Don’t forget the clocks go forward on Sunday!
“Spring forward, fall back.” How many of us remember whether the clocks go back or forward this way? In case you haven’t heard by now, we’ll enter British Summer Time (BST), and lose an hour’s sleep in the process, this coming Sunday, 30th March.
Most people probably know we change the clocks to make the most of the longer daylight hours in the spring and summer months. But did you know the idea is only just over 100 years old?
Until I did a bit of research for this post, I thought we’d had Daylight Saving Time (as British Summer Time is also known) for much longer than that. And I was particularly interested to learn that the man who proposed the idea, a keen horse rider William Willett, was local to Bromley, riding regularly through Chislehurst and Petts Wood!
While we’ll all get an hour less in bed on Sunday, I think it’s a small price to pay for lighter evenings and the general optimistic feel we get with springtime, longer days and the hope of a forthcoming good summer.
Mother’s Day
Sunday 30th March is also Mother’s Day in the UK, so I think the hour less in bed this weekend is a bit harsh on mums and kids everywhere. Don’t make it harder on your mum by forgetting that the clocks go forward!
Don’t let it affect your business!
Seriously though, forgetting about the change in the hour could have serious consequences for your business and its reputation. PR is about maintaining a good reputation, after all. What will existing clients or potential new customers think if you turn up late or don’t deliver projects on time because you’re still an hour behind everyone else?
It might sound obvious, but there are some simple things you can do to ensure you don’t miss out or affect your business:
- Change your office clocks early – before you leave on Friday evening, go round your office and change any clocks to the new time. That way, they’ll all be displaying the correct time when you come back in on Monday morning.
- Remind all your staff that the clocks will be changing – tell them verbally if you can, and get them to add a reminder to their phones and calendars.
- Don’t schedule early Monday meetings – it will take most of us a few days to adjust to the loss of an hour, so don’t schedule any crucial meetings for first thing on Monday. That way, even if you or any colleagues are a little late, they shouldn’t miss out on anything vital.
- Be prepared at home – change all your clocks at home before you go to bed on Saturday night and set yourself an alarm!
- Check your gadgets – most electronic devices and computers automatically update themselves to BST these days, but you may still have some that don’t, so do a quick manual check.
Of course, if you have the luxury of lying in on Sunday morning, you shouldn’t have to worry too much. But don’t forget to wish your mum, grandma or other female relatives who are mothers a Happy Mother’s Day. Perhaps not too early…
Image courtesy of Danilin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
