IT’S OUR BIRTHDAY!

VIP are celebrating six years in business and as we reach this milestone it’s good to reflect on how far we have come.

Six years ago we started up in a small office from home with just two clients. We had one goal – to do things our way and provide the best service for our clients and candidates alike. We now have over thirty regular clients using our services, including our first two clients which we are truly grateful for as they played such a key part in kick-starting our venture.

We still remember constantly pressing the ‘send and receive’ button on Outlook as we awaited a response to our first introductory email sent to dozens of potential clients across the city.

How different it is today. With no sign of slowing down or pressing the send and receive button, we have regular recommendations and referrals coming in all the time throughout our network and have now established ourselves as one of the region’s most trustworthy and go to agencies.

But what hasn’t changed is our business ethos – it was always to be the best and not the biggest and that still stands today.

What will never change, cheesy as it may be, is the feeling of delivering that life changing news to a Candidate that they have secured their new position, which will inevitably lead to a greater quality of life/more disposable income/a new home/car/fantastic holiday/a treat for their children will never get old.

That said, we are still so proud that our company has grown at such a rate, and that we count local, regional, and national businesses among our client base, including small, medium and large-scale enterprises.

Moving forward into our seventh year, we aim to bring VIP into the limelight buy getting together with our trusted Marketing Company who are putting together a marketing strategy for us to grow even further – watch this space!

We don’t know what the next six years will bring, but we can promise the same level of commitment and service that has come to define our business and reputation.

A massive thank you to our loyal Clients, Candidates, and everyone who has been part of our success, we truly appreciate your support and we very much look forward to another successful six years.

What is the Trust Board?

The members of our Trust Board of professionals, each have a specific area of expertise ranging from Recruitment Specialists, Marketing Experts through to HR and Employment Law Consultants, and more!

When working with our clients, VIP sometimes stumble across problems which we don’t always have the answers to. We understand that sometimes companies need a helping hand in area’s sometimes foreign to their field of expertise.

V.I.Personnel are lucky enough to be affiliated with a fantastic circle of trusted professionals and we not only recommend our network to use their services, but we encourage them to do so.

Our Trust Board of professionals all share a common interest… not only to succeed in business, but help others do so too.

 

Our Trusted Affiliates

 

 

Honest Employment Law Practice

(H.E.L.P) have been providing outsourced HR, Employment Law and Health & Safety advice to clients across the UK for over 15 years. From support for existing HR and Health & Safety teams within larger organisations to being the outsourced HR department and Health & Safety consultant for smaller businesses.

 

 

 

 

The Marketing People

The Marketing People help businesses grow using intelligent marketing & creative design. From small start-ups and family businesses, to SME’s and large companies, whether you want to gain more customers, increase revenue, move into a new sector or increase brand awareness, The marketing people know what to do.

 

 

 

 

 

Clarity Wealth Management

Clarity Wealth Management LLP are a team of dedicated, experienced independent financial advisers with offices in London, Birmingham and Plymouth, offering services which range from Private Mortgages to Corporate Business Route Map Planning.

 

 

 

 

Blue Footprint Ltd.

Based in Tamworth in Staffordshire, Blue Footprint have been solving IT Headaches and implementing innovative solutions since 2005.

Specialists in providing managed IT support and services to small and medium size businesses from a single user in a home office, up to 500 users spread across multiple offices around the UK. Their friendly team of highly skilled IT technicians will advise, consult and help you get the most out of the latest IT solutions and services available.

 

 

 

Quickworks

QuickWorks is an uncomplicated, low cost manufacturing control system for small manufacturers. It is the simple alternative to spreadsheets (prone to errors) and overly complex ERP/MRP software (expensive, overhead hungry and slow to use).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Art of Differentiation – Sustainable Growth Strategies

By working closely with the management team, Tony Prouse uses a combination of Workshops and Strategic Mentoring to help businesses to acquire strategic competences, so they can maximise their differentiation.  As a result, they are able to identify customers that truly value their unique set of capabilities and, crucially, target those that are ready and willing to pay.

 

 

 

 

Hudson – Health & Safety Services

Hudson provide Health and safety support, training and advice, to a wide range of business, with a focus on the construction industry. At Hudson you are supported by a pragmatic and friendly team, who have been assisting businesses, in the field of health and safety management, since 1994. Need help running an effective and compliant business? Get in touch.

 

 

 

 

How can your company benefit from the Trust Board?

When business goals are not being achieved, it generally means that there are two or three key issues that haven’t been solved satisfactorily. In which case, long term solutions are required to prevent the business owner from ‘putting out the same fires’ over and over again.

The Trust Board gives you the tools you need to ensure that all of the cogs in your machine are working together. Help us, to help you. Get in touch!

Whether it’s a trusted Marketing company needed to drive traffic and increase revenue, or it’s your Sales Department is need of some new talent to help drive sales, there should be someone in our Trust Board able to help you.

 

How to get involved?

Interested in a process to build your business to a new level of success?

Simply contact Dan at Very Important Personnel on 0121 647 6695 OR email daniel@veryimportantpersonnel.co.uk. Dan can put you in touch with the contact best for your needs, or simply follow the links displayed in this post.

Online Training from HELP!

You would think that one-on-one training would cost a fortune and be time-consuming to organise. Well, it isn’t! Our trusted associates, Honest Employment Law Practice (HELP) based in Cannock, Staffordshire, have put together an eLearning platform, providing companies with a solution to online training at a fraction of the cost.

Their one-on-one tutor led interactive online training goes at precisely the pace required by each individual. It provides an opportunity to go over the learning content as often as required so every employee gets the optimum learning experience that’ll be retained and applied to keep your business safe and compliant.

At a fraction of the cost and management time than you’d expect, this health & safety online training has the added bonus of a minimal loss of productivity because it’s really efficient and flexible.

To find out more about which training courses are available, click the links below. HELP offer courses in following categories:

Health & Safety

Examples:

• First Aid
• Asbestos
• Legionella
• Abrasive Wheels
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Training

 

Business Skills

Examples:

• Data Protection in the Workplace
• Conflict Resolution in the Workplace
• Equality, Diversity & Discrimination
• Stress Management
• Time Management

 

Health & Social Care

Examples:

• Safeguarding
• Introduction to Safe Handling of Medicines
• Infection Control
• Understanding your Role in Care
• Dementia Awareness

 

 

Contact Honest Employment Law Practice to find out more about Online Training from HELP:

 

Honest Employment Law Practice Ltd

3rd Floor Virage Point

Virage Park

Green Lane

Bridgtown

Cannock

WS11 0NH

Head Office Phone Number: 01543 431050

E-Mail: enquiries@helpgb.com

 

For a similar article related to Honest Employment Law Practice, read National Minimum Wage 

Almost all workers in the UK are entitled to be paid at least the National Minimum Wage – or the National Living Wage if you’re 25 or over.

HMRC identified a record £15.6m of underpayments for workers on the minimum wage this year, which saw some 600 employers fined £14m for not meeting legal obligations. This was double the previous year’s figure and the highest number since the National Minimum Wage came into force.

With record numbers of workers underpaid last year, VIPersonnel are here to remind you that the current rates for the National Minimum Wage are as follows:

25+ = £7.83
21 – 24 = £7.38
18 – 20 = £5.90
Under 18 = £4.20
Apprentice = £3.70

All the rates of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) increased on 1st April 2018 to the above rates, including the National Living Wage (NLW). The National Minimum Wage is worked out as an hourly rate, but it applies even if you are not paid by the hour.

So are you entitled to the National Minimum Wage?

You must be at least school leaving age (the last Friday in June of the school year in which you turn 16) to get the National Minimum Wage.
Almost all workers are entitled to the NMW, including:

• Casual workers
• Part-time workers
• Temporary workers

But if you’re self-employed or a company director, you’re not entitled to the National Minimum Wage.

What doesn’t count towards the National Minimum Wage?

You might be paid at a higher rate than your standard pay rate for some of the work you do – for example, for working:

• Overtime, weekend or night shifts
• On bank holidays
• Longer than a certain number of hours.

If you are, the premium element of pay – that is, the amount the higher pay rate exceeds your basic rate – does not count towards your minimum wage pay.

Your employer also cannot count the following towards your minimum wage pay:

• Tips or gratuities
• Service charges
• Cover charges from customers.

However, your employer can include incentive payments or bonuses as part of your basic pay.

Need help?

For further advice on the National Minimum Wage, National Living Wage, or any other rates, call our trusted business associates, Honest Employment Law Practice (H.E.L.P) on 01543 431 050.

Honest Employment Law Practice Ltd offer a pay-as-you-go monthly retainer service across the UK. Employment Law advice, HR advice and Health & Safety consultants with no long term contracts for clients both in the Public and Private sector – just Help on your terms! From full support for the smaller business, to assistance for the existing staff of larger companies, they can tailor a service specifically for your needs.

 

Looking for a new start? 

The good news is, that all of our current vacancies are well above the National Minimum Wage, Take a look.

Very Important Personnel are proud to announce our partnership with Clarity Wealth Management.

At the beginning of 2018, Very Important personnel started networking extensively within the West Midlands area with likeminded individuals from a variety of industries and businesses. We did this for a number of reasons: To Drive Word-Of-Mouth Recommendations, this being the essential reason for networking; to gain a broader understanding of Market Opportunities; to get new ideas and innovations; find inspiration both within and outside of our own organisation; improve our communication techniques; assist where we can with other businesses in our network, the list goes on. Not to mention we’ve made some great new friends along the way.
In one particular and very exclusive networking group that we attend, symmetry between Clarity Wealth Management and Very Important Personnel was quickly formed. Clarity offer services that are undoubtedly beneficial and if we can offer their services to people that will benefit from them, then we will – It’s as simple as that.
Our Aim is to spread an awareness of such services to clients and candidates in our network, after all, helping people progress in life in what we do, why should we stop at providing job opportunities if we can help them financially too?

“Planning your finances is an investment in your life, it’s not just about money”

A philosophy that Clarity Wealth management have adopted and one that we here at VIPersonnel can relate to. You see, it’s a bit like recruitment, in that, planning your next career move is an investment in your life, it’s just about the package that you are offered.

About Clarity Wealth Management.
Clarity have offices in Totnes, Birmingham, Plymouth and London, offering services such as Pensions, Investments, Life assurance and Mortgages.
Their aim is to help you plan for today, tomorrow, your retirement and beyond. Bringing you financial clarity whatever your background, whatever your business, whatever your outlook.
With a passion for simplifying the complex, they love nothing more than being able to help individuals, families, and businesses make the right financial and life decisions.

What to expect when you are with Clarity:
o Financial planning that is lifestyle based
o Clear concise advice (no jargon)
o Life planning as well as estate planning
o Behavioral coaching that enables financial success
o Cash flow modelling
o Investment management that is goal based always personal to you
o Always on hand to help you realise your financial goals.

What they won’t do:
o Make predictions
o Time the market
o Provide high returns with low volatility
o Manage your money without understanding and having a clear financial plan
o Allow you to do anything they wouldn’t do themselves.

The services that Clarity offer:

Investments
Are you getting a good return on your money? Unit Trusts/NISAs or Investment Bonds can provide a flexible, tax efficient means of saving lump sums or regular monthly amounts.

Critical Illness and Income Replacement Insurance
You are much more likely to suffer a serious illness than die before retirement and at this very worrying time, you and your family should not be worrying about a loss of income or money problems.

Life Protection
The need for protection through Life assurance can be of paramount importance. As Independent
Financial Advisers, Clarity Wealth Management can search the market for the most competitive terms.

Pensions
The state will provide but only in a limited way. Your employer has a responsibility now to provide a company or workplace scheme. However even if you have existing pensions in place with your employer or privately, will they provide you with enough to live on when you retire?

Inheritance Tax Planning
Inheritance tax is a tax on your estate when you die and is also sometimes payable on Trusts or
Gifts made in your lifetime. With focussed planning you may be able to reduce the bill or avoid
Inheritance Tax altogether.

Workplace Pensions
Are you looking to set up a pension scheme for you and your employees? Clarity can advise you on the most efficient way and the best providers to suit your needs.

Mortgages
Whether you are stepping up the property ladder, buying a property as an investment, downsizing to fund your retirement, or re-mortgaging your existing home, Clarity have the depth of knowledge and understanding of the mortgage market required to genuinely recommend the most suitable mortgage for you.

So, how can I get in touch?
Call Clarity direct. Here is a link to their contact page
Or, Call Daniel at VIPersonnel for further details.

A brief GDPR Overview for those who need a bit of clarity on the basics of GDPR.

 

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) will be replacing the current 1998 Data Protection Act.

When Does The New Regulation Start?

25th May, 2018.

 

What Is Personal Data?

The Key Terms:

GDPR and other data protection laws rely on the term ‘personal data’ to discuss information about individuals. There are two key types of personal data in the UK and they cover different categories of information.

Personal Data

Personal data can be anything that allows a living person to be directly or indirectly identified. This may be a name, an address, or even an IP address. It includes automated personal data or any type of data that a person can be identified from it.

Sensitive Personal Data

GDPR calls sensitive personal data as being in ‘special categories’ of information. These include trade union membership, religious beliefs, political opinions, racial information, and sexual orientation.

 

When personal data is processed or collected by a company, it must be:

• Processed lawfully, fairly and transparently.
• Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for processing.
• Accurate and kept up to date.
• Kept in a form such that the data subject can be identified only as long as is necessary for processing.
• Processed in a manner that ensures its security.

And can only:

• Be collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.

 

So, what’s different?

• In the full text of GDPR there are 99 articles setting out the rights of individuals and obligations placed on organisations covered by the regulation. These include allowing people to have easier access to the data companies hold about them, a new fines regime and a clear responsibility for organisations to obtain the consent of people they collect information about.
• The regulation itself is a long document (118 pages of legalese), and failure to meet the requirements could turn out to be expensive – up to 4% of annual global turnover or €20 million, whichever is greater.

 

Who Will Enforce It In The UK?

The Information Commissioner’s Office

 

Who Is In Charge Of GDPR In The UK?

GOVERNMENT

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is the government arm responsible for ensuring that UK law complies with the requirements of GDPR. The government body is responsible for creating the UK’s Data Protection Bill but won’t have control of the day-to-day elements of GDPR once it is enforced.

THE REGULATOR

Once the provisions of GDPR become law in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will be responsible for enforcing them. The ICO has the power to conduct criminal investigations and issue fines. It is also providing organisations with huge amounts of guidance about how to comply with GDPR.

 

 

Accountability and compliance

Companies covered by the GDPR will be more accountable for their handling of people’s personal information. This can include having data protection policies, data protection impact assessments and having relevant documents on how data is processed.

For companies that have more than 250 employees, there’s a need to have documentation of why people’s information is being collected and processed, descriptions of the information that’s held, how long it’s being kept for and descriptions of technical security measures in place.

Additionally, companies that have “regular and systematic monitoring” of individuals at a large scale or process a lot of sensitive personal data have to employ a data protection officer (DPO). For many organisations covered by GDPR, this may mean having to hire a new member of staff – although larger businesses and public authorities may already have people in this role. In this job, the person has to report to senior members of staff, monitor compliance with GDPR and be a point of contact for employees and customers.

There’s also a requirement for businesses to obtain consent to process data in some situations. When an organisation is relying on consent to lawfully use a person’s information they have to clearly explain that consent is being given and there has to be a “positive opt-in”.

 

 

How are business’s preparing for GDPR?

When implemented, GDPR will have a varying impact on businesses and organisations: for instance, not every company will require a data protection officer.

Companies will be taking steps to ensure all angles are covered and by May 25^th, all if not most of the requirements of GDPR should have been met. Steps such as making senior business leaders aware of the regulation, updating procedures around access requests, determining which info is held and what should happen in the event of a data breach.

The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) says that “many of the GDPR’s main concepts and principles are much the same as those in the current Data Protection Act (DPA)”. It adds for businesses already complying with the current data protection law, its highly likely they will be meeting many of the GDPR principles.

As well as this guidance, the ICO created a phone service to help small businesses prepare for GDPR, a tool that a lot of companies will have undoubtedly taken advantage of. The service provides answers about how small companies can implement GDPR procedures.

Over the course of the next 4 weeks prior to the new regulations taking effect, companies will be sending mass email campaigns to customers, clients, partners and employees throughout Europe. So don’t be surprised to see a few show up in your inbox. These emails are compulsory, to adhere to the new GDPR regulations. You may be asked to actively opt in or manually opt to stay subscribed to mailing lists, effectively giving said company the permission to hold your data.

 

To conclude:

Despite the overwhelming amount of information and paperwork that comes with the new regulations, not to mention the importance of compliance, there will be no overnight witch hunt come May 25^th. There are still many grey areas that the ICO haven’t nailed down. That said, the basics of this new regime should still be actioned and companies will be required to abide by the new laws, however, it will take a bit of trial and error, time and many discussions to make GDPR effective and watertight moving forward.

Hope that helps with your concerns about GDPR and what it means.

 

Very Important Personnel’s updated privacy policy can be viewed here. 

Wow. Very Important Personnel is 4 years old today! Even though we always believed in the company mission, it’s been a real roller coaster ride.

Starting a company, especially one that offers a service, is far from easy. For starters, we invested months in the development of our tailored service that would later prove to be efficient and useful to our clients, making their recruitment process effortless, professional and even exciting at times.

 

Of course, there’s a part of luck with such road trip. While I like to say that we make our own luck, there are certain events that can just happen. By luck, I mean some events that have made our company into the success it is today. To name a few, over the course of the past 4 years, Very Important Personnel has never really spent a great deal on marketing or advertising. Only a few hundred pounds has been spent to date on a Marketing campaign in a partnership with Birmingham City Football Club for 2018. That said we have been lucky in that we have had an overwhelming amount of loyal clients who love to use our services, as well as candidates that can’t send their CV to us quick enough.

 

Another piece of luck was when we were invited to a group that only hosts 10 businesses in the whole of the West Midlands, Here, we invest a little bit of our time share strategies and pass leads to help each other’s businesses grow. This has proven to be very beneficial to us and hasn’t cost us a penny, just a few hours every couple of weeks. Well worth it I say and real privilege to be a part of.

 

On top of that, we would like to thank the clients and candidates that have help us make Very Important Personnel the success it is today. We have been lucky enough to work with some awesome companies over the 4 years we have been in business. Not only did they help us develop our services through giving us the initial opportunity but also in continuing to use us as their main recruitment tool. They have also been very forgiving of any mistakes we have made. Nobody has ever succeeded in business without making any mistakes, Fact! However, the patience and loyalty that we received from such companies is highly appreciated and has allowed us to learn and develop further. What’s more, they have kept us alive. I like to say that I’d get up in the middle of any Sunday night to order them a pizza if they’d need it. Offering honest and friendly customer service to our clients is the main reason VIPersonnel has been growing steadily since the very beginning. That’s part of the company’s deep core values and I can assure you, this is not going to change.

 

So where are we now? Well, we are not a “startup” anymore. We have a working business model, great clients, experienced employees, fantastic providers, the list goes on and on. In other words, we are here to stay!

 

Our vision for the next four years is to create even tighter relationships with our best clients. Of course we welcome any new business and hope to create even more partnerships moving forward. We don’t want 100,000 clients like some popular start-ups do. We are more like your local friendly restaurant where everybody knows your name and you are guaranteed that you will be treated like a real VIP.

 

Thank you for having helped us become what we are today. I hope we’ll be up to your expectations for another 4 years!

Hello 2018!

New Year, New Recruitment. The New Year is a great time to make changes in your life, and your career. You can turn over a new leaf in almost any aspect of your life. Recruitment is no different. If you’re involved in hiring staff, you could always be doing better, even if you’re already recruiting at a high standard…so why not make some Recruitment Resolutions?

While you’re writing your list of personal goals for the year, throw in a few aims to save time, money and stress – target the things that you feel need fixing in your recruitment strategy.

 

Do you sometimes fail to fill a vacancy at all?

This can be a problem but not as much of one as recruiting the wrong person. It’s good to be cautious and not recruit somebody just because they’re the least bad of a poor bunch. It’s much cheaper to run the recruitment campaign again now rather than go through the costs associated with onboarding, poor quality work, dismissal and then a second campaign.

All the same, regularly failing to fill is a problem that needs to be looked at. Are you attracting the wrong people or nobody at all? Check your outlets and the wording of your job advertisements.

Essentially, your most important resolution should be to not be afraid of change!

Many companies fall into the habit of doing their recruitment as it has always been done, and although a new concept might seem scary at first it could be massively beneficial to you and your company going forward.

 

So how can VIPersonnel help you?

We can expect to see continuations of trends that have been occurring for several years now. Here at VIPersonnel, we have made it even easier for our clients to outsource their recruitment. Our tailored service allows you to get on with what you do best, while we work to find you the best possible candidates for your vacancies, the first time around.

• With our easy to navigate mobile website, it is now even easier for candidates to apply for your vacancies.
• We also have access to millions of CV’s across the UK.
• We actively source, shortlist and interview all candidates before sending the best ones to you.
• It cost nothing, until you are completely satisfied with “the successful candidate”. Even then we are very cost effective and extremely competitive with our fees.
• We offer a personable service, something we are very proud of being able to do here at VIP. Many of our clients will agree that we always go above and beyond when it comes to finding the best talent there is and relieving the stress of this sometimes mammoth task.

 

 

Why use VIPersonnel now?

We’re sorry to say it but coming back to work after the New Year is a disappointing experience. Turkey, presents and fireworks are by now long forgotten, and now you’re back at the office – and at what happens to be the busiest time of year for hiring.

Here’s a few reasons you’re likely to have a lot on your plate in Quarter One:

• Work of all kinds gets done that had been put off due to people on holiday over the Christmas season.
• Based on previous years, we have experienced the busiest months in the first quarter for candidates looking to better their careers.
• New strategies and goals come into play at work (kind of like a company’s own resolution!) often resulting in hiring new or more staff.

 

January is a great time to find the motivation to make the changes needed in your recruitment strategy, take the leap and let us deal with this for you, you have enough to do as it is.

 

Get in touch!

VIPersonnel thrives on placing people in top roles that they love. You can be sure of filling your next placement with ease, confidence and reliability, thanks to our dedicated team.

Don’t fill your day with interviews and screening. Just get in touch with VIPersonnel and let us help you take your first step towards a more successful 2018.

0121 647 6695

 

To see what Jobs we have to kick off 2018, click here.

Summer Offer – 10% Off 

Very Important Personnel are offering all clients the opportunity to have an even better summer with a recruitment offer not to be missed. 

We are offering new and existing clients,  10% off in the months of June and July 2017 on all Permanent Placements. 

 

 Are you a Manager, CEO, Director, or simply know a company who is recruiting? Get in touch today!

We welcome you to spread the work about VIP Recruitment and this Summer offer. To take advantage of the offer, simply get in touch and one of our consultants will be more than happy to assist you and answer any questions you may have. 

We are specialist in the permanent recruitment of all office based roles such as Accounts, Finance, Customer Service, Management, Marketing, IT, Office Support, HR and Sales to name a few.

All invoices raised between 1st June and 31st July 2017 will automatically be calculated to include the reduction of 10% *Based on our standard terms of business.