Author: Rhys Gregory

The demand for flexible workspace is set to accelerate as over two thirds of global corporates plan to increase their use of flexible co-working and collaborative space over the next three years, according to new research from Knight Frank. [aoa id=”1″] Knight Frank’s (Y)OUR SPACE report, surveys senior executives at 120 global companies which collectively employ in excess of 3.5 million people worldwide and occupy an estimated 233 million sq ft of office space, equivalent to the total amount of office space in Central London. The research shows global corporates intend to operate increasingly from flexible, serviced and co-working spaces,…

A Cardiff businessman whose life turned upside down after a bout of food poisoning left him disabled has found time to shine again by bringing workplace disability confidence into the UK spotlight. Julian John had to learn to stand, walk and talk again after a gastric reaction to a steak he ate in a restaurant saw him suffer a blackout and left him house bound for three years. The former HR consultant was working for some of the largest retail companies in Europe when he was diagnosed with an acquired brain injury, thought to stem from a bacterial infection, and…

The number of calls from people with cancer facing difficulties at work has shot up over two years – with some employers reported to be breaking the law – a leading cancer charity has revealed today.  New figures, from Macmillan Cancer Support, show a 74% increase in calls to its support line on a range of work-related issues such as discrimination and even dismissal, as a result of a cancer diagnosis. A YouGov poll for the charity reveals that one in five (20%) employees who returned to work after cancer reported facing discriminatory treatment, such as demotion.  Worryingly 22% of…

High-Performance IT consultancy DevOpsGroup is the first provider to deliver training in DevOps from BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.  [aoa id=”1″]The Foundation Level Certificate in DevOps is a two-day course positioned as a starting point for individuals and organisations looking to make the transition to DevOp sand promotes framework-agnostic learning. Participants will develop an understanding of the fundamental DevOps values, practices and techniques as they work towards improved workflows and faster deployments. Over the past few months, business leaders and IT professionals from an array of industries have travelled to London and Cardiff to take part in the first…

Around 25 professionals gathered for Wales’ first global online festival last week dedicated to bringing together the circular economy community from across South West Wales. The event helped organisations understand the theory and application behind the concept of the circular economy.  [aoa id=”1″] EFT Consult, a specialist in building services design consultancy and the implementation of the principles of the circular economy, officially launched the Circular Economy Club in Swansea on 14th November 2018 with the support of 4theRegion – a new regional engagement project for South West Wales. Held at the new Construction Wales Innovation Centre at the University…

A police chief has hit out after being “gagged” to try and stop him from warning people in North Wales about the threat to law and order caused by the Brexit chaos. [aoa id=”1″] The region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones, says the National Police and Crime Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners has issued what amounts to a gagging order to the country’s 41 police and crime commissioners. The latest information from the National Police Chiefs Council and APCC about policing contingency arrangements for a ‘No Deal’ Brexit are marked ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ and a warning that they…

Around 180 of the club’s members and their guests enjoyed one of the biggest dates in the Swansea social calendar and they were treated to an afternoon of entertainment from stand up comedienne and actress Tiff Stevenson. President of Swansea Bay Business Club, Paul Gardner, commented: “Once again we’ve played host to one of the biggest and best Beaujolais celebrations across the city and it was great to hear the whole room packed with our guests laughter as they enjoyed the iconic Swansea celebration that is Beaujolais. “With Tiff as our entertainment for the afternoon we knew that we’d be…

A popular restaurant group that’s served 350,000 diners and spent £1.3 million with North Wales suppliers this year has been honoured with a top award for its massive contribution to tourism in the region. [aoa id=”1″] Dylan’s, which has three seaside restaurants in Menai Bridge, Criccieth and Llandudno, received the Special Recognition Award at the 2018 Go North Wales Tourism Awards. The glittering ceremony at Venue Cymru, Llandudno was organised by North Wales Tourism which represents more than 1,500 tourism-related members across the area. The audience was entertained by Britain’s Got Talent finalist Gruffydd Wyn Roberts, from Anglesey. Other…

A Kilsby Williams tax manager took a walk on the wild side, as she trekked along the Great Wall of China for five days to raise vital funds for charity. After hearing about an opportunity to use her passion for hiking to raise money for charity, Rachael Day jumped at the chance to take on the challenge with her partner Alastair and his colleagues at Ensono. She quickly decided to join the Caerphilly-based IT Consultants team and hike a challenging 35km of the world’s longest wall. As part of the Ensono team, Rachael helped raise over £20,000, doubling the original…

The MIB reported last month that thousands of people are unwittingly breaking the law by driving other people’s cars without insurance, resulting in over 3,000 vehicles being seized between July 2016 and June 2018. Research by Tempcover, a temporary motor insurance provider, reveals that over the past few years, most insurers have been quietly modifying or removing ‘drive any car’ clauses after they were increasingly abused by motorists looking to dodge rising premiums. That means that you can’t assume that you can just drive someone else’s car. These days, many drivers are unlikely to find the ‘drive any car’ clause…