EDITION 843
9 NOVEMBER 2020

As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. So grab a brew and find out what's new.

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1. How to motivate employees. Smart leaders can turn change from exhausting to exhilarating by asking employees to open their imaginations. This type of strong work motivation stems from the three M’s: mastery, meaning and membership. Money is a distant fourth. READ MORE

2. Former White House officials tell Trump to move on. A bipartisan group of former White House officials has urged Donald Trump to concede the election and allow them to “immediately begin the post-election transition process”. The bipartisan group includes Bush White House chief-of-staff Josh Bolten and Clinton-era chief-of-staff Thomas McLarty. Trump's inner circle is beginning to split over his ongoing refusal to accept the results of the election. CNN

3. Confirmed global cases of Covid-19 pass the 50m mark. The global total of confirmed coronavirus cases has passed 50 million following record numbers of new cases in several countries. A second wave of the virus has accounted for a quarter of all cases but the true figure is thought to be higher because of insufficient testing in many countries. More than 1.25m people have now died after contracting the virus, according to Johns Hopkins university. BBC

4. Oxford dictionary updates its definition of ‘woman’. The Oxford English Dictionary has updated the definition of “woman” amid claims it was sexist. Following a review, the dictionary’s editors have acknowledged for the first time that a woman can be a “person’s” wife, girlfriend or lover as opposed to only a “man’s”.  Oxford University Press said that The Oxford Dictionary of English is “driven solely by evidence of how real people use English in their daily lives”. The Guardian

5. Who can we trust? Every one of us has intellectual blindspots and biases. So it's key we find reliable people and sources of information to find our way to the truth. But how can you tell who is trustworthy? The main questions to ask? How much is your conversation partner looking out for you? Are they genuinely eager to help you understand? Are they open when they're unsure and willing to own up to being wrong? Are they clear about their ideas and positions? And are they responding to you and your thoughts? Such intellectual transparency and benevolence are key signs of trustworthiness. Editor

6. Pandemic impact on gender pay gap. The gender pay gap among UK employees appears to have shrunk since 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics. The largest fall was among senior positions, where it dropped from 16.3% to 9.9%, which the ONS said was a sign of more women holding higher-paid managerial roles. The gap also shrank to 7.4% among full-time employees, down from 9% in 2019. However, the statistics body warned that the pandemic added more “uncertainty” to the data, with companies not legally obliged to report their gender pay gaps and the furlough scheme potentially having an impact on the figures. The Times

7. Christmas shopping in a pandemic. Crowded Christmas high streets are unlikely to be a feature of this year, with research suggesting people are buying earlier, spending less and shopping online. As Black Friday approaches – now a key spending day for retailers – research shows the majority plan to do most of their shopping online. Buying before December is also part of many people’s plans, but, according to John Lewis research, more than half of people plan to spend less. High street footfall and retail spending dropped in October as consumer confidence fell in the face of rising unemployment and coronavirus cases. The Independent

8. 2m paid less than minimum wage. More than two million workers have been paid below the minimum wage since the early stages of the pandemic, a four-fold increase on last year’s figure. The Office for National Statistics reported that the lowest 10% of earners were more likely to be on reduced wages, with more than half of these workers furloughed without a pay top-up from their employers. Young workers were most impacted, as well as part-time workers and those in food and accommodation. Economists have warned that the pandemic is exacerbating inequalities as the financial impact falls heavily on the lowest paid. The Guardian

9. Four in ten keep financial secrets from loved ones. A survey has found that 40% of adults in Britain keep debts and other money secrets from their loved ones. It found that consumers aged 25 to 34 are the most secretive age group, with nearly 60% hiding credit cards, personal loans and overdrafts. It also concluded that people in relationships tend to underestimate the extent of money secrets their partner keeps from them. Metro

10. The bottom line. The lowest-earning 20% of households in Britain have been, on average, £174 worse off per month during the pandemic, equivalent to 14% of their pre-Covid-19 incomes, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies. By contrast, families in every other income bracket have built up savings thanks to steady incomes and lower outgoings, on travel, for example. BBC