Number of planned redundancies falls by 13%
Despite the financial pressure from changes to employers’ national insurance contributions and a hike in the national living wage, the number of planned large-scale redundancies is falling, official figures suggest. In the 12 months to February 2025, 261,223 potential redundancies were disclosed to the Insolvency Service, a 12.9% decrease on the same period a year […]
NHS England to halve workforce and save at least £175m
NHS England’s workforce will be cut by half, with around 6,500 jobs to go, in a bid to save at least £175m annually. The government plans aim to “avoid duplication” with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and will see the health service enter “a period of critical transformation”. Meanwhile, a string of […]
Estate agent constructively dismissed after desk move ‘demotion’
An estate agent who felt demoted after he transferred to another branch where his desk would be in the middle of the office – rather than at the back – has won his case for constructive unfair dismissal. Mr Walker began work as branch manager at Robsons estate agents in Rickmansworth in 2017. In February […]
Workspace flexibility: Optimising your office needs for purpose
While some businesses have issued return-to-office mandates, others continue to optimise their facilities to cater for the demands of flexible working. Lucinda Pullinger explores workspace flexibility and the art of finding the right mix for your people. Businesses around the world constantly consider how to optimise workspace, retain talent and maximise profitability. Flex workspace offers […]
Leading economists reject anti-growth claims about Employment Rights Bill
Ten economists and labour attorneys have rejected the claims of business leaders that the proposed Employment Rights Bill would harm economic growth. Signatories, including Ozlem Onaran professor of economics from the University of Greenwich, and Jonathan Michie professor of innovation and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Cambridge, argue that better worker protection can increase […]
Study finds that HR and recruitment sector is the best for customer service.
According to an analysis of Trustpilot data, the HR and recruiting sector was ranked second for customer service. was published by Esendex. The findings gave each sector an index score of 100 based on Trustpilot reviews and customer sentiment ratings. HR and recruiting scored 89.7 on the index and received an average Trustpilot rating of […]
Lloyds reduces diversity targets for employee bonus
Lloyds Banking Group reduced diversity targets which will impact on the annual bonus payments to senior staff as well as its entire employee base. The decision of the British banking giant concerns its “group Performance Share” scheme, which is the bonus pot for 66,000 employees. It also pays out to its Chief Executive Charlie Nunn […]
The UK’s mid-sized firms are slow to improve ethnic diversity in the boardroom
A new report on race representation in mid-sized UK companies has revealed that they are slow to increase ethnic diversity among their board members. According to the government-backed Parker Review, despite “significant progress”, nearly one fifth of FTSE 250 firms had not improved. 46 companies ignored the survey, or had white boardrooms. David Tyler, the […]
Gallup reports declining workplace respect: What now?
Only 37% strongly agree that they are treated with dignity and respect at work. Gallup research states that this is the lowest level of respect since Gallup began measuring it in 2018. This is in line with the State of the Heart survey that showed a decline in emotional intelligence for the fourth year running, […]
What can HR and Learning Leaders learn from The Sims 25th Anniversary?
The award-winning The Sims celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. It marks several decades of user development, immersive life, and attempting to understand Simlish. The game has a lot to teach us, and it’s not as simple as adding gamification to our learning and development. The Sims’ main lessons are its interactive nature, the peer […]