As part of #StressAwarenessMonth the CICV Forum has produced a guide to mental wellbeing, with a comprehensive overview of leading charities and support networks and advice on where to find essential services. #COVID19 #InThisTogether
A copy of the guide, Where to find a helping hand, can be downloaded at https://t.co/JkakMFBe9c https://t.co/NWA8Mp7dqN
To help protect the country from coronavirus (COVID-19), there are testing regimes in place for those who travel regularly across UK borders. If you are an employer that fulfils the following definition, then you must take reasonable steps to facilitate the taking of tests by your employees:
As an employer your ‘reasonable steps’ to facilitate the taking of tests might be:
Remember: A key consideration for any policy is that if you get a positive lateral flow test (LFT) which is confirmed by a positive PCR test, LFT testing will not be effective for 90 days after you have tested positive so you must not use the tests during this period.
For more information on defining “reasonable steps” click here
BuildUK has set up a guide to help set up and run a workplace testing site
BuildUK has also produced a helpful flow-chart around what to do if a worker needs to self isolate
Companies that deferred VAT payments between 20 March and 30 June 2020 and have monies outstanding need to take action and join the VAT deferral new payment scheme by 21 June 2021. Those who do not join the scheme or settle the account before 30th June could be charged a 5 per cent penalty or interest on what they owe.
If businesses join by 21 April, they will pay their deferred VAT in 10 instalments, rather than nine or eight instalments if they wait until closer to the deadline. To join the scheme, a company must have:
Companies must pay the first instalment upon joining the scheme and make subsequent payments via Direct Debit.
For more information on the VAT Deferral Payment Scheme, click here
You can access the FIS Business and Taxation Toolkit here
If loading out a site and in wake of shortages and potentially taking larger orders of product than would ordinarily be the case, remember to check insurance implications and to survey the area carefully to ensure that any loading limitations on the floor/storage area are adhered to and have factored in risk to protect from environmental (cleanliness, humidity or temperature issues), stacking (adherence to storage instructions) or construction related damage. Also pay particular attention to safety factors that may arise if product is not stacked in accordance with manufacturers instructions and H&S best practice (e.g. leaning/stacking of boards). FIS Site Guides are free to download for members and include some helpful reminders on storage issues.
Ahead of the next Digital Construction Working Group (28 April 10am), FIS has launched a new tool to help members to follow and understand the technologies that are shaping the present and future of construction.
Expressions like Industry 4.0’, the fourth industrial revolution, the Digital Revolution are bandied around and the Construction Playbook isolates the need to “develop new solutions including improved digital capabilities.” but what does the digitalisation of the finishes and interiors sector actually mean to projects and businesses in the supply chain?
FIS CEO Iain McIlwee commented “The Digital Spine was born at a Round Table we hosted with key experts from our sector. We looked at where digital is having influence and what is holding us back. A key concern was that behind all of these digital solutions is whole new language that we are struggling to get to grips with. The roundtable also isolated that the environment can be bewildering with solution not always matched to problem and real concerns over interoperability of all of the rapidly expanding range of tools at our disposal. Taking a step back we decided that the best way to help was to create the Digital Spine, a simple outline of the language behind the technology that is evolving to support the FIS community, but vitally also to contextualise tools against the core areas of business operation where they have the potential to support change. We are grateful to all the members who have supported the development to this point and encourage all users to bombard us with questions and omissions to support development from here”.
Mark Norton Group BIM Director, ISG added “The Digital Spine is great because it is simple and the key to innovation is to keep it simple and align it to genuine problems, not get caught-up in the technology. We recognise that this is a start and the tool will evolve with questions and as new innovation emerges. We’ll be reviewing at the Digital Construction Working Group on the 28 April and starting to look at where the biggest impact is and how we can ensure the FIS community is aware of opportunity, alert to the challenges and vitally too has influence in the way that some of these tools are emerging to support standardisation.”
The Digital Spine is available here.
You can reserve your place at the FIS Digital Construction Working Group here.
A new government-backed loan scheme was launched on Tuesday 6 April by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to provide additional finance to those businesses that need it.
You can read the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s statement in full here.
