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Top 10 stories of the week

Networking events at the Business Travel Show

Weโ€™re all busy here at PA Life HQ getting ready for next weekโ€™s Christmas party at ICEBAR LONDON and the PA Expo in Liverpool, where weโ€™ll be on stand J28. Letโ€™s take a breather from all the excitement and find out which stories have been the most popular this week.

1.ย 7 tips to help shy PAs network effectively
The PA Life team has heard from many PAs that the role can be extremely isolating, especially if youโ€™re the only assistant at your company. Thatโ€™s where strategic networking comes into play, but itโ€™s not always easy to get past your fears and meet new people. Here are our top tips for a successful networking event for shy PAs.

2.ย App of the week: Calm
Meditation is one of the best ways to melt away the stress in your life. Calm puts guided meditation and soothing soundscapes into one handy app so you can practise mindfulness on the go.

3.ย Win a meal for 4 people at Balls Brothers of London
Balls Brothers is one of Londonโ€™s pre-eminent wine emporiums for more than 150 years and purveyors of fine wine, exquisite spirits and classic British food.

4.ย Women work 39 more days a year than men
New research from the World Economic Forum suggests women work on average 39 more days a year than their male counterparts, which could be the reason for the slow progression toward closing the gender pay gap.

5.ย Helpful hints for job hunters over 50
When you get to your 40s and 50s, itโ€™s likely you will have held a stable position at a company for years. But sometimes life throws you a curveball and you need to look for a new job. While youโ€™re highly employable and have all the experience in the world, the job market moves at such a fast pace to keep up with millennials that you need to adapt to get noticed. We did some research and pulled together a few top tips to help job hunters over 50 find the perfect role.

6.ย The five-minute travel safety game every corporate traveller should play
Travel managers finding it tough to keep travel safety training interesting now have a brand new resource at their fingertips โ€“ an online quiz designed to test the knowledge of even the most well travelled employee.

7.ย 6.5 million UK workers unhappy at work
New research from Perkbox, the UKโ€™s leading employee benefits and perks platform, say 30% of UK workers are unhappy at work and would move jobs for better benefits.

8.ย 31% of people donโ€™t have the option to attend a Christmas party
Itโ€™s that time of year again; Christmas is almost upon us. As a PA, organising your annual festive party is no doubt rising up your to-do list. Research conducted by Love Energy Savings has uncovered exactly what the British public love about their annual work Christmas party โ€“ something that has become a tradition in many businesses.

9.ย 5 ways to use an interview to spot a bad boss
Personal assistants are possibly more susceptible to the wrath of a terrible boss than any other member of staff, simply due to the nature of their professional relationship. Thatโ€™s why itโ€™s important to use your interview to get a feel for your potential managerโ€™s personality. Here are some tips from Glassdoor to help you spot a bad boss.

10.ย 127 million hours of sick leave taken last year due to mental health problems
Recent research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found that mental health problems including stress, depression and anxiety are the leading cause of workplace absence in the UK, after minor illnesses.