Lockdown week 4

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Chris Warburton

Week four of UK lockdown and things are starting to feel somewhat surreal. A beautiful sunny weekend, yet not allowed to be out… everything seemingly quiet, yet grim news on TV. Still, it is important we continue and it is often the little things can keep us going. The findings and observations from last week.

  • We have started shouting at our neighbours… and yes, they shout back…all nicely… it is the only chance to have a conversation these days
  • Online video calls are working really well, at work and at home. Online piano lessons, exercise, cooking and even yoga can continue. Still looking for rock climbing…!
  • Youtube, Webinars, and online-ed really have some great content… you can attend conferences, talks, and plays, without travelling. I do hope this is a new trend.. lots to learn (check out National Theatre, Ri… if you have time…but, not Baby Shark).
  • After 3 weeks… actually wore a freshly ironed shirt for a video call… it felt good to be a bit smarter… but my suit and the cats, will still never come into contact!
  • Lastly, in a moment of weakness, I did buy the largest chocolate bar I could find online…. I think it may have been a mistake.

Sending good thoughts to all… and thanks to essential workers… Stay safe everyone…. @chris_w_tweet

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April 10, 2020: Weekly roundup

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Chris Warburton

Another busy week this week for most folks and it feels like the frenetic pace of the last few weeks has not let up…. this is the roundup for the week.

Most people thankfully seem to be now either working from home or if still in the office now using social distancing to minimize risk (with some return to work from self-isolation).

This week has also been a lot of focus on making system changes which have now largely been started & underway to reflect payment holidays and treatment changes for customers (FCA unsecured changes also this week too). This is all good news and amazing the speed at which it has all occurred.

Thoughts now are turning to exit plans, or at least normalization plans, towards the end of the 3 months… this does have to stabilize and normalize at some point.

Segmentation and data (enhanced data if possible), is also a key new discussion, with importance for evidence, control and enabling the best course of action. The impact on modelling and whether existing scorecards will still be predictive, together with potential asset valuation changes, is all going to be interesting too…. this is one for next week.

Hope everyone has a good long weekend….. @chris_w_tweet

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Lockdown week 3: Another week in ‘lockdown’

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Chris Warburton

Another interesting week of experience under the ‘official’ lockdown in the UK. This last week seemed more normal or at least routine… albeit long. It was a welcome respite from the dramatic changes the week before.

However there were of course still a few ‘observations’ of note this week… 🙂

  1. We are going to need expanded online storage for my phone with all the funny gifs and videos we have been sent… and yes some of them are really funny
  2. I am definitely now drinking much more tea than coffee… tea uses less milk and milk requires a trip to the supermarket… just need more biscuits!
  3. Am I becoming slightly jealous of Joe Wicks?! (like many husbands…lol). Joe is providing some great daily exercise routines for kids and keeping the rest of the family fit every morning… thank you it is really appreciated…. I need to join in!
  4. My LinkedIn connection criteria definitely feels like it is changing… a tricky one, but in a online world is a virtual meeting as good as a personal one…
  5. With everyone at home.. electricity and energy usage at home is going up… I can see it on the smart meter… need to turn that kettle off!
  6. Lastly on video calls, I need to remember you are always on screen… even looking at that spreadsheet or document… think I forgot a few times this week, to much hilarity…

Another week starts…

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