EDITION 836
21 SEPTEMBER 2020

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'd be very grateful if you did.

1. How to conflict collaborative, not combative. Shying away from open, healthy conflict about work issues may make you feel like a nice person, but it’s an unproductive habit. [READ MORE]

2. Coronavirus restrictions are to be tightened in across swaths of the UK. They are the latest areas to see extra measures put in place as cases increase. In total, at least 13.5 million people now face local restrictions in the UK, roughly one in five people. This includes: 10.9 million people in England, or 19% of its population; 1.8 million people in Scotland (32%); 422,000 people in Wales (13%); and at least 411,000 people in Northern Ireland (22%). About 55% of the North of England is facing restrictions, along with 22% of the Midlands. BBC

3. How to ruin your day in one easy step. Do you wake in the morning and instantly go to check your emails? Well, that’s a problem. That seemingly innocent reflexive urge will divert you from your own priorities - such as getting the kids ready for school - and likely set you up for a chaotic, less productive day. By moving straight into response mode, you’re more likely to make mistakes, to run late and to feel flustered. I suggest staying in control of the day by starting the morning on your own terms. This simple piece of advice was given to a participant on 10/10, our government funded leadership development and mentoring programme. [READ MORE]

4. Hiring women fell during lockdown. Women were less likely to be hired than men during the coronavirus lockdown. Hiring of women reached its lowest point in April, with women making up 41.5% of hires, dropping from 44.2% in January. Sectors hardest hit by the pandemic saw bigger falls, with women in recreation and travel accounting for only 31% of hires in May, compared to a 2019 average of 44.3%. Research from multiple sources has shown that women were more likely than men to have lost their jobs or had to cut down their hours due to the pandemic. LinkedIn

5. Economic outlook improving says OECD. The OECD suggests the outlook for the global economy is not as bleak as previous forecasts, though it warned that a second wave of coronavirus could slow growth again. The organisation expects output globally to shrink 4.5% before returning to growth next year. For eurozone countries it predicts a 7.9% decline in 2020, and a 10% contraction in the UK economy. Its latest report also advises governments to move from blanket support to invest in companies that are temporarily unviable rather than propping up sectors that would take years to recover. OECD

6. Drivers who cause death by speeding could face life sentence. Motorists who cause death by speeding, racing or using a mobile phone could face life sentences. An overhaul of sentencing policy follows pressure from campaigners and judges, who argue that the current 14-year maximum is too lenient. A cabinet spokesman said: “This government has been clear that punishments must fit the crime.” The Guardian

7. House prices forecast to fall by 14% in 2021. The Centre for Economics and Business Research has predicted that house prices will fall by almost 14 per cent next year, once the government’s temporary cut in stamp duty ends and the economic impact of the pandemic sets in. Despite figures this month showing house prices rising at their fastest pace in 16 years, the group says they “will start to fall significantly” in the medium term. The Times

8. Anxiety surges in Britain over past ten years. The UK has suffered an explosion in anxiety over the past decade, according to new research. The combination of the financial crash, austerity, Brexit, climate change, social media and Covid-19 has led mental illness to treble among young adults, it says. It now affects 30% of women aged 18 to 24 and has increased across the board among men and women under 55. The Guardian

9. Bank of England considers negative interest rates. Negative interest rates could be introduced for the first time in the UK in an attempt to stimulate the economy, according to the Bank of England. It told the Monetary Policy Committee it is planning “to explore how a negative bank rate could be implemented effectively, should the outlook for inflation and output warrant it at some point”. The committee unanimously voted to hold interest rates at their record low of 0.1% and kept the scale of its money printing programme unchanged at £745bn. Which?

10. The bottom line. When a vaccine for Covid-19 becomes available, shipping one dose per person around the world would require the equivalent of 8,000 Boeing 747s. BBC