January 26, 2025
2025 will hopefully be a year of growth.
It will be the first full year of the new Labour government; and a year which will see the party put their new plans and legislation into action.
One of their key priorities – outlined in the 100-day plan and being delivered in the subsequent legislative changes - is to get the economy back on a sure footing.
At the Labour Party Conference, which took place soon after they came into power, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that “’country first, party second' isn't a slogan”.
The conference reiterated the party’s vision for a ‘national renewal’ and to ‘build a new Britain’, which includes a focus on the economy and faster growth. Overall, they want to rebuild public confidence in politics, and lead from the front.
Labour’s website states that their first mission is to create “sustained economic growth” to improve the “prosperity of our country and the living standards of working people”.
It goes on to say that this means being “pro-business and pro-worker”.
Across the pond, there is a new administration in America too.
Whatever you think of the new president Donald Trump – returned after a hiatus for his second term in office – he is focused on rebuilding the economy, particularly as he is a businessman first and foremost.
Trump is planning to introduce tax cuts as well as deregulate some policies that are hindering growth, and therefore is hoping to stimulate the economy. This will naturally have a knock-on effect to the global economy.
In addition, there is optimism amongst businesses.
Recent surveys by major financial institutions KPMG and Lloyds found that the majority of companies are expecting a higher turnover and planning to expand their teams in 2025.
Lloyds gathered data from 1,200 businesses and 70% of respondents expect a growth in revenue; whereas KPMG’s survey also found that businesses were optimistic about Labour’s plans for economic stability and growth.
Around the turn of the year, there was lots of talk from all sides of business about how 2024 was a tough year and didn’t go the way they expected. However, for many, it was a year of grounding, and one which will act as a catalyst to growth in 2025.
Speaking of growth, my team is growing too.
This is a direct result of my business growing. As the number of retained clients grows, and they are subsequently growing themselves as businesses too, something had to change.
Recently, I have been in that familiar period of thinking whether to maintain the status quo or to take someone on to help with the growth, and I have decided to get the best of both worlds.
Therefore, I’m sure you will all join me in welcoming Hayley White to the team.
Hayley is a virtual HR advisor. She runs her own business but will be working as an associate with AJB HR Consultancy Services Ltd to support us and our clients. A number of other HR consultants have recommended her and, in this business, recommendations are absolutely crucial.
Her support will mean I get more time to spend working *on* the business and therefore focusing on the next stage of growth.
Hayley has a wealth of specialist knowledge and I am looking forward to having her working alongside me.
If you are planning to hire in 2025, you should be budgeting for HR support.
With the end of the financial year imminent for many organisations, now is the time to start planning for expansion - and a great time to get in touch with me.
Here at AJB HR Consultancy Services, we only work with a select number of clients at any one time.
One of our first questions is “why should we work with you?”. It’s a question that an employee may have at an interview, and our working relationships are very much two-way partnerships.
Most importantly, we work with clients with whom our values align. I am very grateful that my business has got to a position of being able to support selected clients with their HR provision.
If you are thinking about growing your team this year, then please get in touch for an informal, no-obligation chat about me and my team can support you, now or in the future.
The blog is called ‘Try January’ because:
a) let’s try not to be miserable as it’s the start of the new year; and
b) it’s a pun on Dry January… which I’m not doing because the pub is warm, the weather isn’t great and… erm… I don’t want to.
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