Fifty extra IT visas floated for foreign talent

Bosses' Brexit concerns allayed, as more 'exceptional' techies are due in from overseas.

Small Business Commissioner due in October

Scepticism about the late payments tsar remerges, just as its debut is set in stone.

Umbrella company ban called for after BBC probe

Beeb investigation finding ‘unfairness' hailed as grounds to close all brollies.

Contractors' Questions: Can I use my contractor company for buy-to-let?

Mortgage expert disappoints a contractor hoping to house properties in his PSC.

Are You Making These Remote Workforce Management Mistakes?

Managing a remote workforce is no easy task. Those heading up remote teams must make sure that their clients and customers are satisfied, as well as looking after a team of staff who rarely set foot into a central office, and spend most of their working day on the road. With so many balls in the air, it’s natural that there are going to be some mistakes on the way. Here are some of the most common mistakes that managers make when they’re in charge of a remote workforce – and how to avoid them.

Neglecting to build a rapport

Some managers get into the mindset that they don’t need to build working relationships with their staff, because they’ll be on the road most of the time, rather than in a central office. But this can lead to further issues – staff who spend their days travelling can feel alienated, and if there’s a problem, they might hide it rather than telling their superiors. It’s vital to build a rapport with staff, even if you barely see them face-to-face. Check in with them daily, praise them for their successes (no matter how small), and try to schedule in regular meetings to give them a chance to raise any issues or discuss potential problems.

Using the wrong tools (or no tools at all)

We’re lucky to live in such a technologically-advanced era, and there are a multitude of tools and resources out there to help manage remote workforces, whether it’s a cloud-based file-sharing system, a time and attendance solution or a messaging app that helps keep managers in touch with staff. Make sure you’re leveraging these tools to your advantage – simple pieces of software or apps can transform a tricky working situation into something altogether more manageable.

Not measuring progress

Even though staff are out there on their own, they still need performance targets and goals to help them move forwards and progress. Some remote workforce managers don’t feel the need to set their staff goals or measure their progress – but this can lead to employees becoming disengaged at work. Arrange a meeting with your remote workers and agree on a set of metrics you can measure over the long-term. This will keep your remote staff on track and give them plenty to aim for.

Not logging all processes

Make sure your staff are logging every process into a centralised system. This provides an extra layer of accountability for your remote workers, and can help you keep track of their movements and activity when they’re on-the-go. This is also a useful system if a member of staff were to fall ill mid-shift, or find themselves stuck in traffic – if their activity is logged, stand-in staff can see exactly where they’re up to and what is still left to be done.

Budget 2017 not due to change IR35 liability

Cautious chancellor unlikely to move off-payroll rule liability, but a 'duty of care' is feasible.

Free trip to New Zealand for one hundred talented techies

‘South Pacific's tech and innovation capital' offers candidates a career trip of a life-time. 

Apps are absent at two-thirds of taxpaying traders

No tax software inside most small ventures will make MTD a hard slog, survey suggests.

Contractors' Questions: How to keep contracting if agency work is on hold?

Umbrella opens up about pay, to a PSC stuck with short contracts requiring overnight stays.

Moving from a PSC to an umbrella: is it worth it?

IR35-inspired income guide, showing if you're caught, not caught or with a brolly.

PSCs to abandon NHS IT project over IR35 changes

Off-payroll techies say Guy's & St Thomas' £16.5m project will grind to a halt when they quit.

Government responds to IR35 petition

Latest stance on the off-payroll rules is released, just as the tool to bed them in isn't.

Rethink Flat Rate VAT changes, HMRC urged

Contractors seen in the collateral from April's clampdown on the popular VAT scheme.

Why the Apprenticeship Levy isn't just a brolly contractor's problem

PSCs and their agents will find a new 'cornerstone' just as pointed as umbrellas.

Police IT job candidate over limit at interview

Cops give wannabe techie a driving ban instead of IT support role.

Contractors' Questions: Where are the new off-payroll rules retrospective?

Lawyer spells out what the new IR35 rules say, and what could actually happen in practice.

Contractors' Questions: Where are the new off-payroll rules retrospective?

Lawyer spells out what the new IR35 rules say, and what could actually happen in practice.

Public sector IR35 exodus: 85% of PSCs to quit

1,700 'Ltd' workers to leave the government sector within the next seven weeks.

April's off-payroll rules: what one agency thinks

New series on what agencies make of public sector IR35 reform starts with this Q&A.

April's off-payroll rules: what a second agency boss thinks

How the public sector might look to IT contractors in a few months' time.

Contractors' Questions: Can an umbrella pay into my private pension?

Payroll expert provides top tips to a contractor wanting to stick what they know.

Revealed: six business models of the future

Half a dozen new ways for commerce to flow are already changing industries.

No IT contractor skills scarce, finds REC

January was buoyant, but dry if you wanted to cash-in on IT temp shortages.

Contractors face £280 bill to make their tax digital

HMRC hints at a let-off, saying your e-account will only cost you hundreds, not thousands.

What to do if you're declared inside IR35 on April 6th

Five steps that contractors who want to fight will take if clients rule against them.

Public sector IR35 changes -- quick overview

What the new off-payroll rules mean; when they apply and who's affected.

Contractors' Questions: What if I'm contracting at a local council from April?

Tax expert plots how the new IR35 rules will apply to PSCs at local authorities.

IR35 inspectors to probe public PSCs retrospectively

Off-payroll rules seen as a springboard for HMRC to investigate contracts before April.

Second MoD body threatens to axe PSCs

'Aggressive tree-shaking' exercise at DE&S, as PSCs are told to comply (somehow) or get out.

Tackling the IR35 review quandary -- an attempt

To have an IR35 review, or not have an IR35 review? That is the question, as new rules loom.

Apprenticeship Levy: how it'll hit contractors

Overview of the overlooked stealth tax, facing brolly contractors from April 6th.

HMRC publishes public sector IR35 guidance set

Personal service companies facing April's IR35 changes are among those handed an official guide.

IR35 guidance set -- the four HMRC documents

At-a-glance: the guidelines that public PSCs, clients and fee-payers need to know about.

Overseas contracting in 2017: where it's hot

The top five hotspots luring more UK contractors to their shores.

Fighting a public body's IR35 decision: a review

What we should've said about where we are now on appealing IR35 from April.

Petitions fail to change policy, almost always

Not even 10 out of 26,000 petitions have made a difference, figures indicate.

IT contractor skills that look hot for 2017

And the two 'not so hot' temporary IT specialists who might struggle this year.

10 hottest IT contractor certifications for 2017

Where to up-skill to help yourself get head and shoulders above the crowd.