Islands in the Stream ... Love Abounds - Guest Writer: Allison

What a week that was … ready and roaring for action was how to best describe the 'Boys v Girls - Football Challenge'.  Kerry and Heather took it in turn to jig about on the goal line like very professional bouncy things.  However, Peter ‘the cat’ Fitzpatrick had arms and legs all over the place.  He defended that net like his life depended on it.  Just as well his goalie skills are superb - because he missed his penalty shot.  If the rest of the boys had seen him let anything in they’d have lynched him.  Result: 3-0  More activity news; Arnold won the pedometer task with an incredible step count of 76,765. We girls are now only one challenge ahead of those pesky boys - sock pulling up time!

Our MD Jayne is ditching her car this week and floating to meetings on a sparkling, soft, fluffy cloud.  This is because she became engaged to the lovely Allen at the weekend.  Her ring is beautiful, incredibly classy and would not be out of place on the hand of a Dowager Duchess - very Downton Abbey.  Congratulations from all of us here on the Island! She will attend a Coaching Course on Thursday at Malone Lodge with Donna. Then Jayne will rev up her cloud on Friday morning for an Iod Committee meeting at Ridell Hall - later meeting Mark Maguire from Invest NI with our Accountant James.

 I'm sure you'll all agree that the new Mrs Kerri Bradley looks stunning in her fabulous dress?  All Islanders heartily wish them many happy years of wedded bliss.  The weather on the day could not have been more perfect.  Our CEO, Barry, attended his PA’s wedding reception; giving his Russian wife the first taste of how the Irish can party during nuptials. The following day, working as a tour guide, she told a bus full of Ukrainians that the Irish do a very strange thing at wedding parties “they all sit in a line on the floor and move their arms around whilst singing “Don’t rock the boat baby - very unusual!” 

Barry will be trying hard not to rock the boat this week when he has internal meetings all day today. He’s delivering an internal workshop to staff tomorrow. On Thursday he’s at an Innovation Conference in Derry/Londonderry and on Friday he’s back in the office.

What about the rest of us?  Both Peters are off to visit The Web Bureau this afternoon for the first design phase of our new website – on track to go live in July!  Pamela is meeting David Boyle from the Arches in Randalstown on Wednesday to discuss our delicious duck derby event.  Kerry is hosting the Mock Industrial Tribunal event in our Training Centre on Thursday 30^th May.  Incidentally, the morning of which see’s Heather at The Princes Trust Antrim Team Graduation.

Guest Writer: Peter

What are we going to do now the football season is all but over? God forbid we’ll have to go back to being sociable at the weekends...

Just like a certain famous footballer, we're looking forward to getting out teeth into things this week:

Jayne, Peter G, Vanessa and Heather are heading off to the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane, on Wednesday afternoon for our Conflict Resolution at Work event on Thursday. There are almost 90 people booked to attend and only a handful of places remaining if you’re interested?

Our CEO Barry has a short week ahead of him. He has meetings all day today. Tomorrow he is working in our R&D department. Wednesday he’s meeting Paul Donnelly from Hallmark. Thereafter he’s on leave.

Scott must ponder life alone this week, as his assistant, Kerri, leaves to prepare for marriage. Let’s hope she gets her words on Saturday better than she did at today’s weekly meeting, where she not only forgot IiP and Bermudan favourite, Eric Jenkinson, but how to pronounce Derry, or is it Londonderry? A town so good they named it twice and Kerri managed to mangle both of them.

Whilst Kerri is away preparing for her nuptials, Scott hopes to work from home on Tuesday and Friday, mainly on this year’s annual reviews of employment law, to be held in November. Scott will be attending the Elliott Duffy Garrett drinks reception on Wednesday evening but he’ll have to go for soft drinks as he’ll be driving to Dublin later to be ready to chair our ‘Conflict Resolution at Work’ event on Thursday.

Scott will also be drawing on his inner self at the event in order to act out the part of a disgruntled employee in a role play. The happy chappie will have to act his socks off – Scott is a joy-bringer in life and work and knows nought of the life of a taciturn and work shy employee. We’ve never seen Scott grumpy, oh no! Always has a smile, that’s our Scott. No typecasting there. Not a bit of it.

Debbie is refereeing the Boys v Girls penalty shoot out on Tuesday – if the boys don’t win this one we’ll never hear the end of it!

Our Training Centre in Antrim has external companies in on Monday and Tuesday this week.

Guest Writer - Kerry Murphy

May is National Walking month and all staff have been “armed” with a pedometer.  It is intended that we wear it for one week and it will measure the distance that we have covered in miles/Km.

Donna will be checking in with us on Wednesday to see how we're getting on and by next Monday the walking champion will be crowned.  Of course we are expected to be honest but I have seen some very suspicious activity going on so far not to mention the odd walks and random laps of the office!  

I have even heard of someone going for a 'jog on the sofa' tonight as they demonstrated by furiously shaking their pedometer coupled with a mischievous laugh. 

Staff movements for the week:

Our CEO Barry has a “mainly in the office for meetings week” ahead of him. Apparently he’s finishing off business books like there’s no tomorrow at the moment. He’s just finished” Will it Make the Boat Go Faster” by Ben Hunt-Davis  and he’s firing through “Six Thinking Hats” Edward De Bono too. Watch out world..!

Jayne, our MD, is out this afternoon meeting Orchardville Society. Tomorrow she is attending a BITC engagement workshop in the morning followed by the HR Network in the afternoon. On Wednesday she will be part of the hosting team at the HR Conference at the Ramada. On Friday she will be attending the Young Leaders Conference at the Mac.

Scott has to slum it at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast on Tuesday, where he will be attending a dinner meeting of HR experts to discuss the role of HR during the Troubles. Thursday sees Scott co-chairing the NI HR conference with Paul Fieldhouse of Hyperion Growth. Thursday sees Scott attending the Strategy Team meeting and on Friday Scott hopes to work from home.

Pamela will be attending a Practical Multimedia Production Workshop at WOMENs TEC all day Thursday.  Watch for the next Stephen Spielberg!

I will be hosting at the 5^th Annual HR Conference, Ramada, Shawsbridge  on Wednesday along with Kerri who not only will be helping out but attending the day itself as a delegate, Allison is coming along to welcome and organise the exhibitors in the morning and Peter G will be hosting and manning our Legal-Island stand until lunchtime.  A great day of multi tasking!

Training Centre clients this week:

BITC on Tuesday, Schrader on Wednesday and Thursday and Coaching on Friday.

We'll update you next week with the total number of Legal-Island miles walked !!!

Have a great week!

Legal-Island : High Performance - Barry Phillips CEO

We started the week  by acknowledging  great performances from some of the Legal-Island team. Bottles of wine were handed out from the famous Legal-Island wine cellars to acknowledge truly great performances. These included :
* Arnold - for some great leadership and guidance delivered to Peter O the boy from the local post primary school here on work experience
* Kerry - for taking charge in delivering what was probably the best annual conference the Association of Coaching has ever seen. Well done Kerry.
* Debbie - for bringing loads more fun onto the Island by introducing the craziest of games for us all to play
* Heather and Julie - for each running a leg of the Belfast marathon.

Rock on! Here's to a great week ahead.