Management – Jaxstar Solutions

What is the ICO and do I need to register?

Al — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 21:55:26 +0000

Registering with the ICO is not normally on the top of your to-do list, or even on your radar when it comes to running your business. But it is a legal requirement for many so is worth investigating.

In this blog, we’ll explain exactly what the ICO is and whether or not you need to do anything.

What is the ICO?

The ICO is an independent authority set up to protect individual’s data. It’s there to uphold your right to own your own data and have a say in how other people can use it.

You’ll have heard of GDPR – the regulation set up to protect data. The ICO is the body that enforces it.

Do I need to register?

Almost every business will need to register with the ICO, from large corporations all the way to sole traders, groups and clubs. This is because you hold ‘personal information’, which is information that can identify someone either directly or indirectly (a name or an IP address, for example). Check if you are eligible, here: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/self-assessment/

There are very few exceptions, most of which don’t apply to the majority of businesses, so it’s easier to talk about who doesn’t have to apply.

On the ICO website, the exemptions are listed for those who process data only for the following purposes:

Staff administration
Advertising, marketing and public relations (don’t be fooled by this one – you almost certainly don’t fall into the strict guidelines for this)
Accounts and records
Not-for-profit purposes
Personal, family or household affairs
Maintaining a public register
Judicial functions
Processing personal information without an automated system such as a computer

What happens if I don’t register

You are breaking the law if you are processing data and have not paid the fee. Fines for not paying range from £400 to £4,000.

How do I register?

Registering is really simple. All you have to do is go to the website (I’ve put the link at the bottom of this blog) and answer 7-8 yes/no/tick box questions. They ask about:

Use of CCTV
Whether you process personal information (just having it counts as ‘processing’)
Whether you do that electronically
If you’re responsible for how that information is used
Whether it is used for exempt purposes only
What purpose you’re processing it for
Whether it’s for certain ‘core business purposes’ (the list of exemptions above)

The last one might trip you up as the business activities include marketing and accounting records, but think of it like this: if you send emails, you almost certainly need to register.

Fees

The fees are divided into three tiers:

Tier 1 – micro organisations – £40 per year

You can pay by credit or debit card, or by direct debit. With the direct debit, you get a £5 discount (on tier one) and you get an email reminder every year about the next payment due. See the website for more information, here: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/how-much-will-i-need-to-pay/

You have a maximum turnover of £632,000 for your financial year or no more than 10 members of staff.

Tier 2 – small and medium organisations – £60

You have a maximum turnover of £36 million for your financial year or no more than 250 members of staff.

Tier 3 – large organisations – £2,900

If you do not meet the criteria for tier 1 or tier 2, you have to pay the tier 3 fee of £2,900.

Summary

The easiest way for you to check for yourself if you need to register is to go to the ICO website and take their self-assessment:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/self-assessment/

You can also go straight to the registration page here:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/register/

If you have any questions or want help with your ICO registration, we are always happy to go through it with you. Call us for a free 15 minute ‘ask me anything’ and we’ll get you set up in no time.

For more tips on systems and processes that help grow your business, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Get a little superstar treatment by contacting us on:

Email: info@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk

Telephone: 020 3362 4436

Mobile: 07811 393520

Website: https://www.jaxstarsolutions.co.uk/

Top tips for calendar management

Al — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 21:50:23 +0000

Today’s busy lifestyle creates a very time-poor environment. With so many things to do, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to complete everything.

This blog gives you some tips for managing your calendar better so that you can claim some of that time back.

What is calendar management?

Calendar management is the process of actively organising your time in order to create the most productive and realistic plan. It includes work tasks, meetings, calls, trips, client work, school runs… whatever you need to do each day.

What are the benefits of proper calendar management?

Calendar management can help you with:

Prioritising the important ‘must-do’ tasks that can get pushed aside
Efficiency and productivity by planning ahead so there’s less time wasted
Organisation of teams, meetings, calls, goals…
Finding achievement in getting things done
Insight into where your time goes.

Tips for managing your calendar

There are different ways to manage your calendar so you need to find what works best for you. Below are some tips that could help, so try them out and see what sticks!

Review

Review what you need to get done each day and week before you start. This way you can decide in advance what your focus will be and be prepared for what’s ahead. Start by writing down the top three tasks for the day.

Block booking and batching

Carve out blocks of time for different tasks and where possible, batch like tasks together.

For example, if you need to write 5 posts this week, block out a set amount of time and do all 5 together. This allows you to focus on one thing and stops you from flitting between different tasks.

This works for any type of task as well as client work. It’s also a great habit to get into for email management – block a certain amount of time in the day to deal with emails and don’t look at them at any other time.

Calendar scheduler

Use Calendly (https://calendly.com/) or another similar calendar scheduler to book appointments. You set times within the app that you are available for meetings and then just send the other person a link to book whenever suits them.

This way you avoid wasting time going back and forth trying to fix dates and times that work for you both.

Merge calendars

This works well for personal and works calendars as well as collaborative team calendars. Putting all the information in one place will give you a much better idea of how the week should pan out.

Colour code

Colour coding helps you see at a glance what’s in store for the day, and some people find it very useful for avoiding being overwhelmed by a large list.

Know yourself

Know when you’re at your peak – for many it’s first thing in the morning – and plan your tasks around that. Tasks that require more mental power should be planned for peak time and lighter tasks for when energy wanes, usually after lunch.

Time track to have a better idea of how long things take

Track how long tasks take so that when you’re planning out your calendar you can be more accurate with timescales. Leave some flexibility in your calendar so as to not get stressed when things don’t go to plan.