HR & Business Round-Up: August
We’ve rounded up the local business and HR news in Dorset, Hampshire & beyond – to keep you up-to-date!
Local Business News:
21 August: Atlas Elektronik UK is awarded £48m contract to supply workboats for the Royal Navy
A Dorset-based science and technology company has secured a £48million contract that will boost the local economy and create jobs.
Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK) has been awarded a six year contract by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to build and supply workboats for the Royal Navy.
14th August: How “disgruntled quantity surveyor” Rupert Holloway founded gin brand Conker Spirit
A “disgruntled quantity surveyor” who quit to start his own business now heads a distillery producing up to 1,000 bottles of gin each week. Rupert Holloway, 32, built Conker Spirit, which produces its dry gin at Southbourne and has recently branched out to make a coffee liqueur. It all stems back to me being a disgruntled quantity surveyor,” he said.
“It was back in early 2013. I’d just kind of realised I was miserable.”
He spent months reading books about business and entrepreneurship.
11th August: Bournemouth’s Silicon Beach could link up with Arts by the Sea Festival to rival South by Southwest
Bournemouth’s annual Silicon Beach festival could become part of a two-week programme of events attracting 5,000 visitors, its creator believes.
Next month sees the seventh Silicon Beach, which aims to bring together speakers from around the world with challenging and innovative ideas.
The event, which has a focus on business, marketing, technology and the creative sector, was devised by Matt Desmier of the marketing and innovation consultancy Wise Old Uncle.
10th August: Staff being axed at 4Com PLC, the UK’s ‘top company to work for’
Christchurch-based telecommunications firm 4Com PLC has not revealed how many jobs are at risk, but sources have suggested the number is 45-50.
The company, which had more than 300 staff, reported a pre-tax loss of £1million for the year ending June 30, 2016. It had made a pre-tax profit of £892,000 the year before.
9th August: British Chambers of Commerce boss Adam Marshall says he’s “pushing back” against anti-business feeling
The head of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has told Dorset firms he is “pushing back” against “less than friendly” attitudes towards business.
The lobby group’s director-general, Adam Marshall, discussed Brexit and economic growth and urged business people to fight their corner.
He addressed members of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) at the Italian Villa in Poole.
9th August: Morgan Sindall pleased with profits so far this year
Construction firm Morgan Sindall Group has delivered strong profit growth in the first half of this year with operating profit up 37 per cent to £24.9 million on revenue of £1,307m.
The group’s local subsidiary Morgan Sindall is currently working in partnership with Bournemouth council as the Bournemouth Development Company, and the firm has an office in Poole.
Lush co-founder Rowena Bird among four Dorset women scooping national Venus Awards
There were four Dorset winners – including the county’s global cosmetics brand Lush – at the National Venus Awards celebrating women in business.
All the winners of last year’s NatWest Dorset Venus Awards went on to represent the county in the national event at Audleys Wood Hotel in Basingstoke.
McCarthy & Stone chief warns over-65s could be a “Generation Stuck”
THE boss of McCarthy & Stone has warned that Britain is “woefully unprepared” for a population shift which is turning many older people into a “Generation Stuck”.
Chief executive Clive Fenton says by 2035, there will be more than a million pensioners in the South West keen to move to smaller homes – but that most are currently prohibited by costs and the lack of suitable housing.
Brexit minister: ‘We’ll still welcome people with talent’
BRITAIN will continue to welcome foreigners who want to work here even after Brexit, a government minister has insisted on a visit to Dorset.
Robin Walker, a minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union, was in Poole to speak to representatives of key industries including fisheries, farming, ports and tourism.
Why do users dislike change? UX Bournemouth knows why…
MORE than 100 guests from the digital sector were at a special edition of the industry event UX Bournemouth.
The event marked the 10th anniversary of the company which created it, the Bournemouth-based user experience (UX) specialist Experience UX.
Business News:
17 August: Argos forced to give workers back almost £1.5m after underpaying them
Argos has been forced to repay almost £1.5m to more than 12,000 workers as part of a record £2m of back pay identified by Government investigations.
Overall, more than 13,000 of the UK’s lowest paid workers will receive money due to them because their employers did not pay them the national minimum wage.
14th August: 3,900 Wilko staff at risk of redundancy as retailer announces shake-up
Thousands of jobs at retailer Wilko are at risk after the firm confirmed it has entered redundancy consultation with nearly 4,000 staff.
Wilko has stores in Bournemouth, Poole, Ferndown, Winton and Boscombe, so this could affect hundreds of families across the conurbation as workers go through this stressful process.
14th August: 9-year-old NASA applicant lands ANOTHER job offer
Last week, nine-year-old Jack Davis’ application touched hearts, and social media feeds the world over, when he applied for the position of Planetary Protection Officer as advertised by NASA.
After seeing Jack’s plucky application letter go viral, the Liberty Science Centre, in New York, offered the budding astronaut a role at the centre’s planetarium.
When the centre’s new “largest planetarium in the western hemisphere” opens later this year, the non-profit firm want Jack to be the official Kid Science Advisor.
11th August: Technology News: Disruption is over – and Facebook won
On Friday, another one bit the dust. As Snap’s shares plunged following disappointing results, it became clear that the myth that a feisty young challenger to Facebook could topple the social media giant from its perch was just that – a myth.
Of course, the company behind Snapchat is still a very impressive young business, building an audience of 173 million mostly young daily users in just five years and changing the way they communicate, in fun and inventive ways.
But its future as an independent company looks uncertain, with talk of it being swallowed up by Google or another web giant.
10th August: Pay growth to stay weak, says forecast
Pressure on incomes looks set to continue, with pay rises forecast at 1% over the next year, a survey predicts.
Despite falling unemployment, wage growth is weak because the supply of labour has also gone up, says the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
The CIPD said for every low-skilled job, there were 24 applicants.
There were also 19 candidates for every medium-skilled job and eight for every high-skilled vacancy.
Not all recent surveys back up the CIPD’s view. Last week, a survey of employment agencies found that the UK labour market was tightening, with employers finding it harder to recruit staff.
The restaurateur who puts hospitality above food
Like other great success stories, Sheldon Fireman’s started with a sense of ambition, an understanding of the local culture, and nothing to do on a Friday night.
CEO Secrets: Shaving boss: ‘Create space in your day’
The razor industry has been shaken up by the emergence in recent years of a series of start-ups selling online shaving subscriptions.Harry’s co-founder Andy Kurtz-Mayfield spoke to CEOSecrets about a tip he has for making the most of his working day.
See all of the BBC CEO Secrets video interview snippets
Bosses’ fall in pay ‘limited and late’
Top chief executives’ pay has fallen in the past year, but there is still “a huge gap” between them and the rest of their staff, a report has said.
The bosses of FTSE 100 companies now make on average £4.5m a year, down 17% from £5.4m in 2015, according to the High Pay Centre’s research.
Sector Focus: Digital
18th August: How busy mum Claire Skerrett set up Picniq, which has sent 250,000 people to to top family attractions
IT started as a modest blog created by a busy parent – but it’s becoming a favourite source of suggestions and tickets for parents seeking a day out.
Bournemouth-based Picniq was devised by former headteacher Claire Skerrett as a platform for day trip ideas and reviews. It now sells tickets to many of the attractions on the site.
Sources:
Thanks to BBC.co.uk, Recruitment Grapevine and Bournemouth Echo
