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Today marks one year since we started on this lockdown journey, and the MorePeople team will be taking part in the minute’s silence at midday today to remember everyone who has tragically lost their lives to Covid. Looking back, none of us predicted the full extent of the challenges the pandemic would bring, but we’re keeping focused on brighter times ahead. As a team, we’ve also been reflecting on the effects that the last 12 months have had on our working lives, what we’ve learnt and what has had the biggest impact… ------------------------------“It’s been a challenging year for most - work wise, candidates and clients have adjusted well to first stage video interviews and adapted to ‘Covid friendly’ on site interviews, which has kept processes running smoothly. Personally, after being furloughed for a period of time, I now appreciate the importance of getting out with the dog and getting fresh air. Also enjoying learning Spanish on Duolingo to keep me busy!”Sarah Want------------------------------“I would say that remote working has been the best thing that has come from Covid. It has given me the perfect work-life balance that I’ve always looked for in a job. You really can work from anywhere and being able to go out for a walk or do a workout over lunchtime, and having no travel time, has massively helped me feel less stressed and enjoy work a lot more. I also think it’s given businesses an opportunity to be more forward thinking and make changes that possibly would have never happened without the pandemic.” Lycia Pitcher ------------------------------“This last year has been a year of being proud to work in a fairly resilient sector, which has risen to meet the challenges that Covid has brought, and a year of being grateful for lots of the small things in life that we previously took for granted – a strong support network foremost amongst them.” Andrew Fitzmaurice ------------------------------“It has made me realise how important it is to stay in contact with your work colleagues. When I was furloughed for 7 months last year, I felt a little isolated at times, but once you got on the phone and spoke to a work colleague – it made my day!! It really made a difference and made me feel positive and that there was light at the end of the tunnel! On a more personal level, my life saver has been going out for daily walks and being out in the fresh air (even if it was pouring with rain), taking in how great nature and wildlife is!!” Jo Purvis ------------------------------“I’ve realised just how much I enjoy and need work in my life! What work offers you, beyond just an income, is a real sense of purpose, enabling your brain to work on ideas and challenges away from your home life of being a parent, husband etc. and a distraction from what is going on in the world. Your workplace offers you an environment, place to attend every day and physically get you away from the other part of your life. Your work colleagues offer you camaraderie, an understanding of what you do for a living and quite often offer you a different take on things. I will never take work for granted again or underestimate just how much of my life it fulfils.” Richard Hanwell ------------------------------“I’ve been amazed at how brilliant (most) people across the UK and the wider world have adapted during the pandemic, particularly the way that people in general have gone out of their way to help those in need and support each other. I’m also very proud of our team, as well as our clients and candidates across our sectors, who have all rallied well and continued to work during these unprecedented times.” Guy Moreton ------------------------------“Looking back over the last 12 months, it feels on one hand to have gone very quick, but also very slow. I am certainly very grateful to have been able to carry on working through the pandemic and to be able to help people find a new role after they have been made redundant due to Covid.” Luan Harrison ------------------------------“At the start of lockdown, I worked from home and was then furloughed by my old company before deciding to join MorePeople. To have been able to join a company that has continued to grow, and enabled me to come into a covid secure office to work alongside some of my colleagues, has been a massive boost. I never thought I would miss the daily commute, however Covid has made me appreciate how lucky I am to have such stable employment.” Tom Merriman ------------------------------“Working from home isn’t for everyone! I very quickly missed the comradery of being with my colleagues, in particular during a very challenging time. Having the chance to spend more time with my family has been great. Whether it was having breakfast and dinner with them every day or going for a lunchtime walk. Finally, teachers should have their salaries doubled immediately… with a clause that says they will never ever not teach our children ever again, pandemic or no pandemic!” Morten Andresen ------------------------------“The last 12 months have been hard on all of us and I think it has made us all much more aware of our own mental health, and the mental health of those around us. If there is something positive to come out of the pandemic, maybe helping bring mental health and mental health awareness to the fore is it?” Tom Edmondson-Matthews ------------------------------“It’s been a hell of a year for me… furloughed from my previous job for the majority, my first child born in the middle, my wife stuck in hospital alone for 8 days. To say it’s been the hardest 12 months of my life would be a massive understatement, it has pushed me mentally and physically and I am still fighting those battles today. However, I can see the endgame, I have a new job in a company that is going places and believes in their staff, my son is growing up into a funny, clever little boy and I will never take an invite to any plans, of any sort, for granted again.” Aidan Finn ------------------------------“I’ve always been an advocate for self-care, but the last 12 months have made looking after yourself more important than ever. If you’re going to be able to offer support to those who rely on you, whether it’s your work colleagues, your kids going through home schooling or people in your support bubble, you need to put yourself first. Make time to do the things you love that make you happy and others will benefit too.” Claire Smith ------------------------------Even in a relatively small team, everyone's experiences are different, but all equally deserve to be shared. What are you reflecting on today?

Today is World Book Day and, like many of the team at MorePeople, you may have spent more time reading recently thanks to lockdown 1, 2, 3… or all three! Here are 10 books that have inspired our team, both personally and professionally: Guy – How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: “I’ve read this numerous times and his 12 golden rules have become my bible for how to live and be a great person, as well as a leader and manager. I would be a grumpy old b****** without it!” Andrew – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey: “Covey’s 7 Habits is almost as old as I am but the principles and wisdom remain as relevant now as they did in the 80’s when he wrote it. The concepts are simple and very easily implemented into daily life – work or otherwise. I’m yet to reach Covey nirvana and make all the habits part of my routine but there’s more implemented than from any other book I reckon.” Sarah – S.U.M.O (Shut Up, Move On): The Straight-Talking guide to Succeeding in Life by Paul McGee: “It’s a great motivational book that is easy to read and doesn’t contain ‘jargon’ that you won’t understand. It’s helped me to explore emotions and try out new ways to tackle situations, both at work and in my personal life. Very interesting and worth a read!” Tom – Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber: “This book is all about change management and how to bring a high performing team through changes. Change for some people is tough to go through and anything that can help people to successfully navigate it has got to help – especially given all the changes the world has been going through in the past 12 months.” Tom – Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap… and others don’t by Jim Collins: “We based our internal conference around some of the concepts in this book last year. It includes lots of insight into how the best businesses do things differently.” Morten - The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change by Charles Duhigg: “It’s rare to find a motivational / business book that you don’t want to put down, but this was one for me. Lots of great examples of how habits drive our lives, both personally and professionally, and some great advice on how to alter them!” Lawrence – Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential by Carol Dweck: “Changing your mind-set can give you a whole new outlook on life and challenges that are thrown your way, either in the workplace or in life. If you change your outlook, it can be a real tool to moving forward.” Lawrence – The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle: “I also really rate this one. If you are business looking at your staff retention, or building a successful business, it is a great read. Businesses can sometimes be narrow minded in their hiring and what is important, but this actually puts things in to perspective and shows what is important to become a successful business.” Rich – First Man In: Leading from the Front by Ant Middleton: “Ant’s first book is refreshingly honest and raw, reiterating the need to be a leader, even without the title, and stressing the importance of the supporting role within leadership.” Claire – The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme for Confidence, Success and Happiness by Prof Steve Peters: “This book really helped me to understand how the mind works and the constant battle between thinking emotionally and logically. We all have a ‘chimp’ inside our brains and it’s up to us to embrace it and learn to manage it. Steve Peters is also a brilliant masters athlete and his techniques have definitely helped to calm my pre-race nerves!” What books would you recommend?