The ethical executive is coming to a boardroom near you February 3, 2020 We are undergoing a paradigm shift in our political, economic, and commercial worlds — and it’s truly stranger than fiction. Donald Trump, Brexit, Cambridge Analytica, the weaponisation of data, deep fakes, and artificial intelligence (AI) — phenomena that would have seemed inconceivable a decade ago are now our day-to-day reality. While some businesses are ahead of [...]
Rock the joint: Why Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett is building new music venues around the world February 3, 2020 Near King’s Cross station, a new social hub is currently under construction. Due to open in March, the space — called Goods Way — will contain a food court, bar and a 600-capacity venue known as Lafayette. Goods Way is the brainchild of Ben Lovett, the chief executive of Venue Group, who sounds excited but [...]
Education secretary urges parents to rethink apprenticeships February 3, 2020 Gavin Williamson has urged parents to move on from “outdated” stereotypes of apprenticeships. A new survey by the parent website Mumsnet found that too many parents are unaware of the range of opportunities apprenticeships can offer. According to the research published today, over 60 per cent of parents of children aged 13-18 surveyed said they [...]
DEBATE: Should some conversation topics or ‘banter’ be off-limits to keep workplaces inclusive? January 31, 2020 Should certain conversation topics or ‘banter’ be off-limits to keep workplaces inclusive? Melanie Stancliffe, employment partner at Cripps Pemberton Greenish, says YES. There’s a fine line between catching up with your colleagues and inappropriate discussions. You have to remember that the office is a place of work, where nobody should think it acceptable to discriminate [...]
I confronted our bureaucratic tax system — and lost January 30, 2020 “Tax doesn’t have to be taxing,” claim the helpful ducks on the HMRC adverts that urge people to file their self-assessment returns by the deadline of midnight tomorrow. As anyone who has been through the rigmarole of painstakingly filling in a return that always results in a higher-than-expected calculation, the reality is somewhat different. Filing [...]
The BBC keeps scoring own goals with its internal comms January 30, 2020 Like the perfect colour for a cup of tea (green, in my case), it seems that everyone in the UK must have an opinion on the BBC. Auntie, age 97, has become loathed in some quarters of the right-wing press, with omnipresent claims of BBC bias, and equally hated in sections of the left-wing media, [...]
Five tips to be a wiser leader January 29, 2020 | Sponsored I have been teaching and researching leadership for more than 20 years and I believe leadership is a skill that can be learnt with reflective practice. Here, I give my top tips to become a better leader. 1. The ‘going beyond’ principle A good leader needs to go beyond the immediate; they need to go [...]
The taxman cometh: 6 tips to help you complete self-assessment tax return January 29, 2020 This Friday marks the end of a process that many have found divisive, emotionally draining, expensive, and time-consuming. No, I’m not talking about Brexit. Friday 31 January is the deadline for completing your self-assessment tax return — the bane of existence for freelancers, the self-employed, and anyone who earns extra income outside their basic salary. [...]
No cricket chat? Management gurus dropped the ball this time January 28, 2020 England’s cricketers haven’t made a habit of winning Test matches abroad recently, so the 3-1 series victory over South Africa is cause for celebration — not least due to the arrival on the international scene of Ollie Pope and a sign that we might have found openers who can keep us in a game beyond [...]
Wellbeing is the new health and safety January 28, 2020 A new decade focuses minds on the future and new strategies to encourage companies and individuals to thrive. And if there’s one commitment that the City should make in the 2020s, it’s to treat the mental health of staff as seriously as their physical health and safety. Everything from the harnesses used by window cleaners [...]