It’s on its way, the good times will return once again, and possibly sooner than you think!

We have been through unbelievable times of late, we’ve all sat and nervously watched the daily briefings when they ran each day – and we’ve all heard the word ‘unprecedented’ a million times over, we’ve worried of what will happen next, we’ve missed our families and our friends lovely faces and we’ve no doubt all wondered what the ‘new normal’ will be like.

But right now feels good! The overall picture of the grip this virus had has changed very much, and whilst we have to exercise caution on an ongoing basis, it seems to be a level of caution that we have learned to live with already. We’re cautious if we come into contact with others, if we nip to the local shop, or if we’re out for a walk. We know how to be careful now, we’re good at this stuff now – So let’s take this forward and carefully look to get the world of work moving again.

Over the recent weeks and months, I’ve researched on an ongoing basis, to understand what’s happening and what is likely to happen. The picture has shifted about here and there, but what I find now is overwhelmingly positive if I’m honest. This was backed up recently when Investec showed that the UK GDP will see an (that word again) unprecedented decline in Q2 of 26.8% – of course, that’s understandable, but the great news is that this will be followed by a recovery of 25%! Almost back to where we were, which is far better than most of us were expecting.

There have been numerous doom mongerers out there warning us all of the huge economic downturn, the doom of the economy etc etc. it seems wise not to pay too much attention to the scaremongering and focus on what the economic research tells us.

The economic downturn was not based on a struggling economy – it was driven by an international need to stop what we were all (almost all) doing. As soon as we all go back to doing what we did, surely a new form of ‘business as usual’ is within reach?

And don’t forget, business is based very much on relationships. If your clients recognise the quality of the work you do, or the quality of your product, it’s a safe bet that as soon as they need to spend in that area again, they’re right back to you. Maintain your relationships, help your clients out even when they’re not buying from you, do what you can to help them and maintain the goodwill vibe you have going. Keep the conversation going. People want to help others where they can, I find that this has always been the case, but never moreso than now with the amazing sense of community spirit that has emerged during this lockdown period.

There will be much change for us all to deal with as we move forward, but from the amazing support we can offer one another, we can all pull together, help out our friends, colleagues, business contacts where they need it and we will be on the happy road to recovery in no time!

Written by Elaine Courtney, Director of Courtney Recruitment.