Welcome to the Norfolk Chambers podcast, in this episode Haze Carver is with Carole Burman, Managing Director and Founder of MAD-HR, and Charlotte Bate, Director of MAD-HR.
As Managing Director and Founder of MAD-HR, Carole has over 30 years of experience working in the world of HR. She prides herself on her ability to help clients grow their business and attract, retain and engage talent by building a positive employer brand. Charlotte has worked as an HR Professional, Trainer and Coach for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience in delivering transformational HR support to businesses of all shapes and sizes, whilst always working with honesty and integrity. “HR is in our DNA, between us we have over 150 years of experience” says Carole.
With a host of nominations and awards across Norfolk and Suffolk for 2022, they put their success down to ‘being great problem solvers’ and say of their team; “when you’re working with a team as incredible as ours, it’s an absolute joy and privilege”.
When your team is motivated they will offer your customers unbeatable levels of service and generate more profit.
HR is about so much more than ‘hiring, firing and retiring’. At MAD-HR we will help your business thrive in today’s competitive marketplace by recruiting and retaining talented individuals and effectively manage any challenges along the way.
Welcome to the Norfolk Chambers podcast, in todays’ podcast Haze Carver, AKA The Zinger chats to Alison Sefton, Head of Norwich High School for girls. Alison has an impressive background, serving in the armed forces and a passionate believer for wellbeing and women’s health.
In this episode you’ll hear the passion Alison has for the school’s wellbeing initiative, the Big Sister programme of peer support and on being recognised for the TES Independent School Awards Wellbeing initiative of the year award in 2021. From opening their new EYFS hub in September, to their F24 Greenpower racing team winning the Best Newcomer Award at Hethel test track.
At Norwich High School, we believe passionately in putting girls first. We give a girl the very best opportunities to find her strengths, explore the whole breadth of subject options, and tailor all that we do around her needs as she develops into a young woman. We are a large enough school to provide rich opportunities, but yet small enough that every girl is known and valued. We are ambitious for every girl, whatever her interests, and we give her a wealth of opportunities to discover new avenues.
Welcome to the Norfolk Chambers Podcast, in todays’ podcast Haze Carver AKA The Zinger chats to the incredible Nor-folk wonder woman that is Fiona Burrage.
Fiona is the Creative Director and founder of vegan bodycare brand Sop and lifestyle brand Nor–Folk. She is also host to a retreat, the Water Cabin, set within the Broads National Park, and co-founder of co-working space Studio Inn.
Fiona runs an all inclusive football club called Left Field. Fiona has built her companies and passion projects within a framework of a more simplistic and intentional way of living so listen in to find out interested to talk about how you combine this workload and your create and personal mission.Audio Player
Sop ~ Scents of place is a bodycare and fragrance brand made in Norfolk and inspired by our local landscape and language. All our products are vegan and cruelty-free. Sop wants to put down strong roots to help us grow, which is why our sustainable, nature- nurturing approach is central to our philosophy.
Welcome to our Norfolk Chambers podcast, In todays’ podcast Haze Carver, AKA The Zinger talks to chat to Lizzy Dring, Head of Corporate Events at Huxley Events.
Lizzy talks about, ‘bringing teams together is our absolute speciality! Whether this is in a team-building environment through an engaging activity that really gets people to work together, improve communication and achieve their goals, to helping make celebrations so special!Successes included hosting over 100 virtual team experiences for businesses across the globe (including Australia, America as well as for teams based in different countries).
Supporting the Norfolk Chambers with their B2B Exhibition which was one of the biggest business events in Norfolk in 2021.
Welcome to the Norfolk Chambers podcast, in today’s episode Haze Carver is chatting with Lauren Farley, Business Development & Events Coordinator at Norwich Theatre Royal.
Lauren discusses her jam-packed year at the Theatre – with some of the most incredible performances from Carlos Acosta to Waitress and Les Miserables as well as Jack and the Beanstalk our 2022 pantomime!
“We have re-launched our corporate scheme, enhancing the offering for businesses and employees alike, offering more benefits as well as unique opportunities through the corporate scheme. Our Creative Engagement team are about to launch an unbelievable Autumn programme of events, which kicks off with our Open Day and Family Festival in July, where we are opening our doors once again and giving people an opportunity to see behind the magic and stand on our very own stage.”Audio Player
Jordan talks to Haze about Curlyworm’s beginnings in 2019, keeping it going through covid when she lost all her income overnight, up to building her agency from a 5 figure turnover in 2 years to the point where she is bringing in someone else to join the team.
If you missed Jordan’s workshop at our recent flagship B2B event, then listen in to this brilliant podcast to find out more about female empowerment, job titles with a twist, and working your socks off as a family-run business.
We’re proud anti-hustlers
You won’t find us bragging about being part of the “5am club” in fact, we love a good lie-in. Curlyworm Creative was founded to give us the freedom to live life on our terms. And that’s exactly what we do for our clients. Hell, we’ve even helped people give up their 9-5s, all through our awesome content.
We are pleased to welcome Joe Mills, Managing Director of The Tree Academy.
Joe has dedicated her career to understanding the elusive strands of what it means to be human; how we can lead more fulfilling lives, be better leaders, create environments people want to work in and run more successful businesses.
The Tree Academy brings together her belief in people’s ability to improve with her vast experience in the ‘people sphere’. Partnering people and organisations who need help establishing, enhancing and refocusing their approach, she creates uniquely practical solutions.
She describes her ability to see businesses as complete and single systems, much like a tree. “To design and ‘plant’ solutions with a life-time value, it’s critical for me to understand the ‘whole’ environment, how everything connects and responds. My mind quickly grasps and holds vast amounts of information, enabling me to distil and bring to life my clear and innovative plans. Solutions in isolation will only ever be temporary fixes and more damaging in the long-term”.
I also found out she enjoys ‘prescribing’ books as part of her coaching and mentoring approach. “As humans we connect to stories in a powerful way and at times I see someone’s need to shift their thinking with what I call my ‘sideways’ approach. As I read and listen to a huge amount of books, I have many to call on”!
Joe began making incredible videos during the height of the Covid Pandemic, which we shared and you can view on The Norfolk Knowledge Hub, as well as The Tree Academy’s new YouTube channel.
“My belief in people and their ability to improve themselves and their businesses drives me. It takes empathy, tenacity, skill, experience and a huge amount of my life. I wouldn’t have it any other way”.
Joe has recently become a Co.next Mentor – to find out more about Co.next, our programme supporting Norfolk’s under 35s and to get involved, click hereAudio Player
The time for setting resolutions for a brand-new year is upon us. And if you’re wishing for a healthier and happier life in 2023, these finance-related resolutions could go a long way.
Image provided by Ascot Lloyd
Let’s face it: for most of us 2022 has not been the kindest year on our wallets. With inflation rising to double digits for the first time in four decades and energy bills skyrocketing, we have all had to get used to a much higher cost of living. Wages have struggled to keep pace, mortgage rates have soared and volatility has reigned in both the equity and gilt markets.
Surely 2023 can only get better? Well, not necessarily. Having been told by one prime minister and chancellor in September that we will pay less tax and our energy bills will be capped for two years, come November the British population were being told quite the opposite by a new prime minister and chancellor. Following the Autumn Statement, we now face the highest tax burden since World War II and energy support will be phased down from April.
“We’ve had almost 14 years of austerity and now we’re told we’re going to have another two or three and to pay more tax through another recession,” says Graham Bentley, Chief Investment Officer at Avellemy. “Inflation will remain higher than people have been used to. It’s unlikely to stay at double figures but it could settle at 4% or 5% for the foreseeable future. For those used to low inflation and interest rates, it’s a drastic change in conditions.”
At times such as these it’s more important than ever to have an astute, robust financial plan which will not only see you through the short-term challenges over the next couple of years but also stand you in good stead for the longer-term. So rather than setting the usual hollow promises for the New Year to purchase a gym membership or drink less wine, these finance-related resolutions could prove far more impactful for living the life you want.
Make use of your capital gains exemption and dividend allowance
The chancellor announced in his Autumn Statement that the capital gains tax annual exempt amount, which has already been frozen for several years, will reduce from £12,300 to £6,000 in April 2023 and then just 3,000 from April 2024. Meanwhile, the tax-free allowance for dividend income, which was cut from £5,000 to £2,000 in 2018, will be reduced once again to £1,000 in April 2023. Then in April 2024 it will go down to just £500.
This double whammy raid will see hundreds of thousands of people, including retirees who rely on their general investment accounts to top up their pensions, liable for higher tax. Therefore, it’s wise to maximise use of the current tax-free exemptions before they reduce.
“Not only are people going to pay more tax, but many are going to find themselves having to file tax returns with HMRC, which is an added burden or, if you don’t feel equipped to do it yourself, an extra cost to get someone to do it for you,” says Gill Philpott, tax and trusts specialist at Ascot Lloyd. “Roll your gains or move the money over as much as you can into tax-free wrappers such as ISAs, for which you have a £20,000 annual allowance to use.”
Increase your pension contributions
The pensions triple lock survived the public spending cull in the Autumn Budget, which is no doubt welcome news for pensioners who will enjoy a double digit increase in their state pension next year. Those of a working age are likely less cheerful, given it’s reasonable to suspect that the triple lock will not survive until they reach their own retirement age, while the freeze on their pension lifetime allowance (£1,073,100) has been extended until 2028.
More positive for them, however, was the government’s decision to resist tinkering with tax relief on pension contributions. This very favourable tax relief is pegged at your income tax band: 20% for basic-rate taxpayers, 40% for higher rate and 45% for additional rate. The fact that millions of workers will be dragged into either the higher rate or additional rate income tax bands due to the personal allowance freeze until 2028 will come as a blow to those affected, but it does present an extra incentive to increase your pension contributions.
Start thinking about inheritance tax
Remarkably, the inheritance tax nil rate band of £325,000 hasn’t changed since 2009, though a £125,000 top-up for homeowners was introduced in 2017. Following the Autumn Statement, both of these bands will remain frozen until 2028. Traditionally viewed as a tax on the very wealthy, a combination of these prolonged freezes and property price growth will mean inheritance tax is something that millions of people will need to be thinking about.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reduce the inheritance tax liability that falls onto the loved ones you leave your legacy to after you die, but they require careful planning. The sooner you begin this planning, the more options that’ll be available to you and your family, so a New Year’s resolution to begin that conversation in 2023 would be highly worthwhile.
Get the best mortgage deal
A large majority of mortgage holders are on fixed-rate deals and over a quarter of these will end in 2023, according to the UK Mortgage Holders Consumer Research Report 2022. If you are one of these millions of people whose current mortgage deal will be maturing in 2023, you are sure to have been relieved to observe the steadying of mortgage rates following some anxious weeks after the doomed mini-Budget where markets were predicting the Bank of England would increase its interest rate to 6% or more next year.
Yet while average mortgage rates are now highly unlikely to reach the lofty heights that some experts were forecasting just a month ago, they are already much higher than they were this time last year and are likely to remain at this level for the foreseeable future. This means mortgage holders whose deal is maturing in 2023 must be braced for a hike in their monthly repayments, but they can limit the pain by enlisting a trusted, whole-of-market mortgage adviser to look beyond what your current lender is offering and find the best deal.
Reassess your investment strategy
Though 2022 has been sluggish for many markets and, in the midst of a recession, 2023 will be challenging too, through every economic period there are opportunities. A point comes in a recession when a market hits its bottom and, while it is unwise to try to time an investment, your Ascot Lloyd adviser will be able to identify investment opportunities, matched to your risk profile, which are more likely to grow in the coming few years.
“We’ve lived through periods of higher interest rates and inflation before and markets have done reasonably well,” says Graham Bentley, Chief Investment Officer at Avellemy. “There are going to be areas that will benefit. At the end of the day, people want to buy shares in companies that make good profits because they make quality goods that people want to buy. That stays the same whatever the background issues. Your investment adviser can help create a strategy to meet your goals.”
If you would like to speak with one of the trusted Independent Financial Advisers at Ascot Lloyd about getting your finances into the best shape possible in 2023, please request a call back.
You can view this original article from Ascot Lloyd here
Despite the menopause affecting roughly 50% of the population, it’s often left unspoken, and its symptoms misunderstood. In fact, a survey found that 91% of women aged 50-64 felt that there was little to no acknowledgement of the menopause within their workplace. This can lead to struggles at work being attributed to poor performance rather than medical symptoms, such as brain fog, hot flushes, anxiety, and fatigue.
Sadly, this can in turn negatively affect financial security, and result in reduced work hours, lower paid positions, and for 25% of menopausal women, it can lead to considerations of leaving employment all together.
What is the menopause?
The menopause mostly affects women aged 50-64 but can affect people in their 30-40s, and some transgender men/non-binary people. Certain medical treatments such as chemotherapy can also trigger menopause.
Menopause is a perfectly natural change in the balance of the body’s hormones that occurs with age, but despite the millions of workers affected, it is often misunderstood.
How can the menopause impact finances?
1 in 5 menopausal women suffer with extreme symptoms, and 75% of those experiencing symptoms feel it affects their performance at work. It is also not uncommon to hear of women reducing their hours, opting to work below their skill level, or turning down promotions due to their symptoms.
Menopausal symptoms are therefore a factor in the gender pay gap, which in April 2022 showed that women in full time work earn 8.3% less than men. There are several factors that can be attributed to this, but some key factors are age, occupation, region, and childcare requirements.
How can the menopause affect pensions?
The gender pension gap is the percentage difference of how much female pensioners have compared to male pensioners. In 2021 the gender pension gap was 33.5%, and in 2018 women in the EU aged 60+ received a pension that was on average 30% lower than that of a man.
Menopausal symptoms can affect how much you can put away for your pension, as some women may struggle to keep up with full time work without the proper provisions and accommodations in place. With women in the UK retiring at 64 on average, and menopause symptoms lasting up to 4 years (and sometimes longer), there is a huge amount of time where women could be missing out on putting money into their pension pot, and benefiting from employer contributions.
What can be done to help?
If you are worried about your pension when it comes to menopause, the best thing you can do is plan ahead, and stay informed about your pension and the menopause. If you are an employer, you should be aware of how the menopause may affect your employees, and the accommodations you can make. These could include offering flexible working, mental health support, regular breaks, and a supportive environment that acknowledges the struggles that can come with the menopause.
If you are looking for financial advice or pension support, contact our experts at Face to Face Finance. Whether you are experiencing menopause or would just like to plan ahead, we are always here to help you secure your financial future.
WellBeing International is a team of consultants working both in the UK and worldwide. Our collective vision is to reduce stress within the workplace looking after an organisation’s top resource – its staff.
When there is a dynamic working environment then the skills and management of the team come to the fore.
At WellBeing we aim to get to know our clients and provide a bespoke service that is befitting to their team.
‘Our workforce are our greatest asset and as such we hold the health and wellbeing of staff in high regard. With this in mind I approached Kate to deliver a bespoke workshop to provide staff with useful information on how to improve their own personal selfcare. Kate was able to captivate a large audience – the information had the right amount of science and practical tips. I am aware that staff are putting their new knowledge into practice and feeling better for it. You were definitely a hit with the audience!’
Sarah Lawlor – Manager, Flying Start
WellBeing ‘Capsules’
Monthly presentations to your team covering topics of your choice.
Corporate ‘Boost You!’
Our holistic approach will enable you to take your overall health and wellbeing to another level.
Confidential 1:1’s
Menopause
Every business today should have a Menopause support plan in place.
Retreats
Our hugely successful, re-energising, one and two-day residential retreats in the beautiful Norfolk countryside, or at a venue of your choice.
New Parent Packages for your team
Call or email us and we’ll be happy to discuss the packages we can put together for you.
Team building/motivational days
Call or drop us a line and we’ll be happy to discuss what we can do for you.
Infant Massage
We’re delighted to be able to offer the best CPD accredited training in the UK.
Please email or give us a call and we would be delighted to tell you more.
Our determination to have the Menopause heard, discussed and addressed, has been the driving force behind our success in becoming a leading advisor on this topic throughout the UK, with our targeted events, presentations and workshops around the Menopause being a major part of our profile.
Here at Wellbeing International we use our scientific and holistic knowledge to advise and inform both businesses and individuals on the topic.
We redirect the mindset and focus and make it simple to implement immediate changes and encourage awareness of all things Menopausal within your workplace – and we’re experts at what we do.
As pioneers and a leading provider of Gender-Neutral Webinars since 2019, we understand the need for company managers to show the way, demonstrating that women’s wellbeing and health is a priority, and we feel it’s vital that all genders are included in the process.
Our policies include everyone from the CEO to the maintenance staff, demonstrating a clear message that everyone is valued within the organisation.
At this sometimes confusing and often life-changing time, estimates indicate over 1 million women have felt overwhelmed and unsupported in the workplace, preferring to abandon their careers rather than carry on. However – things are changing! The Menopause needs no longer to be the catalyst for a shorter career.
“What I have discovered delivering the programme is how apologetic directors and senior managers have been when they fully understand what women go through. They realise that if they want a flourishing and totally inclusive organisation, they have to embrace the menopause.” Kate Pigeon-Owen, CEO Wellbeing International
The key to any successful awareness project is to build a company-wide inclusive programme. At Wellbeing International we truly understand the need for flexible solutions, so whether your preference is for online or on-site, our bespoke packages are designed to suit the needs and values of your business, and your people.
Gender Neutral Workshops / Webinars
These workshops are for your whole team, ensuring everyone understands what the Menopause is, and removing the ‘taboo’. We cover the science in a no-nonsense way and make this information accessible to all. Our goal is to create an understanding and supportive working environment.
‘The whole presentation was fascinating. As a male you don’t really take the time to understand the subject, but this was easy to follow and well led. Thank you Kate for your time and fantastic demeanour in the presentation.’
Line Manager at UPP
Women’s Workshops / Webinars
Hourly or longer webinars and face to face workshops can be scheduled to suit your requirements.
‘Our workforce are our greatest asset and as such we hold the health and wellbeing of staff in high regard. With this in mind I approached Kate to deliver a bespoke workshop to provide staff with useful information on how to improve their own personal self-care. Kate was able to captivate a large audience – the information had the right amount of science and practical tips. I am aware that staff are putting their new knowledge into practice and feeling better for it. You were definitely a hit with the audience!’
Sarah Lawlor – Manager, Flying Start
Menopause Retreats
A dedicated space for your female colleagues. These highly popular spaces create a practical, supportive and safe environment for all women to understand the process. A longer event covers a wider range of topics in more detail, allowing delegates to understand, prepare for, and respond knowledgeably to their symptoms.
We are privileged to work with our own dedicated Menopause Doctor, Hannah Short and can provide you access to a confidential 1:1 to discuss your medical menopause options.
We can organise either a virtual or face to face consultation.
1:1’s with Kate Pigeon-Owen – a holistic and supportive session
This is confidential time dedicated to you. In this protective space you can discuss how you are feeling, with our 1:1 support allowing you to take control, and experience positives within your menopausal journey
Your company culture and values are supported by the incredible people who work for you.
By training a member of your team to be a Menopause Champion you will empower and enable your own ‘expert’ who can offer advice, liaise with management and keep up to date with the latest research. Our pilot training is planned shortly with 20 personnel.
The launch of this one-day CPD qualification is imminent.
In response to demand we’ve now introduced a new gender neutral Boost You! Programme
Do you want to bring the best energy to your workplace, enhance creativity, fuel purpose and develop communication skills? With colleague turnover at an all-time high isn’t it imperative that you attract the best, and retain all those brilliant people?
If you would like to make meaningful positive changes in your workplace, then you have come to the right place. We can help you create a wellbeing programme or refine an existing plan.
Literally covering all life stages from baby to older age, our unique blend of expertise, science and a holistic approach will provide all the support you need. We have a strong focus on the Menopause and getting the conversation around this topic going.
Wellbeing has never been so critical. Let’s all take responsibility for making sustainable changes, and for taking positive steps forward.
