3 minutes with – Sharon Smith

‘3 minutes with’ is our latest initiative to support positive communications, gain an insight into local businesses, learn from their experience and take away their top tips. This month, we hear from Sharon Smith, CEO of the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.

More about Sharon can be found here. Sharon says:

As the pandemic continues to dominate, the continued uncertainty is proving problematic to businesses and their future plans.

Businesses should look to innovation as an opportunity to create new ideas. One of the main themes we have seen at the Chamber has been innovation and collaboration between businesses across the two counties. Businesses who would not usually work together have been collaborating, sharing knowledge and experience to come up with innovative way to increase sales whilst navigating lockdown and local restrictions.

Employee wellbeing is another major issue that has been highlighted over the past year and mental health challenges are increasing in lockdown 3. For many, working from home has proved difficult, in particular the balance and separation between work and their personal life and the added stress of home schooling.

For others working from home has been a welcome addition to balancing their daily routine, with less travel saving money and the ability to offer parents more flexible working options to fit around children.

Whether positive or negative, our research shows that flexible working is here to stay in some form.

Businesses are looking at implementing new policies once the restrictions cease and incorporating this into their corporate culture – ensuring those who need flexible support can access this easily, whilst maintaining a balance of the benefits achieved by collaboration in face to face environments.

To hear what Sharon has to say about working with us, please go to our testimonials.

To join in with our 3 minutes with initiative, please email: ruby@webdevserver.uk.