February 12, 2020
Employers face uphill battle to prevent presenteeism
Over the last 12 months, seven in 10 UK business leaders witnessed presenteeism, where someone come into the office when they are unwell, a survey has claimed. The issue is particularly prevalent at certain times of the year, recruitment firm Robert Half suggested, with 71 percent of respondents considering that presenteeism increases during the winter months when colds, flu and other respiratory illnesses are more common.
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Two surveys have highlighted continuing fears among freelancers about the changes to the IR35 rules due to take effect in April. The reforms will shift the responsibility for defining contractors’ tax status from the individual to the employer to crack down on so-called ‘disguised employment’, where off-payroll workers are able to pay less tax than employees. However, concerns have been raised that the rules could force organisations to bring genuine contractors and freelancers on to the payroll, reducing flexibility for both parties. 
Executives in small and mid-sized businesses in the UK are more anxious about major decisions at work than critical decisions at home that affect their family, a new study has claimed. The new study by 
Nearly two-thirds of financial services leaders expect to be mass adopters of AI in two years compared to just 16 percent harnessing it today, a 
Senior employees being too confident about the value of their ideas could be one reason businesses are failing, according to research by the University of Cologne. The study, conducted by Professor Fabian Sting and a team of interdisciplinary co-authors, highlights how choosing the wrong ideas to pursue can lead businesses to make unwise investments and miss out on opportunities, which could threaten their survival. A large part of the problem, it says, is that the person who comes up with the idea overestimates how successful their innovation will be and views their skill or performance as better than it actually is. 
Outdoor workers in the capital are exposed to 15 percent more pollution than the average Londoner, new 
Policy makers should resist claims by Uber that its drivers fall into a middle ground between traditional employees and independent contractors, a new study says. The research report, 
Many companies are moving away from long-term overseas placements in favour of short-term transfers, a report has suggested. To reduce costs and meet changing business and worker needs, firms are shifting from typical transfers of one to three years to moves of around three to 12 months, 
February 5, 2020
Bridging the gap between the reality and perception of engagement
by Callum Gill • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace