Bricks, Bytes & Behaviours
Bricks, Bytes, Behaviours
The Invest North Conference was held on the 24th March 2021. The title for this article has been drawn from the closing comments of the facilitator at The North Unlocked seminar. A video of the full seminar can be found here .
Bricks
The element of bricks spoke about the need for quality office space. Our sector does not have the luxury of income/capital that can be spent on updated offices in modern blocks. This does not mean that it cannot happen. It is just that, to date, it has not been a huge priority unless we have been invited to be anchor tenants in a new build scheme.
That having been said there is a trend for larger commercial operations to move offices – partly because of downsizing due to working from home and partly due to the need for increased space due to distancing regulations. Some of these may well be in prime locations and have long leases. There may be scope to work with them to take on space at a far better price than would have been the case. Some income, from a sub-lease, is going to be better than no income from a vacant space. The vacant space may well attract business rates and thus further add to the (non) occupancy costs. If this route is to be explored it is vital that appropriate legal advice is obtained and acted upon. You don’t want an issue to arise if a sub-lease has been created, or a lease assigned, in a manner that does not satisfy the freeholder/head leaser. Also, when considering a move it is important to recognise all costs that are incurred – including down time, printing, possible new phone numbers (or diverts) etc. Whilst a move does not have to be for life it does have to be for a reasonable anticipated period.
Bytes
As one would expect the bytes section was all about IT. In this seminar it was mainly about infrastructure roll out and how that would attract commercial operations and business to the North. The pandemic has shown how important good IT is. It is important to ensure that both equipment and connectivity is as good as possible. If staff are going to be working from home there may be merit in assisting in upgrading home connections etc. Such a policy may create a tax position for the employee as this could be seen as a benefit in kind. Appropriate advice should be obtained, and documented, to protect the position of the employee. There is also a danger of a two tier terms and conditions of employment. A new employee who has relied on a phone based ISP may not have the capacity to upgrade to a fibre/line/land based system. What do you to then, particularly when other employees may well be paying for their own systems?
Behaviours
This then leads to the behaviours section of the talk. The input, from this, was from the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development). This occurs towards the end of the video (38 minutes onwards). It contains many important learning points for the sector. Please take a look- it is brilliant.
Andrew Rainsford, Research & Policy Officer
April 2021
Digital Training for Not-for-Profits
Many VCSE organisations have had to suddenly adapt to working online and many with dwindling resources pushed to the edge. At a time when the sector is needed more than ever, in order to help protect our communities face this pivitol moment in our lifetime, we need to provide organisations with the necessary tools to carry out this vital work. Beyond are offering free digital training to all nonprofits working with covid-affected communities in England.
Examples of courses available:
Developing a Cyber Resilient Organisation
Equity by Design
Prototyping in Practice
Digital Safeguarding for your Services
Building Strong Relational Skills to Sustain Organisational Change
Working and Being Together Online
Design Thinking for Times in Crisis
The Joseph Roundtree's Annual Poverty Report 2020/21
Much of the studies and reports undertaken at the moment have surrounded the impact that the pandemic has had on increasingy poverty levels since the start of lockdown.. However, the Joseph Roundtree Foundation’s annual report has highlighted that actually many members of our communities were already at high risk of poverty. The pandemic has exacerbated these poverty risks and have “hit the hardest” those already struggling.
Their report shines light on the changing nature of poverty since the pandemic took hold and includes insights from the Povert Action Group.
Their main recommendations include:
“We need as many people as possible to be in good jobs. Unemployment is expected to rise in the coming months, and we need to see further bold action to retrain workers and create good quality new jobs.
We need to improve earnings for low-income working families and ensure more people are in secure, good quality work. Government must support people in the lowest-paid jobs, or people working part-time, to move into higher pay and access sufficient and secure working hours, including bringing forward the Employment Bill.
We need to strengthen the benefits system. At a minimum, we need the temporary £20 per week increase to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit to be made permanent, extending this same lifeline to people on legacy benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.
We need to increase the amount of low-cost housing available for families on low incomes and increase support for households who have high housing costs.”
These recommendations should be taken into account during the upcoming local elections. We need politcians to listen to reports such as this and implement socio-economic strategies which address these issues in order to curb further rising inequalities.
Full report can be found here.
VCSE Sector 'Jargon Buster'
The VCSE sector is notorious for using a plethora of acronyms and complicated semantics in it’s narrative and discussions about the sector. As we are coming up to the elections in May, there will increasing networking and zoom events contemplating the sector, sharing ideas and devising solutions to problems. The sector’s ‘jargon’ therefore will be constantly used and not always understood by everyone.
GMCVO have in light of this, produced a ‘jargon buster’ document in order to help anyone understandably a little overwhelmed with the sector’s rhetoric. This will be extremely useful for organisations and employees across the secto and make conversations more accessible for all.
Greater Manchester Mayor VCSE Sector Hustings
GMCVO are hosting the VCSE sector Mayoral Hustings event on April 14th 12-1.30pm, ahead of the 6th May election. The successful elected Mayor’s power will significantly affect VCSE organisations across Greater Manchester, and therefore, it is vital that we find a leader who is willing to put our sector at the centre of their build, back, better plan.
The Hustings will be a chance for organistions across the sub-region to scrutinise candidates ahead of the election. The VCSE manifesto will be sent to the three main party candidates ahead of the event.
The candidates attending are:
Andy Burnham (Labour & current Mayor)
Laura Evans (Conservative) &
Simon Lepori (Liberal Democrat)
GMCVO are asking attentees to think about and answer the following questions:
1. What is your own biggest issue at the moment?
2. What do you think is Greater Manchester’s biggest issue? (not counting Covid-19)
3. What comment or question would you like to put to the candidates?
Your Say on Government Covid Funding
An enquiry into the government response to the Covid-19 pandemic is yet to be announced, however pandemic piecemeal investigations have begun. The Committee is calling for evidence now on how well funding provided by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the HM Treasury was distributed.
The Commitee want to hear your evidence, your views, your point of view.
What ever your thinking is, the government want to know. We don’t know if they will listen or what will result from your submission. What we do know is that if nothing is said, nothing will happen.
'Reshaped by the pandemic: the way forward for charities': The Barclay's Report
Barclay’s have released a report exploring the challenges the VCSE sector are facing during this pandemic, which includes the promotion of successful stories of how groups have evolved and adapted in the current climate. A further example of the sector’s strength and resilience.
This is the report’s key takeaway findings:
“Charities need to continue to respond to the lessons of the pandemic and make the flexibility and innovation they’ve shown over the past year ‘business as usual’.
Given the seismic changes the sector is experiencing all charities should consider the following key points:
Review revenue streams and look to diversify income. Do you have sufficient free reserves to meet unexpected financial stresses? Consider your existing reserves policy – will your reserves ensure you can meet future unexpected demand?
Strengthen your position by clarifying your core purpose, mission and objectives and ensure they are well communicated to beneficiaries, donors, staff and volunteers, as well as wider society.
What are the opportunities for your charity? Have you identified them and set a plan to meet them? Are you seeking out productive new partnerships and collaborations? Are you getting the most from your existing donors and taking advantage of opportunities to attract new donors?
Embrace technological change and new ways of working. Look at the possibilities the move to digital offers. Ensure you have a trustee with digital expertise to support your wider strategy.
Well- being of staff and volunteers should remain front of mind. Consider how future working patterns will be affected by ongoing social distancing and the long-term impact this may have on wellness. Are you taking steps to ensure equality, inclusion and diversity are part of your organisation’s DNA?
Regularly review your governance structure to ensure you have robust processes and policies to protect and strengthen your organisation.
What is the impact on your charity of the environmental, socialand governance (ESG) agenda? Sustainability has come to the fore during the pandemic – have you thought about the impact on and role of your organisation?”
The Cheshire & Merseyside Health & Care Partnership Ethnicity Profiles Report
In collaboration with NHS England and Improvement, Public Health England & Champs Public Health Collaboative, C & M Health & Care Partnership have implemented a research project to provide an in-depth understanding of the impact of Covid-19 has had on BAME communities.
By producing this report, it is hoped that the information learnt will help bolster wellbeing and reduce health inequalities across the regions. With these new insights, interventions will be able to be more targeted and effective for different ethnic groups.
With this report, each locality will have a better understanding of the ethnic makeup of their population so that place-based interventions can thrive. Place-based interventions are thought to provide more thorough and efficeint care. Professor Chris Bentley, a Non-Executive Director and Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust has discussed the benefits of place-based approaches to health inequalities; watch his presentation here.
The full ethnicity profile report is available now to read.
Attracting & Retaining a Talented & Diverse Workforce Event
Covid-19 has highlighted the crucial role of the local public sector in keeping society going. Despite this, renewed talk about public sector pay freezes, and the perception of some that local public sector work is stuffy and inefficient, poses a real challenge to the effective recruitment of the next generation of skilled and motivated workers. This, combined with the phenomenon of demographic ageing across the economy, risks a potential skills shortage in some of our most socially valuable jobs.
In this webinar, colleagues are invited to learn about some of the innovative strategies and techniques being deployed across the sector to deliver effective apprenticeship schemes. This event is an opportunity to hear best practice examples of apprenticeship schemes that work to effectively attract, retain, and develop a talented workforce. We will also consider how you can make your organisation more attractive to prospective apprentices and some of the key benefits and support available when choosing to recruit via an apprenticeship route.
You will have the chance to ask questions to peers and leading practitioners on these topics.
Apply to attend here.
25th March 11.30-13.30 CET.