Farewell 2020, bring on 2021!

For the majority of us, 2020 will be remembered a little differently from most other years. It started off with some great new additions to our team at GSA and the plans and excitement of a new year and new challenges for us all.

We clearly could not have foreseen any of the events that were going to hit us in the coming months.

Late February, early March, this new coronavirus was in the news, and at the time it did feel a little hyped, but we ensured that our systems and processes would allow us to work seamlessly from home, in the extreme and very unlikely event that this would be required.

We all know what happened next, with national lockdown forcing us away from offices and into a new world of working. Even a short journey in the car (on eerily empty streets) felt very wrong!

What I, and the team at GSA, experienced next felt even more shocking and somehow even more unexpected; the sudden death of my close friend and business partner Jayne. Jayne had a larger than life, vibrant, and infectious personality and instilled in the team a quality to deliver the best service possible to candidates and clients alike. Jayne would have been proud to see how the team has pulled together over the past several and difficult months. She continues to be missed.

It certainly has been the most challenging time. The economy has suffered and the knock-on effect for many small businesses has been extreme. Our plans have been significantly thwarted, but with a great team, great clients, and great contractors, we have managed to weather the storm.

Things are far from normal, but the feeling of positivity is clear to see in many of our clients and prospective clients. Projects that had been put on hold during lockdown v1 are now commencing despite lockdown v2, and things are being viewed from a far more optimistic standpoint. The pandemic, and its effects on the economy, will eventually come to an end so let’s just get on with our plans now and not delay any longer.

We all sincerely hope that the relaxed Christmas environment will be treated with caution, and the spread of Covid will not peak any higher than we can cope with, the vaccine will be rolled out swiftly (and accepted by most people), and can we return to the new normal as soon as we can.

Here’s to 2021. Whatever you decide to throw at us, we’ll manage, thank you very much.