HMRC hybrid working made permanent: 40,000 staffers given new devices November 15, 2021 HMRC has invested in nearly 40,000 laptops, tablets and phones in the last 12 months, and a total of 45,704 devices since October 2019, shortly before widespread remote working was introduced. The data revealed that new devices had surged by 366 per cent this year, when compared to the same time period for last year [...]
Empty planes: Omicron onslaught and travel restrictions hit Ryanair’s passenger number January 5, 2022 The number of passengers flown around Europe by budget airline Ryanair was down 7 per cent between November and December as travel restrictions were imposed amid the spread of the Omicron variant. The carrier said the number of passengers dropped to 9.5 million last month – the lowest since July and down from 10.2 million [...]
Apple staff called back to the office for three days a week June 3, 2021 Apple employees must return to the office for three days a week from September, chief executive Tim Cook has said, as the tech giant signalled an end to the work-from-home era. In a company-wide memo, the Apple boss said: “For all that we’ve been able to achieve while many of us have been separated, the [...]
Return to work: The most pressing legal questions answered September 2, 2021 While government instructions to work from home expired in July, many employers have chosen to wait for the Summer months to pass before facilitating a return to the workplace. The transition from enforced Covid restrictions to a more personal interpretation of the rules will inevitably lead to confusion for small business owners across the country. [...]
No point in having a state of the art transport system if our people can’t afford it May 26, 2022 This is a good month for trains in London. The Elizabeth Line finally opened on Tuesday, mostly to acclaim for its engineering and speed. The Northern Line works through Bank, which made north-south travel painfully difficult, ended punctually a week earlier. It’s briefly easy to forget the storm clouds gathering over public transport in London [...]
Confessions of a hybrid worker: UK a nation of soap dodgers and sweary screamers September 14, 2021 New research suggests that Brits may be suffering from ‘home comfort syndrome’ as the lines between home and work blur. Many hybrid workers are enjoying lock-down lie ins, with almost a fifth saying they roll out of bed with five minutes or less to spare, while 68 per cent wake up with only 30 minutes [...]
Renters rush back to capital as available properties drop off market January 11, 2022 Prime London boroughs have seen huge reductions in available rental stock as pandemic uncertainty subsidies for renters. In the final quarter of 2021, London rental stock had fallen to its lowest level since the end of 2019, just before the pandemic hit, according to data from central London estate agency, Bective. It comes as renters [...]
Number of Tube journeys rises again as reopening continues June 4, 2021 The number of Tube journeys rose five per cent last week as more and more people continued to head back to workplaces, shopping districts and hospitality venues. Last Thursday there were 1.89m underground journeys made in total, up from 1.78m the week before. Once again, that is the most journeys to be made in a [...]
Poor home connectivity risks “jeopardising” switch to hybrid working September 6, 2021 Uncertainty around how businesses should support staff with digital connectivity issues could undermine the UK’s shift to hybrid working, according to new research by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and CityFibre. The CMI/CityFibre polling of over 1,000 managers shows a significant appetite for long term flexible working arrangements, including at least some periods of home [...]
Pfizer and BioNTech confirm third booster jab ‘neutralises’ Omicron December 8, 2021 The manufacturers of a coronavirus vaccine used across the world have today confirmed a third dose “neutralises” the Omicron variant. Pfizer and BioNTech said receiving a booster jab produces similar levels of protection against the virus yielded from two doses of the vaccine. “Results from an initial laboratory study demonstrating that serum antibodies induced by [...]