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Manufacturing as an industry evolves with the times, so when technology changes and paves the way for the future, the world of manufacturing is enhanced along with it. From things like computer development programs, right up to 3D printing, mass production continues to be affected by technological changes – including artificial intelligence. AI, by its very definition, performs tasks that usually require human intelligence. In a world where humans are being replaced by robots, how far can it go before a real person is required for the job?

How important is diversity?

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) released a new report in response to the Chancellor's request in July 2020 around Capital Gains Tax (CGT). At a time where public finances have been rocked due to the ongoing pandemic, this has certainly increased anxiety for business owners seeking to sell their business.

This disparity is one of the main sources of controversy in the OTS consultation. Whilst this can be justified as rewarding risk and promoting enterprise, this rate of disparity can distort business and family decision making and can create an incentive for taxpayers to effectively re-characterise income as capital gains.

With this anticipation of a change in CGT, what does this mean for the M&A market within Facilities Management? After a year of navigating through a turbulent socio-economic backdrop, underpinned by a global pandemic and the United Kingdom’s separation from the European Union, the potential of a higher tax environment will cause further pressures on business owners and exit strategies.

Traditionally, a HR department consists of a group of people that keep everything held together, they keep everything under control, deal with queries and ensure the workplace runs smoothly and without conflict. However, the function is a lot more important to an organisation – from aligning business and people strategies to focusing on D&I, employee wellbeing, and talent acquisition. There is often a lot of influence on the board from HR, with some HRDs being head of people/culture and much more.

Diversity and Inclusion – a huge topic currently and for good reason.
Regardless of business’ trying to navigate through unprecedented times with the ongoing pandemic, D&I has remained a priority.

Ensuring you have a diverse workforce has arguably, never been as scrutinised as it is at present, leading to a real emphasis on how and which businesses are acting on their D&I agenda. New data revealing that globally, searches for D&I roles have increased by 122%, coupled with the knowledge we have from numerous studies and research, shows that the importance of D&I is being taken seriously across (the majority of) businesses as well as employees and is an area that if not already, will need to be a key focus for businesses moving forward.