This week revealed last year’s results. We beat budget, we’re profitable (just). We have survived COVID, so far. At the same time, Boris and co. have released the restrictions and people are back in the pubs, going on holiday and thronging to the shops. Social distance is still called for and masks are sort of mandatory where one of the two metres is imaginary.

The trouble with this relaxation of the lock-down is that it means that our people are now no longer protected from exposure and could suddenly catch it from someone at the pub or the supermarket. Then they would have to self-isolate and be tested and everyone that they have worked with would also have to isolate too. Also the safety of everyone is suddenly the responsibility of the business owner and the HSE is ready to pounce.

Both of these issues has occupied much management attention this week. We have two sides of action plan to keep the Factory Inspector happy, including masks for all, and we have begun a consultation over splitting the whole business into two shifts in case one half has to go into isolation.

Another area of concern is a letter from one of our larger customers suggesting that they believe we have been playing fast and loose with their confidential intellectual property. This not the case of course, but their confidence in our integrity has been shaken and sadly it follows from the efforts we have been making to increase our contacts with prospective new customers. The agency we have used appears to have been clumsy in the language describing what we can do for clients.

On the political front Brexit is returning to headlines and Mathew Parris is coruscating in the Times today about Boris being an incompetent mascot rather than the leader that we need. No surprise to me though.