The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 27: Oct/Nov 2016 | Page 26

Mars and Venus . Do women and men have different levels of emotional intelligence ?

Business Psychologist Jan de Jonge gives us his insight .
In the world of work , a person ’ s specific ability is a key aspect when deciding about someone ’ s suitability for a job role or a promotion . Apart from that , motivation and specific dimensions of a person ’ s personality are key important factors that predict job success .
And then , of course , the notion of ‘ cultural fit ’ comes into play - this is linked to diversity .
Gender diversity ( or : equality between men and women ) is a hotly debated topic . Fair pay is said to be even more important for people when they are considering changing jobs than job satisfaction .
Women , on average , are likely to earn some £ 300,000 less than men over their working lives .
This gender pay gap still exists - despite increased attention to it .
Are men and women really that different ? Do men and women differ in the extent to which they recognise , use and manage emotions ( emotions , feelings , in themselves and in others ) in order to build relationships , make decisions and deal with stress ? In short , do women and men really have different levels of emotional intelligence ?
Psychological research suggests that contrary to what ‘ culture ’ may ( want to ) habitually tell us and we may like to believe , men and women do not differ noticeably in overall levels of Emotional
Intelligence . Any differences in for example ‘ Self-Awareness ’, ‘ Emotional Expression ’, ‘ Interpersonal Relationships ’, ‘ Empathy ’, ‘ Problem Solving ’, ‘ Self-regard ’ and ‘ Assertiveness ’ are found to be small . The largest difference is on the aspect of ‘ Empathy ’: women score ( only slightly ) higher on this .
Men and women really do come from the same planet - more needs to be done to reduce the gender gap and embrace diversity .
For more info : www . peoplebusinesspsychology . com
02034 783 253

Launch of Thorne Brown Consulting

A new consultancy has been launched in Wiltshire aimed at helping companies find unidentified internal funding . It aims to achieve this by helping companies save money on their research and development costs and helping commercial property owners to identify capital allowances .
Director Ian Brown has worked for the last six years as an independent consultant helping businesses save money through tax utilising legitimate allowances the Government grants .
Thorne Brown Consulting Ltd will be working predominantly with Inspire and its members , and is the only Inspire partner that specialises in identifying capital allowances and research and development tax credits .
In terms of Research and Development savings , Ian can help identify activities that are taking place within a business that qualify for tax credits . It is thought that only around 1 in 5 companies that
are eligible claim and yet the average credit for those that do is almost £ 50,000 . Ian said : “ Many businesses are working on bespoke software , food production , business research , manufacturing and many other technological advances without guaranteed outcomes . It ’ s these firms I want to talk to and work with , to help them save on their bottom line , releasing cash flow to spend on further development and growth .
Businesses and individuals can save with capital allowances . The Government wants to incentivise businesses to invest in plant and machinery and although a lot of what
goes into a property can ’ t be classed as this , certain items can . Ian ’ s team specialises in teasing out what qualifies as plant and machinery , things that qualify include central heating , air conditioning , data cabling and bathrooms . Making a successful capital allowances claim draws together surveying , accountancy and legal interpretation skills which mean most claims are constructed by specialist consultants .
Typically , 27 % of a properties purchase price could be offset against corporation or income tax giving substantial reductions in the amount payable over a number of years . Recent legislation changes make
it crucial to take advice if considering a purchase . Thorne Brown Consulting charges a percentage fee , depending on the result achieved for the client with the aim that the client saves more than the fee in the first year .
Thorne Brown Consulting has strong relationships with many professional practices but as a partner looks to help Inspire members direct to ensure they are receiving the best possible advice .
@ fuellinggrowth
For more info : www . thornebrownconsulting . co . uk
26 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2016