The Importance of ‘US and You' Time

I recently witnessed a National Audit team event, beautifully orchestrated by Emma Jones and it struck me in particular, just how well she brought everyone together. Not just by geography but, also as a ‘new’ team that has a strong mix of operational, technical, and team-building skills. The day I’m pleased to report, culminated (naturally) in a valuable, social event in the evening. Why am I highlighting this? Because it reminded me of just how important it is to find the right balance of mixing business with pleasure amongst our people teams and the importance of ensuring we find ways to create moments of collaborative enjoyment, away from the office.

Earlier that same week, I’d joined Craig Herbert at a business development (BD) meeting he was leading in London, which I’d taken great satisfaction from as it had demonstrated to me that focusing on activities and interactions you enjoy, often means the results and rewards have a greater chance of success. This had been our first ‘BD’ meeting together as a Fortus duo and I have to say, I’m already looking forward to the next one.

The pandemic’s clearly been a challenging period for each and every one of us and we’re reaching a tipping point (in some cases it’s already been reached) where we’ve all had to perform roles and ‘muck in’ in order to maintain business momentum. Yet, as much as we have a variety of exciting projects, spinning off the back of the 3 Year Plan, we still need to do our very best to ensure your roles are rewarding and enjoyable, and that you feel a sense of satisfaction in the work you do and as a member of our Fortus ‘family’. It’s also become evident to me, that in certain areas of the business, positivity and fun are at an all-time high and that local/regional leadership plays a huge role in this. With social interaction such a key part of how we ‘work & play’ together, we’re now embarking on a plan to bring us back together more often. It’s only through such interaction that we’ll ensure our culture (a fun, inclusive one) can start to fully flourish.

We have a tremendous team here at Fortus and collectively, we’re delivering great things, through hard work and collaboration – I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for that. So, for those of you who’ve managed to already take holiday, I hope you enjoyed it and feel a little more refreshed as a result. For those of you still yet to do so, please communicate effectively before you head off, and once you’re sipping your first Pina Colada or flying the kite on the beach, relax, don’t work, and give all your time and focus to your family and yourself, and that includes even those who can’t NOT help but check the odd email or two – you know you are!