The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 34: Dec/Jan 2017/18 | Page 45

IS IT ME? IS IT ME? John Davies is a senior corporate partner at leading commercial law firm Thrings. In each edition of TBE John addresses a topical news or business-related issue. This time John talks about finding time. Thrings @ThringsLaw www.thrings.com Work. Life. Balance. Three words, one big statement. It’s the utopia we’re all aiming for. Much like the fashion industry where men and women are portrayed by advertisers as having flawless faces, bodies and hairstyles, there are gurus out there who tell us we can all achieve the nirvana of a work-life balance. The perfect working day, every day, mixed with a home life that Disney writers could only dream of. Well, well, well. I just wanted to bring you up to speed on some personal reality and how the smallest things can send your work-life balance (let’s call it W-LB from here on in, shall we?) into a tailspin. I’ve got lots of three-word examples which completely stuff the paradise we’re aiming for. Can any of you relate to these? Dog. Sick. Carpet. Result: 30 minutes late for work. Forgot. Son’s. Lunch. Result: an unscheduled return trip to school. Unexpected. Traffic. Jam. Result: panic as the grains of the day fall into the bottom of the egg timer. Teacher. Training. Day. Result: concern about taking time off. Granted these may be First World problems, but they can cause huge amounts of stress. Those tiny things, on any given day, can send your W-LB into the realm of stress and chaos. I think it’s symptomatic of being a working adul t in society today. Work is full-on. Home life is full-on. The phone is full-on. Kids – if you have them – are unquestionably full-on. Everything is so full-on it only takes a minor hiccup – think printer running out of paper at home – to turn ‘balance’ into ‘tumbledown’. How often do you see folk of a certain age rushing around, the world weighing heavy on their ever-shrinking shoulders? Got to get the work done. Got to walk the dog. Got to do the shopping. Got to help with homework. Got to get to this or that. It’s all small and often unimportant stuff, but in a world where time is so difficult to come by, the balance is often hard to get right. At least that’s what I think. Perhaps I’m alone. Perhaps it’s just me. If any superhumans out there have any tips, I’m all ears. Does the W-LB really exist? Did it ever? Or is it just a case of accepting that no-one’s perfect all the time, every time? With that acceptance, should we just take a breath, take a moment and relax…….just for 10 minutes? Or maybe five minutes? Or just two? No, can’t afford the time. And to make matters worse, someone’s just pointed out that work-life balance is, in fact, two words, not three. Oh gawd I’m stressed again! John Davies e: [email protected] t: 01793 412634 Inspire CEO Rob Perks, talks BREXIT For months before the referendum vote, Inspire’s view was always that a “remain” vote would be the best outcome for the UK economy in the short term (2 years or so) but would make little difference in the longer term. We believed that there would be a temporary depressing of economic activity, due to the uncertainties surrounding our future relationship with Europe because markets hate uncertainty, which would be undesirable as we were experiencing economic recovery after the longest and deepest recession for many years. Hence, we had a “house” view that remain was preferable. June 16, 2016, delivered a leave vote and we have always held the view that whilst unfortunate for the reasons described above, the most sensible response is to insulate our businesses as much as possible from the negative consequences and to look for opportunities which now present themselves. Our overall analysis didn’t change and remains the same 18 months later. Increasingly at present, the doomsayers have it. The EU will give us an awful deal and we could even “crash out” with no trade arrangements at all. Interest rates will rise, everyone will be poorer, we will lose half our export market in one fell swoop, there will be border chaos, particularly in Ireland, EU workers will be sent packing on the first ferries to France and all our Ex Pats will have to return home, our young people will be unable to pursue careers which would take them to the EU and even holiday flights will be grounded. Essentially, we will return to the dark ages economically. Workers will be treated badly with the repeal of all employee rights legislation and the best action to take will be to emigrate, anywhere other than the EU of course. Our view is based on calm reflection on the economic realities of the 21st century, coupled with private discussions with Government and other representatives from international organisations. We believe that unlike the 1960s and 70s, it is impossible to effectively ban trade or put high tariffs on goods moving around the world in the modern global economy. There are too many routes to access markets. We can see this reality in the extreme examples around the world where the international community attempts to apply sanctions – total bans – with only limited success, on international pariah countries and the UK is a long way from that. We believe the negotiators on both sides of the EU negotiations know that and so it is highly likely that when the posturing is over, a deal will be done on sensible terms for both sides. If we’re right in that conclusion, our predictions for 2018/19 are as follows. This will follow a bounce in mood and a more optimistic attitude to prospects for the UK economy. • The labour market will be even further squeezed as firms invest in growth projects and take on more staff • The growth in GDP will outperform forecasts • Sterling will bounce reducing the inflationary consequences on imported goods • Interest rates may well rise a bit more than the 0.25% predicted by the markets • One of the main drivers for Brexit, EU immigration to the UK, will prove to have been pointless as we will need these workers to fill our job vacancies • We will sign some very interesting trade deals with some of the world’s leading economies. (We know from sources that these are already written but cannot be signed until we leave the EU). • The Stock Market, in particular the FTSE250 which covers the more UK focused Companies, will bounce higher • Polly Anna will have it over Eeyore and a more hopeful outlook will return. • The mainstream media will rejoice and conveniently forget that they were some of the most ardent doomsayers and forecasters of economic Armageddon. • Wiltshire’s businesses will get on with doing business as they have done throughout this difficult period. @Inspire_Biz For more info: www.inspirebiz.co.uk THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2017 45