Could Smarter Employee Benefits Help Businesses Retain Their Best People?

With employers continuing to face rising costs, a Hampshire accountancy and business advice firm is urging businesses to consider tax-efficient rewards and benefits as a way of retaining valued employees.

HWB Chartered Accountants says organisations should look beyond simply increasing salaries and examine the wider range of incentives available.

The advice coincided with National Payroll Week, running from 7–11 September, and comes as employers prepare for the Chancellor’s Budget on 28 October and any further impact it may have on business costs.

Gary Brown, director at HWB (PICTURED) told That's Business that competitive salaries remain essential for recruitment and retention. However, businesses may be able to use their existing reward budgets more creatively to improve staff engagement and loyalty.

“For many businesses, the challenge is not simply attracting people but keeping the good people they already have,” he said.

“At a time when employers are facing significant cost pressures, increasing salaries across the board is not always the only, or most sustainable, answer.”

Options can include tax-advantaged employee share schemes, subject to eligibility requirements. These include Enterprise Management Incentives, Save As You Earn schemes, Company Share Option Plans and Share Incentive Plans.

Businesses may also use “trivial benefits” to provide small gestures of appreciation without creating an Income Tax or National Insurance liability, provided all relevant conditions are met.

Generally, a trivial benefit must cost no more than £50, cannot be cash or a cash voucher, must not form part of an employee’s contract and cannot be given as a reward for particular work or performance.

Long-service awards offer another opportunity to recognise loyalty. Qualifying non-cash awards may be exempt from tax where an employee has completed at least 20 years’ service and has not received a similar award during the previous ten years.

Other possibilities include employee suggestion schemes, recognition awards, staff social events, additional training, career development opportunities and flexible working arrangements.

However, businesses should avoid introducing benefits simply because they appear attractive. Employers need to understand what their employees genuinely value, what the business can afford and how each benefit will be treated for tax purposes. Professional advice may be appropriate before introducing a new scheme.

National Payroll Week is organised by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals. It recognises the contribution made by payroll professionals who ensure millions of UK employees are paid correctly and on time.

HWB is based at Chandler’s Ford, near Southampton, and provides business and tax advice. Further information about its payroll services can be found at www.hwb-accountants.com.

From Royal Mail to ‘Royal Fail’: What Has Gone Wrong With Britain’s Postal Service?

There was a time when Royal Mail was regarded as one of those dependable British institutions. 

Post a First Class letter and there was a very good chance it would arrive the following morning.

Today, disgruntled customers increasingly refer to the service as “Royal Fail.” 

It is an unflattering nickname, but the official figures suggest that the dissatisfaction behind it cannot simply be dismissed as grumbling.

According to Ofcom, during 2025/26 Royal Mail delivered just 75.7% of First Class mail within one working day, against the then target of 93%. Second Class achieved 90.2% within three working days, against a target of 98.5%.

Even more strikingly, Royal Mail failed to achieve its local First Class target in any of the 118 postcode areas measured during 2025/26. It also completed only 77.4% of daily delivery routes against a 99.9% target.

There are some areas were mail deliveries have fallen from six days out of seven to once a week, or even worse.

Some areas report mail delivery staff repeatedly delivering mail to the wrong address which then has to be re-delivered to the correct addresses by residents.

So what has gone wrong?

Part of the problem is that Royal Mail is trying to operate a network designed for a very different age.

Twenty years ago it was handling around 20 billion letters annually. By 2025 that had fallen to approximately 6.5 billion. Yet Royal Mail still has to maintain a nationwide delivery network serving millions of addresses.

That creates a difficult economic equation: fewer letters travelling through a network that still has to reach virtually every home and business in Britain.

But declining letter volumes cannot excuse persistent poor performance. Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million in October 2025 for missing its 2024/25 targets, following fines of £10.5 million for 2023/24 and £5.6 million for 2022/23.

There is also the question of priorities. Parcels have become increasingly important commercially as online shopping has expanded. Ofcom's current investigation into Royal Mail's 2025/26 performance specifically says it will consider the issue of parcel prioritisation.

For businesses, meanwhile, unreliable letters aren't merely inconvenient. Late invoices, contracts, replacement bank cards, legal documents and appointment letters can have genuine consequences.

Are lower standards the answer?

Ofcom has now changed the Universal Service requirements. From April 2026, the First Class target became 90% delivered the next working day and the Second Class target 95% within three working days. Second Class letters can also move to alternate-weekday delivery.

Importantly, new safeguards require 99% of First Class letters to arrive within three working days and 99% of Second Class letters within five.

There is a danger, however, that continually changing targets can look suspiciously like redefining success rather than improving the service.

How can Royal Mail be fixed?

First, Royal Mail needs sufficient frontline staff and realistic workloads so that completing delivery rounds becomes the norm rather than the exception.

Secondly, modernisation is unavoidable. Sorting, route planning, tracking and automation should be used to make postal workers more productive rather than simply cutting costs.

Thirdly, regulation needs teeth. Repeated fines clearly haven't yet produced consistently acceptable performance. Indeed, Parliament's Business and Trade Committee concluded in May 2026 that Ofcom had failed to drive improvements quickly enough.

There are signs that change may finally be coming. Royal Mail has committed to investing £500 million over five years as part of its improvement programme, while the new delivery model is expected to be rolled out by Christmas 2026.

But ultimately the test is remarkably simple.

Customers buy a First Class stamp because they expect First Class service. Businesses use Royal Mail because they expect their post to arrive reliably. People should not have to wonder whether an important letter will take one day, three days or considerably longer.

Royal Mail doesn't need another slogan or corporate reorganisation nearly as much as it needs to rediscover something much simpler: reliability.

If that happens, perhaps the “Royal Fail” nickname will eventually disappear.

Until then, unfortunately, Royal Mail has given its critics plenty of ammunition.

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Multi-network SIM technology supports sensitive remote surveillance by private eyes and others

The Covert Group is using KeySIM’s multi-network Internet of Things (IoT) SIM cards to provide reliable connectivity for remotely operated CCTV cameras and surveillance applications during sensitive security deployments.

The company designs and manufactures its own covert cameras, apps and supporting technology for professional investigators, surveillance teams, law enforcement organisations and councils. 

Its equipment can be deployed for both short-term and long-term operations in urban, rural and remote locations.

The Covert Group has worked with KeySIM for four years, and its connected equipment is now used by hundreds of private investigators.

Reliable connectivity is vital during surveillance work. Authorised users must be able to access footage, manage cameras and respond to changing operational requirements without visiting the deployment site.

However, covert cameras are often installed in places where fixed broadband or Wi-Fi is unavailable. Mobile coverage can also vary significantly, making a SIM card tied to a single mobile network unsuitable for many operations.

The Covert Group selected KeySIM’s unsteered multi-network IoT SIM, which can connect through Vodafone, O2, EE and Three in the UK, as well as participating networks overseas. This gives deployed equipment a better opportunity to establish and maintain a mobile connection, even when the strongest network cannot be identified beforehand.

KeySIM’s cards are installed in Teltonika routers connected to The Covert Group’s cameras and applications. Authorised investigators can use the KeySIM VPN and the SIM’s private IP address to access and control the router and associated equipment remotely.

Teltonika routers can also receive SMS commands, providing an alternative way to control or reconfigure equipment if the normal data connection becomes unavailable.

Another important consideration is the possibility that covert equipment may be lost, damaged or discovered during a deployment. KeySIM operates without a minimum contract, enabling The Covert Group to cancel a subscription immediately if a camera or router cannot be recovered.

Vernon Griffiths, founder of The Covert Group, said connectivity was a critical part of the company’s complete surveillance system.

“If equipment loses its connection at the wrong moment, vital footage can be lost or become inaccessible, which can have serious consequences for an investigation,” he explained to That's Business.

Graham Robinson, Managing Director of KeySIM, said the combination of multi-network access, secure VPN connectivity, private IP addresses and SMS control gives investigators several ways to communicate with deployed equipment.

For The Covert Group, bringing together purpose-built cameras, supporting applications and flexible connectivity provides surveillance professionals with a practical system designed for the unpredictable conditions encountered during real-world investigations.

https://www.keysim.co.uk

Rural Broadband Adopts KeySIM for Flexible Countryside Connectivity

Rural Broadband founder and Managing Director Richard Dix is using KeySIM’s multi-network Internet of Things (IoT) SIM cards to provide temporary and ad hoc internet connectivity in rural locations.

Dix has over 40 years of experience in computing and communications technology. His interest began when he acquired a Sinclair ZX80 in 1980, at the dawn of the home computer revolution. 

He became a Mac user in 1989 and subsequently developed extensive expertise in computer support, mobile broadband, fixed connectivity, event Wi-Fi and broadcasting.

In 2000, Dix established Rural Broadband from his former family farm in Heacham, West Norfolk. This rural background gave him first-hand knowledge of the connectivity difficulties facing homes, farms and businesses situated beyond the reach of dependable fixed-line services.

Today, Rural Broadband specialises in delivering internet access in places where conventional solutions are unavailable or unsuitable. Its services include mobile broadband, fibre-to-the-cabinet solutions and temporary Wi-Fi for businesses and events, including festivals and county shows held in fields and other challenging locations.

Dix is also a director of West Norfolk community broadcaster KL1 Radio and is involved with local information platform Town and Around.

KeySIM provides Rural Broadband with another flexible tool for temporary installations. A single SIM can connect to Vodafone, O2, EE or Three, removing the need to carry and swap several network-specific SIM cards.

Through KeySIM’s Network Steerer, the SIM can also be remotely directed towards a selected mobile network. Its pay-per-megabyte pricing model is particularly suitable for temporary internet services, occasional assignments and equipment that only connects intermittently.

“For temporary internet access, events and ad hoc work, KeySIM is a great option,” Dix told That's Business.

“We can arrive with one SIM that has access to Vodafone, O2, EE and Three instead of trying to predict which network will work best.

“That flexibility is particularly valuable in the countryside, where coverage can change considerably from one location to another.”

Graham Robinson, founder of KeySIM, said Dix understood that there was no universal answer to rural connectivity.

“KeySIM gives him another practical tool, particularly for temporary installations and ad hoc work where access to all four major UK networks through one SIM can make a real difference,” he explained.

The collaboration brings together Dix’s technical experience and understanding of rural communities with KeySIM’s flexible approach to mobile connectivity, helping Rural Broadband respond more efficiently when reliable internet access is required at temporary, remote or unpredictable locations.

https://www.keysim.co.uk

https://ruralbroadband.co.uk