Real Umbrella Company feedback
July 14, 2010 in Contractor News, Freelancing, Industry comment
When you look after over 10,000 contractors on a daily basis, you don’t always get things 100% right but the thing with Parasol is that we aim for 100% and if it’s not perfect we do all we can to make it so. Sometimes things are outside of our control but we always take ownership, sometimes we do get things wrong but we will put our hand up and rectify it. We got lots of really positive feedback and in 2010 it might seem that “testimonials” are old hat or quite often written by marketeers with little basis in truth. I can hand on heart say that all we have ever published is good honest genuine reaction to what we do and I am proud of our record and the dedication of our teams to consistently deliver service excellence. Here is a real example from today and says so much (I think) about our attitude to peoples livelihoods:
“First of all, thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly..I really do appreciate it.
I would just like to say (again!) how impressed I am with Parasol. Although I’ve ‘temped’ on and off for years, it’s the first time I’ve signed up with an umbrella company, and I have to admit I wasn’t sure what to expect! I checked out a few companies first, and the thing that really struck me about your company was how you seemed to be dedicated to providing a great service to your customers. So far I haven’t been disappointed…in fact, the exact opposite! You seem to offer a friendly, helpful, yet entirely professional service…and based on my experience so far I’d be more than happy to recommend you to other people in my position.”
We don’t ask for the plaudits, but are really happy when we get them as it’s real evidence that we care and are dedicated to doing the right thing.
by Rob Crossland
How was 2010 for you?
January 4, 2011 in Contractor News, Freelancing, Industry comment, Life, Recruiter News, Tax
Welcome to 2011 and very best wishes to everyone for the year ahead. Let’s hope it’s happy, healthy and of course prosperous. Here at Parasol and Clearsky we are looking forward to another busy year and as we approach our 11th year of trading, there is much to be done.
2010 was an interesting year in many respects, January 2010 saw the high profile collapse of an “Umbrella” company and I use the quotes as the reality of the model was once again exposed and the spectre of offshore activities discovered. The noise around the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) intensified as the reality began to sink in and this was followed by National Minimum Wage consultations and HMRC consultations on the overall operation of PAYE. The new Government then instigated the office of tax simplification and ir35 once again regained top spot in Contractor related news and debate. More offshore solutions came under pressure through some high profile collapses and alleged financial irregularities. So on the political landscape it was pretty full on and our founding membership of FCSA helped us contribute and educate on many of these issues for the (usually unseen) benefit of Contractors and Agencies alike.
The actual business of contracting was tough with roles and rates remaining a challenge. I am not sure 2011 will be hugely different but I think steady progression is better than boom and bust. As we progress through the year I also expect the noise around AWR to intensify, remember that the true employment based solution is already doing much of what AWR requires and this compliant solution will remain after October!
I therefore look forward to 2011 with sensible optimism and confidence that Contracting will remain a crucial part of the UK economy. We will be doing our very best to support this and have always been about the long term, here’s to the next ten years!!
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