#BusinessEdit YOUR SALON CHECKLIST MAKING SURE YOUR BUSINESS IS READY FOR THE YEAR A<strong>HEAD</strong> ALCOHOL LICENCES: A toughening up of the rules governing the sale of alcohol to businesses means salons that sell or provide alcohol should now check that their supplier has been properly approved by HMRC under its Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme. HAIRDRESSERS LOVE THEIR WORK NEARLY NINE OUT OF 10 NHF salon and barbershop owners – 87 per cent – describe themselves as being either ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ in their work, an NHF members’ survey has revealed. The poll of nearly 150 members found that ‘making clients feel good’ was the most satisfying element about their work (45 per cent) followed by ‘working in or running a successful business’ (28 per cent). On the other hand, stress was the thing that made members most unhappy (35 per cent), followed by “not making enough money” (28 per cent). The survey suggested there was a clear link between a happy team and a happy, successful salon. If a salon had a happy, engaged team, that was more likely to feed through into a better client experience, excellent service and a more relaxed, pleasant atmosphere. “Hairdressing is a sociable job; we’re chatting and interacting with the clients all day long. Hairdressing is about making people feel good about themselves, feeling happy, and that comes through I think within the job,” agreed NHF member Sarah Turnbull, who runs Sublime Hairdressing in Stirling. When it came to what made members unhappy, responses included: “The amount of money I pay to HMRC, VAT, PAYE, tax, auto-enrolment and wondering what they are going to introduce next” and “stress caused by staffi ng issues and diffi culty fi nding qualifi ed staff that can actually do the job properly without the need to retrain”. APPRENTICESHIP LEVY: The new apprenticeship levy came into force from April. Any employer with a pay bill of more than £3m will be charged 0.5 per cent of this (so a minimum of £15,000) to pay into a central pot to fund apprenticeship-based education. This will, however, only affect larger employers in the industry. CCTV: Hair salons and barber shops are being warned that, if they have a CCTV security system to monitor their premises, they need to register it with the Information Commissioner’s Office. It costs £35 a year to do so, and you can do it at ico.org.uk/for-organisations/register/. Failure to register your system can put you at risk of being taken to court and fined up to £500,000, said CCTV.co.uk. EMPLOYMENT CHECKS: The NHF is reminding salons owners to carry out background checks on all new staff, after the government carried out a drive to crack down on illegal workers, which included targeting the beauty industry. The government outlines how to carry out right-to-employment checks on its gov.uk website. This includes making sure you see original, valid and in-date documents showing they have a right to work in the UK, and making and keeping copies. It is also important to ensure photographs and dates of birth match and the potential employee has permission to do the type of work you’re offering. The NHF also outlines how to carry out the checks in its employment guides, available online at nhf.info. GENDER PAY REPORTING: Since April, larger employers (employing 250 people or more), have been required to report publicly on any gender pay gap they may have, including any bonus payments they may make. MATERNITY, PATERNITY AND SICK PAY Statutory pay rates for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave all rose from April, as did the rate for statutory sick pay. They are now: PAY WEEKLY RATE NOW WEEKLY RATE PREVIOUSLY SICK £89.35 £88.45 MATERNITY, PATERNITY, ADOPTION AND SHARED PARENTAL LEAVE £140.98 £139.58 Workers on Living and Minimum Wage ‘unaware of rights’ MORE THAN HALF (57 per cent) of workers on the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage do not realise it is illegal for their employer to deduct money from their wages to cover the cost of a uniform, if that then takes their pay below the legal minimum, government research has suggested. A study by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ahead of April’s increases in both wages found widespread ignorance among low-paid workers as to what they are entitled to. More than two thirds (69 per cent) of employees did not know they were entitled to be paid for travel time between work appointments. And nearly half (48 per cent) did not realise employers cannot use tips to “top up” pay to the legal minimum. The NHF’s ‘A Guide to the National Minimum Wage’ is available at nhf.info The NHF has revised and simplifi ed its employee contracts, staff handbook and apprenticeship agreements for England and Wales nhf.info/nhf-shop/ To find out more information and how to join the NHF, call 01234 831965 or visit nhf.info 44 CREATIVE <strong>HEAD</strong>
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