CMI Highlights – 8 February 2023

Dear all,

It’s a week of celebration here at CMI. Specifically, we’re celebrating apprentices and the impact they make on businesses and productivity. CMI’s director of policy, Anthony Painter, spoke at the Southampton City Council Future of Work Summit last week on the importance of management and leadership and the skills gaps in these areas. As companies in all sectors struggle to get the skills they need, nurturing your home-grown talent through an apprenticeship could be your answer to filling your organisation’s skills gaps – they aren’t just for school leavers. 

Last chance!

It’s your last chance to book a place to hear CMI’s patron, HRH The Countess of Wessex GCVO, and CMI’s 2022 Gold Medal Winner, Dame Sharon White DBE, converse with CMI Chief Executive, Ann Francke OBE, on the seismic impact that apprenticeships offer, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. CMI data referenced recently in The New Statesman highlighted that over 70% of management apprentices come from families in which neither parent went to university, allowing people to “earn while they learn” – which is vital for boosting social mobility.

Multimedia appearances

You may have spotted that CMI data on ageism in the workplace featured in a recent trending BBC News article, too: “Over-50s at work: ‘You feel your usefulness has passed’”. This research on the attitudes of employers towards hiring older workers was covered across a number of media outlets, plus over 20 BBC Radio channels, LBC and Times Radio. Ann Francke was also interviewed on BBC News 24 about the practical measures leaders can take to encourage people over 50 back into work.

This week we also released the latest episode of our Workplace in Review docuseries; this instalment examines barriers facing the LGBTQIA+ community as we mark LGBTQIA+ History Month – watch it here, and do share this valuable resource with your networks.

Leadership challenges

You may remember Elon Musk’s controversial firing of Twitter employees via email… Anthony Painter weighed in on the damaging impact of Elon Musk’s leadership approach on employee engagement and motivation, wellbeing and workplace diversity in an article in Benefits Expert. We also published an article this week on how to get remote redundancies right – proving you can still execute them sensitively and compassionately over a screen.

More fresh insights include:

• Navigating the tricky task of calling out unacceptable behaviour
• The number 1 risk to your supply chains: cyber security
• The lack of authenticity at work – and what it means for your leadership style

Have a brilliant week.

Best wishes,

Ian