National Work Life Week is an opportunity for both employers and employees to focus on well-being at work and work-life balance. Employers can use the week to provide activities for staff, and to showcase their flexible working policies and practices. Click here to find out more
News
Keep up to date with the news and views of Afina Partners, plus some interesting trends in the recruitment sector.
A tale of two bankers – and modern parenting
Professional women juggling family commitments often get a raw deal. Claer Barrett of the FT meets a couple working in financial services. Click here to read the article
How a four-day working week could benefit every woman
It’s been seen as the preserve of working mothers – but the four-day week should be an option for all, says Marisa Bate.
“In the 19th century, unions campaigned for an eight-hour day. In the 20th century, we won the right to a two-day weekend and paid holidays. So, for the 21st century, let’s lift our ambition again. I believe that in this century we can win a four-day working week, with decent pay for everyone.” Click here to read more
Getting paid to check emails outside office hours? Now there’s a concept I could get behind
There is a buzz in the air, September always marks the start of something new, whether it is work or back to school. Lucy Denyer explores flexible working in the current climate. Click here to read full article
Don’t Let Perfection Paralyze Your Career
Hint: Try to be OK with making mistakes.
By Elena Lipson
When I started my consulting business three years ago, I sent a launch e-mail to everyone I knew. I was both excited and nervous to hit send — things were getting real! Shortly after I sent the e-mail, I started receiving messages letting me know that had I misspelled the name of my company in the e-mail. Yup, you read that correctly. I misspelled the name of my own company.
Mindfulness Breakfast Session – Tuesday 18th September 2018
Gillian Higgins, International Barrister and Meditation teacher is hosting an Introduction to Mindfulness in the Workplace from 8.30 – 9.30am at The Chamber of 9 Bedford Row. Come and find out more about using simple mindfulness practices in the workplace to reduce stress, improve focus and sleep better. Click here to book onto the course for free
The future is flexible: Why remote working is a no-brainer for business
Think of the busy CEO working from an airport lounge on their mobile, or the coder typing away in their local cafe.
Across the UK, from incubators and co-working spaces, to flexible homeworking arrangements, the traditional, desk-based nine-to-five is being upended. Click here to read more
Family Matters
Survey finds employer discriminating against women who may start families.
Research across 501 bosses carried out by law firm Slater and Gordon found that nearly one in three admitted they have or would reject a female job applicant because they suspect she ‘might start a family soon’.
Lighting Up Our Working Lives
How can we find meaning in our work? Dan Cable is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the London Business School. In his book, Alive at Work, he has been looking for answers to that question in neuroscience. Dan argues that modern businesses take too much of the cause and effect out of work, which means workers don’t experience the dopamine surge that ‘lights us up’. That can cause stress and illness. The answer, he suggests, lies in allowing workers to find more meaning and get in touch with the end results of what they do. Watch now
Nine to Five No More
Forty years since it hit our cinema screens, the cult movie ‘Nine to Five’ is apparently poised for a revival. But the concept endorsed in the lyrics of its title track has long since clocked out and is unlikely to return; in 2018, ‘working nine to five’ is not the way to make a living. Dan Harding, director at Sign In App on how technology is challenging the traditional 9 to 5 business day. Click here to read more