EDITION 906
14 FEBRUARY 2022

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to encourage better outcomes. Employee engagement is a dated metric. Organisations should focus on improving effectiveness instead, and to make gains on that front, the goal should be better outcomes. The concept may seem nebulous, but it isn't. Employees who do deliver better outcomes engage in five identifiable behaviours. Leaders and managers can encourage better outcomes categorising workers into five broad archetypes in order to provide the best support for growth. READ MORE >>

2. Is the daily office commute over? Has the Monday to Friday commute disappeared forever? While it may seem that for most office workers it has, many financial giants still strongly push for the five-day-week office model. However, over 68% of people surveyed globally say they now prefer a hybrid working model. Bloomberg, citing Future Forum’s latest quarterly poll, reports that just 30% currently work from the office every day and 95% say they want flexibility over their schedule. How does remote working affect your productivity? Let us know by taking part in our latest poll. VOTE HERE >>

3. Firms exaggerate climate progress. Some of the world’s biggest companies are exaggerating their progress on climate change, according to a study of 25 corporations. The New Climate Institute report found that Google, Amazon, Ikea, Apple and Nestle are among those failing to change quickly enough. The study’s author said that his team was “frankly surprised and disappointed at the overall integrity of the companies’ claims”. Corporations are coming under pressure to reduce their environmental impact, with consumers increasingly prioritising green providers. BBC

4. Inflation and the cost-of-living squeeze. Minutes from Monetary Policy Committee at The Bank of England showed a split: four of the nine members voted to raise the rate to 0.75% to tackle inflation, which is expected to peak at 7.25% in April. The Bank’s revised UK growth forecasts reflected the ongoing cost-of-living squeeze. The new forecast of 3.75% this year is below the IMF’s forecast for most G7 countries. Dismal predictions for 2023 (1.25%) and 2024 (1%) have unsettled many economists, reported Bloomberg. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that the number of people claiming universal credit has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic to at least 2.3 million. Editor

5. Get ready for the platinum jubbly. A Chinese manufacturer made 10,800 teacups, mugs and plates to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee. There was only one problem: they all had the inscription: “To commemorate the Platinum Jubbly of Queen Elizabeth II.” Wholesale Clearance UK has picked them up and is marketing them to fans of Only Fools and Horses, in homage to Del Boy’s catchphrase, “Lovely Jubbly”. Sky News

6. Private parking fines to be halved. Private parking fines will be capped at £50 – down from £100 – as part of a government crackdown. Under plans described as “much needed” by the AA, car parks will have to display charges more clearly and give drivers a grace period for lateness. Minister for Levelling Up Neil O'Brien accused private firms of issuing “roughly 22,000 parking tickets every day, often adopting a system of misleading and confusing signage, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees designed to extort money from motorists”. The Independent

7. Another reason to take vitamin D. Older people who take daily vitamin D supplements are at a reduced risk of suffering from autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, a major study has found. The researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, found that those who had taken 2,000 IUs of vitamin D per day were 22% less likely to be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition by the end of the study period who had taken a placebo. Although other studies have hinted that vitamin D helps the immune system, this is the first to suggest that it can prevent auto-immune disease. Daily Express

8. Charity under scrutiny. The foundation set up in the memory of Captain Tom Moore spent £240,000 on costs and consultants in its first year – more than it gave away in grants. Between May 2020 and May 2021, the charity spent £400,000 after receiving more than £1m in donations, with almost £696,000 remaining unspent. Almost one-tenth of the foundation’s income went on fundraising consultancy fees, including to a firm run by Moore’s daughter. Moore became a national hero in 2020 after raising money for charity by walking laps of his garden. The Times

9. The perfect partner. The perfect romantic partner is open-minded, funny and triple-jabbed, a new survey has revealed. For 11 per cent of those polled before Valentine’s Day, being vaccinated was a priority in a potential partner, but kindness was the number one sign you've got a keeper, with 56 per cent of the vote. Having a good sense of humour also came out on top as desirable trait for 47 per cent of those surveyed, as well being open-minded (41 per cent), hard-working (39 percent) and sensitive to their partner's needs (39 per cent). Daily Mail

10. The bottom line. Just over 5% of the 268,000 burglaries reported to police in England and Wales between April 2020 and April 2021 were solved. That is down from 9.35% in 2014-2015, when there were 342,043 burglaries. The Times