questions: Should a sub-contractor invoice me or the client?

A deposit is the wisest way to head off the prospect of a double-loss.

IT recruiter pinpoints 'hot' contractor niches

Two specialist IT contractors lead the pack of precise tech skills clients need.

Analyzing 5 Common Workforce Problems

When revenue isn’t exceeding operating costs, there needs to be a thorough analysis of the issues that are contributing to the problem. Usually, they fall into one of three categories: workforce issues, problems with a process or bad market conditions.

During periods where the market conditions are working in your favor, the issue clearly lies within your company. It could be one major problem that’s causing a ripple effect or a number of small problems that are adding up. Below are five workforce issues to look at first if productivity or efficiency has become a problem.

(Lack of) Project Management

A project can roll out smoothly on time and on budget, or it can quickly turn into a time-wasting drain on your resources. Often it comes down to your selection of projects and how they’re managed. Projects that are rushed through the planning phase, aren’t well defined and have little oversight rarely succeed.

Adaptability also key to efficient project management. Rarely does every detail go exactly as planned during a project. Agile troubleshooting and problem solving will keep the overall project on track even when individual things get off course.

If project completion is an issue, put your managers through a six sigma green belt certification program. Or have a trainer come in to teach your managers how to identify problems and come up with workable solutions. Plan regular weekly meetings to touch base with each manager and discuss what’s being done to make progress. A little bit of accountability goes a long way in keeping projects on schedule.

Flailing Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is one of the strongest indicators of a company’s success. It measures how invested and involved employees are in their work. The higher employee engagement is the more productive and motivated a workforce tends to be.

Engaged employees are the ones who consistently put forth effort, are willing to go the extra mile and put passion into their work. Disengaged workers on the other hand show signs of being outwardly unhappy, get disgruntle with customers and dominate managers’ time with things they aren’t productive. Unfortunately, Gallup’s State of the American Workforce study found that less than a third of American workers are engaged.

If your employees seem to be phoning it in or disconnected from their work, there are a few surefire ways to increase engagement. An employee profit sharing program is one solution. However, sometimes simply giving employees more feedback and input will do the trick. An employee engagement study from 15Five found that employees who were actively disengaged received little to no feedback.

Disconnected Remote Workforce

Telecommuting to work is much more common today, and letting employees work from home can be cost effective. However, that requires careful management. Companies that are new to managing a remote workforce often make mistakes that can make it difficult to support remote workers and keep tabs on their work.

One of the most common problems is failure to loop them in on projects. Cloud-based project management software is quickly becoming a necessity. These programs allow you to set up projects, invite others to work on it, assign tasks, share files and monitor progress. Many also have built-in communication tools, which make it easy to keep everyone in the know no matter where they’re working.

Failure to Follow Established Processes

Companies go to great length to establish processes that ensure productivity, safety and quality. When workers fail to follow established procedures if can throw a wrench in the gears.

Identifying the problem can take a fair amount of time and energy. Usually, it requires having each employee document their work procedures and processes. There are software systems that can make the process easier to manage. You may also have to spend a day or two on training to ensure everyone knows the proper protocols. After the training, have employees sign a copy of the documented procedures so it’s clear they understand the proper processes that need to be followed.

Misunderstood Millennials

Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce. As older employees retire and more Millennials graduate their numbers will continue to grow. But they’re a generation that’s had a starkly different childhood and educational experiences compared to their older counterparts.

Companies have to begin tailoring their operation to Millennials if they want to maximize their workforce. You have to understand what motivates Millennials in your industry if you want to recruit the best possible employees and retain them over the long-term. Studies have shown that Millennials respond to having professional development, leadership opportunities, access to technology and a positive corporate culture.

Contractors' Questions: If IR35 applies, do T&S rules disallow expenses?

HMRC backs an expert in deeming its regs to cover an umbrella contractor.

Understanding The Power Of The Telephone

It really is a powerful tool of communication, even if many of us do not put much thought into it. By grasping a better understanding of just how impactful the phone can be in our lives, both personal and professional, you should be able to make better use of it – especially when it comes to your business needs.

Auto Dialing For Business Success

If you own a business and it counts on you sending out a lot of calls to potential and current customers, you will want to think about whether your platform for success could make use of an added auto dialer. With the auto dialer system in place, you will find that your employees will have much more productive time spent on the phone. Instead of spending the majority of their time dialing numbers and sitting there while the phone rings, they can be talking to real live people. The system simply connects them to the next caller that is on the phone. One of the best places to use such technology would be in a call center, but it can be useful in other professional environments as well. Many companies find that as their productivity levels increase after the installation of an auto dialing system, their financial records start to show some improvement as well.

The Smartphone Keeps You Available

As a professional, it is important to make sure that you can always be reached. This does not mean that you are going to need or want any down time away from work, but you will have more control over when that is. Some business-minded people need to be able to be available for that important email that could come in at any time. This does not mean that they have to answer or deal with all work-related matters while they are at home, but they can spot the most important messages while they are on the go and deal with them right away. This is not something that you could do with a dumb phone. However, you could always have a smartphone that will be for your work and a dumb phone, for the lack of a better well-known term, for your personal life.

Whatever method telephone you decide to make use of, you simply want to make sure that you are getting the most out of it. The needs of your business will vary from other businesses. Also, the needs of your business are bound to change and grow over the years. This is probably one of the best reasons to make sure that you are looking into as many options as possibly. What you might not make use of now, you may find a need for as your company grows larger and larger. For example, by understanding the value that is provided through the use of auto dialers, such as in a call center setting, you will have an easier time deciding when your company is ready for such technology to be implemented.

Just make sure that your auto dialer system is installed and maintained by experienced professionals. This way, they can easily show you how to use it and they will be able to assist you should you find that you are experiencing any technical difficulties later down the road.

 

IR35 reforms 'forcing PSCs into early retirement'

Significant number of contractors have 'thrown in the towel' since April 6th.

Almost two months in, IR35 reform is still chaotic

Unhappy anniversary: the woeful way April's off-payroll rules are playing out.

Why contractors should never write-off LinkedIn

LinkedIn -- is it really useful or just another social media platform?

Best-paying networking certifications of 2017

What this year's five most flush network contractors have written on their CVs.

Hard Brexit 'could cost IT sector £5.2bn a year'

Or £2.6bn in the best-case scenario, where services may continue to flow unhindered.

Contractors' Questions: Will HMRC investigate if I move to Flat Rate VAT?

The latest on what IR35 inspectors look for doesn't extend to tax tweaks.

Pressured clients seek specific contractor relief

End-users want freelancers' niches to help navigate today's perfect storm.

Party manifestos 2017: what contractors are promised

The big three's key pledges to 'Ltd' workers and contracting.

IT contractors get the blues over Brexit

70% of techies want to leave since 'Leave,' and half as many are put off their own IT biz.

Content 101: How to Develop Must-Read Content for Your Ecommerce Site

One of the best ways to drive traffic to your organization’s website is publishing engaging content. However, actively engaging readers requires a lot of planning.

In this article, we are going to lay out some key ways to develop must-read content for your eCommerce site to get clicks and drive traffic to your business.

Outline Your Post

It’s pretty safe to say every great piece of literature began with preparation. Even the best bloggers in the world need a basic idea of what they’re writing about to keep them on the right track. This is where a short outline will serve you well. All you need is a rough guide to keep you on topic. Let’s say you’re a plumber outlining a blog post on the topic: “Common Fixes for Leaky Faucets.” Your outline would look something like this:

• Introduction
  • Empathize with the reader about the problems leaky faucets cause and express your intent to fix them with solutions A, B and C.
• Section 1 – Solution A
  • Detail how the problem can be solved using this method.
• Section 2 — Solution B
  • Compare this solution to the above method, show how it differs and may be more applicable in the reader’s particular situation.
• Section 3— Solution C
  • Compare this solution to the others and describe a situation in which this method would be a better one for the reader.
• Section 4 — Conclusion
  • Summarize by repeating your key points.

Keep in mind; content marketing is a great way to drive traffic to your business. While all of the best ecommerce website builders let you incorporate blogs as part of their platforms, you have to come up with compelling material to make it work. To get there, a basic, easy to follow outline will help you keep your post on the rails.

Create an Awesome Title

The title is the first thing anyone sees and will ultimately determine whether a user will click, read or share your post. Here are some blog title formulas specifically designed to catch a reader’s eye:

• List: 5 Simple Methods to [Do a Thing] That Will [Create a Desirable Effect]

• Question: What Can [Subject] Teach Us About [Unrelated Subject]?

• How-To: How to Make a [Thing] Do a [Desired Effect]

Your title should clearly identify the subject and highlight the value proposition. To maximize SEO-potential, incorporate your targeted keyword.

Write the First Draft

Once you’re done with the preliminary preparation, you can get to work with the most important part—the actually writing of it. This will mean fleshing out the points you developed for your outline.

Once it’s complete, give it to your editor or someone else on your team who can give it a second look over to check for spelling, punctuation and factual discrepancies, as well as make sure it flows well. If you don’t have such a person on your team, just let the piece sit for a day or so and come back to it with fresh eyes.

Creating an engaging piece of content is a subjective process, the effort of which can vary from industry to industry. However, following these guidelines will help you develop must-read content for your eCommerce page, which will be capable of giving you the best shot at driving traffic to your storefront.

Corbyn in vow to ban umbrella companies

Contractors would lose the £3bn brolly sector under Labour's manifesto pledge.

What Labour refuses to get about umbrella companies

Wilfully ignorant, or just uninformed? Either way, Corbyn's brolly ban is bizarre.

Contractors get extra time in expenses probe

Snap election extends your chance to input on 'wholly exclusively and necessarily.'

Contractors' confidence sinks to near record low

Brexit and government policy sapping one-person businesses to a 'concerning' level.

'Interim' IT boss frowned upon amid NHS hack

Tech body overseeing cyber attacked NHS is 'operating without a permanent leader.'

NHS hands IT admins anti-ransomware advice

Health service offers remedies before 'further possibly significant' ransomware attacks hit.

Contractors' Questions: Is it tax efficient to put private health insurance through your limited company?

Contractor accountant advises on the best way for contractors to pay for their private health insurance.

RBS earmarks scores of IT contractors for elimination

The government-owned bank is wielding its axe over 154 IT contractor jobs.

What's in store for contractors from Brexit

Where we are now on divorcing from the EU, and how contractors will fit in.

Contractors' Questions: What about my corporation tax return?

Pitfalls and pointers for a brave new ‘Ltd' contractor, trying to tot up tax alone.

IT sector 'particularly negative' about Brexit's impact

Brexit uncertainty isn't stopping clients sourcing the IT contractors they need. 

Automation 'isn't causing broad IT job losses'

'We're not there yet,' says an IT advisory with an eye on robots displacing humans.

Job applicants can keep minor convictions to themselves

Court ruling lets work-seekers with misdemeanours in the past, stay in the past.

Public bodies raise rates to stop IR35 reforms hurting

Almost a fifth of clients are stumping up incentives to make ex-PSCs stay on.

Contractors' Questions: Is an IR35 probe more likely if my rate's gone up?

No link between getting more out of your public client and getting interest from HMRC.

Public bodies raise rates to stop IR35 reforms hurting

Almost a fifth of clients are stumping up incentives to make ex-PSCs stay on.

Contractors' Questions: Is an IR35 probe more likely if my rate's gone up?

No link between getting more out of your public client and getting interest from HMRC.

Five pledges contractors need the next government to make

What the UK's new administration should commit to on June 9th and why.

Reed accepts defeat in £158m temps' tax case

Staffing giant succumbs to HMRC, foregoing £300m and outlaying about half as much.

Tories and Labour vow to freeze VAT

But talk of 'working families' and a vow to hike company tax will unsettle micro-business.