Employees at a health organisation in Wolverhampton will now be able to further support causes close to their hearts thanks to financial backing from their employer.

Paycare, a not-for-profit Health Cash Plan provider in Wolverhampton has launched its newest initiative, ‘My Giving’, which provides each and every member of staff with a direct donation of £250 towards a charity of their choice. The scheme complements the firm’s existing initiative which provides employees with two additional and fully-paid days of annual leave each year, used for the purpose of giving back – whether it be fundraising, donating their time, or volunteering to support an event.

Kevin Rogers, CEO of Paycare, explained: “In 2017 we launched our scheme to provide two extra days off to staff so that they could support a cause they care about, and this has been a huge success. As a not-for-profit we’re committed to our Employees, our Communities and our Policyholders, and we’re constantly thinking about how else we can make a positive difference to all of these groups.

“The creation of our new ‘My Giving’ scheme means that staff can receive £250 in a direct donation to a charity or cause close to their hearts, making our not-for-profit status even more personal to them and providing greater emphasis on our mission to help others.

“It also benefits our Policyholders by showcasing how, by choosing Paycare, they are indirectly enhancing local communities, and it helps the charities and causes themselves, who rely so much on volunteers, donations, and support. It’s a win situation all-round and I’m thrilled with its uptake already.”

“Emily, our Marketing & Partnerships Manager has used some towards her Amazon Trek for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, and Jodie, our Policy Administration Assistant is planning to use the money to kick-start her half-marathon in aid of Cancer Research UK later this year. I look forward to reflecting on the combined impact we’ve been able to make as a team thanks to this initiative.”

Cure Leukaemia’s Head of Corporate Partnerships, Jackie Kelly, said: “We would like to thank Cheryl for organising the quiz and raising such a fantastic amount in memory of her Dad. This is a great initiative from Paycare to encourage their employees to grow an initial donation into a more substantial figure.

“Every penny raised will help fund our network of research to connect patients with the latest treatments for blood cancer as we continue towards our long-term aim of eradicating all forms of blood cancer within 15 years.

“We received great support from Paycare in recent years and they were among the key drivers of the fundraising to support former Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, and we look forward to hopefully working together again in the future.”

Chamber Patron JCB has secured a historic deal with Morris Leslie Plant Hire for their biggest ever telehandler order worth £36 million.

The deal for 555 Loadalls, ranging from the compact six metre 525-60 up to the 20 metre 540-200, has been placed through dealer Scot JCB. The machines, which all feature JCB Livelink and offer unrivalled fuel consumption and emissions, will be built at JCB World Headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire.
Morris Leslie Plant Hire Managing Director, Graham Ogilvie said: “As the construction market continues to develop, Morris Leslie is experiencing excellent company growth.

These JCB Loadalls ensure our customers get the best of all worlds – high performing machines with excellent telematic reporting and a great nationwide dealer support network. The sales, service and advice from Scot JCB has also been second to none.”

Group Managing Director Global Key Accounts, Yvette Henshall-Bell, said: “Morris Leslie is one of the fastest and largest growing companies in the plant hire industry and we are delighted that they have chosen the JCB Loadall, the world’s number one telehandler, to further expand their fleet.”

Morris Leslie Plant Hire is part of the Morris Leslie Group which was established 45 years ago in Perthshire, Scotland.  The business has now grown to more than 5,000 machines, with an average age of under two-years-old.

The company’s founder and Executive Chairman Morris Leslie said: “We are delighted to have placed an order of this magnitude with JCB as our relationship continues to grow in line with the expansion of our business.”

Staffordshire Chambers are pleased to welcome Hanley Economic Building Society as its 22^nd Patron.

Originally founded in 1854, Hanley Economic Building Society now has numerous branches across Staffordshire and provides a range of services to its customers including mortgages, savings, insurance and financial planning advice. Recently rated as “Outstanding” by Best Companies, Hanley Economic puts customer choice at the heart of its operations and can be demonstrated throughout the financial products available. The team pride themselves on offering face to face services to its loyal customer base.

Staffordshire Chambers Chief Executive, Sara Williams, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Hanley Economic Building Society as a Patron. Our Patrons offer support in influencing and lobbying on behalf of the local business community, and their contribution is invaluable.”

“Hanley Economic bring fantastic knowledge and expertise and we look forward to working with them closely.”

Ends

Staffordshire company Acacia Training has joined forces with the creators of a revolutionary new programme to improve mental health in the UK workforce.

The Trentham-based firm has become the official training partner for Wellonomics, a new online assessment tool devised to monitor and support wellbeing in the workplace. Acacia Training was the first in the UK to pilot the programme with its own employees, and has now teamed up with the platform’s developers, management consultancy Grasp The Nettle, to become the sole training provider of the programme as it is rolled out nationwide.

Wellonomics enables employers to carry out individual wellbeing assessments online. While individual responses are completely confidential and can only be viewed by the participant, the organisation’s overall results are aggregated to give employers a valuable insight into how their teams are feeling.

Victoria Sylvester, director at Acacia Training, comments: “The wellbeing of our team is extremely important to us, especially as we provide workplace mental health training to a wide range of organisations to help them support their own staff. I think Wellonomics is great because it is anonymous, so employees can be open and honest about how they’re feeling and each month we look at the up-to-date data at board level to discuss current issues.

“We’ve had a 100 per cent employee engagement rate and we’re already seeing clear benefits. For example, staff told us that they were checking emails late at night, so we’ve now put measures in place where we have a cut-off point for sending emails. We learned that some teams were feeling out of the loop on communications, so we set up a chat group to keep people informed. They’re only small changes but they’re making a big difference.”

The impact on its own workforce has been so positive, the company is now rolling it out to its learners to understand and improve their experience. For example, if feedback is that they are short on time, it will ask tutors to prioritise this and provide helpful information on time management. It has also formed an alliance with Grasp the Nettle to roll Wellonomics out nationwide, with Acacia Training providing wellbeing modules and support linked to the software. This ensures the results are used to create positive change and helps line managers to develop the skills they need to improve the mental health of their teams.

Victoria added: “We’re really looking forward to working in partnership with Wellonomics to improve employee wellbeing. Mental health in the workplace is so important – a healthy, happy workforce helps employers to retain staff, reduce sickness and increase productivity.” 

Co-Founder of Grasp the Nettle, Peter Yates-Round, said: “Many staff surveys, which often have low engagement rates and data which rapidly becomes outdated, are no longer fit for purpose. Wellonomics offers an antidote by providing a responsive, intuitive way to help leaders identify trends within their business. It gives employees an easy, confidential way to have their say and employers the tools they need to easily identify and implement change.

He added: “We are incredibly excited about our alliance with Acacia Training and our future plans to work together to lower staff attrition, increase productivity and create a happy and engaged UK workforce. Wellonomics is unique in that it protects employee confidentiality and provides leaders with up-to-the-minute feedback on how their teams are feeling. We were delighted to see how well it has been received at Acacia Training and now we’re looking forward to introducing it to business leaders in all sectors so that they – and their employees – can benefit.”

Synectics Solutions and Assurant are celebrating after winning a prestigious national award for successfully implementing innovative fraud prevention technology.

The Fintech, predictive analytics and data services company has worked with leading insurer Assurant in the UK to deliver the predictive analytics solution, Precision, to improve the detection of high-risk gadget claims. As a result, Synectics Solutions and Assurant received the ‘Fraud Prevention Solution of the Year’ award at the Insurance Times Claims Excellence Awards 2019, which were announced in London on Thursday 23 May.

Synectics has helped Assurant’s UK business to implement machine learning algorithms to accurately predict future behaviour based on past experience. The analytical capabilities of the solution combined with data science expertise is essential for Assurant in making fast decisions and delivering a cost-effective, predictive insight which enables the organisation to become more competitive in the marketplace.

The introduction of Precision has enabled Assurant to build an even more robust fraud detection system to protect its honest customers. The solution has also led to a 17.8 percent reduction in investigations being worked, allowing much needed and valuable investigator resource to be freed up to tackle new investigations. Assurant is a leading global provider of housing and lifestyle solutions that support, protect and connect major consumer purchases, and is committed to using sophisticated technology to build solutions that its clients and their customers can depend on.

Gavin Wright, Senior Fraud Data Analyst at Assurant in the UK, said: “We are delighted to have won this award with Synectics Solutions.

“Since the introduction of Precision Analytics 18 months ago, we have seen immediate and sustainable results. This award is an excellent achievement for both companies, as well as recognition of the incredible results that have been achieved by working in partnership to develop an innovative solution that meets our need.”

The Claims Excellence Awards are designed to recognise and reward excellence across claims – from those on the frontline who have direct contact with customers in their hour of need, to the nimble and entrepreneurial who are changing the world around us.

Oz Khurshid, Predictive Analytics Product Manager at Synectics Solutions, said: “We have been on a really exciting journey with Assurant’s UK business which started by exploring the use of Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning, to not only speed up, but identify incremental high-risk loss and theft gadget claims.  The initial proof of concept delivered great value and was followed by fantastic results within the production environment.

“The Assurant UK team has been really forward-thinking with their adoption of Precision’s machine learning capability and has optimised their business processes and reduced fraud impairment.

“We are pleased that this has been recognised by the Insurance Times Claims Awards judges.

“We are really looking forward to continuing the journey with Assurant and enhancing their use of Precision even further. A huge congratulations to everyone who has contributed to this wonderful achievement.”

Thousands of people across Staffordshire and Cheshire are enjoying a happy, affluent retirement thanks to pensions expert Richard Jacobs.

2019 sees Richard reaching 40 years as a Chartered practitioner in the pensions business, but at the age of 69, Newcastle-under-Lyme based Richard has no intention of penning his own retirement letter.

“I don’t work full time hours anymore, having gradually handed over the business management reins to my fellow company directors, Emily Small and Kate Barnard, but I still gain real fulfilment from ensuring clients get the best available advice,” said Richard.

Richard has been a pensions specialist since 1973 and achieved the gold standard as a Chartered Insurance Practitioner in 1979. He has gained a reputation as a leading expert on pensions and has authored many articles advising on pensions for national newspapers and the BBC. He founded Richard Jacobs Pensions and Trustee Services in 1992 and has presided over continuous growth, from a sole practitioner firm to a team of nine, based in modern offices at Brindley Court, Lymedale Business Park.

“I am proud to say I have retained my Chartered status for 40 years, renewing and refreshing my professional qualifications regularly. I have recently retaken the examinations again and have been confirmed as a Chartered Institute member in 2019.

“Chartered status is an important badge of confidence for our industry and is backed by a Royal Charter. The pensions industry supports people with one of the most important decisions they are likely to make; that is, how do I ensure my future in retirement? Chartered status can give clients reassurance and peace of mind.”

“I see expertise and trusted advice is as important now than at any time in my career as there’s a lot for clients to consider due to recent pension reforms, new legislation and ever-more sophisticated scams.

“The good news is that more people are now saving for their pension than ever before, largely due to the success of auto-enrolment. This means that employers have to enrol staff in a workplace scheme and this has revolutionised the way we save in the UK.

“Workers have to make a contribution, but this is supplemented by the company they work for and the benefits are clear. As people live longer, retirement can last for decades and saving for retirement is becoming ever more important. But than 10 million people are now auto-enrolled and have more security for later life.”

The Richard Jacobs team work with many companies in Staffordshire and Cheshire on auto enrolment, with clients from micro-businesses to large companies.

Said Richard: “Typically, we will provide a service to a company and the directors and senior managers may then also ask us to support their personal pension plans.”

A Stoke-on-Trent retirement village has been awarded Gold in a national award for the quality of its accommodation.

West End Village, ran by Staffordshire Housing Association, scooped the award at the Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC) National Awards, which celebrates the best specialist housing providers for older people across the UK.

The older people’s housing scheme, which provides independent living from over 55’s, was up against 300 other providers from across the UK and won one of the 9 gold awards awarded on the night.

Both residents and staff attended the awards and were delighted when they won as resident Elaine explains: “Winning the award is brilliant, we know it’s a lovely place, we know it’s the best!”

West End Village’s Scheme Manager Gina Cooper said: “It means the world to win the National Gold Award and it’s so nice to see that the hard work we put in is paying off. We love to have fun here at West End Village and it’s that which makes people feel so welcome. We’re so happy we’re going to celebrate with a party!”

John Galvin, EAC’s Chief Executive, explains the importance of the awards: “Specialist housing for older people plays an enormously significant role in helping them stay independent for longer. The security, support and great communities have a positive impact on individuals and reduce the need for NHS services.”

Earlier this year, West End Village won gold in the EAC regional award, where residents and visitors also voted. As well as accommodation, the scheme also provides communal facilities such as a gym, hairdressers and restaurant and hosts social events for both residents and the local community.

Beswicks Legal has announced the promotion of their head of family law to the position of associate. Sarah Jones has worked at the Festival Park-based firm for two years, cementing her reputation as an outstanding family lawyer and team manager.

Associate status at Beswicks Legal is recognition of the highest levels of professionalism and expertise in a particular area of law.

Beswicks Legal managing partner Nick Phillips said: “Sarah has done a tremendous job leading our family law team. She has a wealth of experience and works incredibly hard to deliver an outstanding service, winning high praise from clients and colleagues.

“At Beswicks we believe strongly in offering an exciting career path to those who demonstrate the right personal and professional qualities and it is always immensely satisfying to see talented people succeed and progress.”

Top 50 Law firm, Freeths LLP Stoke office announces another year of continued growth with the office exceeding budget by 10% for the financial year 2018/2019. This comes off the back of significant instructions from local, national and international clients of the office.

The Stoke office cover HR and employment law (which includes pensions and immigration law), corporate and commercial law services, dispute management, commercial property, insolvency and commercial debt recovery.

One of the most significant instructions saw James Boulton, Corporate Partner in the Stoke office lead a cross-office team advising US headquarters BrandSafway on its acquisition of Lyndon Scaffolding PLC. Not only was this deal significant for the office, but it was also one of the largest deals by value within the wider West Midlands region during 2018/2019.  James joined the firm in December 2017 having trained at a Magic Circle firm and having also spent 10 years in the London office of a US law firm.

Acting for a multi-national group the Stoke Dispute Management team recently settled a long running dispute concerning national infrastructure on the first day of a trial in London. The team also acted in cases involving a local listed landmark, recovering cars and cash from a fraud involving Supercars – Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porsches, obtaining a court order to restrain the use of confidential information and acting on behalf of a local charity in a boundary dispute as well as its usual mix of commercial, corporate and property disputes, professional negligence and contentious probate claims.

Peter Gavin, Managing Partner of Freeths’ Stoke office commented: “Our record year has been especially pleasing given the current challenging economic circumstances both locally and more widely. The office’s performance and the quality of work that we have been doing across the office shows that there is a high demand for good quality, practical legal advice at realistic rates from lawyers who know the challenges faced by our clients whether that be local businesses, a national client or a multi-national client”.