County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce is calling on the public to get involved in the Tipperary Business Awards this year. There are thirteen categories to choose from and businesses can enter as many as they like. Chamber membership is not required, in fact the only requirement for entry is that the business must be based in County Tipperary and demonstrate excellence in their category of choice. For the first time, the County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce is offering the public a chance to get involved by nominating your favourite Tipperary businesses to take part in the awards.

There are lots of ways to nominate your favourite Tipperary businesses like sending them an email, giving them a call or mentioning it when you're in the store or at the business premises. Essentially, you are nominating them to encourage them to apply online to enter the awards. It is simple, quick and free to enter and the awards are independently judged. If the business is fortunate enough to be shortlisted or win a prestigious Tipperary Business Award, it offers them incredible media exposure, free publicity and promotion and ample PR opportunities!

To nominate by phone, email or in-store, simply encourage them to log on and submit an application on the County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce website. You can also tag them on any of the County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce social media posts about the awards stating 'I nominate you' and tag the business you would like to see enter an application for an award this year. This will give the administrator of their social media page a notification and all the info they need to find out more about the awards and how to enter.

Commenting on the roll out of the inaugural public nominations campaign, Chamber CEO, Michelle Aylward said “Businesses can enter the awards online themselves like in previous years but this year we have shaken things up and added the nomination campaign to get the public involved and reduce the barriers to entry. Our research identified that the greatest barriers to entry for a Tipperary Business Award include a lack of confidence and/or a lack of time. With that in mind, we have engaged the public to give their local business owners and managers a nomination to show their belief in them and to give them the confidence to enter, that’s what the nominations campaign is all about and we have also really simplified the application process so that it’s a quick and easy online application to solve the time obstacle too.”

The closing date for entry is Friday, 4th of June so start nominating today and for businesses who wish to crack on and enter, visit www.countytipperarychamber.com.

As previously mentioned but important to reiterate, membership of the Chamber is not a prerequisite for entry, the only requirement to enter is that the applicant must be a County Tipperary based business. With no less than thirteen categories to choose from, businesses can enter as many as they like, provided they meet the criteria set out in the award descriptor available online. The Tipperary Business Awards offer a unique opportunity for businesses across the entire county to gain free publicity and deserved notoriety for their entrepreneurial efforts and excellence in their field.

Participation in the awards programme offers Tipperary businesses the opportunity to promote their brand, recruit new customers and retain existing ones and build team morale. Awards recognise excellence in the following categories; Employer, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Retail, Marketing, Micro Business, S.M.E, Large Business, Not for Profit, Technology and Innovation, Start-Up or Emerging New Business, Tourism, Sports, Arts and Culture and Food, Beverage and Hospitality.

The County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce Business Awards would not be possible without the generous sponsorship of so many who are proudly supporting local businesses and awarding excellence via the awards programme. CEO Michelle Aylward, continued “We are most grateful to our main sponsor Boston Scientific for their commitment and ongoing support of the Tipperary Business Awards. We are also so appreciative of each of our valued category sponsors; MSD Ireland, ABP Food Group, O’Gorman Brannigan Purtill & Co., The Showgrounds Shopping Centre, AIB, Camida, Medite, C&C Group, Sepam, Tipperary Local Enterprise Office, County Tipperary Skillnet, our Educational Partner, Limerick Institute of Technology and our Wrap Party sponsor Red PR.” ​

Tipp Business Awards online applications now open!
Today, County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce launched their Business Awards online. This year the Business Awards will take place virtually at 3pm on Thursday, 4th November and from today applications are being sought at www.countytipperarychamber.com.
It is important to note that membership of the Chamber is not a prerequisite for entry, the only requirement to enter is that the applicant must be a County Tipperary based business. With no less than thirteen categories to choose from, businesses can enter as many as they like, provided they meet the criteria set out in the award descriptor available online. The Business Awards offer a unique opportunity to businesses across the entire county to gain free publicity and deserved notoriety for their entrepreneurial efforts and excellence in their field.
Awards include excellence in the following categories; Employer, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Retail, Marketing, Micro Business, S.M.E, Large Business, Not for Profit, Technology and Innovation, Start-Up or Emerging New Business, Tourism, Sports, Arts and Culture and Food, Beverage and Hospitality.
Completion of a simple online entry form on the County Tipperary Chamber website offers businesses from all across the Premier County the opportunity to engage in complimentary promotional and PR activities for their business.
The closing date for entries is on Friday, 4th of June. Business owners and managers from all four corners of Tipperary are encouraged to embrace this incredible opportunity to promote their business, build brand awareness, recruit new customers and retain existing ones through participation in the awards programme.
Speaking of the County Tipperary Chamber Business Awards, Chamber President, Paula Carney-Hoffler said “To win a County Tipperary Chamber Business Award is a great honour for anyone in business. Past winners regularly reach out to share their experiences with us reporting growth in sales, valuable media exposure and increased brand awareness and recognition as a result of their win. It is exciting to think that there are thirteen businesses out there right now considering entry, who will enjoy all of that and more this November and it’s wonderful to play a small role in making that happen. All it takes is a quick entry form online and you’re in with a chance so after what has been a tough year in business for so many of us, I encourage all Tipperary businesses to consider taking the leap of faith this year and entering the awards, it won’t cost you a cent but is worth its weight in gold!”
An independent judging panel has been appointed to adjudicate the awards on behalf of the Chamber to ensure the integrity of the process and that the very best winners are chosen in each category. They will thoroughly review all applications, shortlist the finalists in each category and from there they will deliberate and ultimately decide on the winners. It is important to note that shortlisted finalists and award winners will enjoy ample media exposure and the chance to align their brands with those who are deemed remarkable in their field throughout this process over the course of a six-month campaign.
Chamber CEO, Michelle Aylward said “We are so fortunate here at County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce to have so many local businesses willing to support others in business across the county through sponsorship of these very special awards. We’re most grateful to our main sponsor Boston Scientific for their commitment and ongoing support of the Business Awards. We are also most grateful to each of our valued category sponsors; MSD Ireland, ABP Food Group, O’Gorman Brannigan Purtill & Co., The Showgrounds Shopping Centre, AIB, Camida, C&C Group, Sepam, Tipperary Local Enterprise Office and County Tipperary Skillnet and our Educational Partner, Limerick Institute of Technology. The team at County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce are very much looking forward to working with each sponsor over the coming months to activate their sponsorships and ensure they enjoy all the associated benefits and return on investment for their goodwill and support of Tipperary businesses.” 

 Dear member,
 
​Reopening. It’s on every business owner’s mind right now. And, given that Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in late March that we were on the “final stretch of this terrible journey”, many sectors are likely to begin reopening from mid-May.
 
To help you best prepare for reopening your premises again, we’re hosting a free webinar on Thursday, 22nd April at 2pm with HR and health & safety consultant Peninsula.
 
This webinar will answer those key questions you might be having regarding returning to the workplace such as -

• How do I bring staff back and deal with those who don’t want to return?
• How do I ensure a COVID-safe environment when I reopen?
• Contact tracing and COVID-19 staff training.
• Do I need a COVID-19 Response Plan in the event of a new case in the workplace?
• How do I showcase duty of care and wellbeing for my staff and customers?

 
Helping your business reopen safely is what matters most to us, so we hope to see you at our webinar on 22nd April.
 
Register here: ​https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8791975765315524879
​

 
Please take note the following regarding the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme:
 
The TWSS (Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme) ran for the period 26th of March 2020 to 3rd of May 2020 (Transitional Phase) and from the 4th of May 2020 to the 31st of August 2020 (Operational Phase).
For any organisation that took advantage of the TWSS the process to reconcile the payment commenced on the 22nd of March 2021. The deadline for completion of the reconciliation is the 30th of June 2021.
The reconciliation is necessary because of the manner in which the Transitional Phase was operated. The main reason for the reconciliation is that the subsidy paid in the transitional period was an estimated amount and the Revenue paid the maximum benefit. The reconciliation will determine if there is an amount due back to the Revenue and calculate same.
For detailed information the Revenue have produced an employer guidance which can be access through the link below:
https://www.revenue.ie/en/employing-people/documents/twss/twss-reconciliation-guidance.pdf
The reconciliation does not relate to the subsequent EWSS (Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme) which commenced on the 1st of September 2020 and is still running. It is unlikely that there will be a requirement for a reconciliation in relation to this second scheme as it operates in a different fashion.
 
Regards,
Michelle Aylward
CEO
County Tipperary Chamber 
​

County Tipperary Chamber calls on Government to ease the intensified ‘COVID burden’ on women by introducing policies focused on flexible work, parenting equality and the provision of affordable childcare. This aim must be at the centre of the National Economic Plan to ensure women are not left behind during the economic recovery. The call by County Tipperary Chamber follows the publication of research which showed that over half (57%) of female entrepreneurs in Ireland found caring and home duties more difficult because of COVID-19 – a figure that is 11 percentage points higher than their European counterparts. A total of 52% said the pandemic had a “strong to severe” impact on their work-life balance. Speaking today, CEO Michelle Aylward, called for a national strategy on flexible working and more measures to support greater parenting equality. “Throughout the last year, research has indicated that the impact of the pandemic has been felt more strongly by women. This includes part-time workers who have lost their jobs to frontline workers in health and essential services. Increasing amounts of data show that the work-life balance of women in the workplace has suffered a significant decline. “Looking at Irish data specifically, 57% of female entrepreneurs noted that remote working made it more difficult to carry our caring and home duties. This figure is more than 10% higher than their European counterparts. The research is evidence of what we have been hearing from many of our members over the past year – which is that women in the workplace have been more likely to carry the weight of caring responsibilities and home duties during restrictions. “On International Women’s Day, our message to Government and policymakers is that we must ensure the long-term impact of the pandemic does not result in a permanently wider gender pay gap. Flexible working, parenting equality and investment in affordable childcare must be at the centre of the National Economic Plan and the Government’s response to the recovery.

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