Industry news
Industry news
Parliamentary Review 2018 THIS YEAR’S Parliamentary Review – A year in perspective , covering 2017–18, focusses on aspects of accountancy and financial services and includes forewords by the UK prime minister and the chief executive of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (http://bit.ly/2oug4gx). The publication features Practical Payroll Solutions Limited, with commentary from Alan Jackaman, managing director, and Laraine Oconnor, operations director, who founded the company in 2000. Alan and Laraine set out the company’s ethos, its successes and its plans. Though highlighting that it’s difficult to recruit good payroll staff, the company has recently adopted a policy committed to training new staff through the CIPP’s training courses and via in-house training delivered by its managers. All senior staff are CIPP members, and three of the company’s managers have passed a CIPP diploma. Alan and Laraine observe that “If we are to continue thriving in today’s market, it is critical that we keep abreast of government legislation and offer the best in technology and systems security.” Technology high on workers’ wish list ACCORDING TO a survey of 2,001 adults carried out by LaptopsDirect.co.uk, British workers are now putting technology high on their wish lists when looking for a new job, with more than half (53%) saying that the standard of technology is a key consideration for accepting a new job role and 74% believing technology makes them more productive at work. More than one in three (37%) said they would decline a job based on poor hardware alone. Having the latest technology was valued more than other office perks, such as flexible working (45%), the working environment/decor (39%) and staff discounts (33%). Mark Kelly, marketing manager at LaptopsDirect.co.uk, said: “It’s no surprise that the latest technology is important for many of us when considering a new role…[A]ccess to the latest technology enables employees to be more productive, and so has a better impact on the overall business.” Workers in marketing valued technology the highest, with 84% of the votes, followed by those in creative and photographic (81%), information and communications (78%), professional services (73%) and education (71%).
Portfolio Group expansion THE SPECIALIST recruitment agency, Portfolio Group, has opened a new office within The Peninsula building in central Manchester, part of ongoing expansion within the fast-growing business. Though the office is primarily servicing the payroll sector, it will also provide recruitment services across three other specialist divisions: credit control, procurement and human resources and reward supported by a team of consultants at the Group’s new London headquarters which it moved into at the end of 2017 to accommodate expanding staff members. With their Manchester office, the Group aims to provide the same personal and premium level of service in a local capacity for clients more conveniently. Danny Done, Portfolio Group’s managing director, said “We’re really excited for 2018, with so much development and evolution within our business we’ve got big plans and lots to look forward to. We’ve successfully recruited staff into both offices across all our divisions, and with an experienced and local team into our Manchester office, we have no doubt the team will swiftly grow to meet our clients’ requirements”. In line with the growth of the company, Portfolio Group has promoted Patrick Day and Gemma Creamer from senior managers of Portfolio Payroll to associate directors. Patrick started as a recruitment consultant in 2008 and Gemma as a senior recruitment consultant in 2012. Anthony Macey, Portfolio director, comments, “Gemma and Patrick are cornerstones of the company and it makes us proud to have seen them work their way up to associate directors. Their experience and drive will undoubtedly continue to educate and inspire newer staff and push the company in a positive direction.” Reflecting on her time with Portfolio Group, assistant director, Gemma says, “I’m absolutely delighted to be part of this company. Since working here, I’ve seen big change and development and I’m hugely excited about the future growth of the Executive Payroll Division and Portfolio Group. To be a part of it all has been amazing and I’ve been lucky enough to see my career go from strength-to-strength.”
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 39 | April 2018
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