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As I brushed my teeth whilst simultaneously scrolling through my emails and absent-mindedly pondering what I needed to add to my shopping list that day, I was struck by the absence of gaps in my day.

In the past, I have worn my ability to multi-task like a badge of honour. Why do one task when you can do two or three at once? Why leave any precious time unaccounted for during the day? I’m going to squeeze those 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, 86,400 seconds for everything I possibly can .

And as life has been ‘ramping up’ again, I’ve noticed that those gaps in between have gotten smaller and smaller. Those leisurely lockdown walks sped up, those early morning meditations getting briefer, those pauses in between ‘things’ fading away.

There is little blank space.

And this mental health awareness week, I am once again reminded of the importance and power of leaving some blank space. Because we’re not best served by always ‘doing’.

Including in how we work. One of the things I often talk about in resilience sessions is the importance of having prep and recovery times, gaps in our day to reset and recharge, like a battery pack. Yet so often our schedule blurs into one with little opportunity to take a pause and catch our breath.

This may be something that has been exasperated too by the pandemic. Whilst technology can empower – and indeed it has – it can also create challenges. Do Zoom and Teams make it too easy to fill our diaries up back-to-back? Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

But, it’s not just within our calendar where we have scope to make space. The use of silence within conversations – meetings, 121s, workshops – can be extraordinarily powerful. That’s often where the thinking happens, in the gaps in between.  Only, so often silence can make us feel uncomfortable and we rush to fill it.

And yet, magic can happen in that silence, and in those gaps in our day, if we just let them be. Not only can they be restorative and help us to get some much-needed respite, they can also be places where thoughts and ideas develop and grow, unfettered by clutter and noise. Out of a pause came the bud of an idea for The Engaging People Company, and from nothingness came the writing project that has been the accompaniment to my life in lockdown. I’m not sure they would have happened if I’d worked really hard at coming up with them.

Of course, the temptation to fill the gaps can be overwhelming – we are all so busy after all. But stopping and embracing those pauses can be hugely beneficial, and significantly so for our wellbeing: letting those spaces be will actually make us feel better, and will allow us to be more effective. And perhaps my five-year-old daughter said it best when I mused on what task to do next when a gap in my day opened up recently. Her advice? “Rest.”

Thought Leadership

Rapid growth of home broadband has changed all of our lives and has had a transformative impact on the entertainment we consume. Netflix, which started life as a home DVD rental company, realised that with speeds continuing to get faster they could empower people to stream directly onto their screens.

Now, Netflix is an industry giant. By the end of 2020, it had a total of 200 million subscribers, enormous revenue numbers and more than 500 new TV shows and movies preparing to launch.

Also known as ‘Over The Top’ services, PWC predicts a surge in revenues in the space – from $46.4 billion in 2019 to $86.8 billion in 2024. In parallel, global data consumption is also predicted to rise significantly in that period, from 1.9 quadrillion megabytes to 4.9 quadrillion megabytes.

This explosive growth wouldn’t be possible without robust broadband infrastructure, which is why CityFibre is working to bring full fibre technology to towns and cities across the UK, including across the East of England region.

Full fibre networks, unlike many of the copper-based ‘fibre broadband’ services available, use 100% fibre optic cables to carry data at light speed all the way from the home to the connection point. This gives users speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps for upload and download, near limitless bandwidth and connectivity users can depend on. 

These networks won’t just make streaming TV and movies easier. According to a report, the UK video games market generated £7 billion in 2020, driven by increased use due to the pandemic. Of that, some £4.55 billion was spent on software and a staggering 85% was on digital rather than physical boxed games.

That goes some way to understanding Sony’s decision to launch two versions of its next-gen PlayStation 5 console, one with a disc drive and one without. With the latter, that means games must be downloaded via the internet – and with games getting bigger, that puts enormous strain on digital infrastructure, unless you have gigabit-speeds powered by full fibre.

Of course, it’s not just within the home that full fibre can make a colossal difference. With events back on the horizon, organisers are looking to grab attention in an increasingly competitive landscape and full fibre has a part to play in that.

One example is a partnership between Vodafone and Wasps rugby club, where they used 5G – underpinned by full fibre – to transform the fan experience at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry (which benefits from a connection to CityFibre’s network). For fans in #5Gamechanger seats, they were able to use a smartphone to livestream footage from 360° cameras around the pitch and enjoy an augmented reality experience at half-time.

And further innovations are underway, like the 5G Festival project in Brighton which aims to stream live music gigs to audiences across the globe by integrating 5G into venues in the city.

Again, none of these experiences would be possible without full fibre. With technology driving so much change in the entertainment landscape, it’s vital that the East of England has a digital infrastructure which supports the innovations we know are coming – and the ones we’re yet to discover.

To find out more about CityFibre and our work across the East of England and to register your interest in services, click here.

ENDS

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is increasingly important for businesses, with more businesses than ever vying for the top spots online. Amongst all the marketing channels out there, from pay-per-click (PPC) to social media marketing, there are strengths and weaknesses to be found.

SEO though, is a longer term marketing strategy employed by businesses, brands and companies all over the world, aiming to rank for the highest spots on Google Search.

Within SEO there are various considerations in each case and unlike traditional marketing techniques and channels like billboard, radio and TV, there is no ‘template’ or ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to SEO. It is as much an art as a science. Crucial to understand is the differentiation between service-based SEO and e-commerce, or online retail.

Thus, there are some specific considerations for e-commerce, applying to an e-commerce online store selling anything from pet joint supplements (like Wuffes) to beds and furniture to health cleanses and much more besides.

Whilst some of these considerations are important for all other SEO, they are either unique to e-commerce or that extra bit more important.

Site Speed – Website speed is something that should be at the forefront of your mind with any website, covering anything. However, in the case of e-commerce, it is one of the most important considerations and one that you should account for early on.

If a user comes to a website that is slow, they are far more likely to leave and never come back. On the other hand, if the website in question is quick and responsive, a purchase and return visits and purchases are more likely to be made, due to a superior website user experience.

Simple, Clean Design – The aim of an e-commerce website is simple: get users in, make sales. If the design of a website trying to achieve this is over-complicated and too complex, users will lose track of what they are trying to do and will drop off the site. More concerningly, they will associate the website, company and brand with a confusing and difficult user experience, making them less likely to return.

With regards to SEO, a clean design means that various complications like cluttered website source code and excessively many large files, like images and iframes are removed from the equation, making for a much better user journey, something search engines look favourably upon.

Clear Product Descriptions – As an e-commerce website and thus, an online store, your products are everything and are at the heart and soul of your entire business model. If it is not made abundantly clear to users and prospective customers what a product is, the relevant information about it and any required and detailed information, users will not be inclined to purchase from your online store over a competitor’s.

SEO-wise, having clear product descriptions will help users that extra bit more, something Google make clear is a key ranking factor when ranking and placing websites online.

Agile working is where companies offer their employees a variety of work settings to choose from, including working from home. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that most office workers can do this very successfully. So why, now that things are beginning to return to normality, are some businesses insisting their staff come back into the office full time?

For years, an employee’s productivity has been measured by the amount of time they spend sitting at a desk in an office. Then along came the pandemic. All of a sudden many of us were suddenly being asked to do our jobs from our homes, something previously often accompanied by sarcastic air quotes (oh, she’s “working from home” today).

Thankfully, this has shown us that employees can be trusted to do their work from home – in fact, many people are more productive without the drudgery of a daily commute and being stuck in an office all day. And even small companies managed to get the technology sorted fairly quickly and inexpensively. But many organisations are still telling us they now want all their staff back on-site full time – something which could actually cause more damage to their businesses than they realise.

Here are some of the reasons that, if you can, you should be offering some working from home and/or agile working options to all your office-based staff. (Don’t forget that employees who’ve worked for you for 26 weeks or more have a statutory right to ask for flexible working arrangements like home working – and you have to seriously consider these requests.)

Your people will be happier and more productive

Working from home can make staff more productive. There are generally fewer interruptions at home than in an office environment, so they get more done. They take less time off sick or on holiday. Often they work longer hours, especially if they’re saving time by not having to commute. And because they feel trusted, and that they have a greater degree of control over their own workloads, they feel more loyalty towards their employer. As James Loduca, director of global inclusion and diversity at Twitter, puts it: ‘Work from anywhere is a tool to deepen, not reduce, trust across teams.’

All of this improves employee engagement – and engaged employees do their best work, every day, wherever they are.

You’ll get better-qualified candidates applying for work

If you offer people the option to work from home or elsewhere, you get access to a much larger pool of people – because geographical boundaries no longer apply. You’ll also attract the best calibre of candidates. That’s because as agile working becomes the norm, people won’t even bother applying for jobs at organisations that won’t let them work the way they want to. According to a 2020 poll by the BBC, 50 of the UK’s biggest employers have no plans to return all staff to the office full-time in the near future. So businesses who don’t consider offering agile working are going to struggle to recruit the best talent in the job market.

It’ll save you money on office costs

Less people on site means you can save money on office space and supplies, rent, utility bills and so on. When people do come into the office, you can introduce hot-desking and provide more breakout spaces for collaborative working, rather than sticking with a traditional one-desk-per-employee model. Downsizing will also help you reduce your company’s carbon footprint – another thing that potential employees look for in a company before deciding whether to apply for a post.

You can expand your business

Employees working from home are often more likely to be willing to work flexible hours, for example, evenings or weekends. This could be useful if you want to work across different time zones, or just extend your opening hours.

How to get home working right as an employer

So now you know why offering agile working is a must for modern businesses. But it’s not just a case of immediately telling your staff they don’t need to come into the office tomorrow. Here are some ways to make sure you get agile working right for everyone involved.

• Have a policy: Every business has different needs, so deciding who does and doesn’t need to be in the office is likely to come down to individuals. But you should still have some kind of agile-working policy in place so everyone knows what the boundaries are. This will also help if you then ask line managers to decide whether their employees can work flexibly – some people are naturally anti-working from home, which can lead to teams being treated differently. A policy should help stop this from happening.
• Offer training: Managers are likely to need training on how to manage employees who aren’t in the office all the time – for example, how to check their people are performing without depending on the amount of hours they’ve worked. And staff will need training on how to manage their work-life balance – flexible working can blur the boundaries around working hours and sickness time which can impact negatively on employees’ health. So you’ll need to make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them. Encouraging open conversation is a must.
• Keep the lines of communication open: Make sure your home workers don’t feel like you’ve forgotten about them. Get regular video meetings in place – the pandemic’s shown us that the technology works (mostly). You’ll need to make sure everyone knows how to use the tech to stay in touch as well. Getting teams together for a face-to-face once a week or month (as long as that’s practical) is a good idea too.
• Don’t forget your health and safety requirements. You have the same health and safety responsibilities for home workers as you do for those in the office. That includes risk assessments for office set-ups and making sure you maintain any electrical equipment you give them (like laptops). The Health & Safety Executive has some good advice about this on their website.

Working away from the office isn’t for everyone – even if they can do it, some people simply prefer going to a workplace every day. But it certainly doesn’t decrease productivity and should no longer be seen as a soft option or, worse still, an excuse for ‘skiving off’. If you’re able to offer your employees some degree of flexibility in this area you absolutely should – otherwise you could find yourself struggling to recruit and retain the talent you need to run a successful business.

Need some help?

Feel free to contact us if you’d like some help or advice about recruiting and training remote workers.

Maximising profitability should always be a top priority but, as the COVID-19 recovery continues, it’s more important than ever to retain as much revenue as possible. Outsourcing gives every business an opportunity to reduce costs and increase productivity, regardless of what industry you operate in. To find out how outsourcing can work for your business, take a look at these top tips now:

1. Conduct a Time Audit

Before you decide which processes to outsource, carry out an in-house time audit. This will give you the chance to see which workflows are taking up the most time and, therefore, which processes it will be most cost-effective to outsource.

By asking staff to record their actions using time management software, you’ll find it easy to access the data you need. As well as being able to identify the most time-consuming workflows, the information you gather will also enable you to determine if employees are routinely undertaking tasks that are outside their remit. If so, you’ll be able to ensure workflows are distributed more evenly to make the best use of your in-house talent.

2. Search for Specialist Services

Some business processes require more expertise than others, which is why it can be a good choice to outsource them. When it comes to tax and accounting, for example, there are a variety of compliance and regulatory issues you need to be aware of. Furthermore, your company’s financial management has a major impact on your tax liability and, therefore, your profits. By outsourcing to a specialist provider, you can ensure you’re operating in accordance with the relevant regulations and gain fiscal advantages.

With payroll outsourcing services, you benefit from the expertise of experienced personnel, as well as being able to reduce the workload of your in-house team. In addition to this, choosing a reputable service provider gives you the opportunity to access bespoke advice when you need it. If you want to restructure your company or refine your expenses policy, for example, you can access all the help you need from one specialist service provider.

3. Look for Long-Term Partners

When you outsource some of your business processes, it can be most advantageous to work with service providers on a long-term basis. This gives them an opportunity to get to know your company, and perhaps your staff. By doing so, they’ll be able to deliver increased value and align their work to your commercial goals.

Even if you only need to use a service on a sporadic or ad hoc basis, being able to work with the same service provider or team gives you the consistency required to maximise the benefits that outsourcing can offer.

4. Negotiate Flexible Contracts

If you’re going to outsource any of your workflows, be sure to negotiate flexible contracts when it’s possible to do so. Some service providers might try and tie you in to long-term contracts from the outset, which could be damaging if things don’t work out as you’d hoped. By retaining some flexibility, you can ensure that the services provided match your expectations and deliver genuine value. With a rolling contract, for example, you can cancel at any time, which means you can keep your options open and switch to a different service provider if you need to.

Reduce Operating Costs with Outsourcing

When you outsource some aspects of your business, you can significantly reduce your operating costs and boost your productivity. By supplementing your in-house team with outsourced services, you can achieve greater efficiency and productivity. In turn, this can increase your profitability and maximise the success of your company.  

When it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO), there are a number of ‘ranking factors,’ basic online practices and factors which ae accepted by marketers, Google and other search engines to help your website rank and be found that bit better online. Accepted and well-known factors include the likes of good, well researched and useful content on websites, maintaining a fast website (with regards to loading speeds) and using a logical or brand-related web domain.

However, there are some differences and considerations that are specific to particular industries and types of websites. Google specifically refer to ‘your money your life’ for example which, as the name suggests, covers websites in niches that may influence and affect people’s money and their life.

Common examples include healthcare, medicine, loans and insurance, money-related services (such as transferring money abroad) and even mental health (source: GlobMed).

There are various key reasons as to why these industries are singled out in this way over others. In the case of money-related services and offerings, like loans and the direct provision or brokering of personal or commercial finance, bad decisions in these areas may lead to financial ruin for people who fall foul.

In the past and in the UK (before 2014) there were numerous nefarious companies who exploited Google’s algorithm and were able to rank for certain types of loans. This led to people being provided loans by loan sharks and less than reputable companies.

In the case of health, wellness and medicine, the implications of bad information or less than accurate information being disseminated online, the implications can, again, be huge. For example, in the case of diagnoses or understanding a particular disease, illness, syndrome or otherwise, the wrong information, in the worst cases can prove life threatening.

When it comes to health and medicine, only reputable sites, including the likes of the NHS in the UK and the CDC in the USA as well as other sites with clear and reputable medical credentials should be read and taken into account.

Google and other search engines understand this and with the very premise of any search engine (including Google, Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, Yandex and others) being the delivery of accurate and helpful information, this is a key tenet to their business and what they do. Therefore, search engines (and in recent times social media outlets) work very hard to ensure their algorithms weed out the bad and inaccurate information, rather promoting the accurate and legitimate information.

The importance of your money your life is getting ever greater, with more people and companies than ever able to publish more than ever over a huge number of platforms including social media networks, blogs and websites and other internet forums.