Life
From better work-life balance and wellbeing to zero commute time, working from home is said to have more than a few perks. According to a recent study by Instant Offices, Britons who have been working from home have accumulated 1.2 billion extra hours which means a mammoth figure of £21.9 billion worth of unpaid overtime is lost.
For National Stress Awareness Month, Benenden Health’s Head Matron, Cheryl Lythgoe provides insight into how employers can effectively manage employee stress amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thursday 22nd April 2021 marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, a day that celebrates our planet and aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting it. Before the pandemic, events would take place all around the world on this day and in the lead-up for individuals and businesses to get involved in.
One of the most useful things any startup business owner can do is to attend as many relevant networking events as possible. Events allow industry movers and shakers to meet, mingle and explore new business connections, innovations and opportunities – which is of enormous value.
London-based digital agency, WeAgile has rolled out a company-wide policy which supports anyone that has suffered a miscarriage by offering paid leave. Following the recent announcement where New Zealand’s parliament had unanimously approved legislation that would give couples who suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth paid leave, WeAgile implemented the same thing for their staff.
Moving office can be a stressful and strenuous process, particularly when growth plans are somewhat unknown, and budget is a major concern.
As restrictions continue to lift and organisations prepare to bring employees back to the workplace, a new report from hackajob has revealed that 86% of technology professionals in the UK and Europe don’t want to return to the office full time at all.
Long COVID could have a big impact for employers for many months to come. It is a relatively new illness that is not yet fully understood and may keep employees from returning to work for indeterminate amounts of time.
A week after the next steps out of lockdown were taken the differences are palpable. A very large percentage of the population have been shopping in ‘non-essential’ shops, sat outside a coffee shop, eaten outside at a pub or restaurant, or had their hair cut. In fact, almost everyone that I have spoken to has already done more than one of these.
Research from Ezra has revealed that a fifth of UK workers feel they get less recognition within their career as a direct result of working remotely. It remains to be seen to what extent we will return to a full working environment, as COVID-19 restrictions see many continue to work from home for part of, if not their whole working week.
Oil major, BP recently announced that 25,000 members of staff must Work From Home (WFH) two days per week post pandemic. As more firms transition to long-term remote working, evaluating and improving home office set ups will be critical to success. Here Kristian Torode, Director and Co-founder of business unified communications provider, Crystaline, looks at what companies should provide for their workers.
With COVID-19 restrictions constantly changing and evolving worldwide, many employees taking business trips to other countries, or already working abroad, have found that they are suddenly either banned from returning to their home country or not allowed to leave the country they have visited. Employers must ensure they are able to support employees who are stranded away from home.
How will people and businesses act now that we are finally coming out of what is generally expected to be the last lockdown? Not only is that the question that every business owner is wondering, but the answer will also be crucial not just to individual businesses but to the economy as a whole.
It’s often claimed that there’s never a better time to start a business than in a crisis. The adage ‘from crisis comes opportunity’ has been rolled out constantly over the past year, replayed in countless articles from the New York Times to the BBC.
Last month we officially reached the milestone of a year since the first national lockdown. With lots of change and uncertainty – both at home and work – many of us turned to Google for advice and support.
There is no denying the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 on the UK economy. The pandemic has tested the resolve of even the most robust firms, causing enormous upheaval and unpredictable market conditions. As such, many UK businesses were forced to rely on Government support schemes to stay afloat.
Towergate Health & Protection is warning employers that they could unwittingly be leaving themselves open to uninsured liabilities that could cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds if their employee benefits are not aligned with their contracts of employment.
The challenges for founders of today’s tech startups are manifold: the product must be developed and constantly optimised; investors must be convinced your idea is viable; employees must be recruited and managed – and so on and so forth.
Getting a small business up and running is complex enough without having to worry about click fraud affecting your ad campaigns.
Have you noticed that there has been a dramatic shift in people’s priorities over the last 12 months? But as things begin to ease out of the third lockdown and into a ‘new normal’, how are we going to maintain habits and rebuild our businesses so they are fit for the unknown future? Here Sara Osterholzer, co-founder of The Good Business Club, shares some insights on the small business movement to Build Back Better and how to get involved.
