The lead up to Christmas is always exciting but instead of winding down it’s easy to get caught up in the chaotic rush. With your phone abuzz with festive well wishers, a constant stream of work emails and the pressure of Christmas shopping, it can be overwhelming. To ensure you switch off and find time […]

Christmas is a time of giving. In fact, it may feel to some that the giving never stops from late November until the New Year. But should you get your boss a gift? Should he or she buy you one? How do you handle the office Secret Santa? Ask a Manager blogger Alison Green has […]

Listening is more important in sales than having ‘gift of the gab’ say business leaders   Business decision makers think listening skills are essential for a good salesperson but surprisingly do not rate asking questions as a very important trait, according to new research from sales and negotiation experts Huthwaite International. While 73 per cent […]

Handsome men may be rejected for competitive jobs, but are preferred for roles that require cooperation, research from UCL School of Management proves. Assistant Professor Sun Young Lee found that handsome men are seen as more competent, so managers in collaborative workplaces such as R&D departments hire good-looking male candidates over less good-looking ones. Similarly, […]

Business leaders would never be expected to give staff the gifts in the 12 Days of Christmas song, (maids-a-milking and lords-a-leaping are wholly impractical) so Sketch Studios, a commercial furniture specialist, has come up with 12 practical tokens of appreciation employers could give instead. Day One: Better tea/coffee/refreshments; fundamental to the wellbeing of every worker […]

Author, speaker and futurist Jacob Morgan is writing a series of articles for Forbes exploring the employing experience. In part two, he explores the technology aspect of the work environment, laying out ground rules for introducing new tech to the office and keeping up with current trends. Morgan says the technological environment of the organisation […]

The number of women in employment has hit a record 14.6 million, with nearly one million more in work than five years ago. The stats hit the news as the government says it is delivering on its pledge to support getting people into jobs. Current statistics show the UK’s employment rate is at a record […]

A culture of fear and high pressure has long been the way companies cultivate productivity. But research shows there has been a shift in what motivates people and it points to positive psychology as an essential tool. The age-old presumption that stress makes you work harder may be true, but high levels of pressure can […]

Have you ever had one of those days when it seems impossible to get out of bed in time to be at the office at 9am sharp? Or are you the type to get in bright and early to get more work done so you can have an easy afternoon? What if you could show […]

An existing interline agreement has been enhanced to a reciprocal codeshare partnership between Malaysia Airlines and Emirates who have announced it will give their customers a seamless international network connecting Malaysia to more than 90 destinations on the Emirates network across Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Americas, exclusive frequent flyer benefits and world-class travel experiences. […]

Two-thirds (64%) of UK employees have never received any personal finance education, according to research commissioned on behalf of the Open University Business School (OUBS) and Share Radio.  The research also revealed that while many employees claim to have a reasonable level of financial knowledge, what they have most recently learnt has often been the result […]

In the run up to the festive season, most of us are counting down the days to enjoy a well-earned break. Spirits tend to be up around Christmas, but how happy are people in their line of work throughout the rest of the year? To find out, Workwear Express surveyed 1,020 adults currently in employment […]

In search of a curry fix? Experience the authentic tastes and flavours of regional Indian cuisine at the newly refurbished Daawat restaurant.   Most of the globe’s great cuisines derive from the foundation of mélange and there’s only one emperor among them.   Indian cuisine is unique in its cooking methods and range of ingredients, […]

Award-winning PA Victoria Darragh and her two sisters have recently come forward to tell the tale of the abuse they suffered as children at the hands of their stepfather.   ‪Victoria Darragh is a well recognised face within the PA community and a long-term supporter of PA Life. A multi-award winning executive assistant, founder of […]

The enchanting BMA House played host to an evening of networking, delicious food, on-tap tipples and venue tours for 50 PAs at the last PA Life Club event for 2015 on Tuesday 1st December. Street eat is the current food trend of the moment – rather apt then that guests were treated to a colourful and […]

According to a staff feedback survey in Stonewall’s 2015 Workplace Equality Index, the evidence-based benchmarking tool that enables organisations to assess their achievements and progress on LGBT equality in the workplace, more than half of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender staff in Scotland aren’t comfortable being out to all managers or colleagues. Less than one […]

Less pressure and better work-life balance supports personal well-being among zero-hours contract employees. New survey evidence published today suggests that, on average, zero-hours contract employees experience similar levels of job satisfaction, work-life balance and personal well-being to employees on permanent, full-time contracts. The research from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, also […]

With the government announcing that the state pension age will rise by 2020, experts are saying the average British employee is not healthy enough to work into their late 60s. The state pension age will gradually rise to 66 for men and women by October of 2020, then to 67 by 2028 and 68 by […]