ONS Business Surveys

[trickywoo]

Anyone else got on a list for the ONS surveys recently?

I got a quarterly one last month and a monthly one today.

Apart from having to create an account and subsequently type in a 12 symbol code for each survey its not time consuming but it seems a waste of time. I have one employee (me) and a miniscule turnover which is randomly variable over the year. I have no idea what use that is to them.

They also seem to only communicate via letter. The one that arrived today is dated 26th June and has all kinds of dire legal warnings that I need to complete it by 10th July. What would happen if I was away?

Can you request to be removed from the list?

[MaxFromage]

You can't ask to be removed. It's random to a degree, but some companies get asked a lot more often than others. Legally you have to complete. I had one client who refused for a long time but I think they gave in eventually.

[48k]

Ive had scary looking ONS letters to my home address for a company I've never heard of. According to Companies House the company was dissolved in 2015. Makes you wonder how reliable their statistics are if they are sending stuff to non existent companies.

[Ham_and_Jam]

I’ve done a few of them. Takes 10-20 mins every couple of years.

[trickywoo]

Ham_and_Jam said:

I ve done a few of them. Takes 10-20 mins every couple of years.

I can cope with that. I thought it was going to be a monthly plus quarterly thing as I've had two in a row.

[psi310398]

I used to get them and the questions seldom bore any relevance to my business’ activity so I’d guess an answer; there doesn’t appear to be any consequence to filling them in with any random rubbish that comes to mind.

[MaxFromage]

trickywoo said:

I can cope with that. I thought it was going to be a monthly plus quarterly thing as I've had two in a row.

The monthly ones should last about a year, possibly longer.

[trickywoo]

MaxFromage said:

trickywoo said:

I can cope with that. I thought it was going to be a monthly plus quarterly thing as I've had two in a row.

The monthly ones should last about a year, possibly longer.

That's not ideal. For what its worth I put a comment to the effect they are barking up the wrong tree on the last submission so will see what happens.

[JagLover]

Ham_and_Jam said:

I ve done a few of them. Takes 10-20 mins every couple of years.

It takes somewhat longer where I work to put it mildly (large charity). I think the biggest issue with them is deadlines. Our year end is 31 March, and you can prepare to 31 March instead of their date of 31 December, but the deadline remains as if it is 31 Dec.

I would question as well how much value it adds as we do not prepare accounts splitting income and expenditure in the categories they use and haven't got the time to split it with much care.

[trickywoo]

JagLover said:

I would question as well how much value it adds as we do not prepare accounts splitting income and expenditure in the categories they use and haven't got the time to split it with much care.

They probably rely on the sheer volume of data to even out the submissions but its not a particularly good way to go about the process. I'm in a similar business and wouldn't think about gathering data anything like that.

[Paul Dishman]

MaxFromage said:

trickywoo said:

I can cope with that. I thought it was going to be a monthly plus quarterly thing as I've had two in a row.

The monthly ones should last about a year, possibly longer.

Had to do the monthly surveys for a year back when I had the business which was an utter pain.

Got my long-term revenge when I had a letter from the ONS about taking part in a survey. Waited until the bloke turned up and told him to go away.

[trickywoo]

Paul Dishman said:

Had to do the monthly surveys for a year back when I had the business which was an utter pain.

Got my long-term revenge when I had a letter from the ONS about taking part in a survey. Waited until the bloke turned up and told him to go away.

Surprised they couldn't play the legal angle - they push the legal requirement heavily on the letters.

If I had anything relevant to share I think I'd be more on board but my employment numbers aren't going above 1 and turnover can be +/- 300% one month to the next.

[Paul Dishman]

trickywoo said:

Paul Dishman said:

Had to do the monthly surveys for a year back when I had the business which was an utter pain.

Got my long-term revenge when I had a letter from the ONS about taking part in a survey. Waited until the bloke turned up and told him to go away.

Surprised they couldn't play the legal angle - they push the legal requirement heavily on the letters.

If I had anything relevant to share I think I'd be more on board but my employment numbers aren't going above 1 and turnover can be +/- 300% one month to the next.

Sorry, I didn’t explain that properly. The recent ONS survey came to my home address a couple of months ago. There was no legal requirement to complete the survey and it had no connection with my former business.

[clive_candy]

Paul Dishman said:

MaxFromage said:

trickywoo said:

I can cope with that. I thought it was going to be a monthly plus quarterly thing as I've had two in a row.

The monthly ones should last about a year, possibly longer.

Had to do the monthly surveys for a year back when I had the business which was an utter pain.

Got my long-term revenge when I had a letter from the ONS about taking part in a survey. Waited until the bloke turned up and told him to go away.

He won't have minded, he'll have been on the clock and claiming mileage. Nice one.

[Paul Dishman]

clive_candy said:

Paul Dishman said:

MaxFromage said:

trickywoo said:

I can cope with that. I thought it was going to be a monthly plus quarterly thing as I've had two in a row.

The monthly ones should last about a year, possibly longer.

Had to do the monthly surveys for a year back when I had the business which was an utter pain.

Got my long-term revenge when I had a letter from the ONS about taking part in a survey. Waited until the bloke turned up and told him to go away.

He won't have minded, he'll have been on the clock and claiming mileage. Nice one.

He wasn’t wasting my time though.

[clive_candy]

Paul Dishman said:

clive_candy said:

Paul Dishman said:

MaxFromage said:

trickywoo said:

I can cope with that. I thought it was going to be a monthly plus quarterly thing as I've had two in a row.

The monthly ones should last about a year, possibly longer.

Had to do the monthly surveys for a year back when I had the business which was an utter pain.

Got my long-term revenge when I had a letter from the ONS about taking part in a survey. Waited until the bloke turned up and told him to go away.

He won't have minded, he'll have been on the clock and claiming mileage. Nice one.

He wasn t wasting my time though.

Just my taxes. And yours.

[the cueball]

Just looking at my ONS survey list:

Quarterly Assets
Monthly Business
Annual Hours and Earnings
Annual Business
Quarterly Stocks
Low Carbon
Business Insights and conditions

Seems I may be doing a bit more than some!

[trickywoo]

the cueball said:

Just looking at my ONS survey list:

Quarterly Assets
Monthly Business
Annual Hours and Earnings
Annual Business
Quarterly Stocks
Low Carbon
Business Insights and conditions

Seems I may be doing a bit more than some!

I'd say that is taking a liberty on ONS part given not many seem to do any at all.

[the cueball]

trickywoo said:

I'd say that is taking a liberty on ONS part given not many seem to do any at all.

Just had another land on my desk this morning:

Annual Goods and Services..

It does seem a bit much, been going on since at least 2023 as well, so I don't seem to be timing out of any of them that some others suggest.

[iphonedyou]

We’re on the list at the minute. Company of 10 or 12 people, two partners - consultancy industry.

Survey asks about what we manufacture, export, all sorts of irrelevant bks. Has to be skewing the data they compile.