Careers Life at Zzoomm plc Agony Aunt Karen Young’s sage advice; and our book review

Ask PQ’s agony aunt Karen Young when you need expert advice. Email your dilemma to graham@pqmagazine.com, and he will pass on the best ones to Karen

THE QUESTION I like my manager, but I feel increasingly stressed about not being able to meet their high expectations. The pressure of getting everything perfect is draining – any tips on how to tackle this?

KAREN’S RESPONSE Wanting to impress your manager is natural. However, you need to make sure you are aligned with your manager’s expectations. You need to know what your tasks are, and what processes will be followed to complete them. Understanding that your manager’s expectations are also a part of their deliverables can help clarify whether it’s unrealistic or not.

Ask around the office and see if any of your co-workers can provide insight or expertise on handling the workload or handling your boss. Even if your workload is something that only you can do, your colleagues, especially those with a bit more experience or expertise, may have some great advice. If you’re feeling frustrated with your boss’ expectations, chances are other people have been there too.

Try to make sure that your time management and organisational skills are finely tuned, to give yourself the best opportunity to get the tasks required completed to a high standard and in a timely manner. Be a problem solver, not a problem maker, as managers tend to promote employees who are rewarding to work with. • Karen Young is a director at Hays. She is passionate about helping people to find the right job, and companies to find the right person As we launch the PQ Awards 2022 we thought we’d speak to Simon Cordell, our current PQ of the Year. He is a build supervisor at the broadband company,and is studying for the AAT Advanced Diploma

What time does your alarm go off? 4.30am. What is on your desk? Laptop and lots of notepaper How long is your commute to that desk? One hour. Do you have a favourite lunch? A bacon sandwich What can you see when you sit at your desk? Our breakout area and coffee machine. What are your favourite websites? Anything motorcycle related. How many hours a week do you spend in online meeting rooms? About 14. Are you spending more time working now than normal? Yes. How do you relax? Going for a ride on the bike. What is your favourite tipple? JD and coke. What’s your favourite TV show? Columbo. What is the best film you have watched recently? Hacksaw Ridge. Summer or winter? Summer. Pubs or clubs? Pubs. Do you have a hero? No. What is the first thing you are going to do when lockdown is fully over? Take a road trip. If you had a time machine where would you go? Back to the 1960s.

In brief

Pap A world first

The UK will be world’s first net zero financial centre, says Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Speaking at COP26 the Chancellor said over $130 trillion – 40% of the world’s financial assets – will now be aligned with the climate goals in the Paris Agreement, thanks to climate change commitments from financial services firms. Under the proposals, there will be new requirements for UK financial institutions and listed companies to publish net zero transition plans that detail how they will adapt and decarbonise as the UK moves towards to a net zero economy by 2050. Sunak said these commitments will help create a huge pool of cash that could fund the transition to net zero, including the move away from coal, the shift to electric cars and planting of more trees.

Pap A trusted profession

Research from Chartered Accountants Worldwide and Edelman Data and Intelligence has revealed that trust in the accountancy profession remains strong following the pandemic. In total, 1,450 business decision makers considered chartered accountants to be among the most trusted professionals, behind doctors, engineers, nurses and teachers and ahead of legal professionals and politicians. Some 70% of respondents see chartered accountants as credible spokespeople on societal issues, such as sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion. But they also expect accountants to follow through by driving sustainable environmental practices within businesses, and doing more to foster diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Key findings from the research include: • 84% believe chartered accountants have the skills and expertise to make businesses thrive today. • 81% are confident in the ability of chartered accountants to navigate a new operating environment in the future. • 85% think it’s important that chartered accountants demonstrate a track record of helping businesses thrive.

The PQ Book Club: books you should read

Move Your Mind: How to build a healthy mindset for life, by Nick Bracks (Wiley £15.50) From the get-go the author is upfront about his own battle with depression and anxiety, and he wrote this book to try to provide practical and guidance help for those struggling to cope with the world.

He splits the book into four parts. First he looks at the big picture; in part two he breaks down mental health symptoms and conditions. Part three introduces you to his practical pathways, and he brings it all together in part four.

Bracks explains that facing fear is an essential part of life if you want to grow and prosper. Failure and rejection can be scary, but he believes we have to change the dynamic and reframe our thinking. He wants you to look at failure and rejection as either giving you the desired result or helping you learn something – which both have positive outcomes!

Bracks believes meditation, mindfulness and sleep are three key ingredients when it comes to mental health and wellbeing. They are today’s buzzwords, and you can be sure there’s a thousand apps for them. But have you tried them? They aren’t just for hippies!

His hope is that in future we don’t have to re-educate people about mental health. It should, he said, be part of our daily learnings, taught to us through our parents, schools and in organisations. Bracks wants it to be part of the daily conversation, seen in the same way that we see physical issues. PQ rating: 4/5 Bracks provides simple strategies and practical tools to help your mental wellbeing.