About Neil Franklin

Neil Franklin is Insight's news editor

Posts by Neil Franklin:

Two-thirds of major world cities set for weaker growth as global slowdown bites

Two-thirds of major world cities set for weaker growth as global slowdown bites

Amsterdam is one of the citiesA new report from Oxford Economics (registration) predicts that the present slowdown in the global economy will persist into next year and it is already having a significant impact on growth in the world’s major cities and their prospects. Of the top 900 cities around the world, the report predicts that just under two-thirds, some 586, will experience slower growth in the period 2020-21 than they enjoyed during  the past five years – in some cases, very markedly slower, with growth rates of some key cities halved or more. More →

Employers still not fully embracing flexible working

Employers still not fully embracing flexible working

flexible workingEmployers aren’t doing enough to help their employees to work flexibly, according to a survey by Tiger Recruitment, which has found that a third of UK workers questioned (32 percent) aren’t happy with the flexible working options available to them. The study of over 2,000 employees claims that only a third have the option of home or remote working – a seven percentage point drop since last year – while only one in five (22 percent) are offered the option of flexi-time, and even fewer have access to informal flexibility (19 percent) or the opportunity to go part-time (18 percent). More →

Firms turning to “corporate wellness” programmes as a solution for stress

Firms turning to “corporate wellness” programmes as a solution for stress

corporate wellness and stressA new report by workforce performance firm CR Worldwide (CR), drawing on data from 287,000 employees at over 120 large enterprises, claims that as the incidence and awareness of the issue of stress grows, firms have responded with a 22 percent year-on-year increase in UK spending on perceived solutions such as corporate getaways with companies now spending an average of £3,100 per person per trip. The proportion of activity or nature-based business trips involved in such wellness programmes has more than doubled to 56 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year. With human-animal interactions believed to have therapeutic effects on mental health, UK firms are also increasingly offering ‘nature tourism’, from orangutan treks in Borneo to working with endangered rhinos in Rwanda and shark diving. Husky sledging is now among the top 5 Christmas corporate travel activities for UK firms. More →

Gartner report sets out top 5 priorities for HR leaders in 2020

Gartner report sets out top 5 priorities for HR leaders in 2020

HR leadersAs 2020 approaches, HR leaders are focused on five key measures to continue driving business outcomes, according to a report from Gartner. The priorities include: building critical skills and competencies, strengthening the current and future leadership bench, incorporating organisational design and change management, driving digital business transformation, and enhancing employee experience. More →

Firms know of a link between worker experience and success, but cannot find it

Firms know of a link between worker experience and success, but cannot find it

worker experienceAgainst a backdrop of Brexit, political turmoil and a global talent war, retaining the best staff to deliver a competitive advantage has become a crucial priority for many UK business leaders – however few know how to create and deliver the best worker experience, according to new research from Kincentric. More →

Employee engagement linked to improved financial performance

Employee engagement linked to improved financial performance

employee engagementCompanies which make employee engagement a strategic priority may be more likely to perform better financially, according to research released today. An analysis of the UK’s biggest companies found that those which frequently reference “employee engagement” in their annual reports also perform better financially. The findings were released by Sideways 6 which analysed the annual reports of the FTSE100 Index for each of the last three years (2016-18). More →

Migration adds billions to European economies, report claims

Migration adds billions to European economies, report claims

diversity in hiring can help firms address the skills gapA new study claims that the income from taxation and the benefits of welcoming an educated workforce in EU member states adds up to tens of billions of pounds. According to an analysis by Movinga, the UK gains the most in overall earnings over 10 years with around £20.5 billion, followed by Germany with £16 billion, and France with £10.5 billion. The report claims that the overall earnings and savings from highly skilled migration to the UK over a ten year period in the STEM, Education and Healthcare sectors could cover the annual expenditure of the UK Parliament 37 times over. The overall earnings and savings from highly skilled migration to the UK over a ten year period in the Healthcare sector alone is equivalent to the cost of 37,000 secondary care (emergency) hospital beds per year. More →

Being yourself at work has its downsides for many people

Being yourself at work has its downsides for many people

Being yourself has its downsidesBeing yourself at work has a lot of positive effects. Research supports the hypothesis that authenticity can lead to psychological benefits, including boosting self-esteem, and making people feel happier and more energised at work. But according to new research from academics at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) authenticity can also be a recipe for disaster. The study ‘Being your true self at work’ reviews the extant empirical work across 10 different authenticity constructs. and has been published in the Academy of Management Annals. More →

A quarter of workers would accept a significant pay cut to work in an eco-friendly role

A quarter of workers would accept a significant pay cut to work in an eco-friendly role

workers willing to take pay cutRising interest in climate change among the UK population has now reached such a level that our desire to take action is impacting our careers – with over a quarter of workers (26 percent) willing to take a salary cut in order to move to an environmentally conscious company or an NGO (non-governmental organisation), according to a new survey from TotalJobs. An additional 28 percent said they would consider quitting their job to work with for an organisation they considered to be more environmentally friendly than their current one, a figure that jumps to 50 percent when applied to millennial workers, aged between 23 and 38. More →

Half of self-employed people do not know what IR35 is

Half of self-employed people do not know what IR35 is

New research from FreeAgent conducted with 2000 self employed people in the UK, claims that more than half (57 percent) don’t know what IR35 is. The sets of tax legislation encompassed by IR35, designed to combat tax avoidance by workers and the firms hiring them, is unknown to over half of the people most affected by it – the self employed. The legislation, which has been heavily criticised by tax experts and the business community as being poorly conceived, badly implemented by HMRC and causing unnecessary costs and hardships for genuine small businesses, has not been well communicated to self employed people, the research reveals. Tax experts have predicted that IR35 could reduce a worker’s net income by up to 25 percent and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, recently announced the Conservative Party’s plan to review IR35 as part of its manifesto. More →

British workers are amongst the unhappiest in the world, report claims

British workers are amongst the unhappiest in the world, report claims

Coworking provider Mindspace has announced the UK findings of its global work culture survey, which polled 5000 employees across Europe and the US. On the UK side, the survey covered 1000 employees from across the country. In what the report claims is a dramatic wake-up call for UK employers, the survey revealed that around one-quarter of British workers are unhappy in the workplace and looking to change their situations. This places the UK at the end of the line up in workplace happiness among the other countries surveyed. UK workers rated only 73 percent on the report’s happiness index, compared to 81 percent in Germany and 93 percent in the US. More →

Manifesto calls for action on disability inclusion as pay gap for disabled people widens

Manifesto calls for action on disability inclusion as pay gap for disabled people widens

two people talking to illustrate the issue of disability inclusionA leading non-profit disability and business organisation is calling on the future Government to commit to a series of actions to support businesses to deliver on disability inclusion. Business Disability Forum published its ‘Manifesto for Inclusive Change’ today (3 December) to mark the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The manifesto calls for action in seven areas to ensure that the role businesses play in disabled people’s lives is enhanced, not inhibited, by government policy. To read Business Disability Forum’s ‘Manifesto for Inclusive Change’ go to www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk . Follow the debate at #DisabilitySmart. More →