The bISME

bISME

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1 Issue 14 AUTUMN 2021Volume

THE BUSINESS OF IRISH SMEs

S

oldier, Sailor, Whiskey-maker

Stuart McNamara, Portmagee Whiskey talks about his diverse career and how to manage challenges in life & business

Employee Vulnerability and COVID-19 What employers need to know Business Focus Free business hacks from Conall O Móráin HR Focus Implications of the Statutory Sick Pay Bill 2021 Better Broadband Top tips on how to optimise your internet connection at work

The affordable way to go digital

Custom software to make your business better

Website design Mobile application development Custom workflows, dashboards and CRMs Online ordering for B2B and B2C O ​ nline staff training software

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bISME

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Contents

Volume 1 Issue 14 Autumn 2021

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28

CONTENTS Dublin 2, Ireland.

Phone : (01) 662 2755 E-mail: info@isme.ie Web: isme.ie

Published by iSME

Editorial: maeve@isme.ie Design: ciara@isme.ie Advertising: marketing@isme.ie

The bISME is the official publication of ISME. Individual views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily constitute ISME policy.

Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this publication, the publishers assume no responsibility for errors or omissions.

Copyright The bISME 2019. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form without the express written permission of ISME.

6. The b News News and updates for business 10. The b Interview Stuart McNamara, Portmagee Whiskey talks about his diverse career and how to manage challenges in life and business 13. Business Focus Conall O Móráin provides free business hacks 14. The b Issue Dr Conor McDonnell, Occupational Medicine Specialist looks at employee’s vulnerability and implications for employers

16. Finance Focus Marc O’Dwyer discusses working capital management

28. Shop Local Read about why ISME believes we all need to Shop Local

18. Back to Business ISME Member stories during COVID-19

30. ISME at work for you The latest updates on ISME activity

21. HR Focus 1 Cait Lynch reviews the General Scheme of the Sick Leave Bill 2021 23. Learning Focus Read about ISME’s free mentoring & coaching programme

34. HR Focus 2 Guidance from the HSA on Fitness for Work after COVID-19 absence 36. Another side of…

Steve Dillon, The Wooden Spoon

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

17 Kildare Street,

4. A Message from the Chief Executive Neil McDonnell discusses ISME lobbying and correspondence with government & the vaccine rollout

24. Energy Focus Find out about the new Support Scheme for SMEs who want to save money 26. The b Insight Get tips on the best ways to optimise your internet connection

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bISME

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A Message from the Chief Executive

Will this be the last bISME published under lockdown?

Hello readers, It was great to see the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021 signed into law by the President last month. We have campaigned for four years for a perjury statute. It won’t be the silver bullet against fraudulent claims and whitecollar crime, but it will change the conversation between lawyer and client when affidavits are being signed.

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

Since the very beginning of the pandemic, we knew a great many SMEs were at risk of insolvency.

We have worked hard to get an affordable examinership regime in place before the economy starts to reopen and government supports are withdrawn. I’m delighted that the Government has reacted promptly on this issue, and the Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Bill 2021 was enacted in double-quick time, and now awaits the President’s signature.

Unfortunately, it won’t work for every business that becomes insolvent, but if we follow UK practice, then 10%-15% of insolvent SMEs should be able to be restricted after becoming insolvent.

The vaccine rollout is progressing well, but we still have a lot of hospitality and travel businesses severely affected by pandemic restrictions. We acknowledge that public health concerns remain, but unless we adopt a measured but determined approach to reopening the remainder of our economy in the next few weeks, the social and fiscal scarring will be severe. ISME has supported the HSE’s public health messaging throughout, but the official resistance to antigen testing is inexplicable, and may yet have the most serious consequences for sectors such as sport, music, and entertainment.

While we always suspected that personal injuries litigation was more about the lawyers than the plaintiffs, the publication of the Central Bank’s Employers’ Liability, Public Liability and Commercial Property Insurance Report 1 demonstrates that this is a fact.

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Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive, ISME In Employer’s Liability cases worth less than €100,000, and in Public Liability cases worth less than €150,000, plaintiffs received less money through litigation than they would have from PIAB, and wait on average 2.7 years longer to get the lower sum. In fact, in litigated Public Liability cases worth less than €30,000, plaintiffs receive less than half the award they would get from PIAB. This effectively means that 100% of plaintiffs in the Circuit Court are losing money by litigating their action rather than accepting a PIAB award. This scandalous state of affairs demonstrates that a substantial cohort of personal injuries lawyers are acting not in the best interests of their clients, but of themselves.

Following the revelations in this report, ISME advised the Minister for Justice that there is no good reason not to proceed with substantial reform of PIAB, to allow it to function as a tribunal of first instance and assess injuries and make awards. ISME has also asked the Minister to press on aggressively with reform of the Occupiers’ Liability Act and the Defamation Act, and with the commencement of the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act at the earliest possible opportunity. Truth in our courts should not have to wait.

With a little luck, this will be the last bISME published under lockdown conditions, and we can look forward to more normalised business.

Stay Safe - we’re almost there!

Neill McDonnell ISME CEO WASH HANDS | MASK UP | MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE | FOLLOW THE FRAMEWORK

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If so, you have statutory obligations under the Companies Act

To help you meet your statutory obligations, the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE):

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promotes effective compliance and best practice;

assists you make informed decisions by providing a FAQ section on our website with over 90 questions and answers;

assists companies and their officers understand their duties under company law by providing; • •

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Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement 16 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, Ireland, D01 W5C2 | 01 858 5800 | info@odce.ie

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bISME USEFUL EVENTS FOR SMES Enterprise Ireland: Building an Innovation Culture Thursday 31st August & Tuesday 21st September Register here Tuesday 28th September & Tuesday 19th October Register here Dogpatch Labs - First Fridays for Start-ups Friday 3rd September Book here

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InterTradeIreland - Go to Tender Supplies & Services Workshop Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 22nd September, 9.30am 1:00pm Book here Sustainability Summit & Content Series Action the Change Wednesday, 22nd September Free registration here InterTrade Ireland Go to Tender Supplies & Services Workshop Wednesday 20th & Thursday 21st October, 9.30am - 1:00pm Book here

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The b News

VAT for Cross-Border E-Commerce Transactions Change The European Commission announced on 28th June 2021 that e-commerce taxation rules will change. The new VAT rules for online shopping will be in force from 1st July in order to both simplify cross-border e-commerce and ensure greater transparency for EU cross-border shoppers when it comes to pricing and consumer choice.

The new rules will apply to all below outside the EU/EEA: •

online sellers

•

online marketplaces/platforms

•

postal operators and couriers involved in online deliveries

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customs and tax administrations applying the tax regimes for online purchases

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individual consumers i.e., customers shopping online

New rules in summary mean: •

VAT is now charged on all goods entering/imported into the EU from non-EU countries, irrespective of value.

•

All e-commerce sellers based within or outside the EU/EEA, selling directly to consumers or via online marketplaces, need to have an EU VAT registration and pay VAT for all of their EU sales.

For consumers, this means that VAT will feature as part of the total price paid directly to the seller, at the time of purchase.

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The consumer factsheet on the changes can be found here.

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More about the impact of these changes here.

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Read the Irish Revenue Commissioners’ update on the changes here.

SUPPORT SCHEME FOR ENERGY AUDITS The SEAI has launched their Support Scheme for Energy Audits. The scheme offers a voucher of €2,000 for eligible SMEs to enable them to get a high-quality energy audit from a Registered Energy Auditor. You can read full details about the scheme on page 24 and visit the SEAI website here.

The b News

Learning to manage your own stress and potential stressors will make returning to work less uncertain and easier to deal with by listening to this podcast from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). it features their inspector Patricia Murray, who is the Authority’s Senior Psychologist and in this episode, Patricia discusses the “Psychosocial risk assessment of returning to work under COVID-19.

The HSA has recently published useful guides for employers including Checklist on Ventilation and their Fitness for Work Guidance for Employers and Employees after COVID-19 absence.

Read more aout this on page 34.

GUIDELINES FOR THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY Fáilte Ireland has published tourism and hospitality sectoral guidelines, aligned with the Work Safely Protocol, available to view here. They been developed collaboratively to assist businesses to apply guidance to their operations. The guidelines are informed by the latest Government public health advice and related regulations.

Carefully tailored to specific tourism and hospitality sectors, the operational guidelines aim to support business owners and management every step of the way as they work to stabilise and recover. Inside each set of guidelines is comprehensive advice on reopening and rebooting productivity, with an emphasis on protecting the safety and well-being of employers, employees and customers and helping to instil public confidence.

Further information on the reopening of indoor hospitality available here.

GUIDANCE ON PROCESSING COVID-19 VACCINATION DATA The Data Protection Commission has issued guidance on Processing COVID-19 Vaccination Data in the context of Employment. The full guidance note can be downloaded here.

The general position of the Data Protection Commission is that in the absence of clear advice from public health authorities in Ireland that it is necessary for all employers and managers of workplaces to establish vaccination status of employees and workers, the processing of vaccine data is likely to represent unnecessary and excessive data collection for which no clear legal basis exists. The DPC guidance considers the voluntary nature of vaccination and confirms that information on a person’s vaccination status is special category personal data for the purpose of GDPR.

ISME MEMBERS – WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? REMOTE WORKING Remote working has the potential to reduce commute time, provide more flexible working hours, increase labour market participation, improve work-life balance and deliver cost-efficiencies for businesses. We think remote working can assist with ensuring our workplaces are more diverse and inclusive.

Many experts believe only a few companies will remain fully remote post-pandemic. However, demanding that employees return to the office full-time carries its own risks – the possibility that employees will simply leave and find a job that offers more flexibility.

That means most employers may opt for some kind of hybrid working model.

We have found that one of the key elements to creating a successful remote or hybrid working model, is trusting your employees who are working at home. Give them the flexibility on their working hours, so long as the work is getting done.

DAVID MACNICHOLAS CLIENT DIRECTOR, DEVENTURE

COVID-19 has presented considerable challenges for Irish businesses over the past 18 months.

One of the most visible aspects has been the move to remote working for so many of us. While the transition has been successful for the most part, it has not been without its difficulties. I would be concerned for young professionals joining companies during the pandemic, who are missing out on the personal interaction and faceto-face networking that are crucial to getting established in a new role. The one-to-one conversations and ‘water-cooler moments’ with colleagues and clients that lie at the core of successful job delivery.

Zoom is a fantastic tool, but I for one look forward to a return to in-person conversations. In the meantime, it is so important that we as managers and leaders provide mentoring to our teams. That we nurture and recognise talent and provide appropriate supports to allow our colleagues to thrive and flourish in their roles.

MICHAEL MCNAMARA ADVISOR, PRESIDENT’S OFFICE GRIFFITH COLLEGE

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T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

PODCAST & GUIDES FROM THE HSA

The b News

DEVELOPING LEADERS FOR HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM

SUSTAINING ENTERPRISE AND ACCELERATED RECOVERY FUND On the 5th, August the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, launched an additional €51m in funding to help companies in their recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and to accelerate the digitalisation of enterprises.

The new funding package will also provide liquidity, in the form of grants, capital investment, equity and loan notes to manufacturing and internationally traded services companies which have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, in order to support productivity improvements and enhance capacity building.

As part of this funding package, a further €20 million is being provided for the existing Sustaining Enterprise Fund. Up to €31 million is being given in additional funding for the new Accelerated Recovery Fund which offers liquidity to companies to support significant necessary investment in capital and digital capability for productivity improvements. The funding package also incorporates €9,000 Digitalisation Vouchers to provide strategic intervention for any eligible company wishing to develop a digital adaption plan based on their identified need.

All funding must be allocated to successful applicants before the end of 2021.

Find out more here.

NEW EU DUAL-USE REGULATION AND IRELAND The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) will host an online event for business and industry representatives on 14th September 2021 to mark the commencement of the recast EU Dual-use Regulation ((EU) 2021/821). Find out more here.

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In February 2021, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, launched two national upskilling programmes for employees in the hospitality and tourism sector, which were developed by SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards in consultation with the Irish Hotels Federation, Failte Ireland and the Regional Skills Fora.

The Hospitality sector, valued at upwards of €7.9bn to the economy, has been severely impacted by the pandemic, with over 100,000 jobs at risk due to COVID restrictions. To boost the retention and career progression of key talent, the two new Developing Leaders for Hospitality and Tourism programmes are providing highly subsidised upskilling opportunities, delivering critical team leadership and supervisory management skills to enable business recovery and growth. Since February, over 100 hotels and tourism employers have expressed interest in upskilling their staff to support re-opening of the sector.

The programmes are being rolled out nationwide

by Education and Training Boards. Programme content includes areas such as Operational Skills, Customer Care, People Management, Finance and Controls, Sustainability and Digital Skills.

CONSULTATION OPEN ON EU PROPOSALS FOR UPDATED PRODUCT SAFETY MEASURES Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar has launched a public consultation on a new EU proposal to ensure that EU consumers are protected from unsafe products in a digital age.

The Tánaiste encourages all stakeholders to submit their views on this proposal for a Regulation.

The Public Consultation is available on the Department’s website here. The Consultation will remain open until 24 September 2021.

Skills to Advance

Category

Make skills work for you

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

Developing Leaders for Hospitality and Tourism Boost the retention and development of key talent Avail of highly subsidised training for enterprise Contact your local Education and Training Board or visit skillstoadvance.ie

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bISME

The b Interview

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Soldier, Sailor and Whiskey Maker Stuart McNamara, Director, Portmagee Whiskey

and Chair of ICADA

What do you enjoy about your current role?

I enjoy working with teams, whether supporting and contributing to someone else’s team, or building, mentoring and leading my own. In my military career, I was fortunate to work in the areas of innovation, education, liaison, advising and representation.

Tell us about Portmagee Whiskey and how it came to fruition?

Stuart with co-directors of Portmagee Whiskey, John and James Murphy Talk us through your career(s) and what has led you to this point?

I grew up in West Cork, and I’ve had a wide and varied career journey as a Soldier, Sailor, Whiskey Maker and Digital Entrepreneur.

As a Senior Military Officer in the Irish Defence Forces, I served as Joint Operations Center Director in Dublin before subsequent appointments as a senior military advisor in Brussels, Somalia, Uganda and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Before changing careers, I commanded the specialist military unit responsible for delivery of enterprise telecommunications, data base administration, software / applications development and cyber-defence for the Irish Defence Forces.

In my sporting life, I served for 8 years as Honorary National Trainer of the Irish Sailing Association, developing and implementing national powerboat and motorboat training schemes for Ireland. I skippered Shannon Sprint and Round Ireland Powerboat record attempts and I’m an experienced International Dragon (Ex-Olympic Class) racer and Trans-Atlantic and Caribbean sailor.

Whiskey was a lifetime hobby that has become a new career alongside digital entrepreneurship. I’m a Director of Portmagee Whiskey, Chair of ICADA, CTO of eTeachers Global and I’m a brand and product development consultant to several Irish and international whiskey and spirits producers.

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Portmagee Whiskey was founded in early 2017 by brothers John and James Murphy from Portmagee, Co. Kerry.

Their Great Great Grandfather had been one of the last policemen to serve in the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Barracks overlooking Portmagee Village until it was burned out during the Irish War of Independence. The ruined barracks on the appropriately named Barrack Hill is on a wonderful site overlooking Portmagee Harbour and The Wild Atlantic Way.

John, a professional colleague of mine in my military career, contacted me in the spring of 2017 and outlined the vision to open a whiskey distillery and visitor centre in Portmagee. I joined the team as a partner, director and whiskey advisor.

What can we expect next from Portmagee Whiskey?

This Autumn will see us open our “Spirit of the Sea” visitor centre in Portmagee, telling the rich history of Portmagee as the smuggling base of Captain Theobald Magee, the notorious Jacobean Smuggler who gave the village its name. The important role of Seine Boats, whiskey and smuggling in South Kerry is shared through an immersive 360-degree augmented reality theatre housed in futuristic geodesic domes.

The next development phase in the restored stone Barracks is it will house Ireland’s most westerly distillery, along with tea rooms, a whiskey shop and a third dome hosting a digital film archive of Seine Boat heritage.

Exports to the US and Asia are also planned.

True to our Origin Green credentials we have already planted a native Irish woodland on site with 5,430 trees including 550 oak trees. This shoreside woodlands will become a nature trail.

The drinks industry is very competitive, in your opinion what makes a brand/product stand out in this busy space?

Brands that stand out are those that dare to be different.

Many nascent Irish Spirits brands work with sourced ingredients from larger suppliers before they can afford to build their own distillery. Small releases of just a few hundred or a couple of thousand bottles at a time, give them the agility to embrace innovation and creativity in Gin botanicals and innovative blends, and cask finishes in Irish Whiskey. They then build industry experience and define a “voice”, character and house style for their brand when they launch their own distillery.

The b Interview

How do you feel about being appointed to the National Council of ISME? It was a great honour for both myself and ICADA to be elected to the National Council. The new team led by Margaret O’Rourke Doherty is experienced, collaborative and diverse, key essentials in a great team. SMEs are agile, entrepreneurial and independent by nature. If we unite, pool and harness all our talent, experience and drive, we can achieve so much more together. There is an old Irish phrase that I love. Aontacht – Strength through Unity.

You are chair of the Irish Craft & Artisan Distilleries Association (ICADA), tell us about the association?

The founders of ICADA are the Ballykeefe, Portmagee and Beara Spirits brands. Our reasons for setting up ICADA very much mirror the origins of ISME itself. We want to represent the best of what is best in the Irish Craft Distilling sector.

The needs of smaller brands and distilleries are quite different to those of large multi nationals and are more small-business oriented. As many of our challenges are common to other small business sectors in Ireland, ISME was a natural choice as partner, not least because of its absolute independence of big business interests and lobbying interests. Our ISME affiliation lends immediate credibility when meeting with industry and government partners. We are already engaging positively with several sector-relevant government agencies and departments.

Of course, we welcome the opportunity to engage, support, and cooperate with our bigger colleagues on matters of mutual concern and interest.

Brands that stand out are those that dare to be different The hospitality, and as a result, the drinks industry, has been hugely impacted by COVID – what has been your members’ experience and how do you think it has affected the sector long term?

We need to embrace, develop and exploit the good changes such as improved work life balance... our newfound skills of resilience, tolerance and innovation in crisis.

From your experience, what are the major challenges you have overcome?

I was twenty years of age when I suffered a catastrophic injury in a training accident which left me with a permanent and painful short left leg. My military training and the support of my family and friends gave me the mental skills and resilience to survive not just the physical challenges and pain, but more importantly the shattering of dreams, so hard won. The key lesson I learned was to accept and embrace the reality of my disability and see my challenges as opportunities to rebuild and reinvent myself. This is now the subject of a talk I give (pro bono) when asked. As an officer, I managed to champion the cause of empowering “injured in service” personnel to continue or reinvent their careers in the Defence Forces.

The talent we retained and supported though this initiative is considerable.

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

The craft-distilling industry is an interesting model in these challenging times. While our sector lost all of our “On Trade” or bar and pub sales at home and abroad, there was a somewhat balancing increase in “Off Licence” online sales. The flip side has been the loss of tourism income. Many small distilleries in Ireland have incredible whiskey tourism offerings which can account for 50% of income. These will need support as Ireland reopens.

What do you think will be the long-lasting impact of COVID for Irish business?

My experience of serving in conflict zones has taught me that no matter how bad the impact of a war, disaster or pandemic, normality does return, albeit often changed in character. We need to embrace, develop and exploit the good changes such as improved work life balance, reduced commuting, online capabilities and most of all, our newfound skills of resilience, tolerance and innovation in crisis.

Aerial shot of Portmagee, Co. Kerry

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The b Interview Do you have a business mentor?

My parents Barbara and Louis McNamara from Kinsale who still run their electronic engineering business at 84 and 85. My love of technology comes from my Dad, one of Ireland’s first electronic engineering professionals, and my passion for creativity and innovation from my Mum, who was an entrepreneur before her time. I have served with and worked with incredible people from different nations, cultures and backgrounds around the world and all have influenced me in some way.

What important pieces of advice would you impart to an SME business in today’s competitive climate?

There is opportunity everywhere, especially in adversity. Be kind open and supportive. Be receptive and curious. Build networks. And when things go wrong, fix the problem, not the blame.

Passion, planning and people are the three ‘Ps’ that many business owners attribute their success to. Would you agree with this mantra and/or what else makes a business successful?

These are great soundbites, particularly People and Passion. But as any good soldier will tell you, “No plan survives contact with the enemy”. My personal mantras for success are: Always say Yes to Opportunity. You never know where it may lead.

Always listen to advice, but make up your own mind.

Be decisive and own your vision and decisions.

Follow your Dreams.

To find out more visit Portmagee Whiskey and The Irish Craft and Artisan Distilleries Association

Architect’s Rendering of The Portmagee Whiskey “Spirit of the Sea” Visitor Centre

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Business Focus

What’s your favourite ‘F’ word ?

Conall O Móráin Presenter, www.ThatGreatBusinessShow.com

it’s available for FREE on your favourite podcast platform.

LinkedIn We’ll be doing a similar masterclass on using LinkedIn for business shortly on the podcast. Stay tuned….

On That Great Business Show, known as ‘Ireland’s best business podcast’, we have another ‘F’ word that we like very much. That’s FREE. Every week on the show we have tips, hacks and insights from great businesses about doing business better. And our guests give that advice for FREE. We like!

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

So, in no particular order, here are a couple of ideas to help promote your business and the beauty of them all is that they are free, so it’ll only take a little time on your part to help highlight your business ‘baby’.

Enter Awards Once the awards are in some sense relevant to what you do, bang in an entry form. Nowadays, awards organisers know that if they make it difficult or cumbersome to apply, then applications plummet. That’s not what they want, so everything is simplified. Why awards? Well, you could win.

That could mean a cash prize or maybe mentoring (details on right) and business advice. If you don’t win, you may still get national or local publicity, and you’ll network (details on right) with others in business in your area or sector.

Facebook Everybody (well 75% of adults in Ireland) say they have a Facebook account, but very, very few know how to use it promote a business. Luckily for you Dave O’Hora of Limerick based www.Southern.ie gave a masterclass on using Facebook for business on Episode 43 of That Great Business Show, and

Mentor Every businessperson needs a shoulder to cry on, and every business needs a mentor, a sounding board to bounce ideas off. Your Local Enterprise Office and Enterprise Ireland have fantastic, vetted, mentors that podcast guests say were transformative in the development of the mentee’s businesses. Find one, or a number of advisors, and keep them close. OK, they may not be free, but it might only cost you the price of a cup of coffee.

Network It sometimes sounds crass and sometimes sounds dull, but it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways of developing your business. If people don’t know what you do and where you’re based, how are they meant to buy from you? Tell others in ISME about yourself through publications like this. Attend events relevant to your sector. Join organisations like the Irish International Business Network www.IIBN.com (full disclosure, I’m the current chair) – and you really have no idea who you’ll meet and what connections, national and international you can make – just by turning up and saying hello.

Reviews When you’re buying a car, you read the reviews. Do the same for your business. Ask people to review your business on social media, on your website or wherever customers are likely to see them. If you know you’re doing things well, you have nothing to worry about, and plenty to be proud of. And, like the rest of the advice here, reviews are FREE. Conall O Móráin is the presenter of the weekly That Great Business Show podcast series and you can tune in here . To have your business featured, contact producer@thatgreatbusinessshow.com or add details here.

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T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

There are two great ‘F’ words in business.

There’s the one that comes to mind when you lose a contract, when your best employee quits or when Revenue says your business is due a VAT audit. That’s the bad ‘F’ word.

The b Issue

Employee Vulnerability and COVID-19 Dr Conor McDonnell, Occupational Medicine Specialist, McConnell Hill

COVID-19 has infiltrated almost every aspect of our working day. At the beginning, we were learning about physical distancing, hand hygiene and the symptoms of COVID-19. From there we learned about COVID-19 contact tracing and contact management. After that, we identified the importance of face coverings and proper ventilation. Discussions moved onto long COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Despite, the concerns about the delta variant, we are considering a move back to the workplace and with that, I anticipate that there will be more issues for consideration over the coming weeks, not least, employees’ vulnerability to COVID-19.

What is vulnerability?

An employee’s vulnerability to COVID-19 is the risk that they will develop serious illness, should they become infected by the Coronavirus. It varies according to age, gender, ethnicity, and underlying health comorbidities, and is reduced by any personal immunity acquired through previous infection and/or vaccination.

Vulnerable Employees Unfortunately, there are employees who are more susceptible to the Coronavirus than the average healthy employee. You will find a list of conditions that deem an employee either high risk or very high risk here. There are many employees working from home who have such medical conditions.

I anticipate that as employees are asked to come back to the workplace, they may disclose to their employer that they have a medical condition which renders them more vulnerable to COVID-19 should they get infected. Others may disclose that they are not vaccinated and that they are not comfortable returning to the workplace, because they don’t feel safe.

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In these scenarios, where employees express a concern about their vulnerability, whether it is due to an underlying medical condition or due to not being vaccinated, the employer should consider a referral to an occupational health physician, who’s role, in part is to establish the vulnerability status of the employee and to give guidance to the employer in terms of fitness for duty in the workplace on a case-by-case basis.

COVID-19 Vaccination Employers are not responsible for the roll-out of employee COVID-19 vaccination programmes, as employers cannot purchase the vaccines.

Apart from the healthcare setting, employers are not entitled to ask their employees about their COVID-19 vaccination status. In my opinion, it is a reasonable expectation that employers would offer COVID-19 vaccination information and education to their employees and that they would encourage their employees to accept a COVID-19 vaccine if offered.

bISME

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The b Issue

Even with all health and safety measures in place, including COVID-19 vaccination, it is not possible to guarantee the exclusion of the virus from the workplace. Employers should continuously encourage employees to comply with the health and safety measures in place, and to accept vaccination when offered.

Remember: • •

Health and Safety The Work Safely Protocol - COVID-19 National Protocol for Employers and Workers v.14.05.2021 outlines the COVID-19 health and safety employer obligations. An employer is obliged to complete a workplace risk assessment and ensure that appropriate COVID-19 health and safety measures are in place for their particular workplace including, but not limited to, the use of face coverings, hand hygiene, physical distancing and proper ventilation.

•

Employers should ensure that they have fulfilled their health and safety obligations as set out in the Work Safely Protocol.

Employers should offer information and training to employees regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. They should also encourage their employees to take up the vaccine, however, they cannot mandate their employees to take up the vaccine and, except for the healthcare setting, they cannot enquire about an employee’s vaccination status.

If an employee identifies themselves as a vulnerable employee, then the employer should refer the employee for a vulnerability assessment to a medical practitioner such an occupational health physician.

Dr Conor McDonnell is an accredited specialist in occupational medicine and co-founder of McDonnell Hill Ltd. To find out more visit www.mcdonnellhill.ie or contact on conor@mcdonnellhill.ie or on www.linkedin.com/in/drconormcdonnell

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Finance Focus

bISME

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Putting capital to work Marc O’Dwyer, CEO, Big Red Cloud Some businesses (particularly those that operate largely or exclusively online), have managed to trade as normal during the Coronavirus crisis. Unfortunately, most small enterprises don’t fall into that category and therefore need to do whatever they can to minimise the gap between assets and liabilities.

The scale of the challenge can be seen in the difficulties faced by business dealing with unpredictable receivables from customers seeking to delay expenditure as they face their own cash flow issues.

One of the main lessons of the Coronavirus crisis for financial controllers is that foresight is crucial to ensuring the survival of any business at any time and even more so during extremely difficult trading conditions.

Regular review required

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

One of the most useful steps a small business can take to maximise its working capital position, is to review existing facilities on a regular basis and explore options such as sale and leaseback, where an asset owned by the business is sold to someone else and then leased back to the business.

Reviewing bank facilities is an exercise that might be undertaken only when a large customer deal is secured, or a business plans to change bank, but in most cases, it should be done more often.

These reviews will usually confirm that the current arrangement is the most cost-effective, but potential savings made could make the difference between having to lay off employees and retaining valuable members of staff.

Don’t sell yourself short Offering customers discounts for early payment of invoices is an option for improving a business’s working capital position, and can be particularly appealing to relatively new enterprises where cash flow is slow. However, most customers will demand a reduction of at least 10% in the amount due, which can have a knock-on effect on the accuracy of financial forecasts and revenue projections.

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Small businesses need to be smart about how they manage payments. Regular late payers may try and use this as an excuse for demanding discounts for merely settling invoices on time, while some customers may demand even greater discounts and assume the organisation would be unwilling to refuse for fear of losing their business.

Take a smart approach to payments The old adage that ‘cash is king’ is especially true during times of uncertainty. Over the last 12 months, releasing trapped working capital has been a top priority for businesses unable to sell products and collect receivables in the same way they would have done prior to the pandemic.

One option when money is tight is to categorise suppliers in order of importance and prioritise payments to the most important – those without whom the business would not be able to continue to trade.

Among the many benefits of using a cloud-based accounting solution such as Big Red Cloud is that it streamlines the management of receivables and payables. By focusing on a single solution and moving away from inefficient spreadsheets, businesses can simplify their working capital management.

ISME has an Affinity Programme for members with Big Red Cloud, the easy-to-use online accounting software for micro, small and medium sized businesses. Find out more here.

Category

The NBI™ network is Ireland’s new high-speed fibre broadband network, being rolled out as part of the Government’s National Broadband Plan. The NBI™ network will deliver initial speeds of 500Mb and 1Gb for business and residential users and is future-proofed, so as your data needs grow, our speeds will too.

We believe equal access to better broadband will empower every person, every community and every organisation in Ireland to achieve more, both locally and globally.

For updates on the rollout sign up using your Eircode at nbi.ie

BUILDING A LIMITLESS IRELAND

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T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

How will the National Broadband Plan empower your workforce?

Back to Business

Member stories during COIVID-19 AsIAm

Lennox

AsIAm is Ireland’s National Autism Charity founded by Adam Harris. They undertake a range of activities to support the autism community, this includes supporting businesses to become accessible for the 1 in 65 people in Ireland who are autistic.

An indigenous Irish company with a proud 100-year history, ISME Member, Lennox delivers scientific, manufacturing, production and laboratory solutions nationwide. They have seen a lot of change over the years, but COVID-19 brought swift and immense challenges for their customers.

When COVID-19 first struck, it was a major blow. Autistic people rely on predictability, which was totally lost.

Simultaneously, vital support services were closed.

AsIAm’s income is linked to providing in-person training and this looked set to be wiped out. Overtime, as they had to cancel or curtail fundraising plans, they saw a 280% increase in queries to their service from families who were struggling during the lockdown.

In March 2020, demand for PPE products, previously a small part of their offering, immediately soared. They quickly pivoted from supplying mainly pharmaceutical companies and laboratories to meet the increased demand from sectors that would never have needed PPE before – everyone from schools and law firms to accountants and IT companies.

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

Their CEO Leslie Brett points to their market insights, which ensured that we were ahead of the curve when it came to procuring high quality products quickly: “There was initially a shortage of products, but our dedicated team leveraged and shortened our existing global supply chains. To ensure our customers had what they needed, we tripled the number of people working on PPE in response to the increased demand. We also increased the capacity of our nationwide delivery fleet.”

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Founder & CEO, Adam Harris (pictured above) said; “The generosity of donors was key to our survival.

It helped us expand our services to meet an unprecedented need. We put our training and accreditation programmes online, which allowed us to continue to support organisations who want to ensure that their jobs, products and services are open to some 372,000 in Ireland who are autistic or have immediate autistic family members. We have created a COVID-19 support page and online support seminar series for parents and members of the autistic community.”

AsIAm believe that the period ahead is an opportunity.

COVID-19 has shown that the world does not have to work the way it used to and has opened our minds to more inclusive ways of working. Businesses who wish to thrive into the future, will have to be able to recruit the very best people and provide their offering to a diverse society. AsIAm can provide a range of supports which can help businesses to gain the competitive edge including: • • • • •

Weekly Lunch & Learn Events Monthly Autism-Friendly Employment Masterclass with IrishJobs.ie Bespoke Autism-Friendly Training Autism-Friendly Accreditation Corporate partnerships with leading brands including SuperValu and Vodafone.

To find out more and to make an enquiry visit AsIAm.ie

They have since also introduced additional key products for their customers to aid in the fight against COVID-19, from antigen tests and CO2 monitors to Ultra-V high intensity UV-C sterilisation robots. Maintaining the highest level of customer service has always been a priority for Lennox and they are proud to have worked closely with their customers through the pandemic, maintaining their peace-of mind and ensuring they had what they needed to stay safe.

Contact Padraig Callan (photo below) at padraig.callan@lennox.ie or visit www.lennox.ie.

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bISME

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

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Register your business online as .ie .ie is the preferred online address for business in Ireland. 91% of Irish consumers associate .ie websites with Irish businesses and 77% prefer a .ie website when buying online.

weare.ie

THE

bISME

Introduction of Statutory Sick Pay On 9th June 2021, the government announced its approval for the drafting of the General Scheme of the Sick Leave Bill 2021. The purpose of the government’s statutory sick pay scheme is to introduce a general right to statutory sick pay in Ireland for the first time. This right to sick pay will be legally enforceable by employees through the Workplace Relations Commission and the Courts.

The Bill is expected to come into effect from 1st January 2022.

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

The Scheme will be phased in over a four-year period, commencing with the introduction of an employee’s right to three employer-paid sick leave days per year in 2022 and increasing gradually to five days in 2023, seven days in 2024 and finally ten days in 2025. While the government considered providing for a right to between 15 and 30 days of paid sick leave per year, this was not pursued on the basis that it would represent a disproportionate cost for employers.

This introduction of statutory sick pay in Ireland will be a significant change for Irish employers. As it stands, in Ireland employers are not obliged to pay employees while they are on sick leave unless they are operating in an industry where a collective agreement is in place. This is considerably different to many other European countries. Despite some form of financial supports for employers being sought by the majority of respondents to the governments’ consultation on the Scheme, the government has confirmed that there will be no employer compensation scheme to assist with the costs of sick pay.

HR Focus 1

Cait Lynch, ISME HR Advisor Employees must obtain a medical certificate and have completed 6 months service with the employer to avail of statutory sick pay.

According to the Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Bill, the Scheme will lead to a safer work environment, make Ireland a more attractive country to live and work in, and reduce the spread of infectious illnesses and diseases.

Introduction of the Scheme is expected to result in major costs to those employers not already offering such a benefit, and also to those many employers whose existing policies may not be as generous as the Scheme.

Employers need to keep on top of any developments in this area and plan for compliance with future statutory obligations which will require updates to employment policies and employment contracts. Employers should consider planning ahead by calculating their potential monetary exposure based on administrative costs and average employee absences in prior years and by updating their employment policies to align with the changes.

For further information, ISME Members can contact HR@isme.ie

Under the Scheme, sick pay will be paid by employers at a rate of 70% of an employee’s wage, subject to a maximum limit of €110 per day to minimise cost exposure for employers. There will no top up of salary by the State. Once the statutory sick pay entitlement period ends, and provided the employee has the requisite social insurance contributions, the employee may then qualify for Illness Benefit from the State (which is currently set at €203 per week) or COVID-19 Illness Benefit (currently up to €350 per week).

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Learning Focus

Introducing our free Back to Business Mentoring & Coaching Programme Adam Weatherley, Learning & Development Manager Business coaching and mentoring has long been lauded as a highly effective method to review, improve and grow a business. It can though prove to be costly and for this reason used more frequently by large businesses and out for reach for many SMEs. This we hope will change for ISME members as we will be offering our member companies a fully funded business coaching and mentoring programme.

Skillnet Ireland have been instrumental in supporting SMEs during the pandemic. Their ‘’Future Dynamics - Industry/Regional Innovation Initiative’’ was exactly what ISME needed to further assist our member companies with their future growth plans, and we are very grateful for their support at this difficult time for Irish businesses.

Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive, ISME commented:

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

“We are delighted to be able to bring this programme to our members. So many businesses will have to re-engineer, re-direct or pivot their businesses because of this pandemic. But there is help available from experienced mentors who have been there before. This is an immensely valuable programme, and we wish the very best to the 60 businesses who avail of it.”

This fund will allow ISME to engage 60 businesses and develop new ideas and strategies they wish to implement. The 6 hours with a business coach / mentor will provide an organisation with the right skills, tools, and competencies to develop their business.

The areas covered, but not exclusively are: • • • • •

Digital and Automation Growth and Finance People and Leadership Business Improvement Strategies Business Processes

We are still adapting to a world overtaken by a global pandemic, and work-life balance has been significantly altered. During this time, the challenges businesses face would benefit from additional support, and so hearing a mentor’s or coach’s experience, or the sharing of fresh perspectives from a mentee, can shine a new light on to different situations.

Our panel of experienced coaches and business advisors have either sectorial or domain expertise. They have been through ordeals that many businesses are going through themselves.

Therefore, offering to share their experience allows the development of a trusted partnership, and set a confident path to success. The progression of this relationship will aid a business owner to delve into their true purpose, both personally and professionally.

Adam Weatherley ISME’s Learning & Development Manager said: ‘’This funding from Skillnet Ireland is not only vital but is also an important step for Irish businesses to help address the new working environment we find ourselves in. We are offering our members 6 hours of free coaching and mentoring with a qualified business coach, to enable them to return to business confidently and in good health’’.

He added “We have been providing learning support since the onset of COVID, and last year we piloted with 12 businesses, our Back to Business Learning Programme, a free mentoring and learning initiative designed for SME owner-managers and leadership teams across all industries in Ireland. We helped them look at new markets, new products and services, transform or pivot their business, to continue trading in the COVID era.”

Private sector businesses based in Ireland with between 5 and 250 employees are eligible to participate in the ISME Back to Business initiative.

Additionally, you must be an existing ISME member to avail of this programme.

To register an initial expression of interest, please email skillnet@isme.ie.

We will be taking online applications in late August asking applicants to complete a form and include a short document with details on why you/your business wants to participate in this programme and what you would like to achieve.

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bISME

Energy Focus

SEAI’s Support Scheme for Energy Audits The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has just launched a brand-new Support Scheme for small and medium enterprises who want to save money and energy. The Support Scheme for Energy Audits (SSEA) offers eligible businesses a voucher for €2,000 ex VAT towards the cost of an energy audit for their facility. For most SMEs, this will cover the full cost of a high-quality energy audit with one of SEAI’s Registered Energy Auditors.

If you are a business who wants to save money on your energy bills, then an energy audit is one of the very first steps you should take, as it will: • •

help you to understand how much energy you are using and where you are using it, and identify energy-saving opportunities for you

At the end of the audit, you will receive an Energy Action Plan that will help you to prioritise energy saving actions that will have the biggest impact on your business. You will also get an in-depth, jargon-free Energy Audit Report that will explain what your current energy profile looks like, how much money can be saved, and what impact it will have on your business’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Overall, it’s an invaluable tool for any organisation that is under internal or external pressure to reduce its carbon footprint and improve sustainability.

Eligibility To be eligible for the scheme, your business must: • • •

Be an SME (fewer than 250 staff; turnover of less than €50M/balance sheet of less than €43M) Be registered and located in the Republic of Ireland, have a valid CRO number, and be tax compliant Spend at least €10,000 per annum on energy at the facility that’s to receive the audit

Application process The application and approval process is quick and easy and in most cases your voucher will be issued automatically.

1.

Choose an Energy Auditor from the list available to download here 2. Contact your chosen Auditor to let them know you are applying to the scheme, and confirm the cost with them

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THE

1. Choose an Energy Auditor from the list available to download here

2. Contact your chosen Auditor to let them know you are applying and confirm the cost 3. Register & apply to the 4. Receive scheme via SEAI’s your Voucher Application portal via email here

5. Contact your Auditor to arrange the site visit 6. Auditor carries out the site visit and issues you with Energy Action Plan and Report

7. Review the Report & ask any questions. Auditor submits Report to SEAI for review & payment

3. Register and apply to the scheme via SEAI’s Application portal 4. Receive your Voucher via email 5. Contact your Auditor to arrange the site visit 6. Auditor carries out the site visit and issues you with Energy Action Plan and Report 7. You review the Report and ask any questions you may have 8. Auditor submits Report to SEAI for review and payment

Costs The value of the voucher is €2,000 ex. VAT, which in most cases will cover the total cost of a high-quality energy audit for an SME. If your audit costs more than that, your Auditor will invoice you for the difference, so it is important to confirm the costs with your Auditor before the site visit. SEAI cannot issue more than one voucher to the same facility.

Interested?

You can check your eligibility, choose an Auditor and apply to the scheme by visiting the SEAI website.

COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme

• •• •

Key features of the Covid-19 Scheme Loans from €10,000 to a maximum of €1,000,000 per borrower; Terms of between 3 months up to 5.5 years; Loans unsecured up to €250,000 (unless it is a requirement of the product feature, e.g. asset finance, invoice discount facilities); The Scheme permits the refinance and rollover of debt incurred as a result of Covid-19 (e.g.

Covid-19 related expenses that were initially funded through short term/temporary facilities such as overdrafts); Loans will be available up to the end of 2021.

• Loans can be used for • Scheme costs •

Working capital or investment requirements.

The interest rate applicable to the loan will be determined by the participating lender.

In addition, the participating lender will collect a premium which is payable to the Government of Ireland.

Who can apply?

• • •

To be eligible a borrower must

• •

Be a viable business with up to 499 employees (Micro, SME or small Mid-Cap enterprise), including Primary producers (Agriculture/Fishing); Have or expect to have a reduction of minimum 15% in the turnover or profitability as a result of Covid-19; Meet the eligibility criteria.

How do I apply?

The Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme is available trough a wide range of lenders (banks, credit unions and non-bank finance providers).

The updated list of the Scheme providers is available on the SBCI website www.sbci.gov.ie

For further queries on the Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, please visit www.sbci.gov.ie or call 1800 804 482.

The b Insight

How To Optimise Your Internet Connection at work Reliable broadband is essential for most businesses, but you may have found speeds at the office or while on the go aren’t as fast as they should be.

Today’s businesses usually contain a variety of devices that connect to the internet, from multiple laptops to payment devices. Factor in the bandwidth demands of all your office users on top of that, and the result is slower download speeds and choppy video calls.

Not only does this dampen productivity and efficiency, but a slow connection can leave employees feeling stressed and frustrated. In short, to avoid business interruption, you need a reliable connection.

But don’t worry, there are a few simple ways to boost your internet speed and even extend your connection so that you can work on the go.

Tips To Improve Your Broadband Speeds To speed up your broadband connection, there are a number of quick fixes that, when implemented together, can make a huge difference:

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

1. Switch off your other devices You’d be surprised how many of devices in your office are passively using your WiFi, like your printer installing the latest software update. Be aware of what’s using your bandwidth and try to schedule bigger downloads at quieter times.

2. Move devices away from your routers Did you know having multiple connected devices close to each other will affect their speeds? Try moving these devices away from your router.

Elevating your router can also help, but sometimes your WiFi can seem terrible in certain parts of the office for no good reason. In this case, try using a plug-in booster to improve your signal.

3, Switch to a wired connection Nothing beats Ethernet for a stable connection. If WiFi is causing you problems, Ethernet cables are relatively cheap and can make all the difference to your broadband speed. Also, take a look at how your router is plugged into your phone socket; did you know extension leads or even tangled cables can slow your internet down?

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4. Change how you call Calls use a lot of data, but there are some simple things you can do to reduce demand. For example, video uses more data than audio. If possible, switch off your webcam. Even better, don’t rely on the internet at all and switch to your mobile/landline.

Use all the options that are available to you.

One business that saw how the importance of reliable broadband is to their survival is event production company, Flying Elephant. When the country went into its first lockdown, it all looked very bleak with events such as concerts and festivals called off. So Flying Elephant decided to move the business completely online and using the leftover materials they would normally use for event builds, to make furniture and sell online. Equipped with reliable connectivity thanks to Vodafone, they were able to make the most of their digital know-how to launch online very quickly. What they needed was a fast, reliable service which Vodafone provided and they haven’t had any issues with their internet or phones which have now become a vital part of our business. Now the company offers a wide range of custom-made, 100% Irish products – from garden furniture to standing desks to wine racks.

Reliable connectivity is key for many small businesses navigating through the pandemic. As Ireland’s best mobile network and largest fibre footprint provider, Vodafone is 100% committed to keeping your business connected with your customers in these challenging times.

Supports of up to 15% off Vodafone Business Broadband and Mobile Broadband are now available to ISME members through the ADVANTAGE Affinity Programme. Click here for more information.

Credit where it’s due during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Having difficulty getting a new business loan or restructuring your existing debt with your bank?

Established by the Minister for Finance, Credit Review is here to help.

Talk to the credit experts today on 087 1217244 or visit creditreview.ie

bISME

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Shop Local

Spending together and supporting SMEs Over the past year, ISME has encouraged consumers to support local businesses, who have suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been further amplified by rising insurance costs and Brexit associated expenses.

To be in with a chance to win a selection of products /services from the businesses listed on both portals, view the prizes here, and to support this campaign, just share hashtag #ismeshoplocal on Twitter, just click on symbol on each Shop Local page.

ISME’s Shop Local campaign continues to roll with a focus right now on Summer Spending on the B2C portal. With many travel restrictions still in place, the campaign encourages those holidaying in Ireland to support local SMEs in the hospitality, retail, leisure and tourism sectors; not forgetting continued spending in all other sectors too.

Here’s what a selection of businesses featured in the portals say about the importance of Shop Local:

We have also launched a new online portal that has been developed to support organisations operating in the Business-to-Business (B2B) sector. This B2B portal is a one stop shop for B2B products and services and provides information on local services such as legal and financial services, IT and marketing, transport, office support products and services and more.

“It’s great to see Irish Business uniting though ISME’s “Get Involved” campaign to support and promote each other’s online products and services to customers in Ireland and abroad. Aontacht! Strength through Unity!”

Stuart McNamara – Editor, BusinessIreland.ie and Director, Portmagee Whiskey

Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive at ISME, said:

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

“It is not just as a response to COVID-19 that we should focus on local spending, but also to look long term at supporting Irish businesses. As well as employing local people, SMEs also carry a high percentage of locally produced goods; and revenue and employment is generated across local services, suppliers, and other small firms.

Sourcing Irish-made goods and services for domestic or business use helps to ensure their quality, traceability, and value-for-money. You can also consider the environmental benefits of local purchasing through reducing fuel consumption and air pollution, as well as decreasing waste and the level of packaging needed for certain products when in transit from outside the island.”

Every €10 spent locally on Irish products generates more than €40 of benefit to the local community in terms of employment, which highlights the added benefit of supporting Irish. Businesses and consumers can get involved in the campaign by either shopping or referring business locally or showing their support by liking and sharing content on social media.

Supporting Shop Local can be win for everyone as ISME is running regular draws until 31st August 2021.

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“Here at Kilbaha Gallery we have been so lucky to be surrounded by a wonderfully supportive community on Loop Head who have always made shopping local a priority. Throughout COVID, although our doors were firmly closed, our business was actively trading online and the support we received nationally in Ireland from people prioritising Irish purchases was outstanding. This was wonderful for us as a gallery but also the benefits of which were felt right through to the homes of the artists themselves who were delighted to be able to continue producing and selling truly great art and bringing a smile to homes throughout the country. Shopping locally and within Ireland produces a very important ripple effect to the local economy. “ Ailish Connolly and Liz Greehy, Kilbaha Gallery

Shop Local “Now, more than ever before, it is important to support your local businesses. We have all been through difficult times, in so many different ways, together, over the past eighteen months, so let’s contribute together in the recovery of our local businesses and enterprises. We need them and they need you.”

John Gleeson, Director, Radius Technologies “Studio Donegal has been passed on to a second generation of the Donaghy family. We know that when you shop local you are investing in the future of your local community and its economy.”

Tristan Donaghy, Owner, Studio Donegal

“Here at Lensmen, we are proudly supporting this Shop Local campaign as it is important to support SMEs all year round. We believe that you should back your own, and we do that by supporting small businesses and services across Ireland.”

Susan Kennedy, Managing Director, Lensmen “Encouraging consumers to shop local is vital for protecting and promoting jobs and growing communities across Ireland. The COVID pandemic has amplified the need of promoting the vital importance of consumers supporting local businesses. Astro Park is entirely behind the ISME Shop Local campaign and its goal of promoting all local businesses across the country.

“We here at Inis the Energy of the Sea believe in small business. It is our privilege to partner with unique shops and boutiques both in Ireland and in many other countries across the world, with our signature scent. We hope everyone takes the opportunity to purchase something special for their loved ones. Please use the Store Locator on our website to find your local stockists.”

David Cox, Fragrances Ireland

James Coghlan, Managing Director, Astropark “Shopping locally is the best way for Irish individuals and businesses to support the Irish economy. It boosts employment, reduces our carbon footprint and has a massive multiplier effect on the local economy.”

“Here at The Shed Distillery of PJ Rigney, the local community is at the heart of everything we do here.

We could never have created The Shed Distillery & Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin without the local community support, that is why we will always support local” P J Rigney, Founder & Managing Director, The Shed Distillery Drumshanbo

To find out more about the campaign and to explore the list of businesses involved in the ‘Shop Local’ campaign, please click here.

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T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

Anne Reilly, CEO Paycheck Plus

ISME at work for you

ISME welcomes passage of Perjury Bill

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Return to Work Protocols. An ISME webinar

ISME is delighted to welcome the passage of the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Bill 2018 through all stages in the Oireachtas. We have campaigned for the introduction of a statutory perjury offence since 2017. Ireland is the last common law country in the world to pass such legislation.

ISME believes that this legislation is long overdue and is needed to tackle white-collar crime and fraudulent litigation. Exaggerated and false personal injuries claims place a burden of hundreds of millions of euros annually on motorists, homeowners, charities, sporting bodies and business owners through excessive insurance costs.

ISME extends sincere thanks to former senator Padraig O’Céidigh and the co-sponsors of his Private Member’s Bill, without whom this Bill would never have passed into law.

Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive of ISME, said: “We are delighted to see this legislation finally passing in the Oireachtas. ISME has campaigned on the issue since 2017. We acknowledge this offence will not be a silver bullet in the fight against exaggerated and false claims, but it will signal intent to tackle the issue. For this perjury statute to be effective, there will need to be a cultural change among the Judiciary, the Gardaí and the DPP. This new legislation will be an essential weapon in the armoury against those who would make exaggerated or false claims for personal gain.”

Friday, 13th August, 8.00am -9.30am With Katherine McVeigh B.L. Book here.

Pitch my business Thursday, 9th September, 10.30am Book here.

ISME Regional Meetings: North West October date TBC

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

Read full details here.

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BACK TO BUSINESS MENTORING & COACHING PROGRAMME ISME will be offering our member companies a fully funded business coaching and mentoring programme. Private sector businesses based in Ireland with between 5 and 250 employees are eligible to participate in the ISME Back to Business initiative. Additionally, you must be an existing ISME member to avail of this programme.

To register an initial expression of interest, please email skillnet@isme.ie and we will be taking online applications in late August. You can read full details about the programme on page 23.

PITCH MY BUSINESS IS BACK We will be running more in Pitch my Business events as part of the Back to Business initiative in the autumn and winter. The next event will take place on Thursday 9th September at 10.30am. Take this opportunity to promote your business and network.

You get 2 minutes to pitch and a slide about your company will appear on the screen when you pitch. All welcome, free registration and details here.

GET YOUR BUSINESS NOTICED WITH ISME We offer several promotional options for businesses which include •

Advertising in The bISME – ISME’s quarterly online business magazine, the next issue is out in October and ISME members enjoy up to 50% discount on adverting rates.

•

Advertising on isme.ie - Shop Local and Back to Business portals, free for Members and rates for non-members are available here.

•

Advertising in ISME’s 2022 Wall Planner – over 40% discount for Members, taking bookings now, deadline date 5th November 2021

ISME at work for you

ISME COVID-19 SURVEY JULY 2021 We released the results of our eighth flash survey on COVID-19 in July. The survey found that 62% of respondents are availing of the TWSS or EWSS, meaning wage supports remain by far the largest liquidity solution availed of by business. 17% of those surveyed are availing of the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme, up 9% from April.

19% of respondents were availing of the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) as a self-employed person, up 3% from April.

On a continued positive note, as you will see below, the number of respondents who believe their business can operate for more than 9 months has increased to 68%, up 5% from April.

The number of respondents who believe their businesses will cease operating remains steady at 1%, similar to January and April. You can read the full report by clicking here.

To find out more contact marketing@isme.ie

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

COVID UPDATES & HUB FOR MEMBERS For advice, support or updates you can go to the COVID portal on our website. We have also developed an online Members only hub with tools and templates plus explainers and links to all government schemes, HR resources, best practice advice and supports. Access by logging into the Members Area of the website here

CORPORATION TAX In early July we wrote to the Minster for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD concerning Ireland’s Corporation Tax (CT) rate of 12.5% and plans by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to adopt a global minimum rate of 15%. While Ireland has had a long-standing position of advocating an OECD position on CT, ISME believes Ireland must fall in line with the proposed standardised global minimum rate.

Ahead of Budget 2022 and in view of the inevitable increase in CT rate, ISME believes that it is an opportune time to review Ireland’s unrealistically high rate of Capital Gains Tax (CGT).

Neil McDonnell, CEO of ISME said: “Ireland’s Capital Gains Tax is one of the highest in the world at 33%, which results in the Exchequer yielding far less than could be available from this tax head. We believe CGT should be reduced to 25% in Budget 2022 and should be applied to productive assets only. There should also be reduced rates of CGT for assets and businesses held for longer periods of time, and indexation of assets should be permitted. At a time when Ireland’s borrowing has reached worrying levels, a reduction in CGT would have the positive effect of producing a permanent uplift in yield from this tax head.”

ISME has advocated for a reduction in CGT for some time, as outlined the Pre-Budget Submission 2022. Find out more here.

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ISME at work for you

ISME’S PENSIONS EQUITY CAMPAIGN On 1st February we launched our campaign to raise funds for a legal challenge to force the creation of a fair system for private sector pension savers. The last Public Service Pay Commission report found that while there is almost 100% pension coverage in the public sector, the overall figure for the private sector is 40%. This means that workers in the private sector who aspire to a pension even close to that of a similarly paid public sector worker, would have to surrender more than a third of their salary.

To support the challenge ISME is calling on private pension holders to make a donation today. Find our more here.

CONCERN OVER PLANNED APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES

T H E B U S I N E S S O F I R I S H S M Es

ISME contacted Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Justice and Equality in July, following calls from the judiciary for more High Court judges. While ISME recognises that Ireland has a relatively low number of judges per head of population, there is also a great deal that can be done within our legal system to reduce the administrative burden on our judges and on our Courts Service before we embark on large-scale recruitment to the judicial benches.

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The call for extra judges comes a week after a report from the Central Bank which showed that the courts are clogged with tens of thousands of personal injuries cases where the plaintiffs would be far better off taking a PIAB award then litigating their case in court. The Employers’ Liability, Public Liability and Commercial Property Insurance Report by the Central Bank showed that in Employer’s Liability cases worth less than €100,000, and in Public Liability cases worth less than €150,000, plaintiffs received less money through litigation than they would have from PIAB, and wait on average 2.7 years to get the lower sum. In fact, in litigated Public Liability cases worth less than €30,000, plaintiffs receive less than half the award they would get from PIAB. This effectively means that 100% of plaintiffs in the Circuit Court are losing money by litigating their action rather than accepting a PIAB award.

This scandalous state of affairs demonstrates that a substantial cohort of personal injuries lawyers are acting not in the best interests of their clients, but of themselves.

ISME has advised the Minister that there is no good reason not to proceed with substantial reform of PIAB, to allow it to function as a tribunal of first instance and assess injuries and make awards. ISME has also asked the Minister to press on aggressively with reform of the Occupiers’ Liability Act and the Defamation Act, and with the commencement of the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act at the earliest possible opportunity. Truth in our courts should not have to wait. You can view the correspondence here.

Second Stage Debate Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Bill 2021 ISME is delighted to welcome the second stage debate on the Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Bill 2021.

When the lockdown measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic were introduced last year, ISME warned that the consequences for tens of thousands of small businesses would be dire. In April 2020, we wrote to the Minister for Enterprise seeking the urgent introduction of an affordable insolvency resolution mechanism for small businesses.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment immediately referred the issue to the Company Law Review Group, which, after intense work on the issue last autumn, reverted to the Department with proposals. The Department issued a public consultation, and then worked extremely quickly to publish the very comprehensive amendment to the Companies Act which is before the Dáil today. This was only possible because of a great deal of work by the staff of the Department of Enterprise.

Neil McDonnell, CEO of ISME said: “We are aware that the Department is committed to an ambitious legislative timetable with this bill, pushing for enactment by the summer recess and commencement by the autumn.

Regrettably for many small businesses, we will need to stick closely to this schedule if we are to save many of the small firms that are insolvent as the economy slowly reopens.

The National Council of ISME extends its thanks to the Tánaiste and to Minister of State Troy for moving this bill so quickly to date, and we wish them every success in progressing it to early enactment.”

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HR Focus 2

Fitness for Work Guidance for Employers and Employees after COVID-19 absence The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has published interim guidance on its website to assist employers to manage workers’ return to work following COVID19-related absence.

The guidance sets out the steps involved in determining/assessing Fitness for Work of any employee, after an absence due to COVID-19 Infection or suspected infection. The Guidance can be considered within existing sickness and absence management procedures and policies. It applies to Non-Healthcare workers and specific guidance for Healthcare workers can be found here. The HSA has also published Guidance for Workers returning to work after COVID-19 absence which can be found here.

Fitness for Work (FFW) refers to a state of (physical and psychological) health and wellbeing, which enables a worker to carry out their work, reliably, safely and effectively, and in a way which does not affect their safety or the safety of others. The Guidance outlines general return to work criteria for workers returning after an absence from work due to COVID-19 Infection or testing which allows for the timely and safe return of the worker to their normal role and responsibilities where possible.

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Most workers who contract the COVID-19 virus will recover with no long-term health effects.

Some workers, however, may suffer serious or ongoing health effects and need additional support to return to work. The Guidance also covers vulnerable workers and assisting workers to return to work after COVID-19 infection.

The following scenarios are outlined in the Employer guidance: • • •

Returning to work following a suspected case of COVID-19 Returning to work following a confirmed case of COVID-19 without health complications Worker unfit to return to work following a confirmed case of COVID-19

Each scenario guides the employer through the steps involved and emphasises good communication between employer and employee throughout. An interactive checklist accompanies each scenario to assist employers in complying with public health guidance and the Government’s Work Safely Protocol.

Amongst the list of further information and resources included is the HSA’s Work Safely Induction online course which provides a short 20 minute COVID-19 Induction for those returning to the work.

It should be noted that this is interim guidance and it will be reviewed and updated as public health advice and government advice changes.

Employers should keep up to date at https://gov.ie for the most current information on government restrictions and can keep up to date with public health advice here.

The HSA Interim Guidance for both Employers and Workers on Fitness for Work following COVID-19 Absence can be found on the HSA website here.

The Guidance was published in collaboration with the National Standing Oversight Committee (NSOC) on Cases and Outbreaks of COVID-19 in High-Risk Workplace Settings.

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Another side of

Steve Dillon,

The Wooden Spoon What interests/hobbies do you have outside of work?

Talk to us about the work you do and your business?

Along with food and coffee of course, reading has always been a great passion. Since my teens I’ve been putting together a book collection of Irish fiction and modern first editions. I’ve built a home library to display them and I have both my sons’ names engraved in the shelves so I’m hoping that both the bookcases and the collection will be passed down from this generation to future generations.

Our family business is The Wooden Spoon Cafe in Blackrock village in South Dublin, run by myself, my twin sister Kate and our mother Mary. As we are obsessed with food and coffee, our aim hasn’t changed in over a decade, to take the best Irish and local ingredients and bring happiness to people through our food, baking and speciality coffee. We’re so lucky to have so many lovely customers in the neighbourhood and beyond who have made a visit to us a big part of their daily lives.

I got my love of reading as a kid from my Dad, and always wanted my own collection of favourite books in a home library to read and share. I was lucky enough to have a very enjoyable career as a bookseller in Melbourne and Dublin before entering the family business, The Wooden Spoon Cafe in Blackrock, so I had access to great books and authors.

Do you have an interesting story about reading?

Once I was sitting outside a Dublin pub reading a book by a world-class Irish author when another Booker award winning Irish author walked past, saw it and shouted “I love that book, I just bumped into him around the corner.” I think Dublin might be only city in the world where that could happen!

What other hobbies do you have?

Soccer is the other big passion in my life. I’ve played for U.C.D. F.C. in the Leinster Senior League since I was 18.

It’s a great challenge for me to play at that level as the standard is very high and we’ve had some great league and national title wins over the years. I’m 36 now so hoping to stay fit and play for another few seasons so my sons can come and see me play.

Are there any hobbies or challenges you would you like to try?

I would really love to drive the entire coastline of Ireland with my wife and two boys someday, just to show the kids what a truly special place they are from and pass on our love of sea swimming to the next generation.

How has the last 12 months been for you and how have you coped?

Undoubtedly the COVID situation has presented many obstacles this year but we’ve been fortunate to remain open for take-out food and coffee throughout all restriction levels, and our customers have been so loyal to us throughout all the disruption to their own lives How important do you think it is to have an interest outside work and how do you think it can benefit your business?

It’s vitally important to have interests outside of work as you draw on these things for inspiration, and they can affect your decision making in your business in such a positive way. Your hobbies also help you switch off and recharge which I find so important to ensure you’re coming back to work fresh and focused.

How important is work life balance to you? Do you think this balance is something individuals and particularly employers need in their life to have a successful business?

That balance is something all business owners strive for but don’t necessarily always achieve. But family time is of the utmost importance to me, to spend quality time with my two young sons and my wife. I really think that making finding a work/life balance a priority, forces you to work much smarter, manage your time better and be very focused. Ultimately these are factors which should improve your business, not hinder it.

A series that highlights the lives and interests of ISME members. In this edition, The bISME talks to ISME Member, Steve Dillion, co-owner, The Wooden Spoon about his interests and business.

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Why does reading interest you?

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