Freelancer groups call for emergency fund during Coronavirus crisis

Freelancer groups call for emergency fund during Coronavirus crisis

Coronavirus crisisIPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed), the Creative Industries Federation and other organisations representing freelancers have written an open letter calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson for a Temporary Income Protection Fund to support the self-employed during the Coronavirus crisis. More →

How important is it to be happy at work?

How important is it to be happy at work?

Happy at workHow supportive are you of your employees’ wellbeing? New research from CV-Library claims that two-thirds of Brits (61.7 percent) say being happy at work is the most important part of a job, but 87.9 percent feel their employer could do more to improve morale in the workplace.

What’s more, the study, which surveyed 2,300 UK professionals, suggests that Brits think being happy is more important than salary (22.1 percent) and location (15.5 percent) when it comes to work. Interestingly, being happy in their job was also more important for women (66.4 percent) than men (58.7 percent), as well as for 55-64-year olds (66.9 percent) and 45-54-year olds (64.8 percent). More →

Routine admin tasks hamper collaborative work

Routine admin tasks hamper collaborative work

Valueless tasks

On average, business and IT decision makers from UK organisations waste 27 percent of their time at work on valueless tasks claims research from Vanson Bourne, commissioned by Dropbox  in a report called The State of Collaboration. The study claims that monotonous admin is starving UK businesses of innovation. More →

The UK`s tech sector continues to thrive

The UK`s tech sector continues to thrive

Britain’s digital sector is growing at six times the pace of the country’s other industries, according to new research from Tech Nation. According to the annual study, technology businesses contributed around £149 billion to the UK economy in 2018, nearly 8 percent of GDP. Since 2017 staff numbers at digital companies have risen by 40 percent to 2.9 million, nearly tenth of the total UK workforce. More →

Job satisfaction could be down to having a diverse team of people with which you work

Job satisfaction could be down to having a diverse team of people with which you work

Job satisfactionWorking in multidisciplinary teams makes work more enjoyable and means that customers receive a better service claims new research from Nyenrode Business University. Dr. Mike Hoogveld conducted a large-scale survey and completed a case study at four major energy suppliers suggesting that agile leadership also leads to greater job satisfaction. More →

One million young workers set to leave London before turning 33

One million young workers set to leave London before turning 33

Young workers

The number of young workers leaving London is on the rise, with net migration away from the capital growing, claims new research from Totaljobs and Professor of Economics at Lancaster University, Geraint Johnes. The new research, taken from analysis of ONS data as well as the views of 2,000 Londoners, suggests that since 2014, more than one million professionals have left London, with just 900,000 coming in. This is a net loss of 88 workers every day, with the biggest shortfall down to workers aged 25-34, the majority (54 percent) of them having given up hope of ever owning property in the capital. There has been a 49 percent increase in outbound migration of those in their 30s over the last five years. More →

Government launches “revolutionary” green transport consultation

Government launches “revolutionary” green transport consultation

The government has launched a new intiative to test the introduction of green transport systems and also injected £90 million into funding three experimental  ‘future transport zones’ across the UK aimed at establishing whether smart and green technology can be adopted. The new transport zones in the West of England, Portsmouth and Southampton and the East Midlands will be used to test innovations in the movement of people and goods. One project will trial the use of drones for carrying medical supplies from clinics in the Isle of Wight to hospitals in the mainland. This should cut down the time spent moving supplies by ferry or road while speeding up diagnosis. More →

Clerkenwell Design Week now postponed until July

Clerkenwell Design Week now postponed until July

In the light of the global impact caused by COVID-19 and following careful consideration, it was announced today that Clerkenwell Design Week will be postponed from 19 – 21 May until 14 – 16 July 2020.

“As the UK’s leading independent design festival, this has not been a decision taken lightly, but the health, safety and wellbeing of CDW’s visitors, exhibitors, clients and staff remains the number one priority”, said Lee Newton, CEO of show owners Media 10. “We will continue to consult with all relevant parties on a regular basis as we work towards delivering the best possible CDW this summer. The safety and wellbeing of all those involved is our priority and we are grateful for the support we have received from our exhibitors and partners in making this difficult decision. We believe that these new dates provide us with an opportunity to deliver what will be a very successful CDW in the height of British Summer.’ Lee Newton, CEO, Media 10

“CDW has been working tirelessly to ensure that the investment made by all parties into this event is protected. Agreement has been reached, following productive discussions with Islington Council, to ensure that the new date will deliver the much-loved festival without compromise, bringing an undeniable buzz and splash of pink to the streets of Clerkenwell this summer. All of the suppliers, venues and various stakeholders have collaborated to agree these new dates and to ensure that the event can take place.

“In times of adversity the design community has come together to ensure that this leading design festival takes place in 2020.”

Employee confidence plunges amid economic and workplace uncertainty

Employee confidence plunges amid economic and workplace uncertainty

Employee confidence

Employee confidence in U.K. business conditions has fallen to its lowest level on record on the back of Brexit and rising fears around the coronavirus, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner’s latest Global Talent Monitor report claims that the U.K. business confidence fell to an index score of 44.5 in 4Q19, a decrease of over 11 index points from 4Q18. The figure puts the U.K. more than 6 index points below the current global average. More →

Workplace transformation decisions shifting from HR to senior management

Workplace transformation decisions shifting from HR to senior management

Infosys Knowledge InstituteWorkplace transformation (IKI), the thought leadership and research arm of Infosys, have published a global research report titled, ‘Drive Change from Within.’ The research claims that CEOs are now prioritising on driving a workplace transformation roadmap and contributing to its development in the organisation. More →

Higher female state pension age causes an increase in older women at work

female state pension ageThe number of women aged between 60 and 64 in work has increased by 51 percent since the 1995 Pensions Act came into effect which increased the female state pension age from 60 to 65 since 2010, claims research from Rest Less, a jobs, volunteering and guidance site for the over 50s.

Between October and December 2009, there were 644,674 women aged between 60 and 64 in work. In the same period in 2019, there were 976,376 women aged between 60 and 64 in work – an increase of 331,702 or 51 per cent. This contrasts with an increase of only 127,882 (or 13 percent) in the number of men working aged between 60 and 64 over the same period. More →

The UK is not well enough prepared for working from home

The UK is not well enough prepared for working from home

working from homeFigures released today suggest that the UK is one of the least prepared countries to introduce a mass home-working strategy. Leesman has surveyed more than 700,000 employees worldwide. Of the 139,778 UK workers in its index, 55 percent have little or no experience working from home, compared with 52 percent of respondents globally. More →