As spring approaches and the first quarter of 2017 draws to a close, former chairman of Microsoft Europe Jan Mühlfeit is urging businesses to take time to reflect and combat problem areas as the fast-pace working world continues to shift and change. Sentiment across the business world seems to show a move away from employer […]

Women leaders in the top British firms are three times more likely to require qualifications from a prestigious university than men in the same positions, according to new findings. The Leadership 10k report by Green Park revealed that 76% of the top FTSE 100 employees to graduate from a Russell Group university were women, indicating […]

An investigation into working habits has revealed what encourages employee retention in younger workers. The study by ReportLinker showed that 66% of older workers strongly agreed that they were highly committed to their place of work, compared to only 40% of Millennials who somewhat agreed as statistics showed the increased likelihood of 25-34 year olds […]

A third of Brits between the ages of 18 and 70 are concerned their financial situation will get worse over 2017, according to new research released in the run up to this year’s budget announcement. Ran by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the survey shows that just 15% believe they’re living comfortably […]

Employees in the UK work 68 days of overtime per year on average, with around 65% admitting that they were being unpaid, according to a study by TotallyMoney. Workers in Britain have been revealed to work the longest hours, take the shortest lunch breaks and have the fewest public holidays than any other country in […]

A rising number of employees working past traditional retirement age could affect a company’s ability to recruit new talent, according to a study by consultancy company Portus. As more people can’t afford to retire into their 60s and beyond, 41% of HR executives believe companies will struggle to recruit and retain new staff. 1.19 million […]

Research from specialist professional recruiter Robert Walters has revealed that a lack of career progression is the number one reason why women would consider leaving a job, with 66% saying that it would lead them to consider a new role. The study, which surveyed more than 700 professionals from a range of disciplines across the […]

Firms are losing top talent through failures in career and succession planning and the movement of talent within their businesses, according to an HR Innovation Practices Observatory run by Politecnico di Milano School of Management. Firms often endorse the traditional ‘career ladder’ model, which moves talent vertically within a single business function. Yet this alienates multi-talented […]

Liz Young, Head of Events at independent charity Historic Royal Palaces discusses her career and whether your path is planned or found I often get asked how I got to where I am now – how have I managed my career path and has it all been planned? Have I forged the path one step […]

Things rarely stay the same in the modern business world, especially now that Millennials are taking over and Generation Z is entering the workforce. Just as the chameleon has learned to change its colour to camouflage itself, you too must learn to accept change. It’s now more important than ever to remain flexible at work, […]

Recognition for your hard work is one of the top factors that can make you happy. Yet for some PAs, praise is hard to come by. Online career resource The Muse has outlined five reasons your boss doesn’t notice you and how you can overcome the challenge of receiving gratitude. Your boss is too busy […]

Jessica Williams, founder of Sidekicks has revealed her tips for a New Year Career MOT. Jessica worked as a PA to various high-profile businesspeople for 10 years before founding Sidekicks – a leading-edge recruiter that challenges biased attitudes to hiring such as hiring pregnant staff, encouraging flexible working and appearance/gender/ethnicity blind shortlisting. We spend the […]

A new study from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business has found that social class inequality in the workplace persists not only because of external factors such as bias and “glass ceilings”, but also because of structural factors that discourage relatively low-class people from seeking positions of power in the first place. The […]

Abigail Jones is EA to the MD at American Express Global Business Travel. Here, she talks achievements, resolutions and professional development – encouraging you to look forward to the next 12 months, set yourself goals and start the New Year on a high. I love advent calendars, particularly the beauty ones that dispense miniature nail […]

The New Year is always a time for reflection and forward planning. It is the time of year when evaluating our lives feels more natural than at other times of the year. As one year draws to a close and another begins it is a perfect opportunity for us to slow down, take stock and […]

The PA Life team has heard from many PAs that the role can be extremely isolating, especially if you’re the only assistant at your company. That’s where strategic networking comes into play, but it’s not always easy to get past your fears and meet new people. Here are our top tips for a successful networking […]

You come in early and leave late, you never miss a deadline, and your clients love you. So why haven’t you gotten a promotion already? A recent study from CareerBuilder sheds light on the physical and behavioural factors that can hurt employees’ career advancement prospects. According to the national survey, provocative clothing, a dishevelled appearance […]

Professionals are increasingly leaving it until it’s too late to check the health of their career, and employers are not encouraging self-improvement in fear of losing valuable employees, according to James Micklewright, Managing Director of career coaching company Micklewright Careers. “Employers are generally uninterested in helping us grow at work and are not offering training […]