The British are extremely good at prevaricating.  If a decision can be put off it inevitably will be, and all the better if there is something that can be used to justify the postponement.  Last year was unprecedented in many of our business’ experience, not only in terms of a global recession but also the manner in which funding lines abruptly came to a halt.  But that was last year, and the business community’s collective New Year’s Resolution should have been to get on with life and make the best of the situation.  Instead, businesses have been hiding behind a range of excuses for not implementing their plans and moving forward; these excuses range from political uncertainty, to wanting to see what the emergency budget was going to bring in terms of cuts, to the World Cup.  Sorry to say, but everyone knew that Labour would lose power, and everyone knew that we wouldn’t win the World Cup.  Even the Budget offers opportunity rather than despondency (unless you work in the public sector), and virtually every single significant business brain has expressed an opinion that the Budget is actually good news for smaller companies.

We all have our opinions on the England football team, and most focus on the fact that the mix of skills isn’t correct and that a significant number of players don’t have pride in the jersey.  In many respects, there are a lot of businesses out there with similar personnel problems, who feel that they aren’t getting the best out of their team, but who are afraid to change.  Now is the time for that change, to capitalise on the opportunities (”he who dares, wins Rodders”) and to turn that business from also-ran into world beater.  Now is the time to stop prevaricating and to take the decisions that will bring success and reward.

At Managed Recruitment Solutions, we are proud to support two extremely worthwhile causes, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the British Heart Foundation.  The British Heart Foundation not only pours valuable resources into researching heart disease and other circulatory illnesses, but provides irreplaceable aftercare and support for both sufferers and their families.  Very often the BHF is the reason that patients make full recoveries from heart surgery, but they rely very heavily on donations and fundraising.  If you are clearing out your wardrobe (or that of your children), or making room for the new toys that your children received at Christmas by clearing out the ones they no longer want, why not take them to your local British Heart Foundation shop?

February is National Heart Month and as part of our efforts to help to fight heart disease, we will be donating part of each placement fee invoiced during February to BHF.  You can do your bit by joining in with the National Wear Red Day on Friday 26 February.  For further information, go to www.bhf.org.uk

So we’ve finally embraced technology and, Luddites that we are, been dragged kicking and screaming out of the Noughties.

So what have we learned? Mostly that the good businesses will always do well and that there are still worthwhile careers and opportunities out there. The past eighteen months have probably taught us that candidates have to be 100% convinced about a new role and business, and many will only look at “fireproof” opportunities.

But as Del Boy was fond of saying “he who dares, Rodders” and the entrepreneurial companies are still the ones that will offer the most interesting, and potentially rewarding jobs.