Management skills are rarely taken seriously in the UK, according to a research report reported in the Economist magazine which argues that “the standard of British management is “significantly below” that in leading countries. John van Reenen, director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics,  conducted research among 14,000 employees throughout the world, concluding that Britain’s managers are simply “not in the premiere league.” International Workplace is an accredited centre for the Institute ... Continue reading

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) should have given more thought to the consequences of its move from London to Newport in Wales, according to an interim report by Professor Sir Charles Bean. The report forms part of an independent review of the operations and performance of ONS, which has come under criticism in recent years over the accuracy of the statistics it produces. The report’s findings will be of interest to human resources and facilities management professionals, who make strategic decisions about how and where resources s... Continue reading

Labour exploitation remains rampant in Qatar as the authorities fail to deliver significant reforms, Amnesty International claims on the fifth anniversary of Qatar winning the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Despite massive public exposure of the appalling conditions faced by most migrant construction workers, the Qatari authorities have done almost nothing effective to end chronic labour exploitation according to the campaigning organisation. Amnesty International has carried out five research missions to Qatar in the past four years ... Continue reading

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has confirmed that Sweett Group plc has admitted an offence under Section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010 regarding conduct in the Middle East. The offence relates to the charge of “failing to prevent an associated person bribing another to obtain or retain business for the company”. It is a full defence for an organisation to prove that despite a particular case of bribery it nevertheless had adequate procedures in place to prevent persons associated with it from bribing. The company’s admission of the offence s... Continue reading

The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), FM EXPO and i-fm.net have collaborated to produce a picture of the regional facilities management (FM) industry, viewed by the professionals who work in it every day. This survey captures a complete picture of the FM market confidence by gaining the views of the sector’s senior decision makers as well as the teams on the ground delivering these services throughout the Middle East. The outcome of this gives an accurate indication of the FM market and a forecast of overall business confide... Continue reading