It has definitely changed, but there are a huge number of caveats that I’d add in from both what we’ve experienced and also see from our clients.

It is unusual now to see or hear of many teams in an office five days per week, two to four days is the broader norm depending on the industry or sector. We are now doing three days a week ourselves and that is up from the two days that we had been doing in the early return post COVID. We found that on the two days a week we were in most of our team days were full of client meetings, which was great, but did mean that we never spent any time with each other. The extra day means there is greater cross over and it is particularly helpful when it comes to running through scenarios, hearing about the market and what people have going on. Recruitment is an industry built around people and therefore it is rare that any one problem is the same, being able to talk things through instantly is a huge help.

The last point is that we also try to catch up socially as a team on a monthly basis. The scheduling removes some of the spontaneity but it is also important that people get to know each other on a deeper level. I like the people I work with and therefore having some fun and finding out more about who they are is vital for morale and your broader understanding of those that you are surrounded by.

People that know me know that I love my sports and it therefore it won’t surprise anyone that Gymshark and J Lindeberg are two brands that I both love and have also followed heavily throughout their journey.

Gymshark is a brand I wear when I work out. The clothes are well priced and I’ve seen how the business has utilised social media to grow their client base. The influencer model was one that they took advantage of at an early stage, and it proved a genius move in order to keep costs low and use real people rather than sponsor serious athletes.

J Lindeberg are clothing a brand that have a heavy focus on golf and they have been trying to push golf fashion into the 21st Century. What it has also meant is that other brands have started to push more heavily into this space. 10 years ago, someone wearing a hoodie on the golf course would have most likely been kicked out and now they are everywhere. Just like Gymshark, they have utilised social media to grow their presence and target a slightly different audience.

Stuart Broad - autobiography

Thursday Murder Club – The Last Devil to Die

Boss Class – the Economist Podcast

1. Attitude is everything – every day you can wake up and not be in control about some of the things that happen to you that day. What you can always control is your attitude, how you go about things and what you say. Having an approach that is positive, friendly, open and truly driven is infectious and that all comes back to the attitude you start each day with.

2. Purpose – do things with purpose and do them well. As a favourite character of mine (Jack Reacher) always says, “details matter”.

3. Genuinely work out what drives you – too many people I see and meet speak openly about what they believe drives them. Too few people are honest about it, giving answers that they believe people want to hear and being too afraid to genuinely understand what drives them. Try to get to the bottom of this, it’s not an easy one but the sooner people understand this the sooner they will be able to focus on what they truly want out of life.

2023 was (on the whole) a disastrous year for recruiters. 2022 was potentially the busiest year for recruiters and that meant we had to put up with a 12-month hangover.

As a business we also suffered but I am always prouder of coming through challenges or adversity as opposed to preaching about success. For me navigating the tricky market, keeping my teams engaged and motivated, while also managing a flagging P&L is what I want to be remembered for. Anyone can make money when it’s treated like confetti.