July 29, 2024
Employees may be less productive and have more negative emotional experiences at work when there is a large pay gap between them and those in leadership roles, a new study shows. The ‘vertical pay gap’ between leaders and other employees has been found to have risen markedly over the past five decades. More →
July 24, 2024
A new report from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, in collaboration with Canva, claims to have uncovered the significant challenges organisations face when it comes to fostering creativity within the workplace. Despite the widespread belief in the importance of creativity, many organisations are struggling to create environments that nurture and encourage innovative thinking. More →
July 24, 2024
The rising costs of welfare and the country’s increasing dependency on immigration have become significant concerns, prompting a call for reform from a prominent government health adviser. Alan Milburn, a former health secretary, has emphasised the need for individuals with long-term illnesses and others stuck in a cycle of long term unemployment to actively seek employment. He argues that this approach is essential to address the unsustainable welfare costs associated with the long term unemployed and to mitigate the “toxic” reliance on immigration for the workforce. More →
July 23, 2024
A new study from the Open Research Lab found that while unconditional cash transfers such as universal basic income slightly reduced employment rates and work hours, they increased the financial stability and agency of recipients. People were 2 percent less likely to be employed and worked 1.3 fewer hours weekly but had higher incomes when including the cash transfers. The financial support allowed individuals to pursue education, caregiving, health improvements, and more meaningful work. Overall, cash transfers provided recipients with the flexibility to make employment decisions aligned with their personal goals and circumstances. More →
July 22, 2024
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson have unveiled Skills England, an initiative designed to unify the fragmented skills landscape and foster a cohesive national ambition to enhance the nation’s skills. Richard Pennycook CBE, former chief executive of the Co-operative Group and lead non-executive director at the Department for Education (DfE), has been appointed as the interim Chair of the new body. More →
July 17, 2024
We launched IN Magazine officially on the 4th of March 2020. So, this month marks some sort of anniversary. You could argue that this was the worst day in the history of mankind to launch a new magazine about people, work and workplaces and you’d probably be right. People were already not shaking hands. They had begun deserting public transport and planning for less contact with each other. Lockdown was only a couple of weeks away. More →
July 17, 2024
The rise of AI-driven hiring processes has undoubtedly transformed the recruitment landscape, and we know it. But is it fair that AI defines if you deserve a job? Ultimately, the answer to this question is not just a technical or logistical issue, it is a profoundly ethical one. AI (artificial intelligence) has revolutionised the way we interact with technology, increasingly permeating various aspects of our lives, from virtual assistants to complex algorithms shaping our online experiences. More →
July 16, 2024
Over the past few months, we have seen large corporates hit the headlines due to some poor business practices. Leaders from all of those companies have made statements where they accept responsibility and state they are looking to do things differently in the future. Whether it’s the statement by CEO Nick Read in light of the Post Office Horizon scandal, or Boeing CEO David Calhoun answering questions in the US Senate, one word that keeps cropping up is ‘listening’. More →
July 10, 2024
The COVID-19 outbreak (and subsequent lockdowns) did a number on us in our workplaces and in our homes—and we are still paying the price in so many ways. Did employees and managers get so used to remote work that they totally forgot that humans are social creatures and social interaction is vital to our wellbeing. Sometimes it feels that way. I have spent most of my career working on and managing large global projects. Issues that arose always seemed to be focused on headquarters- and/or remote-location considerations but nothing so serious that it would hinder the project team(s) from working together. More →
July 10, 2024
Campaigners advocating for a four day work week are gearing up for a fresh pilot project aimed at promoting flexible working practices. The initiative is set to launch in November, with participating companies currently being invited to sign up. The findings from this project will be presented to the government in the summer of 2025. The push for a four-day working week, notably with no reduction in pay, has gained significant traction in recent years, particularly following the Covid-19 pandemic which reshaped workplace expectations. In 2022, a previous UK pilot saw 61 companies participate, and 54 of them continued the practice a year and a half later. Similar initiatives have also been conducted in Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Iceland. More →
July 6, 2024
One of the Labour Party’s key pledges during the election was to initiate a large-scale reform of UK employment law within the first 100 days of taking office. As a result, we can expect some changes relatively quickly, although it may take some time for many of them to become law. The proposed reforms are set out in their ‘Plan to Make Work Pay: Delivering a New Deal for Working People’ and highlight what UK employers can expect to see immediately and in the future. More →
August 3, 2024
People can be so obedient in the workplace, they become Stepford Employees
by Lisa Stone • Comment, Workplace