Face off: iProov’s facial verification system can keep your online identity safe and protect your bank account May 16, 2019 Cyber security can feel like an intractable problem. Every day there seem to be new stories about hacking, scams, and financial fraud that target our reliance on digital tools and use them against us. Just this week, we had news of a spyware attack on Whatsapp. And while cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated, our [...]
Some companies are offering unlimited paid holiday, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be May 16, 2019 Unlimited paid holiday might sound too good to be true, but some British businesses are now using this perk as a way to attract employees. As a general rule, the more trust that is placed in someone, the better they behave, while a happy employee is a more productive employee – one who is far more [...]
Gender agenda: Time for the finance world to up its game May 16, 2019 Next month will be one year since the Treasury Committee published its report on Women in Finance. But has anything happened over this period to provide a ripple of hope for change? To set the scene, back in 2015 the government appointed Jayne-Anne Gadhia to lead a review on women in financial services. In response [...]
DEBATE: As Julian Richer hands over company shares, are staff-owned firms better for the economy? May 16, 2019 As Julian Richer hands over company shares, are staff-owned firms are better for the economy? Scott Corfe, chief economist at the Social Market Foundation, says YES. Companies with significant employee ownership schemes tend to have higher productivity – which is exactly what the UK needs right now. Poor productivity performance is a key reason why, [...]
With increased scrutiny of the profession, it’s time for auditing to be in the public interest May 16, 2019 Auditing in the UK is undergoing unprecedented scrutiny, and the magnifying scope is focusing on all aspects of the sector. The myriad reviews, some of which are ongoing, are being conducted by regulators, politicians and government departments, each separately looking at audit’s effectiveness, competition across the sector, and its future in general. Most notably, the [...]
London businesses ‘unaware’ of improvements to apprenticeship levy May 16, 2019 Only a quarter of London businesses are aware of the improvements to the apprenticeship levy that were announced in the Spring Statement, new research shows. In March the government announced that from April employers would see the co-investment rate the pay for apprentices cut from 10 per cent to five per cent. Read more: Apprenticeship [...]
Why your CEO got fired: Ethical lapses cost bosses their jobs in 2018 May 15, 2019 The turnover rate of CEOs soared to 17.5 per cent last year as ethical lapses became the biggest factor behind sacking bosses. Read more: Revealed: The CEOs who oversaw tech's 10 biggest share price rises While the 20 per cent rate of “forced turnovers” among departures at the top remained the same in PwC’s 2018 [...]
Business cards on the table – what does yours say about you? May 15, 2019 Regardless of industry or sector, the success of a business is often determined by one important moment: the first impression. Although it’s not something that we like to admit, it’s human nature to pass judgement on someone during an initial meeting – first impressions can linger for some time afterwards. For this reason, a good [...]
The lessons from the military that business leaders need to learn May 14, 2019 In today's business climate, you either embrace technology and establish it into the DNA of your company, or fall behind. However, investing in technology alone is not enough. Companies need to have the right talent to make everything sing. Effective, sustained technology skill development is key to ensuring that businesses not only keep up but [...]
Could Capita’s move to put workers to boards fix capitalism’s crisis? May 14, 2019 Capitalism is being questioned in Britain more intensely than for decades. Some want to destroy it. Others believe that it is the only economic system which works, but want to reform it. I am in the latter camp. Part of the debate around Brexit has centred on preserving workers’ rights, enshrined in EU law. But rights [...]