Episode 131: 24th September 2020

Jay Blades, work attire, Edward De Bono, Yodeck and Brompton Bicycles make the cut this week as we get back together after Heather’s holiday.

I think we can all say we’ve made some changes to the way  we  dress since the start of the pandemic. For those of us who have been living life via Zoom I think we’ve all had occasions when we can get away with being smart from the waist up but maybe the way you dress for work helps to give you the right mindset to get things done.

We delve into the history of  ‘business dress’ and ‘smart casual‘ and the part that Levi’s had to play in the story, plus we are reminded of the correct terminology thanks to guidance from job site indeed.  We also have some interesting information from ACAS with regard to dress codes at work which is worth a read.

In other news and in the light of recent reports of misappropriation of funds by some large global banks Tracy gets to grips with U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN and a recent report . The in depth report gives details about what happened and what might come next for financial institutions, specifically banks.

We also take a look at the history, and current status of the initiative known as ‘twinning’. Most of us will have seen twinning signs as we enter towns and cities across the country but where did this idea come from and is it still active? You can find out more at the ONS.

Heather flagged up some of the latest rules regarding Coronavirus in particular with relation to conferences and business events and takes a look at a new innovative approach to business which is being offered by Brompton Bicycles. You are now able to subscribe to one of their folding bikes on a month by month or annual basis. Great news for those with complex commutes.

In our discovery section Tracy shares details of an app that she has been using to broadcast information to her workforce. Yodeck is a cloud based platform that allows you to schedule information for display on screens effortlessly. Heather on the other hand took delivery of yet another book, this time by Edward De Bono the inventor of and leading authority on Lateral Thinking. It’s not an easy read but it has real life examples and exercises to help  make sense of how we can become better at creative and productive thinking.

And finally, our profile this week is of a man who seems to be everywhere at the moment. If you are a fan of The Repair Shop (BBC 1 Monday, 4.30pm) you may have seen Jay Blades on your TV screen. We think he’s an interesting character and he’s much more than a furniture restorer having spent a lot of time working in social enterprises. You can see some of his beautiful work at Jay&Co and find out more about him in this interview with The Radio Times.  Suffice to say, we like him.

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