EDITION 900
20 DECEMBER 2021

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 be your own life coach. If you've ever considered enlisting the help of a life coach, this may be the time. Now, go stand in front of the mirror. Voila, it's you! With the festive holiday approaching - which can be difficult for many - and the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, the ability to mentally coach yourself is particularly important now. READ MORE >>

2. Scientists warn of two million daily infections. Government scientists said there could be two million daily infections by the end of the month if new restrictions are not brought in immediately. The government’s SPI-M-O group of scientists, which reports to Sage, also warned that, based on their modelling, hospitalisations could peak between 3,000 and 10,000 a day and deaths at between 600 and 6,000 a day. According to a YouGov poll, almost half of the British public say they’d be unlikely to follow rules restricting household mixing, should they be introduced. Of those, one in five say they wouldn’t obey the rules because the Government doesn’t stick to them. The Daily Telegraph

3. Inflation hits 10-year high. The Bank of England raised interest rates from 0.1% to 0.25%. It is the first time the monetary policy committee has increased rates since the start of the pandemic, indicating the mounting concern about surging inflation. UK inflation hit a 10-year high, jumping to 5.1% in November, with the Office for National Statistics citing petrol, used cars, food and household goods among the main drivers. Inflation is rising around the world, with workers across Europe pushing for wage increases to keep pace with the rising costs of living. Analysts believe that interest rates could quadruple within months. BBC

4. SMEs warn of coming redundancies. One in three small businesses in the UK are planning staff redundancies, with hundreds struggling to repay the debts they amassed during the pandemic. The businesses planning redundancies are, on average, considering shedding 45% of their employees in the next six months. Accountancy firm Moore UK, who commissioned the survey, warned that while predicted redundancies immediately after the furlough scheme ended didn’t materialise, job cuts in the coming months were now likely. City AM

5. Why we struggle to take time off? At a time when stress levels are running high, COVID cases are resurging and burnout is rampant, making time for yourself "has never been more important." So why is it harder for some to take time off than others? It’s a combination of professional pressures - like feeling you are replaceable if you do take a vacation, for instance - and cultural morés that keep some pinned to their desks. Managers, take note. Building a work system to support absence can help workers feel empowered to take breaks, instead of shame and fear of being sidelined. Need help…? CONTACT US >>

6. Gen Z has retirement on the brain. A quarter of Gen Z respondents plan to retire before the age of 55, according to a Goldman Sachs survey of over 1,000 workers and retirees. Judging by previous generations, that’s an ambitious goal: in Goldman’s survey, only 8% of retirees stopped working before the age of 55. And while experts generally say people will need 80% of their former income per year in retirement, a third of respondents younger than 40 believe they’ll only need 60% or less. Bloomberg

7. Golden age for UK film industry. More than £4bn was spent on making films and TV shows in the UK this year – more than double the figure spent pre-pandemic. An additional £2bn is expected in the final quarter, taking the total spent to over £6bn this year. Tax rebates for filmmakers, in place since 2007 and significantly extended in 2013, are being credited as drawing more productions to the UK. Streamers including Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, as well as traditional film studios, have put almost 200 TV shows and films into production in 2021. Adrian Wootton, chief executive of the British Film Commission and Film London, said the UK had entered a “new golden age for film and TV”. Daily Express

8. Musk ‘worst choice ever’ for Time. Time magazine’s decision to make Tesla billionaire Elon Musk its person of the year has been described as the “worst choice ever” by critics. The magazine described its choice as a “clown, genius, edgelord, visionary, industrialist and showman”, listing his achievements in space travel, alternative energy and electric cars. Opponents, however, pointed to his attitude to taxes on the wealthy, opposition to unions and dismissal of the dangers of the pandemic. The Guardian

9. My favourite book of 2021. Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell by John Preston. This superb, pacey account charts the late Robert Maxwell’s ascent from shtetl boyhood to self-made publishing billionaire and eventual cartoon madman. Truly jaw-dropping. Editor

10. The bottom line. Analysis by Swiss Ramble has revealed that operating losses in the Premier League and Championship in the last 10 years are a staggering £7bn with Chelsea “leading the way” with £658m, followed by Aston Villa £582m, Man City £580m and Everton £408m. My own team, Liverpool, lost £152m over the same period. Only three clubs have produced operating profits: Man Utd £461m, Spurs £137m and Burnley £37m. BBC