Dear Members and Colleagues,
It’s been 10 days since I asked you to contact your local politicians about the awful effects of small businesses being shut down yet again. We were asking you to alert politicians to the importance of SMEs to your local economy, and the need for an exit strategy from these lockdowns. We remain none the wiser, we have no roadmap out of this, and questions hang over our testing and tracing system. We are asking you again to copy the letter found here and forward it to your politicians after making any amends needed. Find your local TDs details here. On Monday, I will be writing personally to every TD and Government Minister about the current unsustainable situation.
In the meantime, ISME will be running a Shop Local…not just for Christmas campaign from November to encourage people to support Irish SMEs. This is similar to our past Love Local Business campaigns. We will have a section on isme.ie with a listing of businesses, for both consumer and business customers, and the campaign will be supported by marketing & PR activity. There is no charge, so If you would like to be involved please respond to this mail and we will be in contact with you.
ISME Skillnet have released their training schedule for November 2020. Courses include:
- Introductory Certificate in Bookkeeping using Big Red Cloud – Read more
- Master Your Pitch- 3-Part Mini Series- 2nd, 5th, 6th November – Read more
- Free Webinar: Is your business ready for Brexit?- 12th November – Read more
- Creating Professional PowerPoint Presentations in a Flash- 13th November – Read more
ISME Group Life Cover administered by Halligan Insurance is open for one day more. The plan provides peace of mind for your employees should the worst occur. Find out more about the scheme via the Members Area of the ISME website here.
Every day we hear horrific stories that are reminders to look after each other and our mental health in these unprecedented times. Our wellness partners Laya Healthcare have developed Wellbeing Live – All free, all live and all available to you at home. Take a look at their portal here and if you want to further support your employees we would encourage you to take a look at our Wellness Programme here.
This is the final call for adverts in the bISME and the ISME 2021 Wall planner. If you would like to get involved in either of these promotional opportunities please email [email protected] or download the rate cards here. As always ISME members receive discounts on these opportunities.
It is more important than ever to keep COVID out of our communities so we can get re-opened as soon as possible. Remind your colleagues, family and friends to WASH HANDS, MASK UP, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE & FOLLOW THE FRAMEWORK. If you need mental health supports and services during COVID-19 there is a full list of services here.
Stay safe, and like always remember you are not alone,
Neil McDonnell,
ISME CEO
