Last month the Chancellor announced that “Britain was open for business” – but, it would appear, only when there is not a wedding taking place. Please don’t get me wrong, as a Brit I am proud of our heritage, history and the internationally recognised institution that is our Monarchy – put simply, there is not a single better tourist attraction anywhere on the planet.
But business is tough right now, we have after all just endured one of the longest and deepest recessions of all time.
What struck a chord with me as a business owner, is that during the months running-up to and following the election, we heard rallying calls from politicians that it was SMEs that would be the key to restructuring and strengthening the UK economy going forward – any reality of which is now being undermined by reckless and un-grounded interventions such as the “granting” of an additional bank holiday.
I do wish the young couple well, I really do – but I also have to ask why our “business savvy” government allowed the wedding to take place on a Friday and subsequently bring UK businesses to a grinding halt?
In my company alone we would expect to lose £50,000 in revenue alongside the added expense of paying the wages of over 80 staff – Can UK businesses and the fragile UK economy afford such losses?
And while I acknowledge a few businesses will see a short-term spike in wedding related profits, profits which would have been just as accessible if the Royal Wedding had taken place on a Saturday – as the rest of us are forced to do through outright practicality – the truth is that the vast majority of UK businesses will suffer damaging and in some unfortunate cases fatal losses.
So to Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne I say this: While the wedding bells may be ringing for William and Kate, it could be the funeral drum beating for UK businesses.
So show your dismay and register today!
Jim Venables, MD, officebroker.com
Loading ...
Hi Jim,
Like the new look, kind of suits you
In all seriousness, the Royal Wedding wil bring a feel good factor to many, but from a business perspective, yes it is of course going to hurt. In fact with a number of four day weeks looming for most businesses the impact will be felt by many. Yes it is going to hurt.
However with my business being online, I can still get tasks done I otherwise may not.
Sean
Although we are closed, I will probably work from home! I’ve got a job to do the economy is struggling enough…
I’ll leave it there
Have a great weekend one and all
Naomi
It’s great that there is a royal wedding and I support the tourism that may come here as a result of it. There is a ‘but’ coming ………… I am a female small business owner and also have full responsbility for our childrens’ childcare. This is my choice.
However, not only is school closed on 29th, but nursery as well. I may well have chosen not to work on the Friday but the decision is not mine to make! My freedom to make the choice has been entirely removed. Most of our team are mums and are in exactly the same position.
Kind regards
Jo
Even though I will be one of those set to make money from the weekend, I can completely see the point in this – We would have seen a big surge even if the wedding had taken place on a Saturday as Jim suggests. Shutting down the rest of the economy doesn’t make much sense when you think about it!
Actually, the more I think about this, the more I find myself thinking that he’s just envious of Prince William – in that he wouldn’t mind poking Miss Middleton himself. What a loser.
Who is “Jim?” Obviously someone with an ENORMOUS inferiority complex. Get a life.
I agree that the decision to make this an official Bank Holiday has made lives for Directors and Co owners very difficult – it terms that they have almost had their hand ‘forced’ on many occasion to stop work.
I know they are trying to promote the “feel good factor”, but how good do you feel if your employer has gone “bump”!
It’s caused a whole load of Employment Contract issues…
Personally, I stand with you.
Jim,
You may as well have the day off and enjoy the break as the business centres which make your business will all be closed! So you stand to lose even more money paying your staff and wasting electricity and power!
So get off your high horse and do get a life!!!
What Jim clearly doesn’t understand is that opening for Bank Holiday is likely to cost him more money than staying closed. By staying closed he may have to pay wages as he says yes! but he wont lose money as he says, he just simply won’t make more money than he already is doing. However by opening he is likely to lose money as he will be spending time and money on outgoing call bills to business answerphones ( which will most definetly be on on this day)
Also Jim has also already wasted unneccesary time and money for the promotion of this protest, Including the the stupid marketing, advertising and photoshoot in which he looks like a creepy uncle who has taken his nephew for a burger king.
Give your staff a break Jim and go home to your wife before she leaves you!!
Adrian
You are a fool.
I agree with Jim, plus you are all hypocrites. If the stupid wedding was on a Saturday you wouldnt give a jot!!!
Up the Jim regime
Jim,
You are a genius.
No wonder Officebroker has been so successful. I totally agree with your sentiment and love your campaign. Good luck!
Dan
Fair play to you Jim – I commend you!
My view is, if they wanted to do it on a weekday and create an extra bank holiday, then why not do in in a month that is not already jam-packed with Bank holidays? October or November would have made more sense and probably caused a lot less of a headache for businesses.
I shall be hard at work and ignoring the event.
I can only imagine that he positive comments towards Jim and his campaign have been carefully planted by his fellow collegues and brokers looking to score some brownie points
I have never met the man in my life, I just agree with him.
It is a shame more business owners are not standing up and being counted!
I think the wedding should have been on 1st May in this way it would not have hurt the economy as it will do on the 29th. I think the royal family and uk government should have acted more responsibly. The UK government have already slashed thousands of jobs as they say the UK are living beyond their means but then have the money to blow on the royal wedding. Pure hypocrisy.
The economy exists for the good of the people, people don’t exist so they can serve the economy. You can make all the money in the world, but if you never have any time to enjoy it, then it won’t do you any good. The day off will make people happy, and that is reason enough to call it a good thing.
The logical conclusion of complaining about bank holidays is that we wouldn’t have any. Sure, we might be slightly richer in money terms at the margin, but it’s not a life or a society I would want. I think any boss who doesn’t give his workers time off is just mean-spirited.
This country has gone plain daft, were going to a barbecue, no not in a street. The coronation and charlies investiture were one thing but this is just too much.
Businesses are more out of work than in these days. Easter, this friday, next Monday. Just take the week off. I feel sorry for the service industries. They still have to pay the wages. No profits this week then. I agree with the others why not hold it on Saturday, and don’t pretend your doing all of us a favour.
I love the royals and good luck to the young couple. After the way his mother was hounded for years their going to need it.
As an employee I can honestly say I love a free day off work (who doesn’t afterall? I dont pay the wages!). However coming from a family with two small businesses within it I can see the impact that having the Royal Wedding on a working day can have. So from this angle I can definately see Jim’s arguement here and why he is so annoyed. Many businesses work to month end targets and this has been completely obliterated by the Royal wedding which has inticed lots of people to book additional time off work. With so many bank holidays in April and early May already then I feel it would have been more responsible of the powers that be to either opt for a Saturday wedding or move the date into July sometime? Yes I wouldn’t like to be dictated to as to when and when not to have my wedding but then again I am not a member of the Royal Family with certain responsibilities to the Country especially during these tough times!!