EDITION 951
9 JANUARY 2023

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 build a relationship with your virtual boss. Working virtually requires taking a proactive approach for building a relationship with your boss. To develop trust, ensure clear communication, and establish accountability. READ MORE >>

2. How to pay it forward in 2023. New year's resolutions are about improving ourselves, but kindness to others can be equally rewarding. Research has even established a link between generosity and happiness. The Guardian lists acts of kindness for each week of the new year that are easy to implement and could help to spread joy, such as giving blood, walking a dog or volunteering in a shelter. Whether you help with reading in schools or chat to an older person, there are lots of opportunities to make life a little better for someone else – and in return, for yourself. READ MORE >>

3. Does studying maths till 18 add up? In his first speech of 2023, prime minister Rishi Sunak laid out a range of pledges – and it is his plan to make maths compulsory for pupils in England up until the age of 18 that has got many talking. Around eight million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children, according to government figures. But his proposal is divisive. Studying the subject keeps many career paths open but forcing students to endure a subject that many find unenjoyable could end up putting some off altogether. In a data-driven economy, will maths help equip students for the modern workplace? What subjects should pupils study to help them prepare for their careers? Share your thoughts in our latest poll. VOTE HERE >>

4. Britons flock to private health cover. Nearly half-a-million people have taken out private health insurance over the past year. Between them, Aviva, Bupa and Vitality have added 480,000 new customers since the beginning of 2022 as the NHS has increasingly struggled. Growing waiting lists and “uncertainty about when procedures will take place would certainly seem to be influencing people’s decision to plan for private care”, said the Private Healthcare Information Network. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has been criticised for refusing to say in a BBC interview whether he uses private health care. The Telegraph

5. Tories lose faith in Brexit. Conservative voters are losing enthusiasm for Brexit, according to a new poll. Opinium, which surveyed 2,000 representative voters, found some 33% of those planning to vote Conservative at the next election believed Brexit had created more problems than it solved. The top worry for Tory voters currently sceptical about Brexit is problems around the Northern Ireland border, cited by 39% of respondents. The second most common concern was regarding red tape affecting trade with other countries, mentioned by 36%. The Times

6. UK ‘not ready for electric car surge’. New car sales in the UK fell last year to their lowest level in three decades, new figures show. During 2022, 1.61m new cars were registered in the UK, the lowest level since 1992. Demand for electric vehicles continued to grow as they accounted for almost a fifth of new car sales. However, warned the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, charging infrastructure is not being built quickly enough to cope with the growing demand for electric cars. Daily Mail

7. Covid spiked over Xmas. Covid infections rose over Christmas to their highest level since the summer, according to the Office for National Statistics. Cases are estimated to have more than doubled in less than a month – with nearly three million people believed to have had the virus in the week ending 28 December. The news comes as an Omicron subvariant blamed for a surge in Covid cases in the US has been detected in the UK. The rapid spread and “growth advantage” of Omicron XBB.1.5 is a “concern”, said the World Health Organization. The Observer

8. Pret declares war on Greggs. Pret a Manger has launched a price-cutting initiative in the face of the cost-of-living crisis. The chain’s Made Simple range includes eight sandwiches for as low as £2.99, a move “bound to spark a price war” with its rival Greggs as both companies “stare down the barrel of double-digit inflation”, said The Times. The paper noted that Pret will still be more expensive than Greggs, which sells a tuna crunch baguette for just £2.75. Pret’s £5 meal deal is also more expensive than Tesco’s £3.90 sandwich, drink and snack meal offer. The Times

9. Apple value dips below $2tn. There are no longer any companies left that are worth more than $2tn after over $1tn was wiped off the value of Apple in the last 12 months. Shares in the tech giant dropped as much as 4.3% due to mounting concerns over its global supply chain and a wider sell-off in the US. This left the company’s value at $1.98tn, down from a peak of $3tn at the start of 2022. Nikkei reported that Apple has told several suppliers to make fewer components for some products, including AirPods, the Apple Watch and MacBooks. New York Times

10. The bottom line. The average household in Britain is only halfway through a two-year cost of living crisis that will leave families £2,100 worse off, according to the Resolution Foundation. The analysis found that disposable income will drop by 3% during this financial year and by 4% in the next one, leaving an average family £2,100 worse off. In April, the government is planning to cut its support for energy bills, causing a typical bill to rise from £2,000 to £2,850. Metro