Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Boris Johnson has announced a shutdown of all retail apart from food shops and chemists this evening.
The retail shutdown affects tens of thousands of retail businesses across Britain in a bid to stop the rampaging spread of coronavirus.
From now on people will only be allowed to leave their home for shopping for necessities, said Johnson, singling out clothes shops and electrical retailers as non-essential retailers.
The prime minister added that the public will be allowed out for exercise once a day and that police will have the power to intervene where necessary.
Boris Johnson said: “From this evening you must stay at home … at present there are no easy options … in this fight, we can be in no doubt that every one of us is enlisted … the people of this country will rise the challenge”.
>See also: What does the latest Treasury stimulus mean for small business?
Government moves to stop businesses being evicted
The government has stepped in to stop businesses being evicted for non-payment of rent, giving small businesses a three-month lease forfeiture moratorium.
This means that if businesses are unable to pay commercial rent due to the coronavirus shutdown, they will have a
Tag Archive for Coronavirus
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How to ask for a commercial rent freeze from your landlord
by Simon Maddox • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Simon Maddox on Small Business
The coronavirus pandemic is completely unprecedented and brings with it unique and far-reaching issues for both commercial tenants and landlords to navigate. Many small business owners have already written to landlords asking for a commercial rent freeze while the pandemic goes on.
Can I go on a rent strike?
Many businesses will want to know what their rights are in a situation where they are prevented from opening business due to an “act of God” or force majeure. Can they unilaterally freeze rent payments where they are shut down, whether through enforced staff absence or official decree, as we have seen this week across the leisure and hospitality industry?
>See also: Government launches business Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
What if the government forces my small business to close?
As a starting point, in the absence of specific contractual provisions, there is no common law right to include a deemed “force majeure” provision in the lease document. Commercial leases often contain rent suspension provisions for damage to property arising out of certain specified risks, but those rent suspension provisions do not normally extend to cover enforced closure of retail or other units pursuant to statutory powers.
Therefore, in the absence
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A 10-Point Small-Business Survival Plan for Dealing With the Coronavirus
by Mark J. Kohler • • 0 Comments
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Government launches business Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to protect small business jobs.
Any PAYE-qualifying small business employee will qualify for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which will cover 80 per cent of a regular salary up to £2,500 a month, just above the median income.
>See also: How to get the government’s £10,000 cash grant for small businesses
Small business owners must apply to HMRC and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be backdated to March 1 to cover a three-month period.
Sunak said there was no limit on how much this job-retention scheme might cost, which will be financed through the national debt.
The government expects the first job-retention grants to be payed before the end of April.
Sunak also announced that small businesses would be able to defer next quarter’s VAT, a direct injection of £30bn of cash-flow support for SMEs.
>See also: How do I apply for a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan?
Sunak called his latest package “unprecedented in the history of the British state … you will not face this alone”.
This package of measures “will protect jobs and strengthens the safety net”, the chancellor reiterated.
Sunak said: “The government is doing its best to stand
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Best video conferencing tech for your small business
by Aaron Hurst • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Aaron Hurst on Small Business
Even before offices began sending employees home, digital nomads, as well as employees working remotely on occasion, have been increasingly common, using conferencing tech to communicate with colleagues. But what’s the best video conferencing software for your small business?
We look at the best video conferencing platforms on the market currently, and the benefits they offer self-isolating employees of your small business.
>See also: Working from home – How to manage your time and increase productivity
Microsoft Teams
One of the many prominent conferencing platforms is Microsoft Teams, which offers video and audio calls, as well as chatroom capabilities between two people as well as groups.
Calls can be recorded, and documents can be shared over chat.
The platform recently announced the possibility of coexistence and interoperability with Skype for Business.
To ensure everyone can stay connected and productive, the free version of @MicrosoftTeams now supports an unlimited number of users. Find out more: https://t.co/Bt969Io7oW
— Microsoft 365 (@Microsoft365) March 18, 2020
Zoom
Zoom is a video conferencing provider that also offers webinar and chat capabilities.
One benefit that Zoom offers that isn’t the case for other competitors is that calls can be entered just with a link, without needing to install the programme
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4 Ways to Boost Your Immune System During the Coronavirus Outbreak
by Ben Angel • • 0 Comments
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How your IT team can support small business during coronavirus lockdown
by Nick Ismail • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Nick Ismail on Small Business
During this transition from an office to a remote working environment, how can an in-house or outsourced IT team support a small business in a coronavirus-triggered lockdown?
ContactEngine‘s founder and CEO, professor Mark K. Smith, says there are five common areas where an IT team could support a small business, based on requests from his clients.
>See also: What is the best cloud storage for UK small business?
#1 – Enabling call centre colleagues to work from home
Automatically re-route customer enquiries to an agent’s mobile.
#2 – In-home appointments
When employees are making home visits for installs, deliveries or repairs, make automatic Covid-19 pre-checks with the customer to make sure it is safe for employees to visit.
#3 – Emergency communications
Escalation comms for a situation when a workforce is suddenly dispersed during an emergency.
“Here a colleague calls into an emergency number and says what the issue is … the recording is sent to various colleagues who decide to escalate and schedule a conference call to decide the next action. It feels niche but it’s been used very extensively in the last few days for Covid-19 comms,” said Smith.
>See also: 5 Google tools to help you grow your small business
#4 –
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Can I claim on my small business insurance for coronavirus?
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Millions of businesses have taken out small business interruption insurance, but will your policy pay out if you have to shut down because of coronavirus?
Business interruption policies are usually taken out to cover acts of God such as flooding and fire. Insurance policies such as these physical damage at a property that results in the small business being unable to trade.
And only a small minority of larger business owners may have previously arranged an additional clause covering them in the event of a pandemic.
>Further reading: What kind of insurance does your small business require?
However, because Covid-19 was only officially named by government on March 5 as a “notifiable disease.” This means “registered medical practitioners” (RMPs) have a legal duty notify their local council or local health protection team of suspected cases of certain infectious diseases. This is one of the key criteria which insurance companies need to know before they pay out – any policies taken out before then will not cover coronavirus.
French insurer Axa has told customers that its general business interruption insurance does not cover losses caused by Covid-19 as it only protects against diseases specifically named in its policies. Covid-19 was
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How to get the government’s £10,000 cash grant for small businesses
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
How do I get the government £10,000 coronavirus cash grant?
Last night (17 March), the chancellor announced an increase in the small business coronavirus cash grant, taking it from £3,000 to £10,000.
This is part of a £330bn package of support for businesses, equivalent to 15 per cent of GDP.
Read more about the update at What does the latest Treasury stimulus mean for small business?
>See also: How do I apply for a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan?
Eligibility is still based around rate relief. Those who qualify for Small Business Rate Relief (SBBR) or Rural Rate Relief will be able to get the funding.
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy will be working with local authorities to outline the scheme and encourage local authorities to prepare.
However, once up-and-running, your local authority will contact you rather than having to apply yourself. Grant money will not be available until early April, as stated on the government website.
This additional funding for local authorities who collect business rates is part of a package of fiscal measures to help small business survive the coronavirus pandemic.
The coronavirus grant only applies to small business in England. Business rates in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are set by
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Government announces delay of IR35 reforms until April 2021
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
The government has decided to delay the incoming IR35 rules due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chief treasury secretary, Steve Barclay, said that the reforms will be pushed back to 6 April 2021. The move comes among a raft of announcements supporting small businesses last night (17 March).
However, Barclay stressed that it is “a deferral, not a cancellation, and the government remains committed to reintroducing this policy”.
Relieved but still frustrated
Business experts have welcomed the news but are unhappy that the government intends to plough ahead in 2021 without further consultation.
Qdos CEO, Seb Maley, commented:
“The government has seen sense and made the right call in these unique circumstances. Given the economic challenges that lie ahead of the UK, now certainly would not have been the right time to roll out needless tax changes that endanger hundreds of thousands of contractors’ livelihoods.
“It does give private sector firms vital time to prepare for reform, which can only be a good thing for contractors. What matters now is that businesses use this time wisely.”
Claire Brook, employment law partner at Aaron & Partners, thinks the announcement is overdue:
“Although this will come as welcome news to a huge number of employers,