Second edition...

Welcome to the second edition of Ridgwell's Round-Up...

It's been a whirlwind end to the Q1 period for us here at Core Group! We've had a fantastic few months since we entered 2022 and it's all positive for us...

Our new office is taking shape in Winkfield and we're adding the final touches to it to make sure it feels like home for our staff. We're also launching our first ever fully-fledged induction process and hiring a dedicated training & development officer to really prioritise the growth of our staff. I'm truly excited by this part of our plans - I've always said that the success of a business is anchored in its people so this is a vital part of our growth strategy going into the rest of 2022.

As I mentioned last month, we've launched some really exciting brands this year. One of those - Core Network Services - is now up and running and the team are flying. It is a specialist and dedicated tech infrastructure business that is helping organisations stay connected and effectively communicating. You can find out more at www.core-networks.co.uk

Top Tips to Bag a Job You'll Love in 2022

It's the perfect time of year to assess where you're at in your career and identify if - and how - you would like to make changes in the year ahead. You've had a few months to see how you're feeling about your job and it's now a good time (if you're feeling unsure or unhappy) to make a change. If you're ready to consider a change, follow these top tips I've seen over the years to get yourself into the perfect position for a job upgrade.

1. Identify Your Purpose and Values

All businesses have a purpose or mission and a set of values that describe what is important to them as they move in their intended direction. Treat yourself as a business and adopt the same approach. Have a clear purpose of your own and know what your values are. These will help you define your personal brand and understand how to communicate your own clear valuable attributes to potential employers.

2. Work On Your Network

In many cases, it will be your network that takes you to your desired end point. Nurture and develop your network and make contact with people that you haven't seen in some time. It is the perfect time to meet for a catch-up and to casually drop into the conversation that you're on the lookout for a new position! If you can help others in your network, do so proactively too, as this will build your reputation as someone who helps and develops others.

3. Learn to Live with Self-Doubt

Many people try to overcome their self-doubt and to become 'perfect' in their roles. But for most of us that will never be possible! So learn to live with your feelings of doubt and become your own best cheerleader. If you find yourself trapped in a cycle of rereading emails endlessly before you reply to them, for example, stop doing so. Read it once, twice for key points, and trust yourself to formulate a good enough reply. This will teach your brain that you are enough, and you can trust yourself!

4. Have a Growth Mindset

High performers invariably have a growth mindset that allows them to keep developing, learning from mistakes, taking on new challenges and being open to fresh ideas and inputs. If you can develop this positive mindset, you will naturally become someone that people notice for all the right reasons. The more you can grow, flex and adapt with the changing world around you, the better your performance - and career- will be.

5. Know What's Important

The pandemic encouraged us all to reframe what really matters to our lives. So if you are still chasing roles with a big salary just to be 'successful', then think again. What type of role will give you meaning and purpose? What sort of job will motivate you and make you feel as though you are making a difference? What type of work will support your mental health, well-being, family life and work/life balance? Reframe your career plans by asking these key questions and you will be a happier person at the end of 2022 rather than stressed and burned out!

Is Hybrid Working the Future of Offices?

Many readers will likely be grappling with how to approach the hybrid working / full work from home / full work from the office question at the moment...

With research across the board suggesting that many workers don't want to return to work in offices full-time , businesses are having to rapidly get to grips with changing times and changing demands.

The hybrid work model is the one being touted as the new normal for forward-thinking businesses, but what does it actually mean, and what trends can we expect to see?

What Is Hybrid Working?

Essentially, it's a blended model which attempts to bring greater balance into the equation for employers and employees alike. Workers come into the office for part of the week and work at home for the rest of it. The idea is that people can physically come into the office for meetings, collaborative sessions and for vital social contact and work on things that do not need a physical presence at home and away from long commutes, crowded offices and other potential stressors.

The Benefits

Although the benefits of hybrid working immediately seem weighted very strongly in the favour of employees, businesses also can enjoy various benefits from the arrangement, such as:

- The ability to attract a more diverse workforce by removing barriers to employment (such as fixed or traditional working hours and locations that keep parents and carers out of the workforce).

- The ability to reduce requirements for city-centre physical premises, which tend to be very expensive to run.

- The chance to have a more motivated and engaged workforce and, potentially, even a higher-performing one with the right training and management.

- The ability to attract talented individuals who are keen to build careers with flexible employers that are seen to be moving with the times.

The Challenges

There are various challenges to navigate on both sides, however. For example:

- Not all employees have suitable home working spaces, and there can be issues with isolation and mental health when homeworking is too prolonged.

- It is far harder to induct and onboard new employees with a remote working model.

- Collaboration is far easier to achieve in person and in a creative, lively environment.

- Social events are a vital part of team life and can be missed when people work from home.

- There can be security issues with software and hardware without the ring-fence of a physical office.

- It can be difficult for managers to manager remote teams as effectively as in-person.

The Best Approach?

For most businesses, the best approach will be one that takes a little time and testing to achieve. For some businesses it will still be a huge cultural shift, and for most it will be essential that staff are in the office physically for at least part of the week. (Look at the recent Facebook outage as an example of why entirely homeworking cultures may not work in the long-term.)

However, with the right approach, consultation with employees, support for managers, investment in infrastructure and an open mind, the right approach is vital to find in the months ahead.

Great Reasons to Try Boxing

As I mentioned in our last edition, we are super proud of our sponsored athlete Raven Chapman. Her fight has sadly been postponed for this weekend but she's ready and raring to take on the world following the exciting news she was signed by Frank Warren Boxing.

Now I'm no Tyson Fury, but I personally enjoy getting stuck in with boxing and find it an awesome way to keep fit. If you're feeling a little sluggish, then you're probably thinking about starting a new fitness and training regime. But where should you start looking to get fit? Well, perhaps now is the time to take a leap of faith and discover the ancient art of boxing. No, no one is expecting you to jump into a ring and start sparring, and many boxing students will forgo sparring altogether in favour of fitness training. But the benefits of this sport are varied and profound, and many people report experiencing tremendous changes to their physiques, health and mental well-being as a result of boxing. So read on to find out more about it.

It Keeps Your Heart Healthy

Any sport which makes you breathe heavily and causes your heart to pump blood around your circulatory system faster will offer heart benefits. And boxing is a superb choice for doing just that. You'll push your heart into his intense training zone in just a few minutes of training work, gaining the effects of HIIT short-duration exercise as you ramp your effort levels up and down during a conditioning class.

It Makes You Incredibly Fit

Boxing works your anaerobic and aerobic fitness, and it is a short and explosive form of training, meaning that you'll get tired fast but also incredibly fit in the process, boosting your VO2 max, torching body fat and building muscle. Boxing burns up to 500 calories an hour, and it is a great way to burn visceral fat, which will give you a leaner stomach.

It Makes You Strong

Boxing builds all over body strength in your arms, core and legs, and this will make you fundamentally better at everything you do in life whilst boosting your resilience and resistance to injury.

It's a Huge Confidence Builder

If you've ever experienced the buzz of stepping outside a boxing ring after a heavy training session, then you'll know how tremendous this sport is for boosting your confidence and self-esteem. This can also help you to see yourself in a new and more positive way and improve your body image. The confidence you gain through boxing will translate into other areas of your life too, and you'll suddenly notice that you're standing more assertively, speaking to others in a more confident way and holding your head high! Remember that this confidence - and your physical gains - will also make you safer when you are out and about.

It's a Great Community

The boxing community is supportive and strong, and you'll be amazed at the encouragement you'll receive as a female boxer or boxing training participant. It's also tremendous fun and a great way to meet new friends in a positive and sports-based environment where you can get fitter together.