The parenthood penalty facing working mums and dads needs to be fixed December 10, 2019 Earlier this year, journalist Emma Duncan asked why we work so hard to avoid our children. Will future generations look back and wonder why parents fought tooth and nail for time in the office? If today’s battles result in a childcare sector that offers real choice at a lower cost, and a society where having [...]
Mother Nature means business: Why leaders need ‘feminine’ qualities November 29, 2019 The business world has come a long way in celebrating and enabling gender equality. But while there might be more women entering the boardroom, we’re still a long way from achieving truly equal representation in the workplace — especially at a senior level. The problem is that while we’re more comfortable with having women take [...]
The workplace is still a man’s world, according to London professionals November 25, 2019 Over half of London-based professionals think that stereotypical masculine qualities are held in higher regard in the hiring and promotion process than female characteristics, according to a new study. The research, by Equality Group, also finds that 25 per cent of women in professional roles in London feel that they need to present themselves in a more masculine [...]
Positivity is crippling your workplace and stifling creativity October 23, 2019 Look on the bright side. Keep smiling. Can do. These messages are increasingly prevalent in the workplace, to our significant detriment. And the irony of being briefed by my agent to keep this article “light-hearted” was not lost on me. I’m going to risk being serious – which is only six degrees from sounding negative [...]
DEBATE: Should we ban staff from work emails after office hours October 22, 2019 Is banning staff from work emails after office hours a good idea to combat the ‘always-on’ culture? YES, says Laura Giffard, founder and creative strategist of Perq Studio. Any company that buys into the idea that emails can be answered at any time is being irresponsible and exploiting their staff’s discretionary effort. It sets a [...]
Are you too scared to be yourself at work? October 4, 2019 In the run-up to World Mental Health Day on 10 October, one thing is abundantly clear: British workers have never been so stressed out. And while hostilities generated by heated debates over Brexit or global warming may well be contributing factors, the principle cause is more alarming: we’re simply not happy being ourselves at work. [...]
Businesses don’t need Labour to adopt a more flexible work week October 3, 2019 Labour’s pledge at its party conference to introduce a four-day working week on five-day’s pay has grabbed headlines and been greeted with concern in some quarters and optimism in others. Questions abound from journalists and employers alike. How could this be achieved? Would it mean shutting offices and factories for a three-day weekend? How much [...]
Since when was coding a job just for boys? September 19, 2019 It is national coding week, and the same tired debate is raging once again: why are so few software engineers women? An industry that is shaping our lives only represents a small minority of society. It’s bad for our collective futures, and bad for business. New data from coding bootcamp provider Makers has shed fresh [...]
Now is the time to create your own not-to-do list September 5, 2019 Now that September is upon us, for many professionals, that means it’s back to the school run and the grind of work. The summer holidays become a mere memory as the days get shorter. It might sound gloomy, but perhaps it doesn’t have to be. Rather than seeing the end of summer as an ever- [...]
DEBATE: Are ‘women-only’ spaces the answer to preventing sexism in the workplace? August 28, 2019 Could “women-only” spaces be the answer to preventing sexism in the workplace? YES, says Ksenia Tkacheva, the co-founder of Superfood Bakery. In our experience, “women-only” spaces work. A key cause of sexism is an unfounded lack of respect for the opposite sex. But when you have a women-only workplace, it results in fundamental respect for [...]