More business owners are swapping rigid 9-5 schedules and traditional office environments in favour of flexible space and remote working as an option for saving costs, retaining employees and encouraging a healthy work-life balance. With this in mind, Instant Offices investigates what industries are leading the way for remote working and how to overcome the typical challenges of managing a remote team.
A 2016 study conducted by Vodafone involving 8,000 global employees and employers found that three-quarters of companies worldwide have already switched to flexible working options. 61% believe that it had increased …

By Kelvin Summoogum, Founder and CEO of miiCare
 When you are running your own business you have a lot on your plate. If you find yourself in the position where a parent or other elderly relative needs support it can create additional stress and worry. It is a balancing act; finding ways to ensure loved-ones are safe and cared for while fulfilling the demands of your business.
Thankfully, technology is already empowering the elderly to stay in their homes safely for longer. For example, loneliness can be alleviated through user-friendly smartphones, tablets, …

Life changing events do not come any bigger than having a baby. It sounds like an obvious statement, but it’s not until you experience it that you really understand how profoundly true it is. Even your name has changed – now, you are Mum and the person you were begins to seem like someone from a different world.
That is a fact that comes sharply into focus for those who choose to return to work after a period of maternity leave. On the surface, everything looks more or less the same, …

By Professor John Hunter, Tharos
 Getting any product to market is a challenge but with scientific products there are added hurdles.
If your product is in medical equipment, food & nutrition, veterinary, health etc. it will need rigorous testing and supporting evidence to gain credibility with, and confidence from potential buyers a well as meeting regulatory requirements.
After many years of research and testing my company, Tharos™, launched Equinectar®, an enzyme-enriched feed supplement for performance racehorses.
The journey from getting the science right to raising investment has been a significant challenge. Let me …

Written by Conor McArdle, Brighter Business
Work takes up a large slice of our time, but it has to fit around family and social life – and returning to work after parental leave can present some challenges, particularly if you are a business leader. For many new parents, there’ll be a spectrum of emotions to contend with, from excitement and nerves, to a tinge of guilt and dislocation. So, if you’re a new mum or dad preparing to return to work, you may want to think about putting practices into place …

As any working mother will tell you we are all consumed with “mummy guilt” whether it be about working too much, not working enough, being there for the children, being there too much for the children.  Not making enough time for ourselves and making sure that we are 100% healthy. Most working mothers will worry over our children’s sniffles or sore leg, but what about us? Why do we never take time to ensure our physical – and mental – health is in tiptop condition?  Having to take time off …

The attention spans of time-poor UK workers are suffering as a result of multi-screening across their devices at work when they should be concentrating.
According to a survey of 1,002 UK workers in full or part-time employment carried out by Probrand.co.uk, 89% confess to ‘tech multi-tasking’ – or checking their devices during meetings.
A further 81% are also guilty of doing so when they are actually carrying out other tasks at work.
Checking emails is the number one task Brits will compulsively undertake in this manner. However, bosses need not worry too much, as in these cases at least, workers are it seems focused on something else …

Facilitating growth in a new startup comes with plenty of challenges, so you don’t need things being complicated further with the presence of a lawsuit being brought against your company. Being sued can have significant financial repercussions and it’s a stressful process when you’re not sufficiently prepared. Without the proper defence strategy and response, a startup could be put out of business when faced with vexatious litigation. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to protect yourself from such consequences by heeding the following advice.
Obtain Professional Assistance ASAP
First, before you start negotiating …

Traditional employee benefits like flexi-time and sabbaticals are declining in popularity, giving way to a growing demand for social and learning-based perks at work.
A study of 2,315 UK workers published in the 2018 Great Perk Search Report by Perkbox, the UK’s fastest growing employee benefits platform, employees are increasingly keen for companies to offer them clubs and activities that they can enjoy with their colleagues, such as knitting and book clubs.
These were more popular amongst workers than even ‘traditional’ benefits like sabbatical opportunities (64/100), free drinks on Fridays (69/100), Christmas parties (73/100) and flexi-time (83/100) – with …

A recent report has shown that tenants in private rental property in the UK are more satisfied than ever before with their current rental accommodation. The UK housing market has been experiencing considerable changes over the past few years. We’ve witnessed an economic crash, the growth of the private rental sector and changing tax policies that have affected everyone. One key trend is the increase in renters in the UK, and recent research has shown the high quality of UK rental accommodation and widely satisfied tenants.
There are more tenants than …