Dear Member and Colleague,
As we end the first week of August, the likelihood of regional lockdowns is high. Now is the time to make sure your business is ready to adapt. If you are in retail make sure you can operate online, if you are in the restaurant business, are you ready for take-outs?
There are a range of financial supports there to help you prepare and overcome. We have detailed them in our new online resource HERE. We will also be holding an Online Q&A Session on the availability of COVID-19 financial supports. This free webinar will take place at 10.30am on Thursday 13th of August, with a panel of experts including Declan Hughes, Assistant Secretary General in DBEI, ISME members and accountants Eilis Quinlan and Jamie O’Hanlon. You can pose questions to the panel which must be submitted in advance while registering HERE.
The following COVID support pages have been updated by our HR Advisor, Cait Lynch:
- Green List Updates: HERE
- Key employment related measures in the July Job Stimulus: HERE
- COVID-10 FAQs: HERE
We published our pre-budget submission to the new Government, which you can read HERE. In the submission, ISME calls on Government to loosen the purse-strings now for the same reason we have called for fiscal prudence for the last three years. Governments must act in the long-term good of the citizens and must spend counter-cyclically. Now, it is time to spend. As always, your feedback on what we should include in the future is welcome.
In terms of research, this week we published our COVID-19 Survey and our Trends Survey. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking and sharing both surveys. You can view the results HERE. Our bank survey is still LIVE and can be taken HERE.
Our Skillnet is still providing free webinars This month they will hold two mini-series and one afternoon session on the following topics, click the links below for more information:
- GETTING HIRED IN A VIRTUAL WORLD
- PRICING & CONVERTING FOR BUSINESS GROWTH
- ONLINE ETIQUETTE FOR EMAIL & ON-SCREEN CHAT
They are also taking expressions of interest for a new course ‘Embracing Change Business Growth Program’ Find out more HERE.
The next issue of the bISME will be available at the end of the month, if you have an opinion to share about BREXIT or COVID-19 or if you want to place an advert in the online publication just email [email protected].
Please take advantage of the supports that are available to you. It is important to remember you are not alone in this. Continue to show leadership, wash your hands, wear a mask and keep your distance. Oh, and don’t forget to lobby your local politicians for further supports even if they are on their summer holidays.
All the best,
Neil McDonnell
ISME CEO
