Working from home u-turn falls on deaf ears as more staff head back to offices September 30, 2020 Employees are heading back to their workplaces in greater numbers around the UK despite Boris Johnson’s working from home u-turn last week, new data has shown. According to data specialists Huq Industries, the rate at which workers are returning to their offices since the PM’s announcement has actually picked up in four of the six [...]
There’s no place like work: Office spaces still have a future September 28, 2020 There is talk that working from home has become so ingrained and that the old working arrangements are so untenable in this new socially distanced and digitally enhanced world, that it will force city centre offices to be entirely repurposed — and perhaps turned into vertical rabbit hutch towers of studio flats. This debate is [...]
As well as protecting jobs, the government must enable a safe return to the workplace September 28, 2020 Fittingly, the weather has taken a turn for the worse over the last week just as the economic headwinds facing the UK risk turning into a perfect storm. After many months of lockdown, the number of people returning to their City workplace had visibly started to pick up in recent weeks – particularly as schools [...]
For the next six months, should you spend the time on survival, or plan how to thrive? September 28, 2020 “Cap’n, she can’nae take much more of this.” Who would have thought that the much loved Scotty would capture the scene not of star trekking but the more earthly matter of the mood of business here on terra firma. Make no mistake, the UK economic dashboard is blinking red, and the worry has to be [...]
Deutsche Bank to change work-from-home policies permanently in bid to reduce office costs September 25, 2020 Deutsche Bank is set to make flexible working policies permanent to allow staff to work from home on a set number of days per week. Like other lenders, Deutsche Bank has discovered during the pandemic that reducing office space could be a viable way to lower costs. Chief executive officer Christian Sewing said the board [...]
Don’t sacrifice company culture on the remote working altar September 25, 2020 The UK recession, like its predecessors, will cause massive shifts in the market: new startups will be born (just as Airbnb, Uber, and Whatsapp were last time); many SMEs will be forced to adapt, refine, and then rebuild; and larger companies, spanning sectors as broad as property, law and finance, will find the pandemic era brings [...]
New wage subsidy scheme does not go far enough, warns hospitality industry September 24, 2020 The embattled UK hospitality sector has given chancellor Rishi Sunak’s latest job retention scheme a lukewarm reception, saying the new wage subsidy does not go far enough. UK Hospitality, a lobby group representing British pubs, clubs, restaurants and bars, said it wanted industry-specific help. Boss Kate Nicholls said she wanted the government to pick up [...]
Boris Johnson to tell Brits to work from home in lockdown U-turn September 22, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson will today tell Brits to work from home where possible as the UK slaps down fresh restrictions to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Just weeks after urging people to head back into the office, the prime minister will make a sharp U-turn and say that people should work from home if they [...]
Businesses voluntarily return £215m in furlough cash September 21, 2020 UK firms have voluntarily returned more than £215m of furlough money to the government either because they did not need it or they took it in error. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) figures released today showed that 80,433 employers have so far returned furlough cash totalling more than £215m handed to them to cover staff [...]
Two-thirds of companies say home working has hit employee motivation September 21, 2020 Two-thirds of UK companies believe the motivation and enthusiasm of employees have suffered as a result of remote working during the Covid-19 crisis, according to a new survey. A survey of more than 1,500 firms occupying offices found office working outranked home working for creativity and innovation, as well as productivity and motivation. Roughly 64 [...]