It is six months on since I last visited our friends house, the one that they are taking their time to renovate. I first mentioned it in my blog honest work. I had volunteered again to put a half day of work in, partially to help them out and partially because, in a strange way, … Continue reading Honest inspiration
Snow days
Should people be paid if they can't attend work due to bad weather? This is a question that raises its head every time we have a protracted spell of snow. Is it a question though of business ethics or management? On the face of it it is a simple question. We are paid to work … Continue reading Snow days
It’s all in the numbers
What have we become? One of my daughters told me about an app that you can download that tells you how long you spend on your phone. I downloaded it and ended up checking up on how many times I unlocked it. On one day it was 106 times. My obsession with my phone has … Continue reading It’s all in the numbers
Sales is an emotional experience
Not that I need reminding but I become more and more convinced that selling is a question of emotion rather than fact. People don’t necessarily buy products because of what they are but because of how they make then feel or they project an image of the kind of person they would like to be. … Continue reading Sales is an emotional experience
Unconscious bias
We were making our way into the Metro Centre from the Debenhams end when we saw a very young boy getting into one of the fun buggies that can be hired from the customer service desk. The buggies are shaped like cars and can be pushed around while the child sits inside and pretends to … Continue reading Unconscious bias
Atlas Shrugged
Spoiler alert. I have been reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I still am, it is a long book yet it has left me in a dilemma. At times I think it is the most fantastic of books while at others I don’t agree with some of the sentiments it contains. Perhaps that is the … Continue reading Atlas Shrugged
Our greatest resource
Rachel, a friend of mine from my Durham days posted on Twitter ‘It may be a snow day for some, however for those who are freelance and self-employed, snow days can often mean no pay days.’ She is right. For many of us who are working in the gig economy disruption can have significant consequences. … Continue reading Our greatest resource
Chimps in the Snow
The snow is such an inconvenience. It gets in the way of modern life. It messes up with our plans and turns our daily routine on its head. While it looks beautiful it is not compatible with the way that I want my life to run. As it falls and the world around me grinds … Continue reading Chimps in the Snow
Rural Cultural Business Innovation Programme day 2
The ‘Beast from the East’ tried to do its worst and dumped a large amount of snow on Hexham just in time for day 2 of the Rural Cultural Business Innovation Programme. The clouds had been gathering during our time at Alnwick the day before but the sky remained, in the main, blue on the … Continue reading Rural Cultural Business Innovation Programme day 2
Getting on in life
A reunion meeting of old school friends was an opportunity for us to vent our spleens over some of the things that get us wound up these days. It seems that the older us men get the more we rant and rave over the most silly of things. I find myself shouting at the television … Continue reading Getting on in life
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 