Thursday the 14th of June sees the beginning of the 21st FIFA World Cup with 32 teams fighting for glory and playing at 12 new and refurbished venues across Russia. All eyes will be glued to the television for the next month while World Cup fever grips us!
Britain is leaving the EU. Whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, business with our traditional partners in Europe will never be quite the same. It provides companies with a strong incentive to explore new emerging markets.
According to the recent CIPD “UK Working Lives” survey 55% of workers surveyed claimed that they felt under excessive pressure, exhausted or regularly miserable. Sadly many workers skip lunch, don’t take sufficient breaks and even go into work when they are ill. The reasons for this are usually because workers have too much work to do and feel they cannot take a break or that there are not enough staff to do the amount of work that is expected.
The UK Working Lives report by the CIPD was released on 11 April. The CIPD surveyed approximately 6000 workers in the UK across different sectors focussing on 7 key dimensions of “job quality”. The survey results reveal what employers should be focussing on to enhance job quality and improve working lives.
Planning where to invest training budgets? Having the confidence to speak the language of your colleagues and clients and being able to communicate effectively should be an essential part of your Training Plan.
Spring officially began in the UK on the 20th March 2018. I love Spring! I love to see flowering daffodils, tulips, crocuses and hyacinths in our gardens, new born lambs springing around the fields and eating my own bodyweight in chocolate over the glutinous Easter weekend. I love the lighter and longer days and the longed-for sunshine and higher temperatures after the long, cold winter. But what is there out there in the wider world to love about Spring?
Easter is one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar, celebrated across the world in different ways. In the UK at Easter we commonly celebrate by going to church, having a family roast dinner, joining an Easter egg hunt and eating plenty of chocolate eggs. Have you ever wondered what is happening around the world at Easter?
With the 2018 Academy Award celebrations fresh in our minds, let us turn our attention to “Best Foreign Language Film” category. Chilean drama “A Fantastic Woman” won the 2018 Academy Award and marks the first ever win for Sebastián Lelio (Director). Past winners include popular films such as Life is Beautiful (1998), All About My Mother (1999), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and The Salesman (2016).
During Chinese New Year celebrations, it is traditional for Chinese families to clean their houses (sweeping away the bad luck to make way for the good luck) and wear new clothes. Families decorate their houses with red lanterns and usually gather with relatives for a big meal.
From experience, being able to speak a second language is like nothing else. The sense of pride and enjoyment you get from being able to converse with “foreigners” is huge. You can also show-off to your family, friends and business colleagues!