Three unusual ways to boost productivity: Restrictive social media policies can be counter-productive November 10, 2015 It's not rocket science that you can increase employee output by giving staff more flexibility and freedom. However, a new report commissioned by Red Letter Days for Business, entitled “What’s killing UK productivity?”, has produced some unusual findings. Surveying 2,000 employees, it revealed that those with the highest output are likely to be late for [...]
Shippers call for EU to focus on single market and to stop interfering with global regulations November 9, 2015 NULL
Och aye: After 44 years, the US may be on the brink of lifting its haggis ban after recipe “tweak” November 9, 2015 NULL
Culture clash: How to avoid a feedback faux pas in the office November 8, 2015 Understatement is a well-known British trait, and often frames the way people give negative feedback. Brits often use what linguists call "downgraders" when delivering criticism – words that soften the blow, such as "kind of", "sort of" and "a little bit". In London, where the workforce is one of the most multicultural in the world, [...]
How you build well-being into an office: Thinking beyond design makes economic sense for businesses November 6, 2015 Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, recently launched an initiative to improve health and well-being among NHS employees – designed to tackle the £2.4bn annual cost of sickness absences among its 1.3m staff in England. Stevens’s plans include giving staff access to Zumba classes, promoting cycling to work, and efforts to improve workers’ stress [...]
Leadership lessons from Machiavelli: The ends only justify the means when the goal is a good one November 5, 2015 Five hundred years after it was written, Machiavelli’s treatise on monarchical rule, The Prince, is still considered essential reading for those who are ambitious and desire power. Written as guidance for Lorenzo de Medici, The Prince famously prized earthly success over moral principles. But its teachings are often misinterpreted as advocating cunning, uncompromising methods to [...]
Historic run-chase bars England’s bid for victory in must-win final Test against Pakistan November 4, 2015 NULL