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… and kitten makes three

There are some men cut out for fatherhood, and others for who it seems the sexual revolution of the 1960s passed them by. Take Matt Robertson of Jones Lang Lasalle's Nottingham office for example. Matt was kind enough to offer us a lift from deepest Nottinghamshire to the Nottingham Commercial Office Review. Talk turned to families, and Matt revealed the news that he was a father-to-be. Congratulations were passed on, and we asked Matt how long it was to go until the big day. Cue much umming and aahhing and stuttering and stammering, until Matt said: "How long are they pregnant for? Nine weeks, isn't it?" Not quite, Matt. Unless your partner is a cat. We're sure you'll make a great dad, anyway, and good luck!

You'll never walk alone

First it was 'mumpreneurs', then 'mocktails', and now another completely made-up word has been sent to annoy us: 'netwalking'. Read on…

A medal-winning Olympian and a stress-management expert are set to join business owners on a morning stroll later this month at a networking event with a difference. Bryan Steel, a professional cyclist-turned motiviational speaker, and Frances Taylor will be giving out healthy living and working advice at the event, which is being held by Netwalking with Skylarks on 23 February.

Netwalking is, apparently, a new form of business networking where, instead of meeting around tables, participants get to know each other while enjoying a leisurely guided stroll in the open air.

It is being pioneered in the East Midlands by Paul Hunt, an experienced walking guide who also leads regular netwalks on behalf of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce.

The 23 February event, which takes place at Attenborough Nature Reserve near Beeston, has been organised to mark National Heart Month and will see Bryan and Frances joined on the walk by weight loss coach Christine Tilbury.

Paul, who also runs Derbyshire leisure business Skylark Activities, said: "The world of work can be a stressful place and, if people are not careful, working too hard can mean that they have little time for relaxation and exercise.

"That's why my netwalks, which normally last for an hour, give them an ideal opportunity to do business and keep fit at the same time.

"However, as part of National Heart Month, we want to encourage people in business to think about how they can better balance their work commitments with their body's needs, which is why we have invited Bryan, Frances and Christine along."

Whatever happened to sprinting to the pub?

It's good to talk

At last – some sense! We may be a nation of good sports, but most British workers think that doing more company team-building events would not help improve how they work with colleagues. A survey by Vodafone UK and YouGov suggests employees feel that some organised team-building activities can be a waste of time, and at worst, toe-curlingly awkward. British workers would much prefer being able to communicate with each other better at work rather than being forced to build rapport with their co-workers by sharing adrenaline experiences or performing 'trust' exercises.

The research among more than 1,000 British employees with colleagues uncovered some eye-popping examples of awkward and silly team-building activities, including enduring bikini-clad 'bed baths' and massages from colleagues, holding lingerie parties, and eating crickets as part of a 'bush tucker trial' style event.

While the majority of workers surveyed (66 per cent) have been made to do some form of team-building activity, more than half (54 per cent) don't feel that doing more would help them work better with their colleagues.

"British companies are spending a huge amount of time and effort in building more effective teams," says Peter Kelly, enterprise director at Vodafone UK. "This research confirms that people place more value on open, collaborative and flexible ways of working every day than one-off team-building exercises."