Supreme Court rules care companies do not have to pay sleep-shifts March 19, 2021 The Supreme Court has dismissed appeals this morning to pay hourly for sleep-in shifts, a sigh of relief for care companies and investors but a setback for carers and healthcare staff. The ruling in the Mencap v Tomlinson-Blake case means the time a worker is required to sleep on site does not count towards minimum [...]
The realities of the four-day working week September 23, 2020 Many publications have recently covered the news of how 500,000 new jobs could be created through a four-day working week. While the reality of this extensive job creation remains to be seen, there are certainly those across the nation who can comment on the general effectiveness of a four-day working week. Most UK employers still [...]
Before the bell: Volatility remains low post-Thanksgiving November 27, 2020 It was a subdued session yesterday as the US celebrated Thanksgiving and in turn the US stock market was closed. Dealers in the rest of the world largely sat on their hands while their US-based counterparts enjoyed their turkey. It was a quiet day in terms of news flow and there was little appetite for [...]
Time for City pragmatism to override political posturing in Brexit trade talks August 20, 2020 Just how much more time can Westminster and Brussels policymakers really afford to spend on shadow boxing? Can the UK government really ignore warnings from Brussels that the EU may not be in a position to grant the UK access to European financial markets? Conversely, can the EU risk being without access to London’s financial [...]
Walmart revives talks on sale of Asda stake July 20, 2020 Walmart has revived talks to sell a stake in Asda after pausing plans to focus on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The US giant, which is the largest retailer in the world, said it had restarted discussions with potential buyers after it was forced to temporarily abandon the move. “Walmart and Asda have restarted [...]
Manufacturers warn of ‘second wave’ of job cuts without furlough extension September 7, 2020 A leading manufacturers’ organisation has issued a rallying cry urging the government to extend the furlough scheme beyond October, warning a failure to do so risks leaving the UK “in the slow lane behind major competitors”. Make UK issued its appeal after more than 62 per cent of companies backed an extension to the scheme, [...]
AO World swings to profit as working from home boosts revenue more than 50 per cent November 24, 2020 Online electricals retailer AO World swung to profit in the six months to September, as a surge in domestic appliance sales during the pandemic helped revenue rocket more than 50 per cent. The company, which sells washing machines, fridges, TVs and laptops, said sales in the six months to 30 September jumped 53.2 per cent [...]
Aviation industry hails ‘turning point’ as quarantine scrapped for 60 countries July 3, 2020 People from England will be able to go to more than 50 countries from 10 July without having to quarantine on return, the government has announced. The full list of countries will be published later today but ministers have already named France, Germany, Spain and Italy among those exempted from the blanket restrictions. The announcement [...]
Coronavirus: UK business confidence falls to lowest level since October March 31, 2020 Overall UK business confidence fell to its lowest level since October amid the coronavirus crisis, reflecting a drop in both trading prospects and economic optimism. The Lloyds Bank Business Barometer shows a 17 percentage point drop to six per cent last month. Economic optimism dropped from 23 per cent, its highest level for 17 months, [...]
Under the influence: How reality stars’ Dubai trips could sink social media marketing January 27, 2021 While online fitness guru Sheridan Mordew has undoubtedly succeeded at influencing people, she may be struggling to make friends. When the social media influencer, who posts workout videos for her thousands of online followers, insisted that her much-documented trip to Dubai was essential business travel, she was met with little sympathy. In fact, Mordew is [...]