EDITION 853
25 JANUARY 2021

As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. This newsletter is sent to 50,000+ subscribers each Monday at 10am. Please share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

1. How to prepare for that annual review. 2020 was not a year many people will remember fondly, but with performance reviews approaching it’s still important to look back with your manager to discuss highlights and low points. As a result of the many challenges people have faced since the start of the pandemic, a number of employers plan to be more compassionate and focus more on the future than the past. Even so, it would be good to prepare for this review as normal to get the most from it. Things to keep in mind: [MORE]

2. Giving tough feedback to your boss. Speaking truth to power - at work or elsewhere - is rarely comfortable. But, when done constructively, it can improve your workplace and your career. How do you begin? Imagine your manager's perspective - and how it may differ from yours - before sharing your concerns. Your experience is unique and valuable, but you may not have a complete understanding of how and why a decision was made. Another tip? Instead of listing complaints, try to frame your concerns as challenges you've considered and offer possible fixes. Editor

3. World leaders welcome Biden. World leaders welcomed US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as they were sworn in on Wednesday. Biden signed 17 executive orders, including paving the way for the US to re-join the Paris Climate Agreement, and putting an end to Trump's travel ban on Muslim and African countries. In Europe, leaders shared their desires to strengthen cooperation; as well as climate change, issues likely to be high on the agenda will be trade relations and NATO funding – both sources of tension under Trump – as well as Biden’s take on geopolitics. The Telegraph

4. Bosses forgo bonus amid pandemic pain. As the pandemic takes its toll on UK firms’ bottom lines, executive boards are showing signs of pay restraint in an effort to avoid investor backlash. More than half of bosses at UK companies that have already reported 2020 figures did not take home a bonus, while salary and pension allowances for executive directors also fell, according to analysis by Deloitte. It comes as most FTSE 350 companies prepare to report their 2020 figures from February. Last year, major shareholders warned companies that executives needed to “share the pain” of the pandemic. The Financial Times

5. FTSE 100 gains sixth female CEO. Ladbrokes owner Entain has appointed Jette Nygaard-Andersen as its chief executive officer, making her the first woman to lead a UK gambling company. Nygaard-Andersen replaces Shay Segev who departed the firm abruptly last week after just seven months in the role, and only days after rejecting an £8.1bn takeover approach from MGM Resorts. The appointment raises the number of women serving as chief executive of FTSE 100 companies to six, joining the likes of GlaxoSmithKline, NatWest Group and Whitbread. The Guardian

6. Jobs on the rise in the UK. Last year saw big shifts in the labour market as the pandemic rapidly changed our habits. Areas of job growth were often linked to this, ONS data shows, with e-commerce, customer service and healthcare among the sectors where hiring rose. Hiring for e-commerce roles was up 143% on 2019 as online shopping rapidly expanded. Healthcare support staff – which includes roles such as carers – saw hiring double, with women making up the majority of hires. Construction saw strong growth too, as did finance – of the 15 fastest growing job categories, finance had the most remote openings. The Times

7. Are we too connected at work now? Are workers becoming inundated with too many work messages and online meetings? The desire to compensate for the lack of physical interaction during the pandemic has caused digital overload. Managers told the researchers they interacted an average of nine collaboration and chat apps a day, and they reported feeling fatigue from being always on to reply to messages. Some tips: Avoid multitasking, share only necessary information with your team and block out timeslots to focus on getting work done. The Conversation

8. Polls reveal independence support. A majority in Scotland and Northern Ireland want referendums on the break-up of Britain. In Northern Ireland, a majority - 51 per cent to 44 per cent - want a referendum within five years. Voters there think there will be a united Ireland within 10 years by a margin of 48 per cent to 44 per cent. In Scotland, 50 per cent want a referendum. The Sunday Times

9. Longer hours equal less productivity. Do you find yourself doing overtime? A study by software company QuickBooks found shorter working weeks equalled higher productivity. The global study found that German workers put in the fewest hours at 1,362 hours a year, followed by Denmark (1,392), Norway (1,416), the Netherlands (1,433) and Iceland (1,469). Workers in South Africa clock up the most hours at 2,209 hours a year, followed by Mexicans who are working 2,148 hours per year on average. Countries which have a culture of presenteeism and long desk hours actually get less out of their teams. The Daily Mail

10. The bottom line. France could lose €60m every year post-Brexit from being unable to fine British motorists for driving offences caught on camera. Britons received fines 444,000 times last year. Belgians got 295,899, Spaniards 262,012 and Germans 249,291. BBC