Sir Richard Branson is fast becoming one of my new favourite business figures. I'd not previously been a fan of the ubiquitous Virgin boss, simply because I found him a bit annoying with his ridiculous self-promotional campaigns.
However, just recently, he has gained a new found respect with me. First, he told airline staff unhappy with their pay to resign if they didn't like the money on offer. A refreshing approach, I thought.
Now the man always voted the UK's most admired businessmen is continuing the theme, as revealed by his notes made at Gordon Brown's latest Business Council meeting.
A close-up of Branson's notepad as he exited the Downing Street get together earlier this week gave us a glimpse of what was on the agenda. He had scribbled "Employment Regulations", followed by "Can't dispose of people don't pull their weight".
It's not uncommon for top business people to bemoan the UK's supposedly restrictive employment law and the fact they can't sack people at the drop of a hat. But it's intriguing to think that it was one of the items on the agenda.
Given the news that Virgin plans to cut jobs at Northern Rock if its takeover bid is successful, workers at the troubled bank should perhaps start to look busy.
