To avert an unemployment crisis, the government must act now and equip workers for the post-pandemic world July 7, 2020 Tomorrow, the chancellor will rise to make his economic statement with the country teetering on the edge of the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression. Around 10 million people face the possibility of losing their jobs. Clearly not all of them will, but as the furlough scheme unwinds, half of businesses say they expect [...]
Rolling up our sleeves for education: Addressing the most important challenge of the 21st century July 6, 2020 Around the world, 1.5bn children were forced out of their classrooms overnight by Covid-19. School closures required families and schools to readjust to new learning environments. And while some families made a seamless transition from school to homeschool, a disproportionate number of children from underserved communities faced another hurdle to receiving a basic education. Simple [...]
DEBATE: Is it time to get back to the office? July 3, 2020 Is it time to get back to the office? Rod Flavell, chief executive of FDM Group, says YES. The lockdown measures were a necessary step in tackling the virus, but it’s time to get our economy moving again. Millions of workers have now been at home for several months, and while web conferencing has served [...]
Pride in a pandemic: Putting intersectionality top of the agenda July 3, 2020 The most vulnerable and marginalised members of society have faced the worst consequences of this global health crisis. Coronavirus has highlighted the many ways in which issues related to gender and sexual identity, race, and socioeconomic circumstances all intersect. Equality is becoming one of the defining narratives of this pandemic. People are waking up to [...]
Equality is a business imperative, so let’s close the ethnicity pay gap July 3, 2020 I am often asked how business leaders decide who is the best candidate for a team or an organisation. Of course, there’s no one reason or answer. It’s about understanding the relevance of skills you need and the context of the role you are hiring for. You might be looking to create energy and pace [...]
How to be a great boss in the era of Covid-19 July 2, 2020 In the 1980s, corporate leadership was all about command and control. It was the era of presenteeism, of leaving your jacket on the back of your chair for your boss to see. Just like baggy jeans and grunge music, it went out with the millennium. Then came its polar opposite: formal, intimidating bosses were replaced [...]
Let’s not miss this opportunity to upskill our dormant workforce July 1, 2020 Today, we mark 100 days since lockdown began — and for many of us, that has meant three months of unforeseen “me-time”. As our economy begins to reopen and recover, some may be regretting not yet having taken the chance to finally learn to juggle, play the trumpet, or simply get out and jog more [...]
Feeling sluggish? How to boost morale after 100 days in lockdown July 1, 2020 It’s now been 100 days since the UK’s workforce went remote. Initially designed to be a three-week precaution, it’s clear that working from home has evolved into an indefinite future in many industries. While some workers have found it relatively easy to exchange cappuccinos and commutes for Nescafé and Netflix, it has naturally been a [...]
A pandemic is no excuse for the return of all-male boards June 30, 2020 At the 30 Per Cent Club, we never believed in “one and done”. Losing your only female director and reverting to an all-male board is all too easy, as Dominos found out earlier this month. Of course, that’s not the case for Aston Martin, which had two women non-executive directors and a female chair until [...]
The City View: Campbell Macpherson on leadership in times of crisis June 30, 2020 In this episode Christian is joined by Campbell Macpherson, one of the world’s leading business change specialists, Executive Fellow of Henley Business School and author of the 2018 Business Book of the Year ‘The Change Catalyst.’ Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS His second book, The Power to Change, is published by Kogan Page this October. Campbell discusses the forces disrupting business [...]