It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Natalie Bamford, Managing Director of Derby-based personalised gift box business Colleague Box.
Following the lockdown in 2020, 2021 was the year that everyone got used to working from home.
This was a huge opportunity to enable firms to demonstrate to their workers that they were thinking of them.
For Colleague Box, as a business created during the pandemic specifically for delivering happiness to those working remotely or furloughed, we saw a huge increase in demand as organisations adjusted to the massive change. Businesses wanted to repay the faith which their employees had in them, and I think that we all became more empathetic as we tried to find that perfect work-life balance.
In 2022 – and with the Government once again advising people to, if they can, work from home – this looks set to continue. Companies are now more aware of the needs of their staff, more in-tune to their wellbeing and the loneliness which can come from working remotely.
We have seen Christmas parties cancelled and, as a result, Colleague Box HQ has had its busiest year to date in response to this; businesses still want to thank their employees for their continued hard work and a Colleague Box is the perfect way to do that.
Next year looks set to be another year of growth for Colleague Box and fellow online delivery services. I think we are all more in-tune now when it comes to wellbeing and that is reflected in the new range of products we are launching; our latest addition is a collaboration with Rebecca Smith of Derby-based Peachy Mind which aims to create a mindful experience for companies to purchase for their teams.
Rebecca, who is a qualified psychotherapist and mental wellbeing consultant, has pre-recorded workshops where she talks through the contents in each wellness box, explaining the meaning behind each item, creating a practical and enjoyable experience with notes to takeaway.
It will help with continuing the mindful journey as, in 2022, many more businesses and organisations take action on mental wellbeing in the workplace.
