April 2023 Newsletter – Welcome May
As Oscar and Hammerstein wrote in ‘Carousel’ (the musical which gave us “you’ll never walk alone” for the non-theatre folk!) “April cried, the stepped aside, and along came pretty little May”. And after a pretty disappointing and wet March/April, let’s hope that those lyrics are accurate. Welcome to May, the month all the footie gets wrapped up, the garden gets cleaned up, and the BBQ gets scrubbed up! This may not apply to our lovely candidates currently travelling or spending time overseas, but know we are always thinking of you! Have fun, but do come home!
April was the month of the 25th Anniversary celebrations for the Good Friday Agreement and, of course, the Presidential visit. Ireland, in all its beauty, was projected across the world. That is something to be very proud of. The big test for Biden will be if he can get a motorway services station named after him, but we think he may have bigger things to concentrate on having announced he is running again.
Let’s kick off with business this month and an unusual survey from Penney's, their first ever ‘Pulse’ report (curated by Amarach) - Here are the highlights. No surprise to see renters and parents feeling most impacted by the inflationary challenge but we did arch an eyebrow on reading that men are more positive about their health and finance than women.
Another good read is from KPMG in partnership with the 30% Club, on the ‘Impact of Sport on Women in Business’ with 88% of women saying transferable skills are learnt in sport. With several research papers citing a deficit of soft skills and the difficulties of keeping girls in sport beyond a young age, this is definitely worth a read. Sport and women's careers - KPMG Ireland.
Our favourite cheeky report this month is from Ulster Bank – The Ulster Fry Index 2023 – no words necessary. Now how can we adapt this cool idea? All suggestions welcome.
The Great Debate rages on – Back to the office v work from home. Management v staff. There are lots of articles and real live examples of this conflict affecting staff morale. We liked this perspective from a US employee of a very large insurer discussing the challenges of being asked to return to the office when you just don’t want to be there. Read here.
Here at the watercooler in PeopleSource we’re loving the news that Rebekah Vardy has trademarked the term ‘Wagatha Christie’ either in a desperate attempt to stifle the stage show about the infamous Vardy/Rooney trial or to cash in on merchandise. Read here. Or Irish influencer - Lisa McGowan - paying herself almost €1m. Fair play, I think I'm in the wrong job. Maybe I will consider a career change! Check out her site here - Lisa's Lust List.
Even in these early days of AI adoption there are some challenges emerging with deep-fake content and it’ll be interesting to see what happens after Michael Schumacher’s family indicated they would take legal action against German magazine Die Aktuelle after they published with 'the first interview’ with the ex F1 World Champion, created by AI.
Let’s not even go there with doctored images, from the Pope in a Puffa to the Bud Light ‘Cry Babies’ posters to Trumps mug shots, all fake. It is going to be very difficult deciphering real from fake, we will have to check & double check our sources, but that’s second nature to accountants, all will be well. Phew.
Speaking of AI, it's this month's ‘hot topic’! We have all considered what robotics and AI will do for assembly lines, manual work and service roles. However, we were taken by the headline in CFOBrew that the ‘AI CFO’ is here. While there is an element of clickbait around the headline and the article itself pulls back from the claim, there is enough in there to make us all sit up and start considering what kind of future lies ahead for many roles including accountancy professionals. AI CFOs have arrived.
Have you tried Chat GTP yet? It’s great!
Here’s this months recommendations for some on-line diversion while you eat your lunch!
So, in the Champions’ League it is Man City v Real Madrid and the ultimate derby with Inter Milan v AC Milan – smart money is probably on Man City as the form team in Europe right now, with odds shrinking to vanishing point after their win over Arsenal at the Etihad.
Hats off to the Ireland Ladies soccer team for giving the USA two cracking games in the States in April, going down 2-0 and then playing particularly well in a narrow 1-0 defeat only four days later. Positive signs for Vera Pauw’s charges with the World Cup less than three months away. Unfortunately, the ladies' rugby team is more of a work-in-progress after some heavy defeats in the 6 Nations, however, our successful teams of the future will be built on the foundations laid today.
Hopefully the full month between Grand Prix’s will allow the organisers to ensure a more competitive Grand Prix than the ‘three-red-flag’ disaster in Oz! (anyone going to Baku!!??) Red Bull already looking like runaway winners for 2023.
Bit of a shame to see the protesters spoiling the atmosphere somewhat for the Grand National in which the Scots triumphed with the well-signposted Curach Rambler. No such problems for the Irish National with Willie Mullins & Paul Townend teaming up in the colours of JP McManus with a big win for I Am Maximus.
John Rahm is proving a very worthy world #1 golfer and his last day procession in the Masters was a joy to behold – especially for the Anti-LIV brigade!!
Changing career is a far more common occurrence no than in the past when longevity, loyalty and pensions were key considerations. Today however, balance, flexibility and challenges are the top priorities for many. If you are one of those people considering their options right now, be sure to check out the Peoplesource website where we have a host of exciting roles for all levels or perhaps one of these might be of interest. Sometimes the market moves so quickly, it's best to pick up the phone to see what is new in!
Competition time…
Each month we ask our readers to answer a question for a chance to win €100 One4all voucher.
Our question for the March newsletter was:
Have you ever successfully (i.e.they secured a job) referred a friend for a role with your employer?
And the results were:
Yes - 27% - well done, we hope you secured a referral fee!
No - 73%
And the winner of our voucher is – Brian Glennon – we’ll be in touch!
Our question for the April newsletter is:
Is your employer trying to encourage (or mandate) staff to spend more time in the office?
Yes or No
Enter here to be in with a chance to win. The winner will be chosen at random and will receive €100 One4All voucher.
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PeopleSource is a specialist finance & accounting recruitment firm.
