The loneliness of the long-distance home worker
A third of home workers get lonely and 65% miss mixing with fellow professionals according to new research by Regus. The results of its latest poll also show that 52% of respondents say they get cabin fever working from home. In addition, home-working causes problems with family members for some - 39% said that they feel their family take their work less seriously when they work from home. According to Regus, 45% of UK workers are now based outside of their main office for more than half the week.
How quickly do freelancers get paid?
New research into the UK's self employed workforce has found that IT consultants are the best at chasing late payments, taking just nine days to get paid. The study, by Crunch Accounting, has found that writers and publishers were second best at chasing late payments, taking 20 days. At the other end of the scale, it took an average of 31 days for freelance videographers to be paid in 2015; followed by graphic designers (30 days) and marketers (29 days).
UK surges ahead on superfast broadband
The UK is already ahead of its European peers on superfast broadband coverage, take-up and average speeds and it is set to become one of the best performing countries worldwide by 2020, according a new study by Analysys Mason commissioned by BT. By 2018, more than 95% of UK premises will have access to superfast broadband according to the report. Matt Yardley, partner at Analysys Mason, said: "When it comes to superfast broadband coverage, the UK is around three years ahead of the Western European average, and by 2020 we expect the UK will be ahead of the USA and similar to Japan."
Manufacturing stalls for first time since 2013
Manufacturing output growth stalled in September - for the first time in two and a half years, according to the latest CBI Monthly Industrial Trends Survey. Export orders also deteriorated, falling back to the lowest level in six months. And manufacturers' expectations for growth over the coming three months are the weakest since October 2013. Rain Newton-Smith, CBI director of economics, said: "Exports are the missing link in the UK recovery at the moment, with the strong pound squeezing manufacturers' margins, even though lower commodity prices are helping to ease cost pressures."