EDITION 911
21 MARCH 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 feel happier. The spring equinox arrived yesterday. Here in Britain spring has officially sprung - the days are getting longer and the air is getting warmer. For many people it is a time when they will start to feel happier - seasonal affective disorder tends to be a much bigger problem during the winter months. The spring equinox also coincided with World Happiness Day. But what actually is happiness?  READ MORE >>

2. P&O could face criminal charges. My guardians taught me to live a life of courage, compassion and courtesy. Meanwhile, P&O Ferries are capricious, careless and callous. The government warned P&O Ferries it could face a penalty if its summary sacking of 800 workers is found to have breached the law. P&O is owned by DP World, the multi-national ports and logistics company based in Dubai. The company, effectively owned by the Dubai government, took £15m in furlough money and asked for a government bailout the same year it paid a £270m dividend to shareholders. DP World is also behind ports at London Gateway and Southampton. Some may question the wisdom of the company's involvement in such vital infrastructure. Editor

3. PM compared Ukrainian struggle to Brexit. Boris Johnson is under fire for comparing the struggle of Ukrainians to people in Britain voting for Brexit. In a speech to the Conservative Party's spring conference, the PM said Britons, like Ukrainians, had the instinct “to choose freedom” and cited the 2016 vote to leave the EU as a “recent example”. For the avoidance of any doubt, voting in the referendum was not in any way comparable with risking your life in a war. Editor

4. Rates rise again due to inflation. Interest rates have been raised from 0.5% to 0.75% - their highest level since March 2020. Announcing its decision a day after US interest rates were raised for the first time since 2018, the Bank of England said it felt that “given the current tightness of the labour market, continuing signs of robust domestic cost and price pressures, and the risk that those pressures will persist”, an interest rate rise was needed. It warned inflation, the rate at which prices rise, may reach 8% and possibly higher, in the coming months. The Financial Times

5. Second jobs pledge scrapped. Plans to cap MPs’ earnings from second jobs have been scrapped. Ministers told the House of Commons standards committee that a time limit or ceiling on such earnings would be “impractical”. The news comes months after the issue caused a sleaze scandal in Westminster, sparked by disgraced former MP Owen Paterson, which led Boris Johnson to pledge to clamp down on MPs’ second jobs. Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, had promised that the government would back reasonable limits on MPs’ outside earnings. The Times

6. Firms embrace digital first. Financial and e-commerce firms are seeing the payoff of embracing a digital-first future. More than 40% of C-suite executives surveyed by Broadridge say digitization has had a direct impact on increasing revenue and profitability, and more than half expect a payoff within two years. Effective digital-first companies prioritise people, not place. Here are four secrets of successful digital-first companies: [1] Prioritise freedom and flexibility; [2] Make space for occasional, meaningful in-person meetups; [3] The ability to hire anyone, from anywhere is a game-changer; [4] Intentionally, thoughtfully build culture. Fast Company

7. Booster jabs from this week. Around 600,000 people in England will be invited to book an additional Covid booster this week. The jab is being offered to adults over the age of 75, care home residents and the most vulnerable over-12s, with around five million people in the UK eligible. Last month the UK's vaccines advisers said some immunity from previous jabs is likely to be waning. Covid cases are rising across the UK, with an estimated one in every 20 people infected. The Daily Mail

8. Short notice for low paid workers. Half of all low-paid workers in the UK are given less than a week’s notice of their shifts, according to a Living Wage Foundation study. A poll of 2,000 adults found that a fifth of workers have had their shifts cancelled unexpectedly and most are not compensated at their full rate of pay. People earning below the voluntary real Living Wage were more likely to be affected by such insecurity. “It costs to be poor, but this research shows it’s even more costly to be both poor and in insecure work,” said a spokesperson. The Guardian

9. Quit your job; find yourself. More than half of Brits plan to quit their jobs in 2022, and these “Great Reshuffle” participants are starting to untangle their sense of self from their careers. Jobs often comprise a major part of a person’s identity, but new, pandemic-induced attitudes toward work and professionalism have helped people rethink their interests and priorities outside of the office. This shift has led some people to leave intense, high-pressure jobs for roles that let them spend more time with family or prioritize their personal wellness. BBC

10. The bottom line. For the first time since 1947, the men’s suit has been removed from the basket of goods used to calculate the annual rate of inflation. Coal and doughnuts will also no longer be tracked. New entries to the basket this year include sports bras, antibacterial wipes, meatfree sausages, and dog and cat collars. Metro