Can the ‘hotelification’ of the office beat working from home? March 8, 2025 London offices are offering monogrammed towels and rooftop gardens to tempt staff back into work, says Alex Morgan Some of the world’s largest companies are pulling the plug on hybrid working, but not without a hitch. In the US, Amazon’s return-to-office (RTO) mandate has been put on pause because of a shortage of desks in [...]
AI and hybrid patterns set to determine the future of work March 5, 2025 Rising employment costs have driven many UK businesses towards investing in AI instead of hiring new employees, while workers are resisting efforts to increase office mandates in favour of working from home (WFH). New research from Linkedin and Pleo has revealed the tension between using AI as a cost-saving tactic, and the need for meaningful [...]
IWG: Co-working platform announces share buyback, higher dividend March 4, 2025 Hybrid workspace provider IWG has announced a share buyback programme and an increase in its dividend after a jump in earnings. The company will buy back $50m (£39.4m) worth of shares and pay out a dividend of 0.90 pence per share for a total 2024 dividend of 1.33 pence per share, up from one pence per [...]
A sandwich revolution and the City of London February 26, 2025 The humble sandwich is having a revolution in London, but Carys Sharkey takes a tour of the City to see if bigger is always better In the City, queues spill out of sandwich shop doors as the rigmarole of work is punctured by bread and spread. But the sandwich is no longer a humble thing. [...]
WFH: Just one in 10 Gen Z want to be in the office full-time February 14, 2025 Only one in ten Gen Z employees want to work in the office full-time and more than half admit they are less industrious than their parents. According to a Times-led study into the generation, more than one in five respondents (21 per cent) of Gen Z, who are between 18 and 27 years old, spend [...]
‘Once you legislate, people will rebel’: Why a vibes-based WFH policy is working for Vitality February 13, 2025 The debate-stirring issue of working from home (WFH) has never been far from the headlines so far in 2025. The likes of FTSE 100 giant WPP, Lord Alan Sugar and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan have all made waves with where they stand on the topic. Now Neville Koopowitz, the chief executive of health and [...]
UK savers back AI on pensions, but ‘not as a substitute for humans’ February 12, 2025 UK savers are open to artificial intelligence (AI) playing a key role in pension customer support. But, most would rather have a combination of AI and human interaction, rather than a fully automated system. A recent survey by pension scheme provider PensionBee found that of its 1,000 participants, 79 per cent favoured a hybrid approach. [...]
Exclusive: Vowles hails ‘new era’ as Atlassian joins Williams Racing February 11, 2025 Williams principal James Vowles has hailed a new era for the Formula 1 team after signing a record partnership deal with software giant Atlassian. The agreement sees the historic outfit rebranded as Atlassian Williams Racing as they step up their efforts to return to the front of the grid in motorsport’s biggest series. It comes [...]
Commercial real estate: Why London needs 15 new Walkie Talkies February 11, 2025 Commercial real estate can be the growth lever the government is looking for, but as the industry gathers in London today, the global investment community has its eyes on the current shortfall of London offices, says Philip Hobley As Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves cast around for the `growth lever’ there [...]
Porsche 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid review: The 911 goes electric February 7, 2025 We knew it was coming and so did Porsche; the current ‘992’ generation of 911 was engineered to accommodate a battery and electric motor from the outset. Even so, this feels like an evolutionary leap: a milestone in the car’s 62-year story so far. In time, will the arrival of a hybrid 911 be seen [...]