Search Results for: government

Less than half of employers plan to take on a young person next year

Less than half of employers plan to take on a young person next year

Only 46 percent of employers plan to hire a young person between the age of 16 and 24 in the next year despite new Government incentives to do so, a report from the CIPD suggests. Over 1,000 employers were surveyed for the CIPD’s COVID-19 and the youth labour market report which examines the likely impact of new incentives to boost provision of traineeships, apprenticeships, and six-month work placements through the Kickstart scheme – as outlined in the ‘Plan for Jobs’, which was presented to Parliament in July 2020. (more…)

UKGBC sets out route to net zero buildings

UKGBC sets out route to net zero buildings

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has announced the start of a new project to plot a route to net zero carbon for the UK’s built environment sector, by developing a Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap. Hot on the heels of the Government’s new target to cut emissions by 68 percent by 2030, against 1990 levels, this project will identify how the built environment supports that objective and set a science-based trajectory to achieving net zero for the whole sector by 2050. The roadmap will cover all building types and infrastructure, all built environment stakeholders and sub-sectors and address carbon across the whole building lifecycle. (more…)

Small businesses suffer most furlough stress

Small businesses suffer most furlough stress

furloughNew research from absence intelligence company e-days, claims that stress levels have spiked twice in 2020 following the changes to the furlough schemes. These peaks were especially noticeable in organisations with fewer than 250 employees as the effects of the pandemic proved more challenging for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs). (more…)

Corporate inclusivity efforts must include disability

Corporate inclusivity efforts must include disability

inclusivityWhen we think about inclusivity and diversity in the corporate world, we often think of racial and cultural diversity, gender, or LGBTQ+ inclusion—but one aspect that has been too long forgotten or ignored is the topic of disability inclusion. Caroline Casey, disability activist, CEO and founder of the Valuable 500 initiative, notes that though 90 percent of companies say they prioritize inclusivity in the workplace, just 4 percent of them include disability inclusion as a consideration. (more…)

Businesses must face up to risks beyond the pandemic

Businesses must face up to risks beyond the pandemic

RisksThere’s no question what has occupied the majority of attention for risk managers during 2020. But Healix International, believes the all-consuming consequences of the pandemic could leave governments and employers exposed to other risks in 2021. (more…)

New think tank seeks to influence thinking on disability iat work

New think tank seeks to influence thinking on disability iat work

two people talking to illustrate the growing number of disabled people in self-employmentA new think tank has launched today to mark the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with a Disability. Called ‘The Forum’, the think tank seeks to increase the participation of employers and disabled people in the development of economic and social policy at a UK level. (more…)

The great lesson of 2020 for small businesses is to be ready for anything

The great lesson of 2020 for small businesses is to be ready for anything

small businessesThe repercussions of Covid-19 for the small business community have been particularly ruinous. Recent figures paint a worrying picture, revealing that approximately 76,300 SMEs in London alone ceased operations completely as a direct result of the pandemic, with lockdowns costing from £30,000 to £75,000 for one in ten small businesses. As the most vulnerable business segment in the current crisis, SMEs needed the biggest support and, by the end of April, had already received over £4 billion via the government’s CBIL scheme. (more…)

BBP launch new energy rating scheme for UK offices

BBP launch new energy rating scheme for UK offices

EnergyA new scheme for rating the operational energy efficiency of UK offices, NABERS UK, has been launched. NABERS UK will play a vital role in bridging the performance gap between the design and in- use energy performance of offices in the UK and create much needed transparency for the market. (more…)

WorldGBC and global leaders call for historic Built Environment Day at COP26

WorldGBC and global leaders call for historic Built Environment Day at COP26

EnvironmentThe World Green Building Council joins nine international organisations to sign a letter to COP26 President, Alok Sharma, requesting a Built Environment Day at the climate summit in November 2021. The day at COP26 would be dedicated to the action pathways to accelerate the decarbonisation of the built environment, and it will demonstrate how business and governments are catalysing solutions to the climate crisis. (more…)

One in eight firms already use software to monitor remote workers

One in eight firms already use software to monitor remote workers

monitoring remote workersA large number of British companies companies say they plan to install monitoring software of some kind to keep an eye on employees working from home, according to a new survey. Around 20 percent of employers said their firms have either implemented, or plan to implement, online software which monitors their remote workers. (more…)

Several factors impact wellbeing of people working from home

Several factors impact wellbeing of people working from home

wellbeingA new study on work-life balance claims that the COVID-19 crisis is a crucial factor – but not the only one – behind low levels of wellbeing among employees working from home. A research team including Professor Ilke Inceoglu, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and HR Management at the University of Exeter Business School, analysed data from 835 university employees, who completed a baseline questionnaire on wellbeing and took a weekly survey. (more…)

Digital skills gap poses major economic threat, Microsoft study claims

Digital skills gap poses major economic threat, Microsoft study claims

The UK’s digital skills gap could pose a risk to economic recovery, new research from Microsoft claims, with over three-quarters of UK leaders citing a large digital talent pool as essential to driving UK competitiveness. The study, Unlocking the UK’s potential with digital skills, was conducted in partnership with Dr Chris Brauer at Goldsmiths, University of London to assess the UK’s skills gap and provide practical guidance for organisations on how to tackle it. It predicts the rise of a “Next Gen Worker” that is empowered by low-code and no-code technology, but also finds that a failure to embrace technological skills could leave companies struggling to compete on the global stage. (more…)