SEPTEMBER 2015 ALSO INSIDE: Easing stress
| Kenton Cool | Get event ready
PLAN FOR PERFECTION Create a comprehensive travel itinerary
CONTENTS NOTICE BOARD
S E P T 15 So, how did your summer party go? Did the hours of preparation pay off? I’m sure they were all great, and you’re enjoying a warm glow of satisfaction from the admiration of your colleagues. Now you can carry on the feel good factor with a nosey through Olé. If your executive is a disorganised traveller, be sure to check out Nicky Christmas’ guide to travel itineraries and try to get them in order. If that cat herding exercise leaves you feeling frazzled, have a look at our piece on preventing stress. Elsewhere, we hear from Everest expert and all around climber extraordinaire Kenton Cool, discover newbie nerves with Caroline Marsh and we’ll kit you out for event season.
UPDATE Sleep deprivation and escaped emus SAY WHAT?! Back chat and cheating chaps
ON THE JOB JOB NEWS The latest career news PLAN FOR PERFECTION Create the comprehensive travel itinerary A CALMING INFLUENCE Learn to stay cool under pressure 60 SECONDS WITH Climber Kenton Cool
LUNCH BREAK BREAKTIME Catch up with the latest reviews and recipes
Catch you next month,
OFFICE CATWALK Shoes gone practical AND ONE MORE THING… Nervy new beginnings Editor George Carey
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Why Privacy Filters Are Important For Why Priv Businesses Are Impo Business
Are you protecting your Are you protecting sensitive information from your sensitive information from prying eyes? prying eyes?
HEALTHCARE More healthcare professionals are relying on laptops and tablets to interact remotely with HEALTHCARE hospitals. Without laptop screen filters, their data Moreforhealthcare profe access in public becomes an opportunity an laptops and tablets to invasion of patient confidentiality. hospitals. Without lapt access in public becom invasion of patient con GOVERNMENT Outside the security of government offices, government workers using mobile devices risk exposing sensitive data. Privacy filters are an GOVERNMEN the security of inexpensive and effective extension ofOutside mandatory government data protection measures to protect confidential workers u exposing sensitive data information. inexpensive and effect data protection measu information. FINANCIAL Whether it’s your accountant or a financial advisor, many financial professionals are travelling or commuting, many working as independent FINANCIAL Whether it’s your acco contractors outside of an office setting. Sensitive advisor, many financial records on-screen without a screen filter financia in place are subject to prying eyes. or commuting, many w contractors outside of financial records on-sc in place are subject to BANKING With the introduction of open-plan customer meeting areas, there is a higher risk of prying eyes stealing sensitive customer information. BANKING Withdata the introduction o Using a privacy screen will help improve meeting areas, there is protection. eyes stealing sensitive Using a privacy screen ™ protection. CORPORATE Corporate spies may not need to infiltrate a ™ company to gain secrets when confidential data CORPORATE ™ can be viewed and photographed over a travelling Protect private information on your laptop, desktop, smartphone and tablet. PrivaScreen Corporate executive’s shoulder. Privacy filters can help spies may n Blackout Privacy Filters blackout the screen image when viewed from 30° side angles company to gain secre protect against corporate spying in public places. while keeping on-screen data clearly a straight-on view. can be viewed and pho Protectvisible privatefrom information on your laptop, desktop, smartphone and tablet. PrivaScreen™ executive’s shoulder. P Blackout Privacy Filters blackout the screen image when viewed from 30° side angles protect against corpora while keeping on-screen data clearly visible from a straight-on view. EDUCATION The increased use of laptops and mobile devices by teachers and administrators means sensitive EDUCATION data can be accessed beyond the secure Thefilters increased use of l environment of school grounds. Privacy teachers and admin can prevent the possibility of exposingbystudent data can be accessed information in public. environment of school can prevent the possib information in public. MOBILE WORKERS Total Blackout Total Blackout Side View Side View As the number of workers outside the office Clear Front View continues to grow, so do privacy risks. In fact, Total Blackout Total 55%*Blackout of working professionals work on their MOBILE WOR Side View Side View As the number of work laptop in a high-traffic public area at least one Clear Front View continues hour per week.* From libraries to coffee shops to grow, so d 55%*theof working profe to airport terminals, mobile workers need laptop security of privacy filters wherever they workintoa high-traffic hour per week.* From protect the data they handle. *People Security Visual to airport terminals, m Data Breach Risk Assessment Study. security of privacy filte protect the data they h
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DANGERS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION A new study from Uppsala University, Sweden, has found that missing a single night’s sleep can have serious implications and that missing sleep can alter DNA molecules and change our cellular clocks. Here, Dr Guy Leschziner, Consultant Neurologist at London Bridge Hospital answers some of the big questions about sleep and sleep disorders. Why is sleep important? Sleep is vital; we spend about 30% of our lives asleep, and without it death occurs in a few days. You can survive longer without food than sleep. It affects psychological and physiological parameters. Lack of it has important consequences on fatigue, vigilance, mood, learning and memory, as well as motor coordination. It also affects immune function, cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, hormonal function, sensitivity to pain and liability to seizures. How much sleep do we really need? Everyone has a different sleep requirement, but most need between seven and eight hours a night. What are the most common sleep disorders? Sleep disorders are categorised into the hypersomnias, parasomnias and insomnias. Insomnia is very frequent, affecting 20-30% of the population in any one year. The hypersomnias describe sleep disorders that cause excessive daytime sleepiness. The commonest of these is obstructive sleep apnoea, snoring with obstruction of the airway. The parasomnias describe conditions that cause abnormal behaviours, such as sleep-walking, night terrors and REM sleep behaviour disorder (acting out of dreams).
A DAY FOR THE LEFTIES Left-Handers’ Day on 13th August each year is the chance for left-handers everywhere to celebrate their advantages and achievements – and according to the Left-Handers Club, leading authority on lefthandedness, they have plenty to celebrate! Left-handers might be in the minority (being 10% of the population) but what they lack in numbers they make up for in talents. Being lefthanded has a major influence on your mental and physical development – the hand you write with is only a clue to the different connections going on inside the brain. Some of the most talented and influential people through history share this one super-trait that has given them incredible abilities in other ways. This Left-Handers Day, the Left-Handers Club pays tribute to some of the amazing high achieving lefties that have used their left-handed superpowers to achieve great things. Super leaders Lefties have more brain symmetry than righties and better communication between the two sides of the brain. This makes them faster at adapting to changing surrounding and circumstances. It also aids in communication of new ideas to others. In the past few decades, the U.S. presidency has veered more and more to the left – not in policy, but in handedness, with five of the last seven presidents being left-handed. Super geniuses Researchers claim that lefties are more intelligent and eloquent than their right-handed counterparts. In tests conducted by Dr Alan Searleman, there were more left-handed people with IQs over 140 than right-handed people – which is the ‘genius’ bracket. Some of the earliest works of western philosophy and science were written with a left hand. Aristotle, for example, penned an exhaustive list of works that laid the foundation of much of modern science.
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IN BRIEF Daring Doris
REAL ROADRUNNER IN EAST SUSSEX A motorist thought he’d driven into a cartoon after spotting a real-life “Roadrunner” pelting alongside his car – which turned out to be an escaped Emu, according to The Telegraph. Sean Loram, 42, could not believe his eyes when he saw the massive emu, which had escaped from a nearby farm, sprinting along the rural main road. The father-of-one, who works in sales at a local newspaper, said that motorists were switching on their hazard lights and driving around something on the A21, near Robertsbridge, East Sussex. Sean slowed down to see what was happening when he was shocked to see it was an enormous bird making a run for it down the busy road. He said: “It was at least 5ft tall. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I don’t know what type of bird it is. But anyway, it’s not the sort of thing you see on the A21. I was stationary, so I took a picture.” East Sussex Road Policing Unit who saw the funny side tweeted that they were en route to contain the bird on Thursday afternoon. When Robert Price tweeted “So why did the emu cross the road?” the road policing unit replied “to catch the chicken on the other side...” A Sussex Police spokesman said: “The bird had been running along the main road but did not cause any accidents. “It was found in an adjacent field and its owner, from a nearby farm, came to retrieve him.”
Doris Long might be 101-yearsold, but she’s not going to let a number stop her from doing fierce stunts. Doris donned some climbing gear to become the world’s oldest abseiler recently, braving wind and rain to descend down the side of the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. She’s already received an MBE for her charity fundraising.
Not so great escape An intoxicated driver in Canada abandoned his ride in an attempt to ditch police officers in pursuit, jumping in what he thought was a taxi. Like a scene from a cheesy action movie, he said: “Get me outta here buddy, cops are everywhere tonight”. Unluckily for the hapless criminal, the vehicle he jumped into was a cop car and he was whisked straight off to the local police station.
We give you our pick of the top comedy viral videos this month. Click on the text below and enjoy. Tweet us your top videos @olemagazine
GONE VIRAL
Double Hardy Blue-mouthed
piggy
Tour de France is for wimps
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T A H W S AY G A R G A N T UA N G O S S I P I’ve been at my company for six months and enjoy my job and get on with the people on my team. My only concern is the amount of twofaced gossiping that goes on, almost as soon as anyone’s back is turned. I’m reluctant to join in and I’m getting paranoid about what they’re saying when I’m not there. What can I do? Wendy, Gloucester Your best bet is to try and rise above the chatter, which it sounds like you’re already doing. If you get involved, it will be harder to renounce gossips further down the line. A trip to HR won’t do anything other than gain you some resentful colleagues, so you may have to ride this one out with a wry smile. If you really can’t stand it, it might be time to start looking elsewhere.
caption competition
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STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A DIVORCED PLACE I’m becoming increasingly certain that my executive is having an affair and he’s dragging me into it; on a few occasions he’s asked me to lie to his wife. I often have to tell white lies for him but this feels very different. I’ve worked hard for this job and don’t want to lose it, but I can’t stand lying to his lovely wife any more. Help! Suzie, London Like many before you climbing the career ladder, it comes down to a fight between morals and ambition. While you find lying to his wife abhorrent, if you don’t do it, he’ll find someone who will. If you can bear it, carry on, but if it makes you feel too queasy, you will have to refuse and roll the dice as to his reaction.
This month’s picture
Last month’s winner: Louisa, Bath
Finally, Dave had found a sport that really made him feel like ‘the big man’ ”
Win £50 worth of M&S vouchers! Email your captions to editor@olemagazine.co.uk
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13-14 OCTOBER 2015 Exhibition
Training
Professional Development
Keynotes
Networking
See Nelson Mandela’s former PA at office* 2015 Zelda La Grange shares her
story working with one of the world’s most influential leaders of our time.
‘It Starts With You’ 1pm, Tuesday 13 October
Keynote line up also includes...
Professor Stephen Hawking’s PA
Founder of Gandy’s & Orphans for Orphans
Rob Forkan
Tanya Mann Rennick
‘Working With A Genius’
‘Overcoming Adversity - The Story Behind Gandy’s’
‘The STARR Principle’
Judith Croasdell
Author of 109 Ways To Shine
Tess Alps
Kev House
Thinkbox
Art of Brilliance
‘Never Too Late’
‘The Art of Being Brilliant’
REGISTER TODAY www.officeshow.co.uk
FREE ENTRY (QUOTE OFF793)
on the job
JOB NEWS ERS REMOTE WORK FOOT THE BILL rs UK’s home worke e th of ity or aj m The ing e costs of equipp th t ee m to ve ha their workspace and maintaining ing to research by rd co ac es lv se them er, Regus. workplace provid er 4,000 UK senior The survey of ov third found that only a le op pe ss ne si bu ) from home (35% ng ki or w le op pe of m ions from their fir ut rib nt co ed iv ce re e. t their home offic ou g in tt ki ds ar w to p a home office The costs to equi ) of l. A quarter (25% ia nt ta bs su be n ca for a month’s salary ke ta ld ou w it id sa king professional wor a t ou fit to em th als ly, the survey reve al on iti dd A e. ac sp e of running a hom st co e ag er av e th half ,000 a year. Nearly £2 t os m al is e fic of nies think that compa rs ke or w of ) 3% (4 oyees to work from pl em g in ag ur co en the trying to transfer y pl m si e ar e m ho ee. onto the employ st co ce pa ks or w
START GETTING PRODUCTIVE TODAY In this Life Hack post Damien Pros offe rs his top tips to make you more productive . Enter the two-hour hermit mode For two hours every day, focus on you r work and try to do it completely undisturbe d. Turn off your phone and logout from social media. If your schedule is too demand ing, it can be one hour or even 30 minute s. Focus on one task at a time Multi-tasking can reduce your produc tivity up to 40%, according to behavioral psychologist Susan Weinschenk. Peo ple can’t do more than one task at a tim e and multi-tasking is just switching betwe en different tasks. Start rour day doing what you hate When we have to do an unpleasan t task, we tend to procrastinate and push it to later in the day or not do it at all. Just do it wit hin a couple of hours after waking up. It also helps in increasing your self-confidence. Split your work with the 25-5 me thod. The idea is to split your work into two parts. The first is 25 minutes of uninterrupte d work. The second is a five to seven minute break for a snack or just a walk aro und. Use a timer with an alarm clock that rem inds you when your 25 minute work period or your five minute break is over. www.practicallyperfectpa.com/
on the job
HOW IS YOUR WORK CULTURE? Everyone wants to work in a fun and productive culture. Peter Ewin Hall’s Life Hack list offers pointers to what makes for a fun and productive culture. 1. They start with enthusiasm People who work in fun and productive places are excited about the role and the company. Having people who are excited at the start makes a whole lot more sense than trying to build it later. 2. They know what they’re working for Great organisations have clear visions and goals that make it easy for people to understand and engage in. A great example is Amazon. 3. They communicate with their bosses Communication with leaders needs to be informal and works better in informal settings where staff aren’t afraid of asking questions or offering an opinion. 5. They work flexibly Flexible working helps individuals balance other demands in their lives, particularly family, and is more common in European countries like Germany where worker productivity is high.
DATA AT RI SK FROM EX-WORKE RS Companies in the UK a dmit that former emp loyees who have acces to corporate s systems an d data through old passwords and access rights could be putting them at ris of a security k breach, acc ording to research b y Centrify C orporation. Centrify’s ‘S tate of the Corporate Perimeter’ survey of 4 0 0 UK and US IT decis ion makers , s hows that a third (32% ) of UK resp o ndents believe it w ould be ‘ea s y ’ for an ex-employe e to log in a n d access systems wit h old passw o rds. Although h alf (49%) sa y people are ‘off-boa rded’ the s a m e day, they say it can ta ke a week to remove access righ ts and pass w o rds. “Giving em ployees ele v ated access to th e organisati o n ’s most critical data is essentiall y giving them the ‘k eys to the k in g dom,’” explains Ce ntrify’s Barr y Scott.
THEY SAID “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” Steve Jobs
on the job
The ultimate travel itinerary NICKY CHRISTMAS, creator of Practically Perfect PA and organiser of Travel Assist – an event tackling all the issues you do when coordinating travel – gives you her ultimate travel itinerary to ensure you can create the perfect business trip
on the job
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ith Assist Travel coming up in September in London I wanted to share one of our most popular blogs with you – The Ultimate Travel Itinerary. A well organised travel itinerary is an essential service that assistants can provide for their managers. Think about all the different bits of paper you have to keep with you – tickets, hotel details, travel guides. Well, along with the usual stresses of travelling your boss also has to attend meetings and act professionally when in many cases they are dealing with jet lag and the continuous business activities back in the UK office. A detailed itinerary, constructed by you, will help them enormously. It it’ll enable them to be organised when you cannot be there to do that for them. At the bottom of the blog I’ve uploaded the template I use for my directors. I hope you find it useful and do let me know if you think there’s is anything I can add. Along with the itinerary there are other things you can do to make your director’s trip as simple and stress free as possible; here are some of the additional details I think about and include in my director’s travel packs: Do prepare for the worst. I know this is a fairly negative approach to take but if you have thought of all the possible outcomes prior to the trip you will be much better prepared to deal with anything that occurs. Additionally if you have equipped your manager with all of the information they need to deal with any emergency, they’ll be able to cope without you being there to help, particularly if they’re in a different time zone. For example I always include the following contact details: • The out of hours telephone number for the travel agent you booked through • The telephone number and address for the local embassy office • The airline emergency and customer service numbers • Included with the travel itinerary you should have the following as separate documents: • Maps and directions for all hotels and meeting points. If they have a number of meetings in the city include details on how to get from one meeting to the next so they know how long it takes and also the best way to travel.
“If you have thought of all the possible outcomes prior to the trip you will be much better prepared to deal with anything that occurs” • A small list of good restaurants close to the hotel or office. This gives the director the chance to show off their local knowledge with clients and also if they are eating on their own it means they won’t have to wander around looking for somewhere nice to eat. • A local weather guide for each of the countries the director is visiting. One of my directors travelled from Sydney to Tokyo on the same trip. Sydney was experiencing a heat wave and Tokyo forecasted heavy rain and gusty winds. Because we checked the weather before they left the UK, they had the appropriate business attire and didn’t feel uncomfortable. • A list of the hotel amenities, such as free Wi-Fi, a gym, a hair dryer. I also let the hotel know if the director will be arriving late. If your director has a smartphone or tablet then do make use of online city guide apps. They are packed full of useful information on a city and can be used without Wi-Fi. A lot of the apps are free or only cost a few pounds. Remember to print off the itinerary and additional documents for your director. I always put the documents in an A5 plastic wallet so they are all together and can fit easily into a bag or briefcase. Also I send a copy to any colleagues that need to know their whereabouts and any of their family. In addition I suggest you upload the information to an online document management website (Dropbox for example), just in case they misplace the paperwork. Last but not least, don’t make additional work for yourself. If the director is working from another of my company’s offices, but it just happens to be in a different county, I ensure they have everything on their outlook as I normally would if they were in the UK and I don’t include any meeting details in their itinerary. By ensuring all of the above areas are covered, you should have everything in place to create the perfect travel itinerary for your director.
on the job
H O W TO THRIVE IN TURBULENT TIMES
on the job
The need to cope with relentless change is essential for both personal and business survival. LIGGY WEBB talks us through the skills you need to survive – and indeed thrive – in times of change HOW WELL DO YOU EMBRACE CHANGE? “It seldom happens that a man changes his life through his habitual reasoning. No matter how fully he may sense the new plans and aims revealed to him by reason, he continues to plod along in old paths until his life becomes frustrating and unbearable – he finally makes the change only when his usual life can no longer be tolerated.” Leo Tolstoy This is often true – we procrastinate and put off the inevitable. The danger is that we’re wasting precious time in our lives being unhappy when we could turn it all around by embracing change. ARE YOU OPEN MINDED? Your mind is like a parachute: it works best when it’s open. Sometimes we’re tempted to drag the baggage of the past along with us and superimpose it on current situations. Don’t do it! Be open-minded and take a fresh perspective. One thing that I hear a great deal from people who resist change is: “Well, we tried that before and it didn’t work”. Every situation is different and just because something didn’t work last time doesn’t mean it won’t work this time. AND RELAAAAX – GO WITH THE FLOW Sometimes change happens and we have absolutely no control over it. When this happens you have to choose how you’re going to respond. If you resist change and remain rigid and inflexible it will be a lot more difficult and perhaps even painful. Going with the flow is sometimes the best approach.
“Your ability to say no will be one of your most valuable attributes”
familiar aspects of your daily life as you can. Stick to your usual routines, see people you normally see, and reassure yourself that not everything has to change just because some aspects of your life are shifting. DO YOU REACH OUT FOR SUPPORT? You don’t need to try to cope alone or keep your feelings to yourself. This can actually be very unhelpful; repressing emotion can cause stress. Talk about it with colleagues and friends, try to see the light-hearted side of the situation and seek a bit of reassurance from loved ones. Being brave doesn’t win you any awards these days and will always mean managing your issues alone. CHALLENGE YOUR OWN PERSPECTIVE Sometimes the way we view a situation can be very narrow because we perceive it through our own filter and benchmark it against our previous experiences. It’s important to examine the situation from all angles. Be careful not to get yourself stuck up a one-way street with your thinking; there’s always another angle and another perspective. HOW WELL DO YOU PLAN? Change can overwhelm us, especially when our minds race and we start to imagine all sorts of things that could happen. We may imagine the worse and, before we know it, we feel completely out of control. A good way to gain control and settle the mind is to create a plan of action and write it down so that it can be regularly referred to. Very often it’s what we don’t know and what we can’t see that scares us the most, especially those of us with wild imaginations!
DEVELOP A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE (PMA) Having a positive attitude about change is the right mindset to cultivate. If we go into a change situation believing that it’s negative then we’re more likely to experience negative outcomes. While it’s important to understand some of the risks and pitfalls involved it’s also important to focus on the positives.
IN SUMMARY Every challenge in life will have some impact and sometimes the cluster effect can make it all seem overwhelming. It’s important to understand this in advance so that it can be dealt with in the most positive and constructive way. There’s no single silver bullet solution to surviving and thriving in turbulent times, but challenging yourself to change some of your behaviours and perspectives may be a very good place to start.
‘KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON’ This old war expression is very apt. Some people panic when change happens because it totally destabilises their world. If major change is taking place, maintain as many
Liggy Webb is founder of The Learning Architect and is hosting a Resilience Zone at the World of Learning this September. The World of Learning takes place 29 and 30 September at Birmingham’s NEC: www.learnevents.com
on the job
6 0 S ECONDS WITH…
KENTON COOL The mountaineer, who has reached the summit of Everest 11 times, talks about overcoming obstacles, keeping motivated, and the thrill of the challenge What is it you love about climbing?
Q1
It just gives you that sense of freedom, of being at one with nature and the landscape. It’s something I’m very passionate about. London’s a beautiful city but at the same time I can feel a little claustrophobic when I’m here, whereas the mountains give me a sense of freedom. The climbing club at Leeds University was really vibrant in the early 90s; you couldn’t help get caught up in the enthusiasm and I never looked back from there.
When did it become a vocation for you?
Q2
I first went to the Alps at 17 and I’d done a couple of alpine seasons and learnt the trade a bit, so to speak. All the books indicated that the Himalayas was where it was happening, so second year of university a couple of us started to put together an expedition and off we went.
Sounds exciting!
Q3
We didn’t get an awful lot of climbing done – I got terribly sick but we had a fabulous time. I absolutely loved it: the journey, travelling through the subcontinent by train, epic bus rides, the trekking, climbing. The whole thing was absolutely fascinating and I fell in love with the Himalayas as soon as I got there.
What’s your favourite Everest memory?
Q4
My first summit in 2004 is always going to be one that I really cherish because of what it represented, being up there for the first time and being pretty much overwhelmed by emotion and the view. It was stunning, such a great day.
Is climbing Everest getting easier with new technology?
Q5
In this day and age people tend to think they can lay down a lot of cash and get to the top but it’s not like that. The avalanche on Everest last year and the earthquake this year really shows that however rich you are, however talented you are, you’re put in place by the mountain. We only climb Everest because she allows us to. Anything that can go wrong does.
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lunch break
BREAKTIME desktop dining WEST END W AT C H
1984
flickr - thierry ehrmann
Written and directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, this revitalised version of George Orwell’s classic dystopian tale Nineteen Eighty-Four is a sledgehammer to the senses from start to finish. Winston Smith, our protagonist played by Sam Crane, flits between the titular past and an unspecified present day, with nods towards the sins of modern day governments and their questionable methods of detention and interrogation-although this is nothing compared to the terrors Winston must endure in the infamous Room 101. As relevant today as it ever was, this stark view of totalitarian power is as entertaining as it is chilling.
CHICKEN QUINOA SALAD Serves: 4 Prep: 10 minutes INGREDIENTS 170g quinoa 475ml chicken stock 1 small onion, diced 1 stick celery, diced 3 carrots, diced 1 tablespoon mixed herbs 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage 140g chopped cooked chicken meat 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and black pepper to taste METHOD Heat the oil in a saucepan, and cook the onion, celery and carrots until tender. Add the quinoa, chicken stock, herbs and sage. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed for about 20 minutes. Stir in the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
lunch break
T R E AT Y O U R S E L F WATCH THIS
LISTEN TO THIS
Legends, Sky1 Fondly referred to by fans as ‘The Bean Identity’, Legends stars Sean Bean as an undercover agent (Martin Odum) working for the FBI’s Deep Cover Operations (DCO) division in a tale of identity and truth. Consumed by the cover he develops and an ability to transform himself into different people for each task, and his sense of reality begins to unravel as the series progresses. Tune in to this tense spy thriller to satisfy your Sean Bean fix.
Working Girl, Little Boots
flickr - GabboT
Out now
POWER HOUR BUTI YOGA Hybrid fitness classes are all the rage and one of the hottest tickets in town is Buti Yoga, an intense fusion of yoga, plyometric moves and tribal dance that will do wonders for your core. Mixing the focus of yoga with the fun of a dance class, this has something for everybody. Now available in a number of gyms around the country, which is rising by the week, this is the ultimate yoga fusion for those looking to tone and get a get a good cardiovascular hit.
Time for something to lift the spirits. Maybe synthpop isn’t your go-to music genre, but Little Boots’ latest album is packed with tunes that’ll put a spring in your step before or after a busy day at your desk. Playful tracks like Better in The Morning will give you a much-needed lift whatever the time of day, whilst No Pressure and Working Girl are perfect for when you’re feeling a little more adventurous. Plus, the suitably named Get Things Done will certainly strike a chord with PAs and office managers everywhere.
Out now
BOOK THIS SIAM SMILES This charming Thai supermarket and café nestled in Manchester’s China Town is one of the city’s hidden gems which has been hailed by locals as offering up some of the best food outside the land of smiles. With superlative sticky rice, and a whole host of broth-based noodle dishes whose chili content could fuel a people carrier, this is authentic Thai food at its best. The tastiest thing of all is the price: it’s lower than Katie Hopkins! 48a George Street Manchester
lunch break
LOVES It’s event season, with the likes of office* and Assist Travel coming up this autumn, so we’ve compiled a little delegate survival kit to make sure you get the most out of your day
Amara, LOQI foldaway travel bag, £9 With the sheer weight of freebies on offer at many events an extra bag can really come in handy, and this clever little foldup number is a super convenient way to always be prepared.
Paperchase, Fish pen, £3
Paperchase, Glitter notebook, £5 Tablets and phones are all the rage for note-taking these days but occasionally you still need the ability to scribble down a memorable point or contact details for an interesting new person. Why not do it in style with this little beauty?
Amara, Bobble carry cap bottle, £10 It’s important to stay hydrated through a long day of eventing and with Bobble’s carbon filter removing the chlorine from tap water, it’s the cost effective and eco-friendly alternative to bottled water.
Red 5, 3 in 1 universal clip camera lens, £9.99 This little wonder allows you to take high quality photos of your favourite moments with your phone. With a wide angle lens giving an extra 180° in your shot, the fish eye lens adding a curved effect and the macro lens offering extreme close ups, you’re set for every eventuality.
lunch break
O F F I C E C AT W A L K With most events requiring a long day on your feet, it’s important to have a comfortable pair of shoes at the ready
2 1
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1
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MEN WOMEN 1 Dune, Backspin brogues, £75
1 George, Blue suedette loafers, £12
2 Next, Derby shoes, £55
2 Accessorize, Polka dot point ballerina, £25
3 Frank Wright, Stark chelsea boot, £85
3 Stylist Pick, Carlton London embellished pumps, £54.99 4 La Redoute, Mademoiselle R pumps, £39
lunch break
AND ONE MORE THING ...
PA S T U R E S N E W
This PA is excited but worried… very, very worried. Bear with her, she’ll make it through to excited soon enough
A Caroline Marsh PA
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s I write this, fourteen days lie between my new job and me, which at once feels equally imminent and distant. A veritable washing machine of apprehension, expectation, excrement and excitement is churning through my head. Of course I’m looking forward to it but there’s so much to consider about slotting into a new team, and being a huge fan of over-thinking things, I’ve done little else but cogitate my fate. What new cliques will I encounter and, when I do, what secret social hoops must I jump through to gain entry? And then there’s the job itself; what new challenges will that throw up and how will I ensure I’m equal to all of them? While I know it’s within my skill set, you may have noticed already that I like a good worry, so that’s exactly what I’m doing. As the great philosopher Van Wilder once said: “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” Well, let’s just say that I have had plenty to do in recent weeks. To add to my rocking chair check list, the new job is in a different part of Manchester and not one that has the most amazing reputation for bars. How will I possibly survive if I don’t have a good watering hole to wallow in at the end of a tough week? What if my only choices are a Wetherspoons or an All Bar One? That won’t be any fun at all. Then again, as excellent as the bars are in my current back yard, I’ve been drinking in them since the pre-beard era – a time now distant in my memory when metrosexual men ruled and the hirsute could only fantasise about their eventual dominance. My new area will at least have the novelty factor and there will, hopefully, be a host of new chums to laugh and drink with as well. And even if the work is tough, surely I can use Homer Simpson’s “it’s my first day” excuse, for a little while anyway. Right, good pep talk, I’m ready! Watch out new office, here I come…
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