It’s been another hectic couple of weeks at i-paye with the team busy rolling out our unique Agency and Contractor Pledges, while we have also been shortlisted for a prestigious national innovation award.

Everyone knows how tough the business world is at the moment which makes it more important than ever that businesses continue to challenge themselves and ensure that their offer is as distinctive as possible.

We decided recently that while there are many things that most umbrella service providers offer, there are a number of qualities which are unique to i-paye.

We’ve now bundled these USPs up into our special pledges for both our agency partners and contractors. To find out more visit our website – www.i-paye.com

Meanwhile, we received news this week that we have been shortlisted for the Association of Professional Staffing Companies’ Innovator of the Year category with Shaun, Paul and myself set to be grilled by a panel of judges on October 8th in London.

The shortlisting recognises the successful launch of our Pure umbrella services, offering three clearly defined and separately priced services to ensure contractors can get the best possible deal for every contract they undertake.

The services – Pure Express, Pure Advance and Pure Gold – are aimed at different individual circumstances such as site location and length of contract rather than hourly rates.

In the four months since we launched our Pure services, the feedback from agencies and clients has been fantastic and it’s a fitting reward for our hard-working team to be recognised by APSCo in this way.

We’ll keep you updated regarding our progress in the awards in future blogs.

How flexible is your company? I’ve just read a fascinating article by KPMG which refers to a recently published range of crystal ball ‘future work’ scenarios by Microsoft, one of which forecast that the workplace will be dominated by networks of freelance workers and contractors.

The question is how will employers get the most out of their freelance staff without alienating full-time staff?  The use of Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) is recommended in order that minimum levels of service can be agreed and typical compensation should suppliers fail to deliver.

BT, one of the UK’s biggest employers of contractors, has predicted that, as SLA’s become more commonplace, they will evolve beyond simple employer-contractor agreements to something more collaborative, where expectations and obligations on both sides are clearly laid out.

Integrating contractors into the workplace quickly is key.  Ensuring they have a full description of what is expected of them can be helpful, as can maintaining regular contact.  It it also up to the contractor to recognise and endeavour to fit into, your company’s culture and work ethos.

Money and benefits can be a particularly sticky issue with permanent staff often unhappy that someone in their midst is earning more than they are.

However, it should be noted that agency workers are not currently entitled to the same perks as permanent members of staff and usually do not get the same holiday entitlements or sick pay provision.  But it is important that employers are aware that the EU has passed a law that will come into effect in October 2011 that will award agency workers many of the same benefits as full-time staff after they have completed 12 weeks of work.

You don’t need a crystal ball to realise that a freelance planet may be extremely futuristic but it will rely on people who have to be flexible and willing to chase work further afield.

 

 

A couple of weeks ago, Gaynor and I went to an awards night at Sir Richard Branson’s Oxfordshire home to celebrate our 7th place ranking in the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 League Table.

The awards event kicked off with an afternoon conference where the 320 guests heard from a range of speakers, including previous Fast Track 100 award winners.

Sally Hopson MBE, customer and people director of Pets At Home, explained how focusing on staff development and retention rates had led to a growth in profits to £70m.

James Averdieck, co-founder of Gu Chocolate Puds, described how they had used a trade sale to continue their expansion and take on professional management.

And Nick Wheeler, founder of Charles Tyrwhitt, gave his story of how he had learned from his mistakes, ranging from senior recruitment to attempting to expand into childrenswear.

It was great to be one of Britain’s 100 private companies invited to the event – and an excellent chance to network with the directors of other Fast Track 100 companies.