EDITION 854
1 FEBRUARY 2021

As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. This newsletter is sent to 50,000+ subscribers each Monday at 10am. Please share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

1. How to read a book a week. Reading non-fiction books is one of the best ways to stay engaged with the newest thinking in your field. But how can you make time for reading if your schedule is already overloaded? Understand that you don’t need to read a non-fiction book cover to cover to learn from it - you can actually absorb just as much if you approach it in a different way. [MORE]

2. UK death toll exceeds 100K. The UK has become the first European nation to officially record more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “deeply sorry for every life that has been lost,” and took “full responsibility for everything the government has done” during the pandemic. Britain is the fifth nation in the world to reach six figures, after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico. On Saturday, almost 600,000 first jabs were given across the UK. It means nearly nine million people have received the first dose, with around 500,000 having both. The Daily Mail

3. Is your Zoom etiquette slipping? Now that millions of people are approaching a full year of working remotely, is Zoom decorum slipping? Case in point: British Columbia's education minister wants a school trustee to "resign immediately" after he smoked, sipped from a wine glass and apparently nodded off during an official Zoom meeting. This follows an incident where he briefly posted a slur on Facebook. An attorney said employers generally can't take action against someone for smoking at their desk at home, but there are other Zoom grey areas stirring debate, including eating during meetings and coworkers' babies making frequent appearances. Wired

4. Virus job losses dwarf 2009 crisis. The equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs were lost last year due to the pandemic, four times the number of jobs lost during the 2009 financial crisis, writes the International Labour Organisation in a new report. A total of $3.7tn in earnings evaporated globally in 2020, the report notes. Women and young workers were hit the hardest, while Southern Europe was among the regions that faced a particularly steep decline in working hours. The ILO expects an additional 15 million jobs to be lost in Europe in 2021, according to its baseline scenario. The Daily Telegraph

5. More women on European boards. The share of women on the boards of listed European companies is growing, according to the Gender Equality Index published by NGO European Women on Boards. Over a third of board seats are now taken up by women, though the number of women holding top level positions is increasing at a slower pace. Norwegian companies were found to perform best on gender equality. Metro

6. Do you make time for lunch. With the pandemic blurring work-life boundaries, working while eating at our desks has become an increasingly common experience. But having a proper, generous lunch break - and with co-workers (even if virtually) - can do wonders for combating burnout and improving collaboration. Research has found that workers who take a lunch break are more satisfied and productive and report better teamwork when they eat together. Some tips: [1] Set an at lunch message during lunchtime and step out for an undisturbed meal and a walk around the block. [2] Turn lunch into virtual team or networking events. Editor

7. Majority want climate action. People around the world "want action" on climate change, the United Nations Development Programme has said, sharing a poll that shows almost two-thirds of people in 50 countries now believe that climate change is an emergency. The poll of 1.2 million people showed younger people were more likely to agree, though 58% of over 60s also said rising temperatures are an emergency. On potential policies, the conservation of forests and increased use of renewables were most popular, while switching to a plant-based diet was least. The Guardian

8. Furlough softens unemployment rise. The UK unemployment rate reached 5% in the three months to November 2020, the highest rate since August 2016. Hospitality and manufacturing were the worst hit sectors, and those aged 25 to 34 faced the biggest risk of losing their jobs. However, analysts said the fact millions are still on furlough limited the rise in unemployment. The ONS said employment was still “relatively high” compared to other countries, but that the number of people on payrolls dropped by over 800,000 between February and December, with London seeing some of the steepest falls. BBC

9. Why both sides lie in interviews. Lying in job interviews is more common than you might think. Research shows most people embellish their experience, though big lies are less common. It's not just the candidate either: What interviewer wouldn’t say company culture is great? Interviews are an exercise in deception, according to researchers, citing psychologists who say we’re conditioned to tell lies to make ourselves look better and to make others feel good about themselves. They also point to other factors: Personality type plays a role and competitiveness can encourage people to stretch the truth. The Wall Street Journal

10. The bottom line. The bill for deep-cleaning the White House after President Donald Trump vacated, and before President Joe Biden moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, was $500,000. Sky News