The time-saving solutions you need this year: The Pomodoro Technique and the OHIO method January 8, 2015 How many of us tagged “be more productive” on the end of our New Year’s resolutions list? “I’ll start exercising three times a week, find a new job, oh, and try to work more efficiently.” The reality is, according to statistics from the University of Scranton, that a meagre 8 per cent of us [...]
Flexible working: How it can boost women in work November 20, 2014 Companies underestimate the productivity benefits of the practice. The latest figures show that women are still under-represented in senior leadership positions, with only one in five FTSE 100 directorships and 7 per cent of executive directorships occupied by women. So it’s not surprising that we’ve seen a rise in the number of campaigns looking [...]
Listening is the most underrated leadership skill December 18, 2014 Knowing when to shut up will help you earn the respect of colleagues. AS A leader, sometimes the most inspirational thing you can do is simply to listen to people. Speeches and tough decision-making no doubt have a place in business, but the lost art of just hearing people out is often forgotten amid [...]
PMQs: David Cameron hijacked by ‘Yes’ poster as he hits out at Scottish Independence campaign September 3, 2014 David Cameron was interrupted by an SNP member waving a 'Yes' poster as he attempted to derail arguments for Scottish independence at Prime Minister's Questions today. The Prime Minister had an unusually easy time of it at the pre-lunch session, with many in the House of Commons asking questions that allowed him to go over well-worn [...]
How to make a good first impression June 11, 2014 There’s more to showing your best side than a winning smile or the right footwear RECENT Princeton University research found that the window of opportunity to impress is even shorter than previously thought: humans make judgments on someone’s trustworthiness within the first 500 milliseconds of hearing their voice. So if it takes a mere half [...]
Severn Trent hikes dividend as profits soar May 29, 2014 SEVERN Trent yesterday unveiled a 7.1 per cent rise in pre-tax profits, slightly ahead of market expectations, but ongoing negotiations with the regulator over its spending plan continue to overshadow the water company. New chief executive Liv Garfield, who joined eight weeks ago, said the FTSE 100 firm was in “constructive dialogue with Ofwat” over [...]
Letters to the Editor – 13/06 – No blackouts soon, Best of Twitter June 12, 2014 No blackouts soon [Re: Are we returning to 1970s-style electricity rationing? yesterday] Paying companies to curb electricity use voluntarily at peak times is a simple and practical way to shift demand, allowing questions over new investment in generation to be resolved. The coincidence of different sets of EU and UK legislation has temporarily reduced supply [...]
Any Other Business – 01/05 May 1, 2014 IT’S MAY Day, which only means one thing – protests at Trafalgar Square. City botherers Occupy London have been banging their drums again and this year they’ve decided to target pay-day lender Wonga. The group is planning its usual march from Clerkenwell Green to Trafalgar Square and then on to an undisclosed target. “People will need [...]
How to build influence in your job June 17, 2014 Even small steps can make a big difference to how your colleagues perceive you. “It's not enough to have a bright idea, you have to get all the right people in the boat with you.” Sophie Vandebroek, chief technology officer at Xerox, was speaking about that crucial commodity in the workplace – influence. Difficult [...]
How to avoid distractions at work June 4, 2014 Christopher Columbus’s mantra that, “by prevailing over all distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination” may have guided him across the Atlantic (four times), but most of us find the slightest interruptions can quickly derail our productivity. Of course, Columbus had less to contend with – is it any wonder our [...]