Nearly half of UK workers would stay in their jobs if employers spoke their "love language"

A new study suggests many businesses may be unintentionally driving employees away simply by recognising them in the wrong way.

Research from Moonpig for Business, based on a survey of 2,000 UK workers, indicates 51% of employees would be less likely to look for another job if their employer recognised them in the way they prefer. 

In a competitive labour market where retention is a growing challenge for many organisations, that statistic alone should make business leaders take notice.

The research highlights the idea of workplace “love languages," the different ways employees prefer to receive appreciation and recognition. Just as in personal relationships, people respond differently to praise, rewards and support.

The Four Workplace Love Languages

According to the study, UK workers tend to fall into four main categories when it comes to recognition:

Words of affirmation (40%) – Being told by a manager or colleague that they are doing a good job

Gifts (24%) – Bonuses, vouchers, thank-you cards or thoughtful presents

Acts of service (22%) – Colleagues offering help during busy periods or supporting projects

Quality time (14%) – One-to-one time with leadership, mentoring, or team socials

The most popular form of recognition is also the simplest: a straightforward “well done”. Yet despite this, many organisations are still getting recognition wrong.

Businesses Admit They Could Do Better

The research also surveyed business leaders and revealed a surprising gap between intentions and outcomes.

76% of leaders say they could do more to recognise employees

39% are not confident their recognition matches what staff actually value

This mismatch suggests that many recognition programmes may be designed around what organisations think employees want, rather than what genuinely motivates them.

Recognition Isn’t Just a Nice-to-Have

Getting appreciation right has measurable benefits for both employees and businesses.

Workers said that receiving recognition in their preferred style would:

Reduce the likelihood of job hunting (51%)

Improve mental health and wellbeing (50%)

Boost confidence (47%)

Increase loyalty to their employer (42%)

In other words, recognition is not simply about workplace culture. It has direct implications for employee retention, morale, productivity and organisational stability.

Differences by Gender and Career Stage

The research also revealed interesting differences in how people prefer to be valued at work.

Women are significantly more likely to value words of affirmation, with 45% saying they want to be told they are doing a good job, compared with 35% of men.

Men, meanwhile, show a slightly stronger preference for tangible rewards, with 25% favouring bonuses, vouchers or gifts compared with 20% of women.

Preferences also change with experience. Women over 40 are more likely to value acts of service, such as practical help from colleagues during demanding periods. This may reflect a shift from seeking validation early in a career to prioritising meaningful support as responsibilities grow.

A Simple Lesson for Employers

The key takeaway is surprisingly straightforward: recognition works best when it is personalised.

A generic approach to appreciation may tick a box, but it rarely delivers the intended impact. By taking the time to understand how individual employees prefer to be recognised, businesses can build stronger relationships, improve workplace culture and retain valuable talent.

And sometimes, the most effective recognition costs nothing at all.

A sincere “thank you” or “great work” might be one of the most powerful tools a manager has.

To learn more visit https://www.moonpig.com/uk/business

UniCredit launches the second edition of Skills for Transition with POLIMI Graduate School of Management, doubling its reach for students across Europe

UniCredit has announced the second edition of Skills for Transition, a social programme that provides strategic training to young people, including both students and people not in education, employment or training (NEETS) expected to be impacted by the green transition.

The student stream, developed in partnership with POLIMI Graduate School of Management, the business school of Politecnico di Milano, offers selected students the chance to take part in two educational paths, a Master's programme for recent graduates and a four-month bootcamp open to both high school graduates and university students.

Both are aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness around the green transition and the Net Zero framework, helping students acquire skills that will boost their future employment prospects. 

Participants will have the opportunity to gain hands on experience with companies most exposed to the green transition and address sector‑specific changes shaping industries such as manufacturing, energy and urban development.

Following the success of the first edition, this stream has doubled its geographic reach, expanding from six countries to twelve, with students now able to join from Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary.

The second edition of the Skills for Transition will also include a stream dedicated to young people who are not currently in education, employment or training (NEETs), in partnership with Glocal Factory, a social cooperative. 

Due to be launched this Spring, it will support the EU’s target to reduce the number of NEETs to below 9% by 2030, and will be open to NEETs in Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania.

The first edition of the Skills for Transition delivered 60,000 hours in training to students, workers and NEETs, providing them with the skills they need to navigate the transition. The student stream was highly commended in the Best Partnership Award category at the AMBA & BGA Awards, in recognition of UniCredit and POLIMI’s collaboration.

The initiative sits firmly in line with UniCredit’s commitment to promoting a just and fair transition and its consistent support for education – a key driver for Europe’s future.

“Education is one of the most powerful drivers of a fairer, more sustainable future. As economies in Europe transition to Net Zero, we are proud to be launching the second edition of Skills for Transition and expanding its reach to help more students access employment opportunities and build the skills they need to adapt in a rapidly changing world." Fiona Melrose, Head of Group Strategy & ESG at UniCredit, told That's Business.

“We are proud to renew our partnership with UniCredit to address one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Skills for Transition reflects our purpose to nurture innovators to shape a better future for all, equipping young people with the capabilities needed to thrive in the green transition. 

"We look forward to expanding this programme’s impact across Europe” said Federico Frattini, Dean of POLIMI Graduate School of Management and Scientific Director of the programme.

https://www.unicreditgroup.eu/

UKs Largest survey of its kind invites disabled people to share their everyday barriers to create urgently needed fairer design

A staggering One in five people in the UK are disabled. Many face multiple unnecessary barriers every single day. 

The Unfair Index by UK charity Designability has a plan to change that.

UK charity Designability has launched a major survey calling on 10,000 disabled people across the UK to take part. The Unfair Index: Designing a Fairer Future gives disabled people the chance to share the everyday barriers they face, at home, work, online, in public spaces and in their communities. 

The findings will be used to create the UK’s first Unfair Index, highlighting the most unfair barriers in everyday life, focusing on those that are urgent, harmful, and possible to fix through better design.

Highlighting why this work matters, Saida, a powered wheelchair user taking part, told That's Business: “at the moment I’m being met with performative talk, people say they will do it... but they don’t. We don’t want slow changes. We want to live like everyone else. Why does it have to be an add-on thought? I’m a human being. Treat me like one and I’ll treat you like one.”

The project has been co-designed with a pan-disability Lived Experience Advisory Panel, made up of people with a wide range of experiences and impairments, ensuring disabled people’s voices are central. 

With over 900 disabled people applying to take part, Norin, a panel member from London, said: “As a person with lived experience facing challenges and barriers in everyday life, and coping with so many inaccessible facilities, services, products, design and transport, I joined the panel to contribute my experiences.”

Designability’s Chief Executive, Jim Bowes, explained why this large-scale survey is significant: “Millions of disabled people face barriers every day that stop them fully participating in daily life. Whether that’s financially, socially or academically, we’ve designed the world to be unfair for so many people – and we believe with good design we can do better. This survey is about listening at scale and then identifying what practical solutions could make a real difference to everyday barriers.”

The Unfair Index survey covers a wide range of areas, including health and wellbeing, life at home and managing money, getting out and about, shopping, social and community life, technology and learning and work.

The survey is one of the largest of its kind in the UK. The findings will help Designability shape its priorities over the next three to five years and provide actionable insights for designers, organisations, and policymakers — challenging people to think, design and build differently. Where barriers fall outside the charity’s expertise, insights will be shared with other companies and organisations to help drive wider societal change.

Jim Bowes added: “We know some of the barriers raised will need policy change or wider behaviour change. Where that’s the case, we’ll make sure the evidence is shared with those best placed to act, so it can still help drive real-world change. The scale of unfairness means action is needed now”

Disabled people, people who are neurodiverse, unpaid carers and parents of disabled children across the UK are now being invited to take part in the survey until the end of April and share their experiences to help inform future action. The Unfair Index will be published later in 2026.

You can participate in the survey here http://www.theunfairindex.designability.org.uk.

If you know people who are impacted by the issues raised here, please forward this blogpost to them so they can participate in the survery.

Dragons’ Den Success Story Piddle Patch Defeats ‘Campaign of Infringement’ in Court

In a groundbreaking trademark infringement case the judge has found in favour of Makeality Ltd in a row with a rival brand accused of infringing the ‘Piddle Patch’ trademark. District Judge Obodai pronounced in the High Court IPEC small claims track on Friday that City Doggo Ltd and Laurencia Walker-Fooks had deliberately set out to benefit from the Piddle Patch trademark and that “…passing off is exactly what she intended when she began her campaign of infringement." 

Judge Obodai said, “I also find that they (the infringements) were not isolated or accidental incidents but were a deliberate policy to promote the sign in the relevant market."

Makeality Ltd. registered ‘Piddle Patch’ – the first eco-friendly real grass dog toilet in the UK - as a trademark in 2016. Founder Rebecca Sloan designed and developed the product, and scaled the brand over the following years. 

Piddle Patch built up significant goodwill from a subscriber base, testimonials from celebrity vets and dog trainers, plus acquiring published articles in national press and an association with major BBC TV programme Dragons’ Den and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.

The founder of City Doggo Ltd, Laurencia Walker-Fooks, was a long-term customer of Piddle Patch before she made an offer to acquire the company during the COVID shutdowns, however these discussions did not progress. Shortly after, City Doggo Ltd was registered at Companies House and started trading in November 2020.

In 2022 Piddle Patch featured on BBC Dragons’ Den. The national exposure and associated press coverage at the time significantly enhanced Piddle Patch’s brand recognition. The rising fame of the Piddle Patch brand was quickly exploited by City Doggo Ltd. The Piddle Patch trade mark was embedded across the City Doggo website in titles, such as “SHOP: Piddle Patch”, as well as in descriptions, meta-tags and alt-tags and across landing pages and blogs. Walker-Fooks added a photo of herself on to the website tagged ‘Piddle Patch founder with her dog.'

City Doggo Ltd registered and directed the domains piddlepatch.info and piddlepatch.shop to their own website. Slogans such as “Piddle Patch Dragons Den” were embedded in hidden text on the landing page. The Piddle Patch trademark was used as a hashtag across social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

The Court heard evidence that Piddle Patch experienced a decline in traffic following City Doggo Ltd’s online activities. Judge Obodai commented “It had the desired effect because, as the Claimant pleaded, the result was that the first Defendant’s Website was ranked alongside the Claimant’s when consumers searched for PIDDLE PATCH.”

The defendants argued that their actions were so small, that they were ‘de minimis’ and not actionable. However the judge found otherwise, pronouncing on all counts that City Doggo Ltd had deliberately infringed on the trade mark and passed off its product as Piddle Patch. Judge Obodai said, “I find that all of this was a deliberate attempt by the Defendants to benefit commercially from the use of the Trade Mark. It was deliberate because of the history between Ms Sloan and Ms Walker-Fooks and the failed attempt to buy Ms Sloan’s business because she [Ms Sloan] changed her mind. Ms Walker-Fooks, therefore, knew exactly what she was doing and why”.

The case will now progress to a separate quantum trial to determine the extent of the damages.

Commenting on the judgement, founder of Piddle Patch, Rebecca Sloan, commented, “We are very happy with the result. I’d like to thank our direct access Barrister, Christy Rogers, who worked tirelessly to help us make our case to the Court. This was by no means a straightforward process.”

www.piddlepatch.com

UK energy sector must diversify leadership amid geopolitical uncertainty and net zero challenges, Say Experts

As the UK energy sector faces growing strain from geopolitical instability and the accelerating demands of net zero delivery, the industry must urgently diversify its leadership portfolio. 

That’s according to the executive search firm, Newman Stewart.

The specialist has warned with Government energy plans relying on rapid progress across nuclear, renewables, grid expansion and distributed generation, the sector faces an increasingly complex operating environment. 

With the UK energy system also entering a period of significant volatility due to global supply risks, shifting regulatory frameworks, and sustained pressure to decarbonise, energy leaders are facing unprecedented demands.

However, according to Newman Stewart, leadership pipelines in energy remain narrow, limiting access to the breadth of skills and perspectives now required. The skills shortages are well-documented, with recent research from the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealing that more than half of businesses are facing recruitment bottlenecks. These are also being felt at leadership level, which is putting future strategic growth at risk.

Consequently, diversification of leadership, including greater representation of women in senior and plant leadership roles, is no longer a cultural aspiration but a strategic necessity. As energy assets become more technologically complex, politically sensitive and publicly scrutinised, leadership teams must be equipped to manage risk, uncertainty and long-term transformation in parallel.

John Tilbrook, Managing Director of Newman Stewart, told That's Business: “The challenges facing the UK energy sector today are becoming increasingly complex and volatile. Geopolitical uncertainty and net-zero commitments have created a demand for leaders who can navigate ambiguity, engage diverse stakeholders, and make complex decisions under pressure. Relying on the same leadership profiles will not deliver the resilience the system now requires.”

“Diversifying leadership involves strengthening the sector’s ability to adapt. When leadership teams draw from a wider range of experience and perspectives, organisations are better equipped to manage risk, innovate, and maintain delivery during disruptions.

"In the context of the UK’s energy plans, this is a business imperative rather than a side issue. Having recently celebrated International Women’s Day amid growing gender disparity and increasing leadership skills gaps, I believe there must be a renewed focus on developing genuinely inclusive leadership pipelines that reflect the scale and complexity of the challenge ahead.”

https://newmanstewart.co.uk

fiskaltrust Launches Portugal’s only Certified Fiscalisation Middleware and CashBox

fiskaltrust.eu, the European fintech company delivering Compliance-as-a-Service for point-of-sale systems, announced the launch of the only fully certified fiscalisation Middleware and CashBox for Portugal.

Through a single integration to fiskaltrust's POS System API, Integration Partners can now access the Portuguese market with full compliance coverage without building or maintaining any local fiscal infrastructure themselves.

fiskaltrust's certified Middleware and CashBox for Portugal handles the full compliance stack through the POS System API, the same interface used by Integration Partners across Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Greece.

Payments Integration Through Viva.com

Every payment generates a fiscal event and fiskaltrust aligns payment and receipt data in real time. For Portugal, payment is available through Viva.com while fiskaltrust covers fiscalisation compliance. Integration Partners get payment and compliance in one place, with no need to build separate connections or reconcile data manually.

Other Payment Service Providers (PSP) looking to operate in Portugal can integrate with fiskaltrust's POS System API to connect their payment flows directly to a fully compliant fiscal layer.

For Commercial Partners and POS resellers considering Portugal, fiskaltrust's market entry provides a ready market entry foundation. fiskaltrust's certified Middleware and CashBox for Portugal are available now for commercial Partners and POS resellers. Explore the offering at fiskaltrust.eu/en-pt, access technical documentation at docs.fiskaltrust.eu, or reach out directly at sales@fiskaltrust.eu

ITV extends interactive services partnership with Fonix into its 10th year

ITV PLC, the UK’s leading commercial broadcaster, has entered into an agreement to extend its partnership with Fonix PLC, continuing a long-standing relationship focused on delivering mobile interactive services across ITV’s portfolio of programmes since 2017.

Under the extended agreement, Fonix will continue to power mobile carrier billing across ITV’s competition portfolio, while supporting SMS payments and interactive services across a range of flagship programmes, including I’m a Celebrity Get me out of Here, Love Island, Britain's Got Talent, Good Morning Britain, This Morning and ITV Sport.

Leveraging its Campaign Manager platform, Fonix provides secure, scalable SMS engagement infrastructure alongside real-time data insights, helping ITV enhance audience participation and deliver more dynamic, engaging viewer experiences.

Peter Mossman, Director of Production and Strategic Delivery at ITV, said: “Our partnership with Fonix has played an important role in shaping our interactive services. As audience behaviours continue to shift, it’s vital that we work with partners who can combine reliability with innovation. Fonix brings both, and we’re excited to continue building on what we’ve achieved together.”

Rob Weisz, CEO of Fonix, told That's Business: “Extending our work with ITV reflects the strength of the relationship we’ve built together, as well as a shared ambition to keep improving the viewer experience. Interactivity continues to play a key role in broadcast, and we’re proud to provide the technology and insight that helps ITV engage audiences at scale.”

https://www.fonix.com

Electrical faults found in 1 in 4 London rental homes

Electrical engineers are warning landlords and tenants to take safety checks seriously after inspections revealed that one in four rental properties in London contains potentially dangerous electrical faults.

According to engineers at Efficient Home Energy UK, which carries out electrical safety inspections across London, a significant number of rental properties fail their Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) due to issues that could pose a risk to occupants.

Common problems discovered during inspections include damaged wiring, overloaded consumer units, missing earthing protection, and outdated fuse boxes that no longer meet modern safety standards.

“Many landlords assume if the lights work and sockets turn on, the electrical system must be safe,” Ethem, an engineer at Efficient Home Energy told That's Business.

“However, customers are unaware of preventative measures that can be easily taken to prevent this. Installing a RCD unit or a new fuse box can mitigate risks substantially.”

Electrical safety regulations introduced in recent years require landlords in England to have a valid EICR carried out at least every five years, ensuring that electrical installations meet safety standards. Despite this, engineers say many properties still fail their inspections due to ageing wiring or DIY electrical work carried out by unqualified individuals.

Among the most common issues found during inspections are:

• Lack of RCD protection (residual current devices)

• Black and red cabling (indicating a very old type of wiring)

• Damaged or deteriorating wires

• Old MCBs (miniature circuit breakers)

• Unsafe consumer units or outdated fuse boxes

• Missing bonding or earthing protection

Electrical faults remain a leading cause of house fires in the UK, with engineers urging landlords to treat electrical inspections as a crucial safety measure rather than a formality.

“An EICR is designed to identify hidden risks before they become serious problems,” the spokesperson added. “Carrying out regular inspections helps protect tenants and ensures landlords remain compliant with current safety regulations.”

Tenants are also encouraged to report signs of electrical issues to landlords or property managers. Warning signs can include flickering lights, burning smells near sockets, frequently tripping circuit breakers, or discoloured plug outlets.

Landlords who fail to comply with electrical safety regulations can face enforcement action and fines of up to £30,000 from local authorities.

Further guidance on electrical safety inspections and landlord responsibilities can be found at https://efficienthomeenergy.uk.

That's Green: A Call for a National Clean-Up Campaign for Britai...

That's Green: A Call for a National Clean-Up Campaign for Britai...: A call for a nationwide UK campaign to clean roadside and railway verges, bringing together councils, schools, businesses and charities to ...

Why Every Business Should Encourage Employees to Use Departmental or Corporate Vision Boards

In many successful organisations, planning is not just about spreadsheets, targets and meetings. 

Increasingly, businesses are discovering the value of visual planning tools, such as departmental or company-wide vision boards, to keep teams aligned, motivated and focused on shared goals.

A vision board is simply a visual representation of goals, ambitions and priorities. 

Traditionally used in personal development, businesses are now adopting the concept as a powerful way to communicate strategy, inspire creativity and help employees see how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

Turning Strategy Into Something Employees Can See

One of the biggest challenges in business is translating leadership strategy into something meaningful for staff. A vision board helps bridge that gap.

Instead of a long document outlining company objectives, teams can see visual representations of:

Key targets for the year

Customer outcomes the company wants to achieve

Product launches or service improvements

Cultural goals such as sustainability or community impact

When employees can see the destination, they are far more likely to understand how their work contributes to reaching it.

Boosting Engagement and Ownership

Vision boards are particularly effective when employees help create them.

Encouraging departments to build their own boards allows teams to define how they will contribute to wider organisational goals. This fosters:

Greater ownership of objectives

Clearer team identity

Increased collaboration

Higher engagement levels

Instead of goals feeling imposed from above, employees become active participants in shaping the future of the business.

Encouraging Creativity and Innovation

Most workplaces are dominated by written reports, data and presentations. Vision boards introduce a different way of thinking.

Using images, keywords, diagrams and milestones encourages teams to think more creatively about:

Customer experiences

Product development

Marketing strategies

Workplace culture

Sometimes the act of visualising ideas leads to new insights and innovative solutions that might never emerge during a typical meeting.

Keeping Long-Term Goals Visible

Another benefit is simple visibility. Business plans often disappear into shared drives or management reports. Vision boards, on the other hand, can be displayed in offices, meeting rooms or digital collaboration spaces.

This keeps key priorities front of mind every day, helping teams stay focused on long-term outcomes rather than short-term distractions.

Digital tools such as collaborative whiteboards, project management platforms and shared dashboards make it easy for remote teams to maintain living vision boards that evolve as projects progress.

Building a Stronger Workplace Culture

Vision boards can also reinforce company values and culture. Businesses may choose to include visual reminders of:

Their mission and purpose

Community initiatives

Environmental commitments

Customer success stories

These visual cues help employees connect emotionally with the organisation’s purpose, which can significantly improve morale and retention.

A Simple Tool With Powerful Results

Vision boards require minimal investment but can deliver meaningful impact. Whether displayed on office walls or created digitally for distributed teams, they offer a practical way to align strategy, inspire staff and keep goals visible.

For businesses seeking stronger engagement, clearer communication and a shared sense of direction, encouraging employees to develop departmental or corporate vision boards may be one of the simplest and most effective steps they can take.

Why Pubs, Hotels, Restaurants, Confectioners and More Should Introduce White Day on 14 March

The UK hospitality sector is always looking for creative ways to attract customers during quieter periods of the year. 

While December is packed with festive bookings and February benefits from Valentine’s Day, mid-March can sometimes feel like a lull for pubs, restaurants, hotels and confectioners. 

One simple idea that could help fill that gap is embracing White Day, a popular celebration in Japan held on 14 March.

White Day is essentially the companion holiday to Valentine’s Day. 

In Japan, women traditionally give chocolates or gifts on 14 February. 

Exactly one month later, the recipients return the gesture on White Day by giving gifts in appreciation. These gifts often include white chocolate, marshmallows, biscuits, cakes, or thoughtful tokens.

For UK businesses, White Day presents a ready-made opportunity to extend the romantic and gifting season by another month.

A Fresh Hospitality Opportunity

Pubs and restaurants could introduce White Day menus or dessert specials, focusing on sweet treats and shareable dishes. White chocolate cheesecakes, marshmallow-topped hot chocolates, and dessert platters designed for couples or friends could make for an easy promotional hook.

Hotels might offer White Day weekend packages that build on the lingering appeal of Valentine’s experiences. A one-night stay with a dessert tasting, afternoon tea featuring white chocolate treats, or a “thank you” themed couples’ getaway could appeal to guests looking for a thoughtful post-Valentine gesture.

For confectioners and bakeries, the opportunity is even clearer. White Day gift boxes, themed chocolate selections, biscuit tins, or marshmallow assortments could be marketed as “return gifts” for someone who gave a Valentine’s treat the month before.

Perfect Timing in the Calendar

From a commercial perspective, White Day arrives at a very useful time. The weeks after Valentine’s Day can be relatively quiet, while Easter promotions may not yet have begun in full.

Introducing a White Day promotion creates a natural second wave of gifting, encouraging customers to come back into shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants in mid-March.

A Simple Story Customers Understand

The concept behind White Day is easy to explain: “Someone gave you a Valentine’s gift last month, now it’s your turn to say thank you.” That simple narrative makes it easy for hospitality businesses to build marketing around it.

Social media posts, table cards, window displays, and limited-edition menu items can quickly communicate the idea.

A Chance to Stand Out

Many UK businesses are already inspired by international food trends, from Japanese street food to Korean fried chicken. Introducing White Day allows hospitality venues to tap into that same sense of novelty and cultural curiosity.

Early adopters could position themselves as the first pubs, hotels, restaurants, or sweet shops in their area celebrating White Day.

A Small Idea with Big Potential

White Day doesn’t require complicated preparation. A few themed desserts, gift boxes, or promotional messages could be enough to test the concept.

But if it catches on, 14 March could become another welcome date in the UK hospitality calendar, a celebration of gratitude, good food, and thoughtful treats that keeps customers coming back for more.

That's Health: National Napping Day: Why a Short Snooze Might Be ...

That's Health: National Napping Day: Why a Short Snooze Might Be ...: National Napping Day highlights the benefits of short daytime naps and why a quick power nap can boost mood, focus, and productivity after t...

International Women’s Day: Why Supporting Women in Business Benefits Everyone

Every year on International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March, businesses, organisations and communities around the world recognise the achievements of women and reflect on the work still needed to create truly equal opportunities. 

For the business community, the day is more than a symbolic moment, it’s an opportunity to highlight progress, address challenges, and commit to building workplaces where women can thrive.

Over the past few decades, women have made enormous contributions across every sector of the economy. 

From technology and finance to hospitality, healthcare and retail, women are founding companies, leading organisations and shaping innovation. 

In the UK alone, female entrepreneurship continues to grow, with thousands of women launching start-ups and small businesses each year.

Yet despite this progress, barriers remain. Women are still under-represented in senior leadership roles and boardrooms in many industries. Access to funding can also be uneven, with female-led start-ups often receiving less venture capital investment than those led by men. Closing these gaps is not only a matter of fairness—it also makes strong business sense.

Research consistently shows diverse leadership teams lead to better decision-making, stronger innovation and improved financial performance. Companies that actively support gender diversity often benefit from wider perspectives, stronger workplace culture and greater resilience when facing challenges. In other words, businesses that invest in equality are often the businesses that perform best.

For small businesses and entrepreneurs, International Women’s Day is a reminder that building an inclusive environment starts with everyday decisions. Hiring practices, promotion policies, flexible working arrangements and mentoring opportunities all play a role in creating workplaces where everyone has a fair chance to succeed.

Flexible working in particular has become an important factor in supporting women’s careers. Many women still carry a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities, whether that involves raising children or supporting family members. Businesses that offer hybrid working, flexible hours or supportive parental leave policies often find they retain talent more effectively and attract a wider pool of skilled employees.

Mentorship and networking are also crucial. Women who have access to mentors, professional networks and leadership development programmes are often better positioned to advance their careers or grow their businesses. Many successful female entrepreneurs now dedicate time to mentoring the next generation, helping to break down barriers that once limited opportunities.

International Women’s Day also provides a valuable opportunity for businesses to showcase the achievements of the women who help drive their success. Highlighting female leaders, recognising employee contributions, or sharing stories of women in the organisation can inspire others and reinforce a culture of respect and recognition.

For business owners, supporting International Women’s Day does not need to involve grand gestures. Simple actions—such as hosting discussions about workplace equality, supporting female-led suppliers, promoting women’s achievements, or reviewing internal policies—can make a meaningful difference.

Ultimately, International Women’s Day is about progress. It celebrates how far society has come while reminding businesses that there is still work to do. By supporting equality, encouraging leadership opportunities and recognising the value women bring to every industry, businesses can help create a more inclusive and successful future.

For organisations of every size, from start-ups and family businesses to large corporations, International Women’s Day is a timely reminder that empowering women is not just the right thing to do. It’s also good business.

PropTech Startup LandSale Disrupts UK Real Estate Market, Attracting 82,000 Buyers in First 3 Weeks

Mainstream property portals have long buried rural, agricultural, and specialist properties under generic search categories. 

But that's changing now as LandSale, a new dedicated property portal focused exclusively on specialist real estate, such as land, country estates, farms, rural homes, and commercial properties, announced record-breaking growth, attracting 82,000 unique buyers to the site in its first three weeks.

While legacy platforms like Rightmove and Zoopla dominate standard residential housing, finding specialist properties is notoriously difficult. 

Buyers often report spending three to five hours scouring mainstream portals just to find a handful of matches that fit their criteria. 

LandSale solves this frustration with an advanced categorisation engine that organises over 20,000 UK properties across more than 100 specific niches. What used to take hours now takes buyers one to two minutes, immediately presenting them with hundreds of highly relevant options.

The platform is designed to handle anything over one acre, alongside highly sought-after sub-acre specialist categories. 

Whether a buyer is looking for a sprawling country estate, a rural home, a farm, a barn conversion, a piece of woodland, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units, or commercial opportunities like pubs and industrial sites, LandSale’s custom filters allow for pinpoint precision.

"Properties like farms, country homes, and specialist plots tend to get completely lost on the mainstream portals," said Adam Morris, Founder of LandSale. "We launched LandSale just three weeks ago as a dedicated portal to fix this, and the response has been incredible. Seeing 82,000 buyers on the site already proves there is a huge, underserved appetite for a platform built exactly for this market."

The platform's rapid ascent is mirrored by explosive community growth. In just 23 days, LandSale's social channels have amassed over 23,000 followers, generating 13 million organic views and 1.2 million engagements, highlighting a highly motivated and previously fragmented audience finally finding a central hub.

LandSale currently features the most comprehensive specialist property inventory in the UK. The company is actively onboarding estate agents, including independent rural agencies who are priced out of traditional portals, offering them direct, free access to this highly targeted buyer pool.

For more information, or to view the largest inventory of land for sale in the UK, visit LandSale.co.uk.

CloudPay Navigator gives teams control of global payroll and payments in one place, in real time

CloudPay has launched CloudPay Navigator, a new global operating system designed to change how payroll and payments are run.

CloudPay Navigator removes the need for manual checking and toggling between screens – enabling teams to view everything in once place, reducing risk and errors.

The platform, which is set to reduce operating time by up to 40%, is designed to replace fragmented systems, country-by-country execution and batch processing, allowing teams to get ahead of issues and manage payroll by exception.

CloudPay CEO Roland Folz, told That's Business: “This launch represents a major milestone in CloudPay’s roadmap and our long-standing commitment to delivering the best possible experience for our customers and users.

"With Navigator, we are bringing together automation, AI, and APIs in a way the global payroll industry has not seen before. Creating a single, intelligent control centre that simplifies complexity, increases confidence, and puts payroll teams firmly in control.

This is the result of decades of experience and close collaboration with our customers, and it reflects our belief that global payroll should be proactive, predictable, and powered by real-time intelligence. CloudPay Navigator is the next step in how we continue to raise the standard of service and innovation for global payroll teams worldwide.”

CloudPay Navigator operates payroll as a continuous process rather than a series of disconnected tasks. A single global dashboard replaces spreadsheets, emails, tickets, and third-party tools, giving teams a clear view of payroll status, ownership, and progress across countries and entities.

Building on a foundation of AI, CloudPay Navigator's automation and embedded intelligence validates data, tracks execution, and reports issues – enhanced by AI driven insights that learn from patterns and anticipate potential risks. This allows teams to intervene by exception rather than through manual checking, shifting payroll management from reactive issues resolution to earlier, more controlled action.

Navigator also standardises how payroll and payments operate across regions, applying the same governed operating model to every cycle while maintaining local compliance requirements. This consistency is intended to reduce operational risk and improve accuracy as organisations grow in scale and complexity.

CloudPay Navigator is available to all customers from this week (3/3/26) as part of CloudPay’s Unified Global Platform.

For details go to https://www.cloudpay.com/service/platform

Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations Turns 250 — Why the Ideas Still Matter for Business

The 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s landmark economic work The Wealth of Nations is being marked throughout 2026 by the University of Glasgow, with a programme of events designed to revisit the ideas that helped shape modern economic thinking.

First published in 1776, Smith’s book laid the foundations for how economists, policymakers and businesses understand markets, trade and prosperity. Smith developed many of the ideas behind the work while serving as a professor at the University of Glasgow, where his thinking on free markets, productivity and economic behaviour began to take shape.

To mark the anniversary, the university is hosting a series of events in Scotland and around the world aimed at exploring the continuing relevance of Smith’s work in the modern economy.

Revisiting the Foundations of Modern Economics

The 2026 programme will focus on three themes drawn from Smith’s work: the nature of wealth, the causes of wealth and the politics of wealth. Through conferences, exhibitions and public discussions, scholars and experts in business ethics, political economy and philosophy will examine how Smith’s ideas relate to contemporary economic challenges.

A key aim is to encourage discussion about how insights from the 18th century might still help address issues such as economic development, global trade and inequality.

Events will also examine the historical context in which Smith wrote, including the links between economics, empire, colonialism and slavery, and how these historical forces continue to shape societies today.

Alongside academic discussion, the programme includes several public-facing activities designed to bring Smith’s world to life. These include walking tours of Glasgow during Smith’s lifetime, an exhibition drawn from university archives and city collections, and an interactive online map game exploring the global landscape of 1776.

Global Conversations About Prosperity

One of the major highlights will be an international conference in October titled “Wealth of Nations at 250: Understanding Prosperity and Development in the Modern World.”

The event will explore why some nations prosper while others remain poor. Economists and policy experts will examine the factors that shape economic success, including geography, agriculture, institutions, culture and human behaviour.

The conference forms part of a wider academic project that includes a forthcoming book published by Cambridge University Press and edited by University of Glasgow economist Professor Alex Trew.

Inspiring Future Economists

The anniversary programme also aims to engage younger audiences. School outreach activities will introduce students to the study of economics and encourage them to consider university education, while a student competition will invite entrants to redesign the front cover of The Wealth of Nations.

For businesses and entrepreneurs, Smith’s ideas remain highly influential. Concepts such as market competition, productivity and the division of labour continue to underpin much of today’s economic thinking.

Two and a half centuries after its publication, The Wealth of Nations remains a reminder that many of the questions businesses and policymakers face today, about growth, fairness and prosperity, are far from new.

https://www.gla.ac.uk

6 million legitimate debts go uncollected annually, not because people don’t have a case, but because justice costs too much

A new AI platform, GotAClaim, helps UK consumers and small businesses generate a legally compliant Letter Before Action for £10, making it easier to pursue unpaid debts and disputes.

A new legal technology platform aims to make it easier and cheaper for people to pursue unpaid debts and disputes without needing immediate legal advice.

GotAClaim, founded by Tim Hegarty, helps individuals and small businesses generate a Letter Before Action (LBA), the formal notice typically required before legal proceedings can begin in the UK.

The idea for the platform came after Hegarty helped a friend draft an LBA using basic AI tools after the friend had been quoted a staggering £250 by a solicitor simply to explain the process.

Despite having no coding experience, Hegarty used AI tools to build the website himself. Five months later, the platform launched and now allows users to generate a compliant LBA for £10.

Users describe their situation in plain English and the system produces a structured legal letter ready to send.

The service is designed for common disputes including unpaid invoices, tenancy deposit disagreements, breached agreements and personal loans.

Hegarty says the aim isn't to replace solicitors but to help people overcome the initial barrier that prevents many legitimate claims from being pursued.

According to estimates cited by the company, around six million valid claims go unfiled in the UK each year because people are unsure how to start the legal process.

www.gotaclaim.com

"I think if you said 'airline captain', you're probably not visualising me" Manchester Airport Podcast Spotlights Women in Aviation Careers

Five women from across the aviation industry shared their career journeys with hundreds of young people during a special live recording of Manchester Airport’s official podcast.

The episode of Manchester: Your Airport, MAN was recorded in front of a live audience at the airport’s inaugural Aviation Careers Festival, attended by secondary school and college students keen to learn more about opportunities in the sector. The special episode is being released in both audio and video formats to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March.

Hosted by former BBC Radio 6 Music, Key 103 and Rock FM presenter Hywel Evans, the event featured a live Q&A session where pupils asked the panel about careers in aviation and what it takes to succeed in the industry.

The panel included Melanie Lawley, Head of Airfield Operations at Manchester Airport; Kate Wild, an Air Traffic Controller with NATS; Lauren Wigglesworth, a Captain at Virgin Atlantic; Laura Moskal-Beresford, a member of Virgin Atlantic’s cabin crew; and Abi Owen-Hodgson, an apprentice aircraft engineer with easyJet.

The speakers answered a wide range of questions, from how to enter aviation careers to what happens when air traffic controllers encounter unexpected situations in the skies. They also discussed their favourite destinations to fly into and the day-to-day realities of working in a busy international airport environment.

The discussion also highlighted the aviation industry’s ongoing efforts to address gender imbalance. Women currently account for only around five per cent of commercial pilots, although panellists said they are seeing steady progress.

Virgin Atlantic captain Lauren Wigglesworth emphasised the importance of representation in encouraging more women to pursue aviation careers.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” she said. “If someone imagines an airline captain, they might not picture me, but I hope seeing women in these roles today shows young people what’s possible.”

The Manchester: Your Airport, MAN podcast launched in 2023 and has since produced four series, building an audience of more than 10,000 listeners. The International Women’s Day special is available on major podcast platforms, with a video version also available on YouTube.

https://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/blog/posts/ultimate-airport-guide/manchester-your-airport-man-podcast/

Performance in practice took centre stage at CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2026

CIBSE has announced the winners of the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2026, which took place on 5 March 2026 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London.

Hosted by comedian Maisie Adam, the annual flagship CIBSE event has once more brought together leaders from across the built environment to recognise projects, products and professionals delivering measurable building performance outcomes and advancing excellence in building services engineering.

The CIBSE Building Performance Awards celebrate evidence-based performance, rewarding those who demonstrate a commitment to closing the performance gap and delivering buildings that work in practice, for people and for the planet.

Dr Julie Godefroy, Chair of the Judges and Head of Net Zero at CIBSE, told That's Business: “The CIBSE Building Performance Awards have long promoted a focus on how buildings actually work, for people and for the environment. 

"I'm delighted that they have kept growing, with a record number of entries to the 2026 edition. This year saw the introduction of dedicated categories to reward Building Performance Evaluation, which attracted huge interest, reflecting the range of products and services now on offer in this field. 

"Across all categories we've seen a wide spread of entries, from individuals to large organisations, from small projects to portfolios, new builds to retrofits and FM projects, and from across the world. Thank you and well done to everyone for their continued work in driving engineering excellence.”

The awards ceremony concluded with a renewed call for the industry to continue prioritising building performance as a central pillar in achieving net zero and creating healthier, more resilient buildings.

For more details and the full list of winners visit https://www.cibse.org

UK Staffing Deficit? DataToBiz has the answer!

DataToBiz expands Power BI delivery bench with embedded specialists in the UK.

Execution remains the top push for every enterprise in the UK. Rigid delivery models and long hiring cycles are proving unsuited for modern data transformation initiatives. 

DataToBiz addresses Britain’s skills shortage by expanding its Power BI-focused delivery bench, deploying high-velocity teams to the company's technical backend.

The Staffing Deficit in the UK

Britain’s digital transformation ambitions are colliding with a widening analytics skills gap. According to the most recent Digital Leadership Report, over half UK tech leaders (52%) report a shortage in technology skills, the largest such tech shortfall in over 15 years, a shift that risks bottlenecking BI, analytics, and data programmes, industry-wide.

Ankush Sharma, Co-founder & CEO of DataToBiz, explained to That's Business: “UK enterprises are not short of ambition or strategy; they're short of execution bandwidth. That's precisely the reason behind extending the staffing bench to them, to deliver acceleration.”

A ‘Governed’ Bench for Modern BI

To reverse the shortfall, DataToBiz has expanded its Power BI delivery bench with embedded specialists and made them available for short and long-term project timelines.

With the extended staffing bench at DataToBiz, they introduced AI co-pilot integration experts, dashboard automation specialists, and platform engineering expertise as well. 

Ready-to-implement solutions, like the Fabric Spend Analyser fast-track deployment, are helping firms level up their analytics maturity at pace.

This extended bench functions as a governed, accountable extension of in-house teams rather than mere external contractors. 

With experience across 10+ Fortune 500 enterprises and partnerships spanning the UK and 20 other countries, supported by ISO and AICPA-aligned standards, DataToBiz positions its Power BI augmentation model as a trusted, scalable chance for UK organisations to correct the course.

Execution Is Where Shift Happens!

Enterprises rarely lack vision; they never do! But to align the strategies, or the out-of-the-box idea, with execution is what requires support. By extending its Power BI delivery bench, DataToBiz is hoping to work beyond intent but implementation for Britain’s data-first businesses.

https://www.datatobiz.com

Why Your Press Release Isn’t Getting Noticed (And How to Fix It)

Every day thousands of press releases land in journalists’ inboxes through services like Pressat, PR Newswire and Business Wire.

Most of them never become stories.

Not because journalists are lazy or uninterested, but because many press releases fail to answer one simple question quickly enough:

“What is the actual news here?”

After decades of newsroom experience, many journalists admit they spend the first few seconds of a release trying to work out its point. If the story isn’t obvious immediately, they move on.

For businesses hoping to gain coverage, understanding how journalists read press releases can make the difference between being ignored and being published.

The Problem With Most Press Releases

Many companies write press releases like marketing brochures. They begin with branding, mission statements, and corporate language before getting to the actual announcement.

A typical opening might read something like:

“XYZ Ltd today reaffirmed its commitment to innovation and customer excellence…”

At this point a journalist still has no idea what has actually happened.

Editors are looking for a clear news event, a launch, partnership, report, trend, price change, or major milestone. 

If the release buries that information halfway down the page, or even worse, in the last paragraph, the chances of it being read drop dramatically.

The 5-Second News Test

A good press release should pass a simple test.

If a journalist reads only the first two sentences, they should immediately know:

what happened

who did it

why it matters

If that information isn’t clear straight away, rewrite the opening.

For example:

Weak opening:

“ABC Technologies continues its mission to transform the digital landscape.”

Stronger opening:

“ABC Technologies has launched a new AI tool that helps small businesses cut customer service costs.”

The second version tells a journalist instantly whether the story is relevant.

Tricks to Make Your Release Stand Out

Lead with the news.

Your first sentence should contain the announcement.

Give a reason it matters now.

Tie your story to a trend, price change, new regulation, or current issue.

And don't use First Person in your press release. Because a press release that says "I" or "we" do something would, when seen by a reader of the publication as something the publication is doing. Instead, use a third person perspective, such as "The company will do..." instead.

Use one strong quote.

Journalists rarely use long quotes. One clear sentence is far more valuable.

Cut the feature list.

Three key points are better than ten minor details.

Keep it short.

Most newsroom rewrites end up around 350–450 words.

Think Like a Journalist

The most effective press releases read less like advertising and more like a short news article.

When companies focus on the story rather than the promotion, journalists can see the value instantly, and that dramatically increases the chances of coverage.

There are several companies who can help you submit your press releases to news outlets. These are some of them:-

Pressat:

https://pressat.co.uk

PR Newswire:

https://www.einpresswire.com

Responsesource:

https://www.responsesource.com