To Coyne A Phrase

The boys are back in town

WHAT a coincidence! Just as the Christmas party season gets underway in Birmingham city centre, two thirsty journalists and PRs arrive on the scene.

It’s a bit like how my father-in-law always manages to turn up at my house when I’ve got the frying pan fired up and the kettle on.

Former Birmingham Post editor Alun Thorne has left his editor’s position at the Coventry Telegraph to take on a new role with Jewellery Quarter PR firm Barques while Clive Reeves has re-located his eponymous PR firm from Birmingham Science Park Aston to Colmore Row.

It is Thorne’s second attempt at PR after an earlier spell at Core Marketing. He’ll just need to keep his support for Aston Villa a bit quiet in the new job (not hard these days to be fair) as Barques PR gaffer Paul Skipp is an avid Bluenose.

The ever affable Clive Reeves, meanwhile, has moved his PR firm into 122 Colmore Row, which once housed the coffee shop Hudson’s.

“The kettle’s always on if you’re in the area,” he says (perhaps in a tribute to the building’s former usage).

He may just regret saying that. I might mention it my father-in-law.

 

Home truths

FIRST time buyers in the Midlands will give up on a new car and cut down on holidays when saving for their dream home – but they insist on looking good and hanging on to their hair and beauty regime.

A survey into savings habits by building society (and football chant) the West Brom has shown that more than half of the 1,741 respondents nationally would happily park their car buying plans (53%) or give their holiday spending a break (65%) if it helped them towards their first house.

Yet only one in four (26%) would give the chop to a decent hair-do or otherwise compromise on beauty and grooming products.

In the Midlands, top of the list of things would-be homeowners are prepared to compromise on is eating out (66%), with electronic gadgets (42%) and new clothes (46%) also featuring prominently.

Fewer people are prepared to reduce spending on food shopping (4%), delay starting a family (10%) or abandon their long-term savings or pension plans (18%) in order to achieve home ownership. 

It’s nice to know we’ve got our priorities right!  Perhaps we’ll end up like Italy where children live with their parents until they’re about 45. 

 

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

THE German Market is up and running, retailers are spending a fortune on their television advertising extravaganzas and the first press releases arrive warning us about inappropriate behaviour at the work Christmas party.

Instead of a Christmas card, Amber Bate, an employment solicitor at FBC Manby Bowdler, sends instead a missive warning companies to be aware of potential pitfalls before the office celebrations get underway.

“No-one wants to be a scrooge and ruin the Christmas spirit but employers and their workers need to be aware that a festive party is an extension of the workplace. That means that all the usual standards of behaviour still apply,” she says.

“Unfortunately once you add alcohol into the mix, anything can happen and employees need to know that they could still face disciplinary hearings or dismissal if their behaviour falls below this standard. Social events are a great way of bringing people together and rewarding the team, but employers must make it clear that any bad behaviour or misconduct will result in action.”

Remind me not to put ‘must attend office party populated by employment lawyers and health and safety people’ on my bucket list.

Have a great weekend (but remember that all the usual standards of behaviour still apply). 
 
 

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