The Second Column from

Tracie Davey Chief Executive of Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce

How can our local business owners, leaders and managers promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all? A big question!

There is so much discussion at the moment around business growth, employment, decent jobs, a decent wage and the whole work-life balance conversation. Whether you are a start up business, a growing business, a leader, a manager, or an employee this is an important topic for discussion.

For a business owner, whether you are starting out, or have been in business for years, it can be a very lonely place. You may well feel that you are the only one experiencing certain challenges but be assured you’re not alone. Growing a business no matter what stage you are at is hard. We know the challenges business owners face and we do our very best to help owners celebrate the good times and navigate through the hard. We may not always have the answers or solutions, but more often than not we know someone who can help.

We hear regularly that businesses struggle to recruit and in turn this can stifle business growth. We are working hard to make sure business owners engage with the schools or if they need a more specific skilled worker, then we have 3 brilliant Universities close by, there is a huge pool of talent right here on our doorstep.

How can you make yourself the employer of choice and what does that look like? What is the future workforce looking for when they are seeking out their ideal business to work for?

A ’decent job’ is a comment that always makes me curious. What does that mean? For some it will mean salary, for some it will mean flexible working and for some work life balance is by far the most important. I believe the Pandemic helped business owners/leaders look at what this means for the future. Employee wellbeing is crucial to business growth, many students and graduates are now making conscious choices of where they work based on the culture that the individual business fosters. We encourage businesses to look at their employee offering, look at what are others doing well and what they can adopt to make their business one that’s top of the list for potential employees.

Worthing and Adur Chamber is always here to support businesses who are navigating the complexities of running a business in the current climate.

You can get in touch with us by emailing info@worthingandadurchamber.co.uk or visit www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk