What does ‘furlough’ mean?

Being furloughed means employees are kept on the payroll, even though they aren’t working for your salon or barbershop.  The minimum time employees can be furloughed for is 3 weeks.

Why does furloughing help my business?

If you furlough your employees the government will pay you 80% of their usual monthly wages before tax as of 28 February, up to a maximum of £2,500 per person per month.  The government will also pay for employer’s National Insurance Contributions and the minimum employer’s pension contributions.

How do I apply?

Through HMRC, although their online portal may not be open until the end of April 2020.

Who can be furloughed?

Employees, whether they work full-time or part-time or if their hours vary.  They must have been on your payroll on or before 28 February 2020. 

How do I furlough my employees?

If you’re an NHBF Member, you have access to ready-to-use legal letters for your employees.  These explain what furlough means and what happens next.  If you’re not an NHBF Member, you need to take legal advice about furloughing.

What can employees do while on furlough?

While they are on furlough, employees can’t earn money for your business and they can’t provide services to your business.  If they do either of these, you will have to pay them for the time they are working for you.

What about holidays?

Employees can’t be on holiday while they are furloughed.  

You must cancel any holidays employees have booked during furlough.  They can take those days back another time once your salon/barbershop has re-opened.

What about Easter bank holidays?

There are two bank holidays coming up over Easter. If your employees ​normally take bank holidays out of their holiday allowance, you must cancel these two days and put the days back into their annual leave pot.  If your employees would normally have been working on a bank holiday, these two days will ​remain in their holiday allowance. 

Do holidays build up while employees are furloughed?

Yes.  When they return to work, they will be entitled to the holiday they built up while they were furloughed.
 

What if everyone wants to take holidays at the same time?

The government has said that up to 4 weeks of holidays from this year can be spread over the next two years.

This is only a short summary.  For more details about the information given above and the coronavirus job retention scheme see the NHBF coronavirus hub: www.nhbf.co.uk/coronavirus

Follow the National Hair & Beauty Federation on social @nhbfsocial.

While this remains a difficult time for us all, we truly hope that Issue 13 of BarberEVO North American brings you some inspiration and a little bit of light in the dark.

In these uncertain times, when barbershops across North America have been forced to close, it is important that we continue to inspire each other, knowing that this will come to an end.

To provide some hope, we spoke to Anna Elliott, owner of Doc’s Barbershop in Shanghai, China, who has finally been able to reopen her shop doors and is getting back to business. We also asked our columnist and social media guru Tyrik Jackson to share his top tips on how to make the best of a bad situation and use your down time to grow and develop.

Inside this issue, we’re taking a closer look at barbershop interiors, exploring the unique style and décor of some of North America’s most awe-inspiring aesthetics, from the vintage style of Ludlow Blunt to the modern minimalism of Juice Toronto.  

Now, we know most barbershops these days offer a nip of whiskey or a cold beer with their service, but what about a full-blown café or even a Caribbean street food restaurant? Yes, they exist and we’re finding out what makes the worlds of food and fading collide.  

Elsewhere, we’re talking to our columnists about the world of cosmetology and how the line between it and barbering is becoming more and more blurred – a development that most would agree can only be a positive thing. 

If that wasn’t enough, we have a whole host of exclusive interviews with the likes of WAHL Barber Battle winner Andy Rosario, the original barber doll herself Brandi Lashay, Andis Global Educator Lici Lady Barber, the team behind Rum Barber in Scotland, and of course, our cover star, SCurl Brand Ambassador and all-around star, Sipp the Surgeon. 

We hope, above all, that you stay safe, stay healthy, and we will see you all soon. 

Order your copy here: https://bit.ly/3462HGT

When Schedulicity first launched their small business grant program, #SchedulicityCares, it was in recognition of how important every dollar is when you are working for yourself.

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In a statement earlier this week, Schedulicity CEO Jerry Nettuno announced that he would be waiving subscription fees for three months.

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American Crew UK has announced this year’s All-Star winners for the UK and Ireland.

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Byrd Mena and Lisa Finucane have successfully executed the first dates of DISRUPTOUR, powered by Wahl Professional, in San Diego California and Las Vegas, Nevada, kicking off a year-long US tour of high end barbering, hairdressing, social media and photography techniques.

The tour encompasses the best in barber and hairdressing education and is hosted by internationally recognized Byrd Mena. The troupe of highly regarded barbers are embarking on a 17 city tour in 2020 to bring an intimate ‘rock show’ of hair to those hungry for the latest in all things barbering.

“The goal is to bring solid education, relevant techniques, and an unprecedented elevation of the barbering educational experience,” says Lisa Finucane, National Director of Education with Wahl Professional. The DISRUPTOUR will be a global merry go round of the best talent in the industry – no two events are the same!

General admission tickets are $150, while the VIP DISTRUPTOUR Experience ticket is $250, which includes a souvenir lanyard, preferred seating and a LIMITED EDITION DISRUPTOUR MAGIC CLIP.

To find out about upcoming dates, get tickets and see artist line ups, visit www.disruptour.com.

Following the release of the emergency decrees to limit the spread of Novel Coronavirus in Italy, as well as the latest restrictions confirmed by other countries in Europe, Asia and the American continent to limit international travels, BolognaFiere Cosmoprof SpA, the organizer of the event, has announced a further postponement of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2020 to the 3-7th September 2020.

“Since the beginning of the emergency linked to the outbreak of Coronavirus in Italy on 23 February, we have been constantly monitoring the situation, with the aim of identifying the best solutions to support the cosmetic industry – says Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere.

“The restrictions affecting our country and the limitations on international travels announced by other nations do not currently create the necessary preconditions for the business and networking activities at the basis of a global event such as Cosmoprof. The decision to further postpone the show in September, also based on evident prudential reasons related to the health emergency, is the result of a responsible dialogue with associations and institutions, with the common goal of creating the best scenario for the relaunch of the sector. “

“Cosmoprof in an international event, which every year attracts over 265,000 operators from 150 countries to Bologna. The actual restrictions are limiting the presence in Italy of buyers, distributors and retailers from the main markets in Europe, Asia and America for the next few months, thus draining the lifeblood of our event as well -, says Enrico Zannini, General Manager of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof SpA.

“Today more than ever we are therefore called to act with responsibility, to protect the investments and production activities of our 3,000 exhibitors and to support the sector. In September, we will work together with beauty companies and operators in the relaunch and development of the industry on a global level.”

In the next months, BolognaFiere Cosmoprof will devote its attention to the reorganization of the scheduled business activities and initiatives, to guarantee companies and operators a high-quality edition of Cosmoprof, in the name of the prestige that the brand has been able to conquer worldwide in more than 50 years.

For further information, www.cosmoprof.com

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced recently a £500 million boost for self-employed workers hit by coronavirus, but stopped short of meeting demands to extend statutory sick pay to all. So, how will this affect barbers and shop owners?

According to reports, the budget would make sick pay available for all those advised to self isolate during the outbreak, even if they do not have symptoms. Unfortunately though, this will not extend to zero hours workers or those who are self employed.

Instead, self employed workers will be given help through a £500m boost to the benefits system, including a temporary halt to the minimum floor in universal credit and quicker payments for employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants.

Local authorities will also be given a £500m hardship fund, also scrapping the need for claimants to attend job centre appointments in person and small businesses will be given government help to meet the cost of statutory sick pay.

We asked some of our columnists for their thoughts on the coronavirus and some advice on how to keep your staff safe and protect your business.

Dan Davies: “The main thing is that both staff and barbers are safe. If you are feeling under the weather, spot a colleague is not right or indeed if a customer is showing systems it’s best to act on the side of caution. Hygiene is always of paramount importance, even more now wash your hands after every client and ensure they are dry. Fresh alcohol wipes and Salonside for all equipment.”

“Salonside is my favourite disinfectant. It comes in refillable sprays and is water based so it acts 10x quicker than oil based brands. I always wipe the chair, combs and brushes after every client with this. It gives people a sense of protection and needs to be taken into consideration in these uncertain times. The main thing everyone needs to do is take the advice of professionals seriously. There are a lot of really crazy things on social media about the virus. Keep calm and follow the professional advice given by the government.”

Luke Dolan: “COVID-19 has now been updated to a pandemic virus and it’s a very real threat to everything, but it’s not the illness that is the threat, it’s the hysteria and breakdown in the system because of it that will bring the real chaos. Yes, be vigilant, stay clean and sanitised, clean your hands before and after cuts, maintain the highest level of bacterial cleanliness you can.

“That said, what we have no control over is hospitals being over run, people won’t come out of their homes, business’ will plummet and appointments will fall off the radar. We may have areas of the country that will be told to stay home and be on lock down, so be prepared. Plan for the worst case scenario.

“Events are being cancelled in October. That’s no joke and means that a six months stretch of bad business could be coming our way. Speak to your landlords, clarify with your utility companies of allowances and if any can be given. Making calls and emails now will keep anxiety levels at a minimum when the virus actually goes widespread and if you get the virus you’ll be quarantined for two weeks minimum, and the last thing you want to think about are bills.”

“Make plans now. The virus is a real threat, but the chaos that it might bring is the unknown entity. As a boss, your responsibility lies with keeping your workforce safe and your client base, and making sure you’re ready for anything.”

Vikki Harrison-Smith: “We are encouraging those who feel unwell to stay at home and cancel appointments. We have put more hand sanitisers dotted around the academy for clients, students and staff. Gloves are readily available for those wanting to use them for work.

“Friendly reminders are up in the toilets to wash hands and there is a hand washing guide up too. Disposable paper towels to dry hands or the air dryer. As always, reinforcing sanitisation on all stations and equipment.”

We’ll continue to provide updates as and when we have them, but make sure you pay attention to local guidelines and safety procedures.

Uppercut Deluxe has announced that it has raised an incredible $27,019.52 AUD for the Australian Bushfire Appeal, thanking its supporters for buying the special shirts to raise funds for the cause.

In total, 805 shirts were purposed and are now making their way all across the world, from Singapore and Japan to Italy and Sweden. The money raised has been split evenly between CFA, NSW RFS, CFS AND WIRES, with each organisation receiving $6,754.88.

A representative for Uppercut Deluxe said: “The support the global community has offered to Australia in the wake of the fires has been nothing short of amazing. We’re very humbled to see the support and generosity offered by the Uppercut network and it was a truly great moment to hand over the money to these deserving organisations.

Luster’s SCurl announced in late February that Sheldon Edwards of HD Cuts London has officially joined the team as their latest Global Ambassador.

Sheldon joins the likes of Kenny Duncan, Sipp the Surgeon and Dave Diggs, who represent the SCurl brand.

Reginald Maynor, Director of International Business at Luster Products, was there to present Sheldon with his certificate, while Sheldon was on hand to sign copies of BarberEVO UK & Ireland Issue 19, where he was featured talking about the latest barber trends.

Reginald said: “This is a fantastic union with Luster SCurl – watch this space and follow this man because he wants to inspire and empower and he cares – he is leading by example.”