MORSON SPORT | 3 MIN READ Sale Sharks' Tom Curry talks adapting to his new role at the World Cup Eddie Jones gives pre-match thoughts ahead of Saturday's quarter-final against Australia Described by Eddie Jones as one of England’s ‘Kamikaze Kids’, Tom Curry has taken the Rugby world by storm since making his professional debut in 2016 and his impressive form has seen him rapidly become an integral asset for club and country. At 21 years old, Curry is England’s youngest player at this World Cup and what’s more impressive is the fact that the flanker has been given the task of learning a new position, playing at six whilst the whole world watches. Tom recently spoke to the Independent’s Jack de Menzes about the transition to the role: “The toughest thing is probably the edge defence. Naturally you want to make a tackle and then get up and make another tackle but you need to try to work the big lads inside you and try and keep them all safe, and then try to get yourself into those positions out wide. That is pretty difficult sometimes” He added: “At the end of the day I don’t think there is anything massively different. I want to stay true to myself and how I want to play and from that adapt to what the team needs after that” With convincing wins over Tonga, United States and Argentina, England progressed from Pool C into the Quarter Finals where they will play Australia on Saturday morning. Australia won all but one of their games in Pool D, slipping up to Wales which saw them finish in second place. During a recent interview with the The Guardian, Eddie Jones gave his thoughts on what he expects from Saturday’s opponents: “Once you get to the quarter-finals it’s about having the right mindset. Australia are a clever team, they will have some specific strategies to play against us so we need to have a great situational awareness. We need to defend with brutality and when we have the ball we need to play on top of them” We look forward to a mouth-watering game on Saturday which begins a brilliant weekend of Rugby and wish Tom and England all the best.
read more
CONTRACTOR ADVICE | 4 MIN READ In our new blog series, we will guide you through the different pay types, their key points and also the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Read on to find out more about contracting through PAYE (Pay as You Earn). Finding the right pay option for you is a vital part of the contractor onboarding process. It is important that you make the right decision based on your circumstances. Here you can find some important information on the PAYE pay option. Read this guide carefully so you make the right choice when it comes to choosing your pay option. Pay as You Earn PAYE is a commonly used pay option that ensures your employer pays your income tax and national insurance contributions on your behalf. The employer is responsible for collecting and sending your tax contribution to the HM Revenue and Customs. It is important to note that your employer will deduct your tax contribution from your salary before you receive your pay. Your payslip will tell you how much tax and national insurance contributions you have paid. Want to learn more about contracting through an umbrella company? Read the blog and compare your options! Positives of PAYE for contractors There are several benefits of choosing PAYE as your pay option: PAYE is the simplest way to be paid. Your employer calculates, collects and sends your contribution to the HMRC through your deductions. Your employer handles your tax contribution, so you only need to provide your timesheet. As it is the easiest way to get paid, PAYE is often the perfect pay option for contractors who are only working on a single project or short contract. Your tax contribution is always registered so it will never be contested. Negatives of PAYE for contractors As you are registered as an employee, you are entitled to less tax relief than a limited company or sole trader. You are not able to obtain tax relief on out of pocket expenses. Will I get a pension with PAYE? When you register as a PAYE employee you will enter a 12-week postponement period. The postponement period is used to assess contracts and determine who should be enrolled in the workplace pension scheme. It can also be used to assess a contractor’s performance and suitability to the role. Workplace Pension Eligibility Once you have passed the postponement period, your eligibility will be assessed. Eligibility criteria: You are at least 22 years old and under the state pension age You earn more than £805.00 per week, this is based on the national earnings trigger You usually work in the UK If you pass the eligibility criteria you will be automatically enrolled into the workplace pension scheme. Whilst enrolled, 1% of your total monthly earnings will be placed into your pension pot. What if I’m a temporary worker? Temporary contractors are entitled to a slightly different pension scheme called the People’s Pension. The enrolment criteria and process are very similar to the workplace pensions scheme. The only difference is that the People’s Pension is managed by a third-party pension’s provider. But it's always a good idea to check with your employer. Ready to search for a new job with Morson? Click here to find your next opportunity. Or, if you’re a contractor and want to find out more about IR35 and how it may affect you, click here to read our blog series.
read more
With the industry braced for the autumn budget on the 6th November, private sector organisations have little over 6 months to get their IR35 strategy in place or face financial risk and a shortage of contract talent. Many businesses are only just starting to wake up to the work required to continue to use contractors compliantly due to private sector IR35 reform in April 2020. Our compliance and assurance director, Phil Beardwood, was this week featured in industry leading publication Personnel Today, discussing why it is irresponsible for organisations to panic and try to mitigate risk by cutting corners and taking a blanket approach to IR35. In April 2017, the government amended existing IR35 legislation so that public sector organisations employing contractors working through limited companies – meaning they pay less tax and national insurance – would now be responsible for deciding whether they were inside or outside of IR35. Genuinely self-employed contractors are deemed to be outside, but if you are considered inside IR35, HMRC expects you (and your employer) to pay the same tax and NI contributions as other, permanent employees. From April 2020, these rules extend to the private sector – and as recent headlines have shown, a number of organisations have opted to avoid the risk altogether by just demanding everyone goes on the payroll. Now that the onus is on the employer, rather than the contractor, to ensure they’re paying the appropriate level of tax, it’s understandable that they want to mitigate any risk. But we can learn much from public sector experiences. Phil Beardwood, compliance and assurance dirctor at Morson warns: “The public sector’s cautious approach to IR35 by deeming entire contractor populations as inside only created further problems, with many contractors quickly leaving their roles to pursue other assignments – and often with competitors – or pay rates increasing considerably in order to retain their services and skillsets” - Phil Beardwood, Compliance Director, Morson A recent survey by contractor accounting firm Brookson found that three in five private-sector contractors will consider working elsewhere if they are found to be inside IR35. So what can you do to prepare effectively and ensure you feel comfortable to continue to engage a contractor workforce? Morson and our expert IR35 partners have wealth of experience in dealing with IR35 matters across the public and private sector. To support you in the lead up to (and following) the April 2020 off-payroll changes, Morson has exclusive partnerships with specialist contractor services company, Champion Contractors, and Top 40 UK law firm, Weightmans LLP, both of whom have significant experience in helping businesses navigate the changes to how IR35 is applied in the public and private sector. Together we can help you undertake a full review of your contractual workforce. To ensure your business is prepared well in advance of the changes, contact the team at IR35@morson.com or check out our IR35 Hub.
read more
MORSON SPORT | 3 MIN READ Sale Sharks and South Africa scrum-half, Faf de Klerk discusses the pressures to perform at the World Cup Faf also gives an insight into the expectations he placed on himself prior to the World Cup After a difficult start with a loss to favourites - New Zealand, South Africa won their remaining games in Pool B with empathic victories over Italy and Canada to secure progress to the World Cup Quarter Finals. Sale Sharks scrum-half, Faf de Klerk’s energetic and non-stop style of play has seen him become a fan favourite for the Springboks since his first cap in 2016 and the 27-year-old will be looking to showcase his finest form in Sunday’s huge game against Japan. Home nation, Japan has taken the tournament by storm so far, with a shock win over Ireland and followed it up with eye catching defeats of Scotland, Samoa and Russia to maintain a perfect record so far. Going up against a fearless free-flowing side like Japan will put the pressure on South Africa to perform at the level they have previously shown in this competition and Faf gave us an insight into what the pressure to perform in a World Cup is like: “I think it’s good, I think we’re still a bit of an underdog in the World Cup, I think that’s good as well. I think we’re always in with a shout every time. Even though through the year it might not go as well, I think the Springboks always have a chance to win it. I do think there will be a lot of pressure on the guys but we’re a nice group of lads, we get along really well and we’ll feed off that and hopefully take into games” De Klerk also described the expectations he placed on himself and the rest of the side prior to flying to Japan: “I think just to perform as consistently as possible, being a good 9 for the team, making sure my basics are 100% on the money; especially in games that are going to be tight. It’s going to come down to the little stuff you do well. As a team, we haven’t spoken about where we want to go with it but obviously the main goal will be to win it” Sunday’s game promises to be another scintillating contest in what has been an eventful tournament, we at Morson wish Faf and South Africa all the best this weekend.
read more
MORSON SPORT | 3 MIN READ The winger relflects on the challenges of transitioning from League to Union and adapting to life in France Ashton also gives his thoughts ahead of this Saturday's huge Premiership opener against Gloucester Ahead of the huge Gallagher Premiership opener between Sale and Gloucester, we caught up with Chris Ashton to discuss his storied career which saw a transition from Rugby League to Union, playing in France and now his current form with Sale Sharks. This weekend marked the end of the Rugby League season, with St Helens winning the Grand Final against surprise package, Salford Red Devils. Ashton is no stranger to the elite competition in the Super League as the winger spent two years at Wigan Warriors, scoring an impressive 30 tries in 52 appearances. Chris gave an insight into the love he still has for Rugby League and what switching codes was like back in 2007: “I’m very much a big fan, I watch it as much as I can. It was a big part of my childhood playing Rugby League growing up but it is a very different game which is probably why I struggled so much coming to Union, because nothing was natural to me. Rugby League was all instinct and automatic whereas Union wasn’t like that. It took years to make Union instinctual and natural, like hitting breakdowns was something I’ve never done before so it took repeating that over and over for it to become part of my game rather than worrying about what to do next. It was difficult but I’m glad I made the transition” Ashton joined Northampton Saints in March 2007, but it was a long process to becoming a first team regular and a prolific Union player: “I had to take half the year out at Northampton because I didn’t get what was going on, so I had to sit and watch which was a difficult time. I had to play a lot of A-League and not first team – which is what everyone wanted. I got an opportunity after that and I made sure when I got back in that, I did all the basics right. Whatever was required from my job and whatever came naturally to me was extra. I worked week by week to stay in the team and it snowballed from there” After excelling in the Premiership with Northampton and then Saracens, Chris decided to test himself in the Top 14 league with Toulon for the 17/18 season. The former England winger only spent a year in France but he more than left his mark in the country, breaking the record for most tries in a single season with 24 in 23 appearances for the club. Despite his eye-opening form, the competition in the Premiership and the homeliness of England was something that Ashton missed: “It was a very different culture, one that I always wanted to try so I’m glad I did. Probably didn’t settle as well as I’d have hoped but I really enjoyed the Rugby over there, the weather’s always sunny. You got big crowds wherever you went in France so it was a really good experience for me and my family but a year was enough for me” After a successful individual season which saw Ashton score 50 points for Sale, the 32 year old is aiming for a strong campaign in domestic and European competitions in the 19/20 season: “Thankfully we managed to get into the European Champions Cup this year, I think with the players and talent we’ve got coming in, we’re a team that needs be in this competition. We’re looking forward to being back in that after a year out, we want to be playing against the best teams and being in that is only good going into the Premiership as they’re both top level tournaments. The goal this year is to get as high up in the table as we can, we just can’t get too excited, we have to start well” With a new Premiership season looming, an opportunity for Sale’s new recruits to showcase their skills at the highest-level beckons and Ashton is impressed with the international names and the academy graduates that have joined the side this year: “It’s just good to see a group of players come in fit and in shape, they’re keen to learn and get to training, that pushes everyone on. We’ve got a good group of young lads coming through but once the games get going that’s the difficult time. Maybe you don’t get picked and you’re constantly pushing for it, that’s when it gets tough. In the summer and you’re training it’s not easy but it’s easier when you’re pushing for a place, so let’s hope they do that throughout the season and they play well when they’re picked. The majority of the new lads who have come in are international players, so I’m really looking forward to seeing them” The Sharks come up against Gloucester in the season opener, the same side they finished the 18/19 campaign against in a thrilling 46-41 win at the AJ Bell back in May. Despite the game being an attractive display of attacking play, Ashton has made it clear that Saturday won’t be a similar high scoring affair, with both side’s defences looking to stand tall: “It was a typical end of season game, the sun’s out and everyone knows they’ve got some time off coming up so they want to score tries more than they want to defend. I think it’ll be a very different game to start the season, the defence will be a lot tighter for both teams” We wish Chris Ashton and the rest of Sale Sharks the best of luck this Saturday against Gloucester and stay tuned to see who our Morson Game Changer from week one is! Stay up to date and read more Morson Sport news here
read more
INDUSTRY NEWS | 3 MIN READ Bentley Motors has taken another step on its journey to becoming the world’s most sustainable luxury car manufacturer. Their factory headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire has been given the internationally recognised PAS 2060 standard for carbon neutrality. Bentley Motors has taken another step on its journey to becoming the world’s most sustainable luxury car manufacturer by achieving carbon-neutral certification from the Carbon Trust. Their factory headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire has been given the internationally recognised PAS 2060 standard for carbon neutrality, reflecting the measures that Bentley has taken to reduce the carbon emitted in its operations, including the use of renewable electricity. The reason for their achievement? 100% of Bentley’s electricity is now generated by either on-site solar panels or purchased as certified green electricity. Not only that, all emissions that are unable to be eliminated are compensated with high-quality offsets. Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors, said: “While 2019 has marked Bentley’s centenary, our focus is now on preparing the business for the next 100 years. We want to lead the way in the delivery of sustainable luxury mobility – by providing our customers with products and services that reflect their own values. We are very conscious of our responsibility to consider the environmental, social and economic impact of our organisation, and today’s news is just the latest stage in this journey.” Earlier this year we reported that Bentley had built the UK’s largest solar carport. You can read more about this unique innovation here. In May Bentley installed the solar carport of 10,000 solar panels, which have a capacity of 2.7MW, cover 1,378 car parking spaces and an area of 16,426m², enough to cover two football pitches. The solar carport takes Bentley’s total on-site solar panel energy capacity to 7.7MW, enough to cover over 1,750 homes. This includes the 2013 rooftop installation of 20,815 panels with the total number of individual solar panels on-site in Crewe now 30,815. John Newton, Head of Certification, the Carbon Trust, said: “The Carbon Trust is pleased to certify Bentley’s factory headquarters to PAS 2060, demonstrating its carbon neutrality. The initiatives that Bentley has undertaken to achieve this certification demonstrate the company’s commitment to becoming more sustainable.” To secure the PAS 2060 certification, Gold Standard carbon credits have been purchased to offset the emissions that occur during the manufacturing process. The quantity and quality of these credits have been independently verified by the Carbon Trust, the world’s leading independent certification body for carbon footprints. Watch the video below... Bentley is now accelerating its push towards electrification with the introduction of the first fully electric Bentley which is expected to launch in 2025. The luxury British marque has also just brought to market the first luxury plug-in hybrid, the Bentayga Hybrid, and aims to have hybrid variants of all models by 2023 and a BEV by 2025. Involved in over 2 out of every 3 vehicles built in the UK every day, Morson has some of the most exciting automotive jobs in the motor industry. Search Automotive and Motorsport jobs now.
read more
Get the latest insights from Morson
MORSON BLOG MORSON NEWS MORSON SPORTS NEWS
CTP Event Telford - Morson Forces
Join our Morson Forces team at the CTP event in Telford. Working closely on military establishments throughout the country, Morson are committed to securing long-standing careers for ex-forces pers...
Read moreMorson feature on SIA Fastest Growing US Staffing Companies list
By James Kenealey Read moreAll you need to know about contractor pay types - PAYE
Read moreContractor pay types explained – what is an umbrella company?
Read moreFrom mum to management, postnatal depression and inspiring women into rail – Charlotte Curtis from First Group talks about her career
Read moreHow meditation affects your brain and improves job performance
Read more5 words you should eliminate from your professional vocabulary
Read moreMorson Launch IR35 Contractor Report
Read moreMorson Building Partnerships - New MSP Recruitment Venture with Pochins
Read more