Ellis Bates News

Focus on your future fair

 560 315 Jess Easby
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We were delighted to support the careers fair at Lawnswood School last week, as part of our wider socially responsible programme of creating opportunities for younger people.

The school were offering a range of career ideas for 12 to 18 year olds, encouraging them to learn about different job roles and types of companies.

The pupils were full of great questions about the financial services industry and the range of job roles available. We have already offered, and are looking forward to one student joining us for a week of on-site work experience!

To keep up to date on other events and causes the Social Responsibility Team support, visit our news and insights page.

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Unlimited futures for all young women

 560 315 Jess Easby
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We are always looking for ways we can enhance people’s lives as a financial services provider, an employer and as a community-based business. The Social Responsibility Team involves dedicated Ellis Bates employees who have a passion for the environment and for supporting local communities. One of our Team Leaders, Bethany Irwin, is actively involved with and recently attended an event run by The Girls’ Network:

Q. Tell us a little bit about what The Girls’ Network is all about?

The Girls Network is a national charity started in 2013 by two teachers who had a desire to empower their female students and to teach them they can achieve their goals. The charity is split across 8 regions and has recently expanded further in the North East to include Northumberland and County Durham. For more information on The Girls’ Network, please visit https://www.thegirlsnetwork.org.uk/

Q. What made you want to become involved in The Girls’ Network?

I’ve always been extremely passionate about helping young people in the local community. I have led a Brownie unit for over 7 years – the same one I attended when I was younger and noticed the difference just one conversation can make to the girls’ outlook on what they can achieve.  I have previously volunteered for a non-profit called ‘This is Creative Enterprise’, a fantastic organisation that specialise in mentoring students on creative careers and providing them with real-life experiences.

I wanted others to know that there is more than just one route to a successful career. Therefore, I contacted local schools and colleges to arrange to go in and talk about my own experiences and to answer any questions about what apprenticeships are and how they work.

Q. How can people support The Girls’ Network?

There are numerous ways people can get involved. They can donate, take part in a sporting event, fundraise, become a corporate partner or become a mentor. Mentoring is the route I am currently undertaking so I can share my own experience and skills with a girl that might not benefit from this support otherwise.

Q. What does the mentoring process look like?

Once you have enrolled and are accepted onto the programme you attend training sessions and an information evening. Once you have passed a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check you can attend a matching event at the local school, where every mentor can speak with each of the girls. Once you have been matched to someone there are 10 mentoring sessions, 1 per month, and the programme concludes with a celebration event. There is the opportunity to join the Ambassador programme where you can continue to mentor on an on-going basis.

Q. What was the reason for the event you recently attended and what did you take away from it?

The event was an insightful and inspiring session comprising of talks from experienced mentors who had been through the process already.

There was one particularly moving story by a lady who talked about how much she learned from her mentee and how she had been made redundant within the last year. Instead of withdrawing from the programme entirely, she founded her own company, Positive About Inclusion, an equality, diversity and inclusion consultancy.

The rest of the session covered discussions with others at different stages of the process. There were those who loved mentoring so much they were now veterans, holding a wealth of useful information.

I think it is important for young people to not have the added pressure of worrying about what others think about them. The fact that everyone is so different is amazing and there is so much you can learn from others. If I could give any advice to my younger self the message I would express is that the most important thing is just be yourself!

Q. What is next in your journey with The Girls’ Network?

I’m currently waiting for my DBS check to come back. Once that has been completed, I can choose a school and attend a match event to meet my first mentee.

To keep up to date on other events and causes the Social Responsibility Team support, visit our news and insights page.

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National Work Life Week

 1000 511 Jess Easby
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The Importance of Work-Life Balance

National Work Life Week runs from 11 – 15 October and has been successfully operating for the past 10 years, courtesy of national charity Working Families. It is an opportunity for employers and employees to focus on good work-life balance and wellbeing at work.

Research carried out by Working Families for their #FlexTheUK campaign has shown 69% of working parents would choose to apply for a new job advertised as flexible over one that isn’t, and 83% want employers to do more to create flexible jobs without waiting for the government to intervene.

Covid-19 has had many unsettling effects, not only on the financial environment but also on emotional and physical wellbeing. This has forced many to reflect on their own work-life balance and personal health.

Supporting a Great Work-Life Balance

As part of our commitment to supporting employees at Ellis Bates, we have taken a variety of measures to help improve their time both at work and home, this includes:

  • Offering a combination of home and office working.
  • Providing wellbeing modules on our internal training system, Evolve.
  • Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which is available 24 hours 7 days a week, providing debt counselling, legal and financial advice and up to six sessions per year of confidential face-to-face counselling.
  • Publishing links through our internal intranet to charities and websites such as Mind, Citizen’s Advice, British Nutrition Foundation and Carers UK.
  • Access to financial wellbeing benefits such as the company sick pay scheme, health insurance and life insurance.
  • Help with the cost of a basic eye test due to working with Display Screen Equipment and a contribution towards the cost of lenses.
  • Three employee-based teams:-
    – Colleague Engagement, to help with ongoing suggestions and improvements to our work-life balance.
    – Social Responsibility, to encourage engagement and a sense of achievement in helping others with our volunteering and charitable support programmes.
    – Client Engagement, to bring life to our core mission of ‘enhancing people’s lives’ at every stage of the client’s journey.

For more information on our employee wellbeing and the company benefits we offer visit https://www.ellisbates.com/careers/

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Collectively Reducing our Carbon Footprint for World Habitat Day

World Habitat Day

 560 315 Jess Easby
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Collectively reducing our carbon footprint

World Habitat Day was created by the United Nations to reflect on the state of our habitats, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. This year’s theme is “accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world”. Cities are accountable for approximately 70 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions through areas such as transport, buildings, energy and waste management.

World Habitat Day began in 1985 and is held on the first Monday of October every year. It explores how national, regional and local governments, communities, and all other relevant stakeholders can collectively work together for the future of the human habitat.

The United Nations have identified 17 goals to transform our world for the better, called the Sustainable Development Goals. Essentially, these goals provide a ‘to-do’ list for all governments, companies and other organisations in addressing a range of global challenges. The Race to Zero campaign is set to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest.

Socially Responsible Investing

A step towards helping you reduce your carbon footprint could include contemplating Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). SRI is an investment strategy that seeks to consider both financial return and sustainable social/environmental good to bring about positive social change, without causing harm to current or future generations.

SRI has always been at the heart of our investment philosophy at Ellis Bates, since we launched our first SRI portfolio in 2008. We screen and choose all our funds, not just SRI portfolios, against a range of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors so you can see the impact your investments are having.

If you would like to know more about Socially Responsible Investing then please do get in touch to see how we can help you to reduce your own carbon footprint.

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International Week of Happiness at Work

 560 315 Jess Easby
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International Week of Happiness at Work

We spend a lot of our time at work and when we are happy there, we are likely to be happier in our personal lives. Science and business have shown that happy employees are more productive, flexible, resilient, creative and work better with their colleagues.

At the end of 2017, a Dutch initiative announced that the last week in September should become International Week of Happiness at Work. It was then officially launched in September 2018.

The International Week of Happiness at Work is a do-it-yourself movement and is not owned by anyone. Companies are encouraged to put the topic onto their agenda and start to make the change to a happier workplace, with suggestions such as:

  • Invite an expert to give an inspirational talk.
  • Discuss with your colleagues what makes you happy at work.
  • Start a program to give more positive feedback.
  • Organise drinks after work with your colleagues or meet up for lunch rather than at your desk.

The International Week of Happiness at Work has started to spread all over the world, with participating countries such as Switzerland, Italy and France. In 2021 the UK launched the official website for the UK https://www.internationalweekofhappinessatwork.co.uk/.

Working together to provide employee happiness

Ellis Bates have recently been awarded Gold Accreditation in We Invest in People, signifying our commitment to placing our people at the heart of everything we do. This is an excellent achievement and adds testament to the fact that the company cares about the happiness of its employees.

In the words of our Managing Director, Michael Cope, “we believe that the success of our organisation begins and ends with people. If we make work better for everyone, we make Ellis Bates and our communities stronger, healthier and happier”.

Only 17% of organisations within We Invest in People achieve Gold and places us in the top 10% of UK organisations with this accolade.

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Walled Garden Welcomes New Workshop

 560 315 Jess Easby
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Ripon Community Link celebrates opening of new workshop with thanks to volunteers, local business, and the National Lottery

A Ripon Learning Disability charity is celebrating the successful completion of a renovation project to create a workshop that will benefit its service users, staff and visitors to its popular Walled Garden.

Thanks to the enormous generosity of dedicated volunteers giving their time and skills alongside donations from 4 local business and a private donor Ripon Community Link has installed a new workshop at the Walled Garden, on the edge of the city on Palace Road.

Ripon Community Link is a leading provider of innovative day support services for people with learning difficulties, and operates from two sites within the Ripon area, St Wilfrid’s Bungalow and Ripon Walled Garden.

An enormously dedicated volunteer, supported by a team of 5 other volunteers has taken on a labour of love and fully renovated an old barn over the past 5 months, creating a safe workshop space for adults with learning disabilities. The workshop will enable service users to develop a range of skills as they learn woodwork practice. All items produced will then be sold in the Garden to raise funds for the charity.

Local business including Ellis Bates, Moduloft, Durtona Kitchens and ilke Homes have provided materials or financial support to enable the workshop renovation.

The Charity also has the support of the National Lottery who have provided funding for dedicated staff time to provide expert learning opportunities for service users.

Thanks to a comprehensive home support programme and changes to the learning spaces on site, the charity has fully supported its beneficiaries throughout the entire Covid pandemic, and since November last year, has welcomed its service users back to on-site sessions.

Victoria Ashley, Ripon Community Link Chief Executive, said: “I would like to thank all our amazing volunteers, the local businesses, and the National Lottery for their combined generosity and support of our charity. Without their support none of this would be possible.

The pandemic has posed enormous challenges for us, and this development enables us to have an additional  space on site helping us to continue to deliver our services whilst protecting service users with social distancing in place

This project will improve the range of services we offer providing even more learning opportunities for our beneficiaries. We are very excited to see what wonderful items will be created and sold in our onsite shop”

Michael Cope the Managing Director of Ellis Bates – based in Harrogate said: “I am very happy to be able to show my support for this highly thought of Ripon charity by giving to the Workshop appeal. I’ve visited the Walled Garden and it’s a wonderful community asset that benefits disabled people of all ages”

Paul Ashley of Durtona kitchens said “Durtona is proud to support Ripon Community Link, a local Charity which delivers so much to people who deserve access to high quality facilities”

Paul Thompson of Moduloft said, “it is wonderful to see the development opportunities offered to individuals, and we are proud to have Ripon Community Link as our Charity partner”

Carolyn Sands, Chair of Trustees said: “This project is a wonderful step forward for the Charity and we are extremely grateful to all of those that have been able to help us with this major development”

The charity is also fundraising for a new building at the Walled Garden site which will provide additional classroom space.

If you would like to support the work of Ripon Community Link by volunteering, please contact volunteers@riponwalledgarden.org or if you make a donation to their build fundraising campaign at https://www.justgiving.com/ripponcommlink

Further information about Ripon Community Link is available from its website, https://www.riponcommunitylink.org/

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A Safe Pair of Hands

 560 315 Jess Easby
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Ellis Bates is part of the Personal Finance Society (PFS) Financial Vulnerability taskforce.

This means we adhere to nine core pledges, to express our commitment to vulnerable clients.

The body has been put in place to:

  • Change public perception through the way in which we consciously deal with those in vulnerable circumstances.
  • Address perceptions or the unconscious reality of commercial conflicts of interest.

As a member of the society (which is part of the Chartered Insurance Institute Group) we are expected to meet certain professional standards as outlined in the Code of Ethics.

The Code sets down the principles which all members should follow in the course of their professional duties and as such, we are required to;

  • Comply with the Code and all relevant laws and regulations
  • Act with the highest ethical standards and integrity
  • Act in the best interests of each client
  • Provide a high standard of service
  • Treat people fairly regardless of age; disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; marriage and civil partnership; race; religion and belief; sex; and sexual orientation

What is Vulnerability?

The FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) definition is “We define a vulnerable consumer as someone who, due to their personal circumstances, is especially susceptible to harm, particularly when a firm is not acting with appropriate levels of care.”

It is estimated over 50 % of the adult population display at least one element of vulnerability and sits at the heart of our approach and communication towards all our clients.

For more information of this key element of accessibility to financial advice for all please visit www.thepfs.org/about-us/initiatives/financial-vulnerability-taskforce/

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Employee Wellbeing

 560 315 Jess Easby
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Active steps to make sure your people are happy, healthy and financially sound. Employee health and wellbeing is high on many businesses’ agendas and is no longer merely an afterthought when addressing sickness absence. There is an obvious link between a happy, healthy workforce and improved productivity.

The aim should be to reduce direct healthcare costs, build and sustain high employee morale, drive effective recruitment and retention, improve productivity, and reduce the damaging trend of presenteeism.

Physical Wellbeing of Staff

But research from GRiD[1], the industry body for the group risk industry, shows that 34% of employers don’t offer any support for the physical wellbeing of staff. Changes to lifestyle can reduce the risk of cancer[2], so support for physical wellbeing can be an important way for employers to help their staff in terms of prevention.

Furthermore, only one in five (20%) employers offer initiatives to encourage staff to be more active to improve their health, and only 14% offer training on specific areas such as smoking cessation, nutrition, fitness and lifestyle.

Integral to Full Holistic Support

Supporting the physical wellbeing of staff is integral to full, holistic support of staff, and there are many ways that employers can do this, from encouraging lunchtime walks and standing meetings to providing access to specialists to advise on nutrition and health.

The options available for employers to support the physical wellbeing of staff are constantly being developed. Support for physical health isn’t just about treatment but about prevention and early intervention too, and it’s important that all are considered when employers are looking at how to support staff best.

Early Involvement in Absence

Some illnesses will result in long-term absence. The cost of sickness absence is often high up the list of organisational concerns for an employer, so early involvement in absence and maximising rehabilitation support is prudent.

Cancer is a leading cause of claim[3] across all group risk products (employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness), so we know just how much cancer affects employees and their companies.

Investment in employee wellbeing should be high on any company’s priorities.

The financial support offered is important at a time when people need it most, but it’s important that all the other support – both in terms of prevention and early intervention – are not overlooked: they play an incredibly important part in employers looking after the health and wellbeing of their staff. If you’re a business owner and would like to discuss this further, please contact us to assess your options.

Source data:
 [1] Research undertaken by Opinium on behalf of GRiD amongst 500 HR Decision makers between 4 and 18 March 2019.
 [2] www.macmillan.org.uk/information-andsupport/diagnosing/causes-and-risk-factors/potential-causes-of-cancer/age-lifestyle-dietreducing-risk.html
 [3] GRiD 2019 Claims Survey

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) – helping us all to stay safe

 561 316 Jess Easby
By:

At Ellis Bates our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our clients, colleagues and their families.  Recommended guidance is being issued daily and we constantly review this in order to help us decide on the best approach.  We will always follow government guidance and do what is right for all concerned.

We have made the decision, with immediate effect, to ask our teams of Advisers to conduct all meetings with our clients over the phone or by video.  If you feel it is essential that we meet with you face to face, please contact your Adviser in the first instance and we will try to understand your situation and what we can best do to support you.

We are still here to help and our Advisers continue to be available to deliver our financial planning service, and provide advice and support.  We have over 100 colleagues across three main offices and will have a fully operational plan in place to ensure our colleagues can continue to deliver a great service to you.

We will closely monitor the situation to make sure we take all necessary precautions to protect our colleagues and clients alike. Please do contact us if you have any concerns or queries.

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Yorkshire Financial Awards 2020

 560 315 Jess Easby
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We are delighted to announce we have been shortlisted at the Yorkshire Financial Awards 2020 in all three categories that we have entered. The final will take place on the 27th February at New Dock Hall, Leeds. We are finalists in the following areas;

  • Best Employer
  • Financial Adviser Team of the Year
  • Wealth Manager of the Year

Barker Brooks Communications, organisers of the event, explain that the awards have been developed to celebrate the incredible financial services industry, and the achievements and successes of the region’s best and brightest. We will keep our fingers crossed for a win or three to start off the year!

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