As the festive season unwraps, new research from monday.com, the multi-product platform that runs all core aspects of work, reveals that UK employees are challenging the traditional year-end slowdown. A survey of 1,343 UK workers reveals that the majority (89%) remain productive during the holiday period, with over one in two (55%) reporting a surge in output driven by approaching year-end deadlines (25%) and a motivation to finish the year strong (30%).
As startups begin to grow, and projects develop, we find that it can be easy for founders and employees to ensure that every task undertaken by the business aligns with future goals. As part of our Innovation Toolbox, which is a wide range of resources developed for startups, we developed the Strategy Ladder as a way to make sure your mission and vision run through every piece of work you do.
A new poll has found that almost seven in 10 small and medium-sized businesses struggle to find new recruits with adequate skills. The Attitudes to Work study, conducted by an independent research firm, surveyed 525 business professionals at SME companies across various industries. It was commissioned by coworking company, The Brew.
Over 1,000 startups from around the world have participated in the 13 editions of the South Summit Madrid Startup Competition, each year, the competition selects the 100 most innovative and disruptive entrepreneurial projects on the planet. These startups have achieved a survival rate of close to 90% and have had a significant impact on the ecosystem: $15,3 billion raised in investment rounds, $11,4 billion in revenue, and nearly 60,000 jobs created. Additionally, they have been involved in over 100 exits, with eight reaching unicorn status, including notable Spanish companies such as Cabify, Factorial and JobandTalent.
Nscale, the hyperscaler engineered for AI, has announced that it has raised $155 million in Series A funding to accelerate expansion across Europe and North America. Led by Sandton Capital Partners, with participation from Kestrel, Bluesky Asset Management, and Florence Capital, this oversubscribed funding round signals strong confidence in Nscale’s path to building the hyperscaler, purposely engineered for AI.
New research from Xero, the global small business platform, has found leaders of the UK’s smallest businesses (1-9 employees) and sole traders spend less than half (46%) of the working week on their core jobs. These businesses effectively aren’t starting work on primary responsibilities until 2:36pm on Wednesday, because they’re juggling non-core roles like IT, legal, admin, finance and cleaning.
The past four years or so have brought with them a range of financial, economic, and systemic shocks. While everyone is hoping for a steadier future, with interest rates and inflation falling and economic growth and wages rising, it is more important than ever to be mindful that for your employees it may not be that simple. Dr Glenn Mason, Head of Adult Psychological Therapies at Onebright, discusses supporting financial wellbeing in the workplace.
When I decided to stop practising as a social worker in March 2023 to devote myself full-time to my own business, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction and gratification. I felt content; I felt whole. Of course, I then faced a new set of challenges, but I realised that what I had achieved empowered me to deal with those challenges. Having achieved my purpose, I was able to navigate the tides and ride the waves that came my way.
Thrive, the fast-growth all-in-one learning technology company, has released findings from the UK’s first medical trial of the four-day work week in partnership with the University of Sussex, revealing significant improvements in both physical and mental wellbeing and productivity, but some challenges on a business level.
To operate successfully in an interconnected yet multifaceted world, the ability to communicate and relate in different languages has become increasingly important. Brits abroad are renowned for being lazy with language, relying on the widespread use of English in most parts of the world. Not only is this slightly mortifying, but this has resulted in an actual language deficit in the UK, which has been identified by the UK government as a barrier to trade.
Introverts aren’t good at networking, we’re told. Introverts are shy, they say. So how could an introvert possibly enjoy a work party? Getting together outside the office with colleagues you might not know that well, spending hours talking about nothing, not being able to hear yourself think over the loud music – it all sounds like an introvert’s worst nightmare.








