9 minute read
Cube Corner
from SBT issue 440
SBT ASK THE EXPERT
THREE AT THREE
WITH EMMA, JAMES & LISA
CUBE CORNER: SEPTMEBER 20
BY PAUL ROGERS
GOLF DAY A SMASH HIT FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITY
BY TOBY GRAVES & TPG EVENTS
SBT ASK THE EXPERT SPONSORED BY:
Emma Mills-Sheffield Mindsetup Ltd T: 07775 947 818 E: emma@mindsetup.co.uk
Ask the
James Dempster, Managing Director Cobb Digital T: 01273 208 913 E: James@cobbdigital.com
expert
Who’s playing the office hokey cokey?
Whilst we’ve
Ask the been meeting up expert fortnightly online with a whole host of business owners during our Three at Three discussions, we’ve increasingly seen a return to the office. That said with new government guidance of ‘work from home only if you can’ coming into play, who is in, out and shaking it all about? Here are some of our recent discussions which we hope give you some ideas.
Do you even need a bricks and mortar office
Some are seeing this as an expensive and unnecessary commodity. Instead of leasing a large space, some companies are opting for co-working. Also there are options to have a smaller space just to be used for staff for meetings and larger workshops or creative sessions. Business as usual desk work can carry on from anywhere else.
Some sectors or industries are more office focused
Due to the nature of their work and the necessity to be physically present as a team, some sectors have more of a need than others. If you’ve got construction site visits and approval or sign off processes which are time sensitive, it can be difficult to be fully remote. Creative industries are being innovative with virtual collaboration tools but nothing beats sharing ideas in the same place. Add in large media files which need to be moved around regularly and you’ll feel the frustrations of working via a VPN.
Who should be in and who should be out
There are also concerns over wellbeing and staff welfare – specifically those junior staff who are perhaps in shared houses so are working in their bedrooms. The need to get these employees back to some semblance of an office environment is pivotal for the leaders in these practices. Perhaps these staff have priority over others in a tiered priority system. Prioritise those who have to be in the office
Lisa Seymour, Managing Director Made By Spoken T: 01273 964044 E: lisa@madebyspoken.co.uk
versus those who would like to be in the office.
Is there a perfect approach?
Are you mixing both remote working and office working or fully staying at home? A number of businesses are somewhere in the middle and offering a rotating staff policy in the office so that each person gets the opportunity to mix up their remote and office working. And this seems to be working. Creating small working bubbles of staff who can meet up together is also helpful. Many people are missing this interaction, the watercooler moments and sitting down with someone face to face to discuss issues.
Keeping it local
The benefits of not commuting to London all the time are huge. Aside from the family balance and wellbeing aspects, the benefit to our local shops and businesses is positive too. Can we reap the benefits of being local in Sussex after this is all over? We hope so.
Cube Corner - Septmeber 20
Welcome to the
Cube September edition
Corner of Cube Corner and thank you to everyone who has made time this month to get together for a meeting, it really is appreciated. Brighton has I think, a really unique group of businesses who are willing to collaborate and help each other, never more so than in the recent months.
August saw the re-start of the Firmballs golf league up at The Dyke Golf club. Sam’s usual promise of fine weather came to an abrupt end as he unfortunately had to cancel one due to fog, although play resumed the following week with the sunshine brilliant and the golf not so..
There were a number of Cube Clients present for The Rockinghorse Charity Golf Day. Congrats to Toby for putting on the event, it was the first Golf Day I have attended since the start of lockdown and it was really good to catch up with some friendly faces, something I think all of us have missed is the face-to-face meets with people.
Thanks to Meyado Protect, Lisa Ollerton for sponsoring the 15th Hole and to Ellie; thanks for the goodie bags. Also thanks to City Utilities, Steve Darby and Malcolm Jacobs for taking the 13th, the energy bars and drinks were very welcome.
Eastbourne seafront was a venue for a meeting with Bruce Hayter and Amy White to meet with a potential client. Congratulations to Amy on becoming a partner at Rix and Kay - I look forward to catching up again soon.
The seafront theme continued by meeting with Elliott Moore at Rockwall on Western Esplanade in Hove. Elliott is Head of Ops for Delaware North, overseeing the catering operation at West Ham and Arsenal Football Clubs. It was really interesting to hear in detail of the challenges surrounding the Hospitality and Events business at the venues and hopefully there will be an easing of the restrictions in the near future.
I was also lucky enough to be invited to a tour and tasting at the Ridgeview Wine Estate - it was lovely afternoon. I first went up to Ridgeview around 15 years ago when they were first establishing themselves and the operation they have running now is really impressive, it is definitely worth a trip up to Ditchling. Thanks to Mardi Roberts and for hosting us and to Sam Thomas for the invitation. Obviously while in Ditchling we couldn’t resist a quick visit to The Bull, great to bump into owner Dominic Worrall and have a chat.
I have had a busy month at Rivervale where they have just taken a Maxus Van franchise which is an all electric van. There are a range of vans on display which we will be showcasing to local businesses as soon as the current restrictions allow. The team are really impressed with them, although it is a little unnerving driving a vehicle without an engine noise.
I also had a test drive in Rivervale C.O.O Vince Pemberton’s new Mercedes EQC, the all electric SUV. There will be a review on Rivervale’s Blog soon but it is a really impressive car.
I am sure these will be very popular for company owner drivers with the banding currently as zero company car tax. There has been a growth in enquiries for the electric models as the technology continues to move forward. Rivervale have recently installed smart electric points at Rivervale House as the fleet moves across to electric. The chargers have a smart system to allow the company to monitor each individual car power consumption and charge back to the user accordingly.
I hope you all have a great month.
Toby Graves
Golf day a smash hit for children’s charity
A golf day held in aid of Rockinghorse, has raised thousands of pounds for the children’s charity.
Toby Graves, the 24-year-old
Charity professional golfer and managing director of TPG Sports Events, organised the golf day in support of Rockinghorse Children’s’ Charity and to aid him in his professional golfing career. Best known as the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton, Rockinghorse raises money for sick and disadvantaged children across Sussex.
The TPG Sports Events Golf Day in aid of Rockinghorse Children’s’ Charity was held at The Dyke Golf Club on Thursday 27th August and was attended by 112 avid golfers. Under current government regulations, staggered starts and strict social distancing measures were put in place but did not hinder the success of the day. The event ran smoothly, and the rain held off until the end. Thanks to fundraising throughout the day, the event raised thousands of pounds, helping to fund ongoing projects and services that Rockinghorse are supporting during these critical times.
Barnets / JMS Connections took home the crown of winning team and received a £75 voucher for The Dyke Pro shop and a £75 voucher towards Par 3 Golf Breaks Holiday Travel.
Organiser, Toby Graves, expressed his delight following the success of the charity golf day. He said, “Firstly I would like to thank everyone for attending the day in support of myself and Rockinghorse children’s charity.
“Without your support we cannot raise much-needed funds for Rockinghorse and all they do in the community and at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.”
“Thank you to all the sponsors on the day and to The Dyke for letting us have the course for the whole day. Well done to everyone who took part and congratulations to winners Barnets / JMS Connections! “Here at TPG Sports Events, we are planning on running bigger and better events in 2021, so watch this space. With events planned in Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing and Crawley ranging from Charity Events to Networking Golf Leagues alongside our new online community platform.”
Stella Buckingham is the events fundraising manager at Rockinghorse and thanked Toby for his support. She says, “We are so grateful for all that Toby does for Rockinghorse. The day was a roaring success and the funds raised just go to show how his hard work and determination to help does pay off. Again, a huge thank you Toby for choosing to support our charity”
To find out more about the charity, visit www.rockinghorse.org.uk.
To find out more about TPG Sports Events, visit www.tpgsportsevents.com or email toby@tpgsportsevents.com
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