January 30, 2020
Policy makers should beware of classifying all gig economy workers as “employees”, a new research report has claimed. Such workers vary in age, income and education in a similar way to the traditional workforce and crafting regulations that treat both fully committed and occasional gig workers as one group is unlikely to be an efficient solution, the report from IZA World of Labor contends. More →
January 30, 2020
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, KPMG International‘s latest Global Assignment Policies and Practices (GAPP) survey says. Although this shift allows organisations more flexibility, they must implement the necessary processes to remain compliant with immigration and tax rules, the report warns. More →
January 27, 2020
Standing out in a competitive job market isn’t always easy, so some employees may implement various tactics to be more noticeable, including working overtime. Working the occasional overtime shift might not seem like a big deal, but is it? More →
December 11, 2019
Fewer than 10 percent of UK CEOs have financial incentives in place to be environmentally friendly in their business practices and thus tackle the climate change emergency, according to new research from Vlerick Business School. In fact, the researchers found that only 6 per cent of UK CEOs have in their bonus a KPI focusing on the environment, and less than one per cent have long-term incentives focused on this area. More →
December 4, 2019
A 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 →
December 4, 2019
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 →
December 2, 2019
Knight Frank is the latest established property business to launch a flexible office offering. In partnership with flexible office provider Work.Life announce the launch of new flexible managed workspace solution, Yours. A joint venture between Knight Frank and Work.Life, Yours claims to “partner with landlords to provide a comprehensive offer, incorporating a sales strategy that addresses both flexible and traditional market demand. The platform streamlines the design and delivery of resalable workspaces, and offers a suite of ongoing services and extras to businesses, including access to Work.Life’s network of coworking spaces and amenities.” More →
November 21, 2019
Britain’s graduate debt crisis means that nearly half of current students and recent graduates (42 percent) have taken up a so-called side hustle or joined the gig economy, in order to combat debt, afford rent and the rising cost of living. One in five (22 percent) also cited having two additional jobs, with the next generation of workers concerned about the overwhelming cost of living. More →
November 19, 2019
Students and school-leavers see self-employment as a route to a higher income, better work-life balance and more family time and so one in five 16 to 21 year olds think they will self-employed at some point, a new analysis from the Office for National Statistics shows. However, other studies from the UK government paint a different picture with people in self-employment generally earning less and working longer hours than their employed contemporaries, but often happy to forgo the certainties of paid work for greater flexibility and control. More →
November 12, 2019
Oxford has been recognised as the top performing city in the UK to live and work for the fourth year in a row in a nationwide study carried out by PwC. The city has emerged ahead of Reading thanks to work-life balance, income, transport and skills with Bradford being crowned as the most improved city. Published today (12 November 2019), the annual Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities 2019 sets out to show there’s more to economic well-being than just measuring GDP. The index measures the performance of 42 of the UK’s largest cities, England’s Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and ten Combined Authorities, against a basket of ten factors which the public think are most important when it comes to economic well being. These include jobs, health, income and skills, as well as work-life balance, house-affordability, travel-to-work times, income equality, environment and business start-ups. More →
November 7, 2019
The results of a new academic study on the relationship between global economic growth and physical activity, carried out by Vitality and RAND Europe, reveal significant benefits to the economy and life expectancy if people adopted a more active lifestyle. The study suggests that the world’s GDP would gain more than $100bn (£80bn) each year until 2050 if people adopted a more active daily routine that could involve simple choices such as walking 15 minutes more a day, jogging slowly for half a mile a day, or walking 1,500 extra steps a day. More →
November 12, 2019
Uber Works may not be as good for workers as it is for businesses
by Shainaz Firfiray • Comment, Flexible working, Technology