EDITION 993
30 OCTOBER 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 strengthen your confidence. We all have times when we lack confidence and do not feel good about ourselves. Confidence is not something you either have or you do not have. It is a dynamic emotion that, like a physical muscle, needs exercise to grow stronger. READ MORE

2. Hybrid workers are more engaged. Employee engagement is on the rise. Workers are slowly finding more meaning and connection on the job following a dropoff in engagement during the pandemic. This translates to higher productivity and performance, particularly for remote and hybrid workers who report the flexibility they’re afforded at work keeps them more engaged and happier with their work-life balance than on-site employees. Even still, companies aren’t investing in establishing best practices for flexible work. About 73% of hybrid managers haven’t received any formal training on how to lead in such an environment. Gallup

3. Caffeine linked to strength. A cup of tea or coffee each day can keep you stronger in old age, according to a new study. Researchers from the National University of Singapore studied 12,000 participants, aged 45 to 74, with a follow-up period of 20 years. They found that drinking coffee and tea at midlife may be associated with a reduced likelihood of physical frailty in late life. The team added that "further studies are still needed" to "investigate if these effects on physical frailty are mediated by caffeine or other chemical compounds". The Independent

4. The best place to be a woman. A new global ranking of countries based on women’s inclusion, justice, and security shows that Scandinavian and Nordic countries come out on top. Denmark topped the list, followed by Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. The UK came in 26 out of 177 countries, where Afghanistan was bottom of the list. This year’s WPS index introduced a new indicator that measures political violence targeting women – a growing phenomenon, according to the researchers. GIWPS

5. Last week in the City. The latest UK jobs figures showed that unemployment increased to 4.2% in the three months to August – an increase of more than 74,000 people to 1.4 million, the highest in almost two years. Some economists questioned the reliability of the data, but it signals a slowing economy that could impact the Bank of England’s “knife-edge” call on interest rates next week. The consensus in markets suggests the Bank will pause again at 5.25%, increasing the odds that we may have reached the peak. Financial Times

6. Conviction disclosure reform. Tens of thousands of offenders will no longer have to declare their convictions when applying for jobs, courses, insurance and housing. A change in the law "significantly reduces" the time people with criminal convictions are legally required to declare them to most employers after serving their sentence. The Ministry of Justice will allow some convictions to be "spent", and no longer required to be disclosed, as part of changes intended to bring down the £18bn annual cost of reoffending. The Times

7. Is the UK becoming an ‘inheritocracy’? Baby boomers (those aged 59-77) are set to benefit from a financial windfall, with projections of around £90 billion in interest payments on their £1.7 trillion in savings over the coming year. This spending power has broader implications, including driving inflation and impacting the UK housing market. Notably, Outra data shows the average age of potential home buyers has surged to 52.5 years, with substantial home equity, making it difficult for younger, less affluent buyers to enter the market. These trends create an "inheritocracy" where property ownership depends on family wealth. The Guardian

8. Brits shun phone calls. British people are spending 33bn fewer minutes making phone calls compared with a decade ago, according to research by Ofcom. The media regulator found that more than 60% of mobile phone users in the UK now prefer using messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat to contact other people rather than voice calls or texts. A spokesman said the trend could be a threat to the public’s access to emergency services and become a "risk to citizens in future". The Telegraph

9. Bike thefts soar. Bike thefts at UK railway stations have soared and police are "becoming worse at catching offenders" despite widespread CCTV cameras. The number of bicycles stolen rose nearly 40% to 6,956, up from 4,999 in 2021, according to Freedom of Information requests. The highest numbers of thefts were reported in the home counties. St Albans, in Hertfordshire, was the worst hit with 260 bikes stolen last year, equivalent to one every working day. Dan Simson, head of Direct Line home insurance, said train stations are a "prime target for thieves". The Times

10. The bottom line. UK house prices will drop 4.7% this year and 2.4% in 2024 before they start to recover, according to Lloyds Banking Group. The prediction is based on the Halifax House Price Index, which excludes cash buyers, who made up 30% of sales. Despite the drop, prices are £40,000 higher than during the peak of Covid. Daily Mail