Get it up for Gwen for Men

When I first heard about Gwen for Men, I assumed it was the name of an ‘adult’ doll found at the back of one of the JC cupboards or maybe even a treatment for erectile dysfunction.

Fortunately, given my boss had emailed me about it, the reality turned out to be somewhat different. Something far more edifying than a way for the older male members of JC to recover their previous…er…vigour.

As it turns out, it is actually scheme designed to help us men manage our work-life balance. Hardly a new idea you might say – particularly as trying to forge a successful career whilst enjoying a rewarding personal life is something with which we all battle every day.

So why mention it then?

Well, for me, a scheme like Gwen for Men is what modern business culture should be all about. A way of helping people find a way of working that suits the rest of their life – but without jeopardising any of the great stuff that we do for our clients or customers or anyone else.

It’s also extremely relevant to me personally.

Next month, I begin a period of Additional Paternity Leave, taking three months off to spend time looking after my new(ish)born son while my wife begins her own gradual journey back into working life. Apparently I’m the first JC-er ever to do it too – so I’m something of a test case! And, although I will miss day to day office life, in many ways, I can’t wait to enjoy a prolonged period of bonding with Dylan and being a full-time Dad.

It’s all thanks to a new government initiative to allow parents to split maternity leave to spend more time with their children – which is great in theory. But where Gwen for Men comes in is in helping make it work in practice.

According to a colleague involved in the programme, it’s all about “creating an environment where we embrace the complexity of life and where you can have the flexibility to find your balance, experience your moments and be transparent about your priorities.”

Which is a slightly long (not to mention American) way of saying it involves developing a way of working that takes your whole life into account, whatever that entails.

Since becoming a parent, I have enjoyed nothing but support in doing that and, thanks to the mind-set embodied by Gwen for Men, I have been able to have open, honest and fair discussions with the JC-powers-that-be about what working life looks like for me – now and when I come back from paternity leave.

Sure, I’ve had to work out for myself how to adjust to such a major change in my home life but being given the space and guidance to do so has been invaluable. And it’s not just for boring parents like me either. This is something that could and should work for everyone, whatever the demands on your time outside of work. Honestly.

So next time you miss dinner with your mum or that evening art class because you’re stuck in the office, remember Gwen for Men.

Well actually, remember Men for Gwen. Apparently I got the name wrong.

But that’s nowhere near as amusing.

Reposted from JCPRsays

Can the European consumer rescue Europe?

Simon Wilson, Belgium

Based at the home of most of the European Union’s institutions, we in Brussels often like to describe ourselves as being ‘at the heart of Europe’.  But at the same time, the civil servants and policy-makers who live and work here are often accused of being out of touch with the sentiments of people across Europe. This potential disconnect is more important now than ever, since the attitude of the European consumer is critical to our economic future. But does this supposed ‘European consumer’ even exist? And if so, are they likely to ride to the rescue of Europe’s economy?

Europe continues to struggle with the global economic downturn, and the specific difficulties caused by the indebtedness of certain EU countries, most notably Greece. Amidst all of the bail-outs of public and private institutions, and the cuts in public sector spending, one signal which politicians here in Brussels are looking to is that of consumer confidence. It would be an exaggeration to suggest that consumer spending can lift Europe out of recession, but the willingness – or not – of consumers to continue to purchase goods and services is seen as an essential element in the rebuilding of Europe’s economies.

This is particularly the case within the ‘Euro-zone’ – the 17 countries which share the same currency, the Euro, since its creation ten years ago, and who now find their economic fortunes linked to a perhaps uncomfortable extent.  Europe’s politicians discover themselves in a bind: the only answers to the Euro-zone’s economic woes seem to be an increase in economic integration, or the (at least limited) dissolution of the Euro. The latter option remains deeply unattractive to the Euro-zone’s political leaders. But the mood amongst voters does not seem in favour of greater integration either.

The current French Presidential election has reinforced this notion. Nicolas Sarkozy became the first incumbent President to fail to win the first round, where he trailed behind the Socialist contender François Hollande. One reason for his low rating - extraordinary for a serving President - is that Sarko is seemingly being punished for the failure of the much lauded Sarko-Merkel (French/German) axis to deliver economic stability. At the same time, the big story of the first round of the election last month was the rise of the Front National’s vote. Led by Marine Le Pen, the nationalist, populist, and xenophobic party of the extreme right achieved an electoral highpoint, polling around 17.9% of the national vote. Although she was eliminated, having failed to place higher than third, her share of the vote was higher than the 16.8% achieved by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, when he reached the second round in 2002. And this was not achieved in the face of a low turn-out, but with a high level of participation (almost 80% of those eligible voted). Le Pen certainly exploited the far-right’s traditional xenophobic concern with immigration in her campaign, but also cannily moved to position herself as an economic protectionist who was opposed to the Euro and argued for a return to the French franc: themes which seem to have struck a chord with voters disillusioned with the prospect of European solutions to their problems.

But whilst some French voters are looking for national solutions to European (and global) problems, it seems the German consumer views the solution as lying even closer to home: with the individual. Edelman’s recent goodpurpose® survey examined the views of consumers towards social and environmental issues. Alongside asking whether consumers value brands which put good purpose at the forefront of their activities (they do, and the trend is increasing!), the survey also asked who should be responsible for addressing social issues. The majority of Europeans surveyed agreed that the government should take the greatest responsibility – perhaps not surprising given Europe’s tradition of social welfarism. But that figure is lower for German consumers, where only 43% believe that the government is most responsible. In fact, some 36% of German consumers believe that the main responsibility for addressing social issues should lie with ‘people like me’. This belief is shared by only 15% of Belgians, 17% of French and Dutch, and 18% of British and Italian consumers, exposing a huge divergence of attitudes between Europeans.

Why such a high emphasis upon individual responsibility within Germany? Well, one plausible interpretation lies with the financial crisis. The debt crisis of some EU Member States, notably Greece, Ireland and Portugal, has led to Germany playing a leading role in bailing out these economies, something which has not been popular with German tax-payers, who have seen themselves as paying for the profligacy of their Southern neighbours. The suggestion that the individual should take greater responsibility may be a way of expressing frustration with a perceived failure of responsibility within other countries, and those countries’ reliance upon the German state to come to the rescue. ‘Let everyone solve their own problems’ might well be the message from the German consumer.

At the same time as this difference over responsibility, however, there is convergence around the impact of the downturn. Over three-quarters of those surveyed in Europe admitted that they have been affected by the global economic downturn, and reduced consumer spending emerges as being one of the top outcomes of this squeeze across all European countries surveyed.

So where does this leave the EU policy-makers in Brussels and the national capitals? Perhaps they need to accept the uncomfortable truth that whilst the Euro has made shopping and trading easier, it has not led to a greater sense of common European identity. At the moment the evidence seems to suggest that Europe is in danger of drifting further apart. And the European consumer does not seem to be either willing or able to dip her hand into her pocket, in order to rescue the struggling European economy.