Guardian analysis finds many large England-based firms opt to keep staff working at homeEngland: sector-by-sector look at work plans of major employersFuture shape of offices: proposals to make workplaces safeA slew of England’s biggest businesses are set to defy the government’s push to get workers back into offices in August, a Guardian analysis shows, with many big businesses sticking to home working arrangements or delaying a partial return until September at the earliest.Law firms, insurers, energy providers and tech firms are among those reacting cautiously to the change in government advice, which means from Saturday employers can decide whether staff can safely come back to offices. Some companies, such as Google and NatWest Group, are allowing workers to stay at home until 2021 amid signs of a permanent shift in working culture. Continue reading...

31 Jul 2020 05:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Sales of single-use carrier bags drop by 95% in main supermarkets since introduction of 5p charge in 2015Shoppers’ use of plastic carrier bags in England has continued to fall – by 59% in the last year alone – since the introduction of the 5p charge, according to recent figures.Overall, sales of single-use plastic carrier bags have dropped by more than 95% in England’s main supermarkets since the charge was introduced in October 2015, government data reveals. Continue reading...

30 Jul 2020 12:57 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

BlackRock analysis shows investments more resilient during Covid-19 market crashCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageInvesting in companies with better records on social issues and good governance pays according to the world’s largest asset manager, with those investments having proved to be more financially resilient during the coronavirus market crash.Investment funds tracking the performance of companies with better ratings on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues lost less money than those including worse performers in 94% of cases during the crisis, according to analysis by BlackRock, the US investment manager which managed $6.5tn (£5.3tn) in assets at the end of March. Continue reading...

17 May 2020 23:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Tory MPs fear that the growth of the role of the state is accepted as necessary by the publicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus pandemic has forced the British government to spend large amounts to keep its economy afloat and ensure the wellbeing of the public. Ministers did so without paying heed to questions of cost. They were right to forgo such concerns. We are seeing wartime levels of spending, pushing deficits – and public debt – to new highs. But the analogy does not get us very far.In wartime the aim is to maximise production. Lockdowns minimise production. The solution is not to dwell on GDP. That will inevitably fall in a shutdown, which requires us to transact less intensely. As ministers contemplate a path out of the lockdown, there must be a frank conversation with the public about the big shift under way in the economy from its previous carefree state to a permanently distanced one. Part of that conversation is that as far as the economy is concerned, the state should be here to stay. Continue reading...

05 May 2020 18:25 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Government is consulting on policies to enable return to work during coronavirus crisis Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMinisters have shared seven documents with employer groups and trade unions on how some companies could ask staff to return to their workplaces. However, unions are worried about many aspects of the draft advice produced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Continue reading...

04 May 2020 17:51 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

According to one analysis, 5 million more Britons could be jobless by the end of May due to coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUnemployment up a tad to 4%. Job vacancies and pay growth down a fraction. Britain’s latest official labour market figures are a bit like the Domesday Book: comprehensive and rich in detail but of historical interest only.The contrast between the US and the UK is stark. On the other side of the Atlantic economists can already have a reasonably good shot at estimating the impact of Covid-19 on unemployment because there are weekly updates on the number of people filing jobless claims. In the past four weeks, these have totalled 22 million. Continue reading...

21 Apr 2020 11:20 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Guardian Money asks experts in finance, the workplace, property and food to give their predictionsWill the coronavirus change the way we spend, shop and invest our money, long after the virus is history? Will we abandon city centre offices, with many more permanently working from home? Or will we return to all our past practices once this grim episode is over?Guardian Money asked experts in finance, the workplace, property, food and the environment to set out what they think will emerge in the medium term. Continue reading...

04 Apr 2020 09:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN