Hybrid working: Khan must do more to get workers back to the city centre, says new report May 24, 2023 London’s mayor Sadiq Khan must do more to encourage workers back into the office in order to avoid a productivity slump and “unintended economic impact,” says a new report today. The report – authored by the Centre for Cities think tank – urged the government and mayor of London to reduce cost-barriers for commuters using [...]
3 Finance Jobs That Pay Over £100k May 23, 2023 Did you know that in London, the average price of a cup of coffee is £2.55? That’s according to research from price comparison website Compare The Market. The study also found that the most expensive place to buy a coffee in London is Selfridges, but the cheapest is at Pret. It can be an expensive [...]
Yes, inflation will fall – but back to Bank of England target? Well, that’s anyone’s guess May 23, 2023 Inflation is definitely on its way down, but no thanks to the Bank of England – well, yet. Most of the drop will be driven by energy price rises falling out of the ONS’s numbers. Tomorrow’s figures are poised to start that descent, with the rate of inflation probably falling to around eight per cent [...]
The Notebook: Symphony CEO Brad Levy on getting clear on Whatsapp, Revolut’s regulatory woes and using AI May 22, 2023 The Notebook is a daily column where interesting people say interesting things. Today, CEO of Symphony Brad Levy writes ahead of Symphony Innovate conference on 23 May. Message received: Time for UK banks to get clear on Whatsapp In the last year, multiple banks in the US have paid a high price for staff use [...]
UK law firm mergers rose last year as ‘growing by acquisition’ becomes more attractive May 22, 2023 New data reveals the number of law firm mergers in the UK has risen by nearly a quarter in the past year – from 99 in 2021 to 122 in 2022. New research from accountancy firm Hazlewoods shows merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the sector has rebounded following a pandemic slump. According to Hazlewoods, [...]
Lloyds AGM hit by flexible working protests after telling staff to come back to the office May 18, 2023 Lloyds’ annual general meeting (AGM) was hit by protests about its flexible working policies and its fossil fuel financing, but all motions ended up passing with massive majorities. Speaking at the bank’s AGM in Edinburgh on Thursday, representatives from Unite argued that trialled changes to its hybrid working policies disadvantaged women, carers and working parents. [...]
Chancellor: Forget hybrid TWaTs, it’s the office by “default” May 17, 2023 The Chancellor has said that the office should be the “default” location for work, even after the rise of hybrid working in the pandemic. Vast swathes of workers in white collar jobs have switched out of the office for at least two or three days a week, with the term ‘twat’ now used to describe [...]
Elizabeth line sees hybrid workers flock back to the office May 11, 2023 London’s popular Elizabeth Line has prompted a surge in workers heading into the office, new research released on the eve of its one year anniversary shows. Footfall data from the workspace operator IWG has today revealed a 23 per cent increase in the number of visits, to offices across nine Elizabeth Line stops, since the [...]
Sharon White: Embattled John Lewis chair survives confidence vote – just about May 10, 2023 John Lewis chair Sharon White will remain chief of the business after winning a vote of confidence on her future leadership, but remains under considerable pressure with partners voting against her performance over the last year. White secured one victory at a John Lewis Partnership meeting held on Wednesday, with a majority of partners saying [...]
Toyota eyes EV sales boom in China as firm helped by easing supply chain issues May 10, 2023 Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday said it expects operating profit to climb 10 per cent this business year, with a five-fold jump in pure electric vehicle (EV) sales amid an easing in global supply chain disruption from a shortage of chips. The growth plan was unveiled by new CEO Koji Sato, installed last month, and [...]