Case Study | From Prison Leavers to Apprenticeships - Inside Sodexo's Employer of the Year Win
Sodexo has woven social impact into its core strategy, using inclusion to boost performance and culture. By mapping social‑mobility cold spots across the UK, the company tailors recruitment and apprenticeship programmes to underserved areas. Its "Starting Fresh" initiative partners with employers in sectors ranging from beauty to construction to place prison leavers into sustainable jobs. The effort earned Sodexo the Employer of the Year award, highlighting the business case for inclusive hiring.
Bring It to Them | What Five CPOs Actually Say About Workforce Comms
Chief People Officers at the World Economic Forum, B&Q, and Radisson Hotel Group shared how they reshape workforce communications. The WEF CHRO deliberately reduced empathy during a reputational crisis, opting for clear, data‑driven direction. B&Q’s People Director highlighted that trust...
Case Study | How Serco Unlocked Hidden Female Talent with a Women-Only Apprenticeship
Serco, a multinational services firm, expanded its apprenticeship portfolio with two women‑only schemes: the leadership‑focused Empower program and the data‑centric Innovate apprenticeship. Both initiatives are delivered in partnership with Baltic Apprenticeships and target existing staff rather than external candidates. By...
Work Perks | Pay Still Matters, but Are Benefits Becoming the Real Retention Battleground?
New research from iSolved’s Voice of the Workforce 2026 shows that while salary remains the top driver for job changes, benefits are rapidly emerging as a critical retention lever. Among employees who applied for a new role, 45% cited better...
ManpowerGroup 2026 | Clarity, Culture, Capabilities: How Talent Leaders Can Embrace Uncertainty & Change
ManpowerGroup’s 2026 flagship conference, themed "Clarity, Culture, Capabilities," explored how talent leaders can thrive amid uncertainty. Opening keynote by performance coach Jamil Qureshi framed adaptability as an innate human trait. Panels and masterclasses delved into practical strategies for building clear...
Gender Balance | FTSE Leaders Shift Focus to Building the Leadership Talent Pipeline to Support Better Businesses
New research by Male Allies UK and FTSE Women Leaders, sponsored by KPMG UK, shows FTSE CEOs are shifting focus to building leadership talent pipelines, especially for women in operational, commercial and profit‑and‑loss roles. While gender parity has improved at...
Speak-Up Culture | Digital Whistleblowing Dominates as Anonymous Reporting Surges
Digital whistleblowing has reached a historic high, with anonymous submissions now making up 56% of all reports, according to Safecall’s 2026 Benchmark Report. Named reports have dropped from 37% in 2019 to 25%, while online anonymity accounts for 63% of...
'Copy/Paste Economy' | UK Workers Losing up to a Day per Week Managing AI Tools
A Workday study of 2,400 UK professionals reveals that one in four employees spend seven or more hours each week copying data between disconnected AI applications. While many workers report faster completion of individual tasks, the time lost to switching,...
‘Measurement Backbone’ | National Hiring Metrics Launched: What Employers Need to Know
The Better Hiring Institute and Resourcing Leaders Community have unveiled the UK’s first National Hiring Metrics, a set of nine standardized recruitment indicators. Over 60 senior talent leaders vetted the framework, which ties workforce planning, skills‑based hiring, and economic competitiveness...
Mental Health Awareness Week | Employers Risk Losing Young Talent Unless Mental Health Support Starts From Day One, MHFA England...
Mental Health First Aid England warns that more than one in four young employees feel unsafe to discuss mental health, leading to poor wellbeing and turnover risk. Workers aged 18‑24 are nearly eight times more likely than older peers to...
Root Causes | Are Employers Doing Enough to Support Staff Through Britain's Dental Care Crisis?
UK workers face a mounting dental care crisis as NHS capacity dwindles. Recent British Dental Association data show 96.9% of patients without a dentist failed to secure NHS appointments, leaving many to wait months or turn to costly private care....
‘Structural Barriers’ | How Law Firm Browne Jacobson Is Advancing Black Representation in the Legal Profession
The Solicitors Regulation Authority reported that only 3% of lawyers in UK firms were Black in 2022, highlighting a deep diversity gap. In response, Browne Jacobson launched the REACH mentorship programme to boost Black representation within the firm and the wider...
Morale Damage | KPMG Redundancy Backlash Highlights Growing Risks of Poor Communication During Job Cuts
KPMG UK announced a redundancy programme affecting more than 500 employees, including 440 audit assistant managers and roughly 120 advisory staff. Employees have voiced frustration over what they describe as rushed, inconsistent and impersonal communication during the consultation process. Employment...
Deciding Factor | Pay Transparency Is Now a 'Dealbreaker' For UK Workers
Pay transparency has become a decisive factor for UK talent, with 72% of employees saying it influences their decision to stay with or join a company. Awareness of the EU Pay Transparency Directive remains low—only 29% of workers know its...
‘Game Changer’ | Padel Courts & Office Gyms: Are Fitness Perks Back in Vogue?
Corporate wellness perks that once thrived—gym discounts, snack bars, health apps—are losing appeal as financial pressures mount on both employees and employers. Participation rates have slipped, prompting HR leaders to demand measurable value from fitness benefits. Experts now advocate for...