Disability and employment – new resource

A new online resource hub to help people with learning disabilities into employment was launched yesterday by the Government.

The hub is to support delivery of the ambitious cross-government strategy, Valuing Employment Now, which aims to radically increase the number of people with moderate and severe learning disabilities in employment by 2025.

The online hub will include:

• A new film, featuring the stories of eight people with moderate and severe learning disabilities in employment of 16 or more hours per week;
• The Government’s draft definition of supported employment and job coaching;
• A self-assessment tool for local authorities to review the employment support they offer, the employment pathway developed in the Getting A Life sites, and information on the business case; and
• Case studies featuring people with moderate and severe learning disabilities in full time jobs and accessible information for people with learning disabilities about getting a job and benefits.

Many more resources will be added over time in response to local demand and feedback.

The resource hub can be accessed at:  www.valuingpeople.gov.uk/venresources

No more sick notes

If Government and business can’t foster a healthier workforce, then change the rules!

People off work due to sickness will “get the support they need” to get back to work earlier, as new guidance is launched today.

The introduction of the “fit note”, in place of the traditional sick note, is set to cut the cost of sick leave for employers. It is expected to benefit the British economy by an estimated £240 million over the next ten years.

From 6 April, doctors will be able to advise if a patient ‘may be fit for work’ and offer advice on the effects of their health condition. Doctors will have the option to advise that their patient would be able to work, subject to the employer’s agreement, if temporary changes such as reduced working hours or amended duties could be accommodated.

Quite how people absent due to workplace-related stress will be treated is as yet unclear.

Dads’ rights at work

A new campaign launches today to remind dads of their rights at work.

Flexible working is increasingly important to modern dads who want to take care of their children, according to figures published today by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Legally, fathers are entitled to:

• Request flexible working – parents of a child 16 or under, are entitled to request flexible working such as flexi time, part time or working from home, and, by law, an employer must seriously consider the request;
• Paid paternity leave – new dads can take two weeks’ paid leave. They need to notify their employer 15 weeks before the due date; and
• Parental leave – dads may take up to 13 weeks unpaid leave until their child is five years old.

The month long awareness campaign, called Dads at Work, will see posters and consumer information leaflets distributed in outlets such as doctors’ surgeries, hospitals and antenatal clinics, directing dads to www.direct.gov.uk/dadsatwork for detailed information. Online advertising will also appear on websites that attract high volumes of ‘dad’ visitors.

Rising work at home scams

People seeking work are the latest targets of scammers according to new research from the Office of Fair Trading which identifies work from home scams as among the most common cons in Britain.

Envelope stuffing is a common scam

The scam typically operates by advertising paid work from home in a local newspaper, shop windows or on a lamppost offering the promise of fast cash for minimal effort. The catch is that you have to pay an upfront fee to the organiser, for example, for materials or for them to reveal their ‘secrets’. They take your money but are unlikely to pay you for any work you do, or you may find that there is no work and instead only commission for getting other people to sign up.

Heather Clayton, Senior Director of the Office of Fair Trading’s Consumer group, said:

‘We are seeing an increasing volume of work from home and business opportunities scams. People who are struggling financially may be particularly vulnerable to these types of scams. Genuine work from home schemes should tell you in writing exactly what you will be expected to do, how much you will be paid and how and when you will be paid.’

Need a job?

Sheffield City Council updates its online job vacancies every Wednesday.

The easy-to-use web pages are here.

Good luck! 😎

How to decide on legal status for your new business

In the current economic climate, starting up a new business might seem like madness. But there are good reasons to think it through – especially if your current employment is less than secure.

First steps

And once you’ve had your free advice from Sheffield Enterprise Agency on your hopeful start-up, you will also have to consider how to structure your company legally.

Sole trader is the most common form of business set-up freelancers and fledgling entrepreneurs choose. But is it always the best? What about limited status and other alternatives?

“Basically, you could go out today and start business immediately as a sole trader. You have a three month window with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to tell them you’ve started trading, and this can easily be done by phone, using their own simple two-sided form or through their website,” says Graham Booth, Senior Accountant with SJD Accountancy, who deals with companies of all types and sizes.

Sole trader is the freelancer’s most favoured option to start with. It particularly suits the ‘one-man-band’ seeking full responsibility for running a business that easily fits their own lifestyle. Sole traders enjoy total freedom to make their own decisions. They also retain any assets they inject into the company.

However, there is a downside. The sole trader remains personally liable for debts accumulated by the business, including awards of court arising from successful claims by disgruntled customers.  Graham Booth cautions, “We would never advise going into any kind of business without professional indemnity insurance cover. There’s probably no real issue if you took wedding pictures and the couple didn’t like the results; but you have to be careful that you don’t include sensitive subjects, like other people’s children, given current concerns.”

Fire and rescue jobs

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue are now recruiting.

However, they are targeting women and BME communities.

Text JOBS to 87023 to find out more.

South Yorkshire fire crew strike

The long-running disagreement over proposed shift changes for South Yorkshire fire crews continues.

Crews will walk out for 48 hours from 0900 GMT on 24 January.

The Fire Brigade Union wants ACAS to mediate the entire dispute but the fire authorities have asked that only certain issues be dealt with.

The FBU is fighting imposition of 12-hour shifts.