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Flexible working should be a staple in every UK business, according to a new Age UK report. Reported by freshbusinessthinking.com, the firm's 'A Means to Many Ends' report suggests that flexible working is an important tool to unleash the 'full potential' of many of Britain's older workers. Being able to work from home, enjoy flexitime or simply being able to swap shifts is something that appeals to many employees, according to the report, and may help a family business prosper during tough economic times. As a result, it could also help older people use their years of experience to contribute to the economy, 'extend their working lives' and encourage employers to think how the practice could help improve their own business. Michelle Mitchell, Age UK's charity director general, commented on t
Government urged to make business finance applications less complicated
sgilroy, Sep 10, 2012
UncategorizedThe government has been urged to make it less complicated for small business owners to secure access to funding. Michael Izza, who is chief executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), has pointed out that there are currently dozens of different institutions from which business owners have to go to in order to get funding for different exercises. The Regional Growth Fund, Enterprise Investment Scheme, Business Finance Partnership and National Loan Guarantee Scheme are just a few of the bodies set up to make raising finance easier for businesses. However, business owners often face the prospect of applying to loads of different schemes in order get funding for a range of business processes. In a blog for ion.icaew.com, he questioned whether it might be more
The chief executive of a technology start-up has urged fellow business leaders to put some effort into the pictures they upload to the internet. Speaking to ft.com, Azurati head Ronan Lavelle pointed out that casual images on professional networks such as LinkedIn can create a poor impression, when the CEO of a firm needs to convey a professional and low-risk persona to anyone coming across their profile. In his opinion, it is possible to go too far in the other direction and make the picture look over-stylised, which he suggested is popular among corporate firms in the US. Mr Lavelle remarked: "In business nowadays, with social connections, Skype and other tools that make use of your visual identity, it is important to have a proper picture. A lot of people use inappropriate pictures and these c
The benefits of having fit and healthy employees need to be recognised by firms when they consider work/life balance issues, it has been noted. Claudine Kapel, principal of consultancy at Kapel and Associates, wrote on hrreporter.com that the concept will remain an "urban legend" rather than a reality until employers see how it helps to boost the company as a whole when staff are healthy. She said: "The challenge for some organisations may be that they fear promoting work/life balance could undermine the drive for performance and productivity, or perhaps even the ability to remain fully staffed. If every sick employee stayed at home, who would serve the customers?" Among the issues that need to be addressed by work/life balance policies are flexible working arrangements, sick leave, restr
The owner of shoe repair franchise Timpson has claimed that he would never hand his business to anyone outside the family. John Timpson, who is one of five Timpsons to have owned the family business, stated that he would rather sell the business altogether than hand the reins to someone else. In an interview with telegraph.co.uk, he declared he would never force the business on a family member who wasn't passionate about it, but he certainly wouldn't risk watching a family business go down the drain in the hands of another household. He said: "Last year, a business school suggested the economy would benefit if family business owners relinquished control and appointed professional managers. I couldn't disagree more, if we had to hand Timpson to an outsider I would almost certainly
Hospitality CEOs possess a high level of ‘emotional intelligence’
sgilroy, Aug 31, 2012
UncategorizedChief executive officers (CIOs) in the hospitality sector could be better characterised as 'chief emotional officers', new analysis suggests. A study of over 420 hospitality CIOs, by HVS Executive Search, has found that a typical industry CIO possesses a high level of 'emotional intelligence', and therefore they are excellent at building rapport with staff. As a result, they're also excellent team builders and tend to be self-motivated, task-orientated individuals, hsyndicate.org writes. The conclusions were drawn following the completion of HVS' 20|20 Skills test, developed specifically for the hospitality industry. Performance trait analysis leads HVS to believe that hospitality CIOs are likely to be excellent at performing many different tasks as opposed to just one, strict disc
The concept of a glass ceiling in the working life of a woman is an 'outdated model', according a survey undertaken by Ernst & Young. Reported by hrmagazine.co.uk, the survey of 1,000 women between the ages of 18-60 claimed that instead of a single ceiling, there are a number of other barriers that can hinder both males and females. These barriers - age, lack of role models, motherhood and qualifications - aren't chronological and can be 'experienced at any time' according to the report. Furthermore, aside from the motherhood barrier, they aren't exclusive to women. According to Liz Bingham, Ernst & Young's managing partner for people, role models in the workplace are proving to be a particularly tricky barrier. Three out of four of those questioned said they have few or no female
The majority of managers found the Olympic Games caused little disruption to their business, according to the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). The ILM questioned more than 1,000 managers with regard to the impact of the Games and found that almost half said that there had been no disruption whatsoever; adding that morale had been unusually high. Seventy-nine per cent of the managers said that their jobs had continued unaffected, according to hrmagazine.com. It would appear that many manager adopted the advice dispensed by HR bodies and Games organisers pertaining to leave and flexible working options, with 41 per cent allowing staff to watch events at work. Fifty-seven per cent of respondents said their CEO and/or senior management teams did communicate Games policies to avoid
Bemoaning falling standards among younger generations has long been a popular past time. Even Socrates was not above grumbling that ‘children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they allow disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise’. He is said to have made those comments around 2500 years ago and the intergenerational carping has not stopped since. Having reached an age where my bus pass is closer than my Young Person’s Railcard, this blogger takes a great deal of pleasure from sniping at the haircuts, attention span and half mast waistbands of today’s youth. It’s enjoyable but, obviously, it’s also petty and driven by jealousy. However, while my grumblings may be mean spirited, perhaps employers have real cause for complaint. In the week in whic
By Jamie Jauncey for VistageUK As London 2012 draws to a close and we count the medals, it’s worth reflecting that none of it would have happened without a simple story. In Singapore in 2005, London stole the games from under the noses of the favourites. Paris and Moscow lost out when Sebastian Coe made one of the best speeches ever heard by the International Olympics Committee. At its heart was the story of how, aged 12, he was hauled into his school assembly hall in Sheffield to watch the 1968 Olympics on TV. Two local athletes won medals. Those moments of inspiration set him on his own path to Olympic gold. It was a very personal anecdote, short, powerful and full of emotion. With its underlying message of legacy it swung it for London. But can stories do the same for a business? I believe
