EDITION 822
15 JUNE 2020

As another week of working from home 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'd be very grateful if you did.

1. How to keep people motivated by reading the situation. Keeping employees motivated is one of the most important responsibilities of a leader or manager. To do this, make sure you’re using the right motivational tools at the right times. Keep these guidelines in mind: LEARN MORE

2. Office small talk has big value. Many people who work from home are realizing how much they miss in-person interactions now that they don't have to go the office. Turns out, those idle office chitchats are pretty valuable. Many private mentoring clients tell me that small talk at work is uplifting yet distracting, and that employees who engage in more of it feel more appreciated and connected. Now that so many people work from home, we recommends leaders and managers dedicate a bit of time before virtual meetings to prioritize casual conversations. Editor

3. UK economy won’t recover until 2023. Britain’s economy will rebound faster than initially thought, according to a forecasting body. The EY Item Club expects the economy to shrink by 8% this year but believes signs of recovery should appear next year — although warned that the economy will not return to its pre-coronavirus size until early 2023. Last week, the Office for National Statistics revealed a 20.4% contraction in April in a crash three times greater than the 2008 financial crisis as the nation endured its first full month of lockdown. The Times

4. Poll finds more than half of Brits support Brexit extension. More than half of people in Britain support an extension to the Brexit transition period, according to a new survey. Researchers from the Health Foundation also found that three-quarters believe the UK should work very closely with the EU to combat coronavirus. However, Boris Johnson will tell the EU today that Britain will opt for no-deal unless there is a sign of agreement by the end of next month. The prime minister will urge “renewed energy and commitment” in negotiations. The Guardian

5. Making mental health a priority. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed more people to increasingly severe mental health issues. In May, the UN warned of a global mental health crisis due to increased isolation and potential trauma for those working in health care, among other factors. And in the UK, nearly half of Brits say the crisis has harmed them, according to an ONS survey. Further, two-thirds of adults reported more stress now compared with this time last year, and more than half of adults said they would find mental health-care services useful. For better wellbeing, join me on 10/10. LEARN MORE

6. Retailers welcome back shoppers. Shoppers are being urged to buy local as retailers selling non-essential goods reopen for the first time in almost three months. Thousands of stores will be forced to stick to strict guidelines — including maintaining two-meter distancing and quarantining returned items for 72 hours — to keep staff and customers safe from coronavirus. But retail experts warn shops are unlikely to see any immediate relief, with half of shoppers “uncomfortable” about returning to clothing stores, according to a survey. Northern Ireland allowed shops to reopen on Friday. Non-essential shops in Scotland and Wales remain closed for now. The Telegraph

7. Two-metre rule set to be scrapped to boost business. The two-metre social distancing rule can be abandoned by businesses if they establish other safety measures, government scientists have told ministers. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies has suggested regular breaks, and sitting workers side by side, so staff can work within one metre of one another. The Office for National Statistics says infection in the community has dropped to just 0.06 per cent. The Evening Standard

8. Coal-powered generators have not been online for two months. Britain had gone a record-breaking two months during which no electricity from coal-powered plants was fed into the grid. The last time this occurred was in 1882 – just before a coal-fired station opened in London to power streetlights. The coal-free run was partly enabled by a steep fall in energy demand during the lockdown; and May’s sunny weather. The 66-day streak since 9 April is more than triple the previous record of 18 days set in June 2019. The Daily Mail

9. The kind of job that can kill you. A combination of high stress and low autonomy can prove deadly on the job, according to research from Northern Illinois University and Indiana University. People who hold down such jobs face a higher risk of death in mid-life than employees in less stressful, more independent work environments. While some jobs are simply stressful by definition, those workers can benefit immensely by being given some autonomy on the job. This can range from having control over which tasks you do first to deciding where and when you work. Those small bits of freedom can go a very long way. Quartz

10. The bottom line. Among European countries, Britain has seen the biggest drop in public trust in the Government’s Covid-19 response, from 72% in late March to 41% last week, according to a YouGov survey for The Guardian. In Germany, trust has fallen just two points, from 72% to 70%. In France it is down from 4% to 42%, and in Italy, it is down from 78% to 66%. In Spain, it has risen from 42% to 46%. A poll by Ipsos Mori for The Independent reveals that, for or the first time since March, more Britons now have an unfavourable view of Boris Johnson (43%) than a favourable one (39%). Editor