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EDITION 897
29 NOVEMBER 2021

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How successful organisations motivate employees. Research shows that workers who are actively disengaged outnumber their more motivated colleagues by 2 to 1. The good news is that the organisations that defy this trend do similar things - which you can use to build a more effective workforce. READ MORE >>

2. New measures fall short of ‘Plan B’. The Health Secretary announced that face coverings are to be worn from Tuesday as the UK responds to the new Omicron variant. The Prime Minister announced that PCR tests will also be required for all overseas arrivals. The BBC noted that the measures do not go as far as the government’s Plan B, which ministers have long said is their contingency plan if intervention on Covid is needed to protect the NHS. Meanwhile, a poll in the Daily Telegraph revealed that 84% of over-60s support the return of mandatory masks in shops and on public transport. Editor

3. Top companies for social mobility. Law firm Browne Jacobson LLP has been named the top employer for social mobility, according to the Social Mobility Foundation's annual ranking. The list was released as analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies on social mobility showed five London universities had the biggest impact on boosting the career prospects of students who had received free school meals. Several high-profile universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, were among those that had done the least for those from lower income families. What do you think are the most effective ways to improve social mobility? CONTACT US >>

4. Worst of supply chain woes over. There are signs that global supply chain snarls are improving, yet the complicated web of producers and distributors predict things won't get back to normal until next year - as long as COVID-19 outbreaks subside, reports. Experts point to reduced pandemic-related factory closures, fewer energy shortages and loosened port-capacity limits in Asia, coupled with falling ocean freight rates. They also say big U.S. retailers have already imported most of their holiday goods. Still, challenges such as labour shortages and port bottlenecks remain. The Wall Street Journal

5. Your cup of coffee will get pricier. Brace yourself, your cup of coffee will probably become more expensive as the world faces a shortage of coffee beans together with a global supply chain crisis. Frosts and severe droughts in Brazil, the world's largest supplier of arabica coffee beans, are partly behind this shortfall, which led their price to surge to their highest levels in 10 years. Facing the price moves, coffee roasters might switch to robusta beans, a cheaper variety that still hasn't seen the same price increases. Robusta beans are harsher and more bitter in taste than the arabica variety. Bloomberg

6. Poverty ahead for 10% of Brits. One in 10 UK families are facing poverty this winter that will leave them unable to cover even basic bills such as food and heating, according to Citizens Advice. A survey by the charity found that one in five adults has cut back on their food shop or turned off the heating, while one in 10 expects to have to use food banks. The consumer group blamed a “triple whammy” of the £20 a week universal credit cut, soaring energy bills and rising inflation for the drop in living standards. The Guardian

7. Exercise may be offered before anti-depressants. New NHS guidelines have ruled that millions of people with mild depression in England should be offered therapy, exercise, mindfulness or meditation before antidepressants. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends the “menu of treatment options” be offered to patients by health professionals before medication is considered. Antidepressant use has soared in recent years, with more than 20m handed out to patients in just three months last year. BBC

8. Climate change ‘top public worry’. Britons think that climate change is the most important issue they face, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos MORI. About 40% of more than a thousand people who were surveyed said climate change, pollution and the environment were among their top three concerns. The Covid pandemic came second at 27% and Brexit was third, at 22%. The study showed the highest level of concern about the climate crisis since the agency began polling in 1988. The Independent

9. Honey I shrunk the homes. They may be bigger than Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs, but not by much: the UK’s homes are shrinking. As many as one in 15 flats in London fall below the national minimum standard of 37sqm for a one-bedroom home. It’s not just limited to the capital, either: research from the Intergenerational Foundation found that the number of micro-homes being built has increased fivefold in five years, in areas including the North West, the South East outside London and Yorkshire and the Humber. The Guardian

10. The bottom line. First there was “Fomo”, the fear of missing out. Now it seems people are suffering from “Hogo” – the hassle of going out. Restaurateurs say they are experiencing a wave of “no-shows”, owing to people deciding they can’t face leaving the house after all. The group Gusto Italian said its 12 restaurants had had 1,000 no-shows in the last week alone. The Daily Mail