A staggering 47% of the UK’s estimated 650,000 PAs and office managers now manage HR on top of their traditional responsibilities. As a result, many PAs feel overwhelmed and worried that they aren’t up to date with employment law, says Claire Ward, HR expert and founder of TheHRHub. According to the latest National PA Survey, […]

Recruitment firms operating in male-dominated fields can attract more female professionals if they demonstrate clearer career progression and provide requisite training, according to One Way. The specialist construction and rail recruiter, which has been vocal about the need to address the gender imbalance in construction, has highlighted that a lack of training and structured promotion […]

Leading train company CrossCountry has re-launched its on-board pre-order menu to satisfy the hunger of those travelling on selected routes across Great Britain. The new and improved offering has something for everyone, including a range of gluten-free and vegetarian options. For those looking to indulge on board, a new wine selection has also been introduced […]

You’ve written a superb CV, won over the boss at the interview and made the necessary negotiations to secure a new job. Now it’s time to make it through the dreaded yet exciting first week. Here are a few tips that can help you make a great impression. Be friendly Try not to be shy. […]

Steeped in history and boasting luxurious surroundings, Stanbrook Abbey – located on the outskirts of the Cotswolds in Worcester – has been named Best Conference Venue at the Visit Worcestershire Awards. The 16th-century property, once home to Benedictine nuns, has a unique history unlike anything found in text books, and the venue’s contemporary style features […]

Fewer than one in three (28%) UK business travellers use a sharing economy service when travelling for work, despite nearly half of businesses having a policy in place allowing them to do so. New research from Egencia®, the business travel arm of Expedia, has revealed that 41% of UK companies allow their employees to use […]

Research conducted by cloud-based online meeting platform LyteSpark has revealed that British businesses with teams and clients across the globe could bolster their balance sheets and save, on average, £27,209 per year on business trips abroad if they use video conferencing platforms. LyteSpark analysed the average cost involved to travel from the UK to 20 business […]

From commuting costs to lunch bills, uniforms, bags and other items – research reveals our counterparts across the pond fork out and average of around £2700 ($3611.83) each year in order to be able to work. The incredible tally emerged in a study of 2000 employees on their day-to-day travel habits and found sitting in […]

Lindsay Taylor, Senior Training Partner with the IAM and Director of Your Excellency, will be delivering two interactive and informative sessions at the next PA Life Training Day, which takes place on 14 November at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel. We recently caught up with Lindsay to get her opinion on the PA industry and […]

HR Diversity Consultancy The Clear Company has responded to research commissioned by Acas from academics at King’s College, London, which suggests that tattoos are still considered unacceptable in many workplaces. The consultancy works with large multi-nationals to help them to become more inclusive in their hiring decisions. As Director Kate Headley points out, bias around body art and […]

It’s important to remember that a job interview is a two-way conversation; you need to extract information from your potential employer as much as they need to learn about you. While you’re practising your answers to their questions, it’s important to have a few of your own in mind. Here are the eight questions you […]

New research by charity ActionAid shows that due to the pressures of caring duties, women around the world work on average around four years longer than men over their lifetime. ActionAid looked at data from UN Women and the International Labour Office for 217 developed and developing countries. The results highlight the burden of unpaid […]

Cairn Group, one of the UK’s most progressive independent hotels, venues and leisure companies, has announced the autumn 2016 opening of a major new venue, the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre (BCEC). The BCEC, located on Hill Street in the heart of the city’s rejuvenated centre, boasts a fully flexible events space over two floors […]

The PA Life team has been out and about across the world this week seeking brilliant new content for our upcoming issues. Bringing things back home, let’s have a look at our top 10 most read stories of the week. 1. 6 ways to boost staff productivity According to research by Love Energy Savings, 43% of […]

Workers who have their own office, designated car parking space and earn at least £56,000 have achieved ‘ultimate career success’, a study has found. According to researchers, those people at the pinnacle of their careers will also be owners of a top-of-the-range company car, and their own property. Other indicators of success in the workplace […]

Millions of Brits are not currently working in their chosen profession – because they feel they’re too old to retrain, it has emerged. A study of 2000 employed adults found more than four in 10 are not working in the profession they would prefer, with 70% admitting they didn’t choose the best career path when […]

Millions of women fear asking for a pay rise will jeopardise their career, according to new research. Seven in 10 females said they wouldn’t even consider asking for a pay rise – with half concerned it might put their job at risk. And just one in five has asked her boss for a salary increase […]

They say life begins at forty – but the 51% of people crippled with back pain would disagree. Experts polling 2000 men and women over the age of 40 have discovered more than half regularly suffer from debilitating aches and pains across their neck and back, with sitting at a desk all day coming in […]