Property specialist Cluttons has found that office demand will subsequently decrease in the short to medium term. However, some industries should think twice before shedding city centre office space post pandemic. With one-third of workplace activities in the UK carried out remotely without any loss of activity, there will be an increase in hybrid and home […]

Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA) has welcomed the recognition from government that there is and will continue to be a serious impact on companies beyond retail, leisure and hospitality stating that there will be a £100 million boost to the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund for local authorities in England. However, continued speculation surrounding Government restrictions […]

Much has been said, written, discussed, about how difficult things have been for workers and businesses recently. However, this period of intense change also poses an incredible opportunity for businesses, offering options to overhaul how things are done, and ensure businesses can become magnets for talent. Firstup’s recent research, The Deluge of Unhappy Workers, made […]

New research from the mia (Meetings Industry Association) has revealed the extent of event cancellations and postponements as a result of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. In its latest survey of 222 organisations serving the events industry, including venues, hotels, suppliers and event agents, the association estimates that UK venues have already lost over £117m of […]

Up to 19.2 million staff are planning to use downtime over the festive period to update their CV, despite pandemic resurgence. According to new research from specialist talent solutions provider Robert Half, three in five (59%) employees are planning to update their CV over the holidays in preparation for a fresh job search in January. Employers […]

The Meetings Industry Association (mia) has highlighted concern in response to the recent announcement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Kerrin MacPhie, Chief Executive of the mia, said: “While today’s announcement of a £1bn fund for hospitality is a welcome start to recognising the current state of affairs, we cannot afford to look at this at face value. With cash […]

Story Events, organiser of the annual London Summer Event Show, has announced that, in light of the latest restrictions and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, it will postpone the event for two months. Originally scheduled for mid-January, the London Summer Event Show will now take place on March 15th & 16th. […]

UK companies risk losing new-hire employees during their crucial first months, according to a new study. 63% of employees who started new jobs within the last year felt that the onboarding process they received was ‘insufficient’, with companies failing to adapt the process to hybrid and remote working. Employees in the first year of their […]

After a year and a half of working from home, many workers admit they’ve found themselves working from some unusual spaces in an effort to find some peace and quiet during the workday. In a new poll of 2,000 individuals who have worked from home throughout the pandemic, 41% share that they have found themselves […]

By Ross McCaw, CEO and founder of OurPeople… The Omicron variant raises cause for concern amongst business leaders who are worried they may have to implement changes to their workforce and structures, once again. Whatever the future holds, communication will be the key to success and it’s imperative business leaders identify the gaps in their […]

Doctors are becoming increasingly concerned about the growing wall of mental health problems stemming from the pandemic, with some predicting dire consequences for employers and the economy. Whilst many have again returned to home working or have social distancing in place, many employers are not aware that the responsibility for managing work-related mental health issues […]

A combination of companies becoming flexible with remote working and almost two years of working from home has meant that more of us are looking to escape our daily routines – and even become a digital nomad. As many companies are now allowing their employees to work from anywhere, as long as it’s within a […]

As we’re thrown back into full-time working from home and similar conditions that saw divorce rates spiking in previous lockdowns, UK companies are being warned ahead of the January surge in relationship separations the impact of insufficient employee support. Relationship separation has been found to create a period of ‘separation grief’ which is impacting companies […]

Agiito has announced that, for the first time, its travel, meetings and events solution will feature on the RM6217 Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework.  Out of all the suppliers on the framework, Agiito is the only travel management company (TMC) to be awarded a place on two Lots: Lot 1 (UK travel booking solutions) and Lot 4 (venue-finding and events).  These two ‘Lots’ enables central government, wider public sector and third sector organisations access to fully managed, online and offline travel booking solutions covering UK and international rail and […]

To some it’s harmless fun and just an annual office tradition, but according to new research, Secret Santa is a festive burden for many UK workers. In a study of 1,000 UK employees, commissioned by gift card and voucher brand Love2shop, over a quarter (27 per cent) of workers revealed they find Secret Santa a […]

By Neil Bradbrook, Managing Director, Ahead Business Consulting… A couple of weeks ago, Atom Bank announced that their staff were moving to a four-day working week with no loss of pay. Sounds great – but is it really? Well – yes and no. It is a good step – but only a step – in […]

British businesses are boosting benefits packages such as hybrid working, increased parental leave and private health insurance as a means to attract and retain the best talent, according to new research from premium health insurer Bupa Global. With a hot labour market increasing competition for recruits and amid the ‘great resignation’,  board-level executives are recognising the value of a diverse […]

By Rich Westman, CEO and founder of Kaido, a platform for building remote team culture… “Always take some of the play, fun, freedom and wonder of the weekend into your week and your work,” life coach Rasheed Ogunlaru tells us. Great advice that’s hard to follow in an environment that’s increasingly divided. Coronavirus has given […]