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Since the onset of COVID-19 we have all seen the shift in working patterns towards a hybrid model, forcing organisations worldwide to now advance their work from home revolution. The pandemic has brought in new working dynamics, forcing a global reconsideration of what it means to work, as well as when, and where, we do that work.

It is vital that business owners have a good understanding of the M&A process when contemplating or negotiating a transaction to acquire or dispose of a business.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of the hybrid working model has had a tremendous impact on corporate culture, and has created a perfect opportunity for organisations to revisit their culture and ways of working.

I noted with interest the report from Belfast Chamber over the past week that addresses the question of who is best placed to make the decisions that deliver the growth that will see the city become an even better place to live, work, visit and invest in.

Like me you may have heard of the term the ‘Great Resignation’ over the last few months. The phrase was coined in the US and describes the current mass exodus of employees from the workforce.

Andrew Webb: Appropriate skills essential to unlocking IT sector potential

It is safe to say that Covid-19 has changed the way in which we all live and work, but what the pandemic has also highlighted is the role that a Whistleblower may play in many of our lives, both in everyday business and personal matters.

Grant Thornton has been approached by a number of clients recently to carry out Working from Home and Hybrid Working Audits and Assurance reviews.

It is no secret that technology is significantly changing the banking landscape. In addition to the challenge of low interest rates squeezing the bottom line of Banks, competition within the market is further driven by new entrants who are well placed to offer the agile, quicker and more accessible services which customers are demanding.

Before the pandemic, our office ‘dressed for the diary’, meaning you could dress more casually as the situation dictated.

Right now the hot topic most people are considering is ‘where’ staff are going to work, after more than a year of remote working it is no wonder it is at the fore. However, with the recent news that in the US, UK, and Ireland investment is being made to trial the benefits of the four day working week, is the ‘when’ people work getting the required attention in organisational planning and should it?

Reported frauds relating to online sales are 42% higher during the pandemic, compared to the preceding year (i.e. 2019), with the increased demand for online shopping providing fraudsters with greater opportunities to illegally obtain online shoppers’ personal and financial details.

Every business needs to keep moving forward. That includes being responsive to customer needs and adapting to a digital world. As new technology emerges, customer expectation has grown to include digital access to goods and services, on a round-the-clock basis.

There has been a lot written about the 10x economy in the last few weeks, with the usual mix of cheerleaders and naysayers that any attempt to present a new plan brings. I have written many economic strategies over the past 15 or so years so I know they are not easy to do. There is a constant challenge to try and deliver something unique when, deep down, we all know the economic weak spots are so obvious and ingrained that a rollover would do just as well.

One of the big topics for business leaders at the moment is how to embrace remote working post the pandemic, whilst at the same time maintaining their competitiveness and productivity. I was therefore delighted to see a publication from the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) in the Republic of Ireland on this very topic, within the past couple of weeks. Many of the points raised are equally applicable to Northern Ireland as well.

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the economic lockdowns that followed brought obvious difficulties – not just for our people, but for employees and organisations throughout the world.