Business News Articles

One in two staff ‘undervalued’
Half of all employees do not feel valued in the workplace, according to research conducted by the Workplace Intelligence Unit. The report found that five out of 10 staff believed colleagues did not value their time, often turning up late to meetings or cancelling at the last minute, while three out of 10 said colleagues not respecting others’ views was a big problem in their company. ... more

New carbon standard launched
Businesses will be able to demonstrate their green credentials under a scheme announced by The Carbon Trust. The body hopes the system will put an end to so-called “greenwash” where companies can claim they are environmentally friendly without having to meet any exact criteria. ... more

Marketers lose customer data
Six in 10 marketing professionals admit to having lost customer data after a security breach and nearly 90% of these cases are not revealed to customers, according to research by internet security company StrongMail. The survey also revealed that a minority of businesses would give out customer information to third parties if it resulted in a sale, with 20% prepared to give out credit card det... more

Record growth for retail spend
Retail spending rose by a record rate in May, prompting fears that interest rates will have to rise again in a bid to prevent inflation soaring out of control. Figures from the Office for National Statistics claimed sales rose by 3.5% in May, the strongest growth in a single month since January 1986. ... more

King warns of interest rate rises
The Bank of England will raise interest rates in a bid to keep inflation under control, governor Mervyn King has warned. King acknowledged that inflation was likely to continue rising, with some predicting that energy bills alone would increase by 40% by the end of the year, while growth and house prices were likely to fall. A separate survey by HBOS suggested prices would fall by 9% in 2008 a... more

Staff get right to request training
Staff will soon be able to request the right to take time off to receive training that is directly relevant to their job, under new government plans. The new law, which could be in place by 2010, is aimed at the third of employers who do not train their staff at all, which leaves approximately 8m employees without any training each year. ... more

Firms warned over pay rises
Companies are being urged to keep wage rises in check in a bid to counter rising inflation. Following the end of the Shell fuel drivers pay dispute, business secretary John Hutton called for “discipline in public and private sector pay if we are to keep inflation under control”. ... more

Call to regulate estate agents
The estate agency industry should be regulated to provide customers with better protection against unscrupulous operators, according to a report by the former head of the Office of Fair Trading, Sir Bryan Carsberg. The report calls for a basic qualification for anyone wanting to set up in business as an estate agent. ... more

Pay-as-you-drive plan scrapped
Norwich Union has scrapped its controversial pay-as-you-drive insurance scheme less than two years after its introduction. Under the policy, the company used satellite technology to track how far people travelled using a black box installed in the car. ... more

Insolvencies likely to rise
Worsening economic conditions could see an 18% rise in the number of companies going out of business in the UK, business advisory firm BDO Stoy Hayward has warned. The organisation predicts an increase from 16,168 in 2007 to 19,124 in 2009, representing the highest level since the internet boom failed in 2002. ... more