In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there
Talent into TikTok trade
From tufting to cocktail making, there are many skills people have showcased on TikTok which they’ve now turned into a business.
TikTok is one of the most used social media platforms in the world with 656 million people downloading it in 2021. The app has also found a home for those wanting to turn their hobbies into trades.
Some of the biggest TikTokers have made their passions into a career.
Tufting, the process of making rugs on canvas, has become an increasingly popular trend on TikTok. TikToker Jamie Hoang (@WangStudioUK), who makes unique designs on canvas, such as recreating ‘The Girl With a Pearl Earring’ drinking a cup of bubble tea.
Another celebrated TikToker is Cam Pickstock (@Cam.Createz) who turns rugs into everyday garments, decorating shoes and clothing with paintings of famous musicians, such as Post Malone and A$AP Rocky. His custom designs have attracted 585,100 TikTok followers. This success has enabled him to start a career commissioning wearable art, working alongside multiple music artists and global fashion brands.
Vladymyr Buryanov (@SlickBartender) takes ‘flair’ bartending to the next level with his content attracting 9.8 million followers. Content includes everything from cocktail recipes to abstract ice sculptures. His career has soared since the pandemic. He has become a full-time content creator, working with global brands like FC Barcelona and FC Juventus, as well as being recognised by successful influencers, PewDiePie and MrBeast.
“Go mute – you’re snoring!”
We’ve become accustomed in online group interactions to regular utterings of “You’re on mute”. We may need to add “You’re snoring” since one in four people have admitted to nodding off in a video call or virtual event.
Some 24% of event attendees admitted they’ve fallen asleep during an online event, rising to 34% of 18-34-year-olds, according to research by EventsX. The virtual events software provider commissioned a poll of more than 500 event goers and business decision makers to understand how people have adapted to virtual meetings and events.
A quarter (25%) confessed they’d consumed alcohol on a video call – rising to 30% of 18-34-year-olds but dropping to 10% of those aged over 55.
Some 36% said they’ve played games on their computer during a work call or virtual event that they found boring, rising to almost 49% of 18-24-year-olds.
Almost half (49%) have answered the door to a delivery driver during a video call or virtual event – rising to 57% of 25-34-year-olds. Some 57% have muted a call to speak to someone in their household, or to take a phone call, while being with others online.
Low take-up of paternity leave
Just one-third of UK eligible fathers are taking paternity leave, finds analysis by law firm, EMW.
According to HMRC figures from March, just 204,000 fathers claimed paternity leave in the year 2021-22.
Employers have been urged to boost paternity pay for new dads as experts highlight that the cost of living is increasing faster than financial support. Statutory paternity pay is currently £157 per week – an increase of just £20 since 2014. If this had kept up with inflation since that time, the analysis found, fathers would now be eligible to earn £181 per week.
Jon Taylor, principal at EMW, said fathers were getting a “raw deal” on paternity pay amid the cost of living crisis, highlighting that it was “not increasing anywhere near fast enough to keep up with the spiralling cost of living”.
Office for National Statistics figures from June this year calculated the average salary in the UK to be £562 a week, meaning fathers whose only entitlement is statutory paternity pay were taking home just a quarter of the average weekly earnings.
Frasers Group scraps Friday homeworking
Frasers Group has scrapped its Frasers Friday policy which allowed staff to work from home, claiming that employee social media posts suggested some were relaxing instead of working.
Chief operating officer David Al-Mudallal wrote in an internal memo that Friday had become an “unproductive day of the week” and there were “too many examples of people or teams not being contactable when they need to be…and colleagues who via their social media profiles are demonstrating they’re not treating Friday as a working day”, according to an article published by Personnel Today on 15 July: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/frasers-group-home-working-policy-scrapped/
The retail empire, which owns brands including House of Fraser and Sports Direct, employs more than 25,000 people across its stores and two head office locations in Oxford Street, London and Shirebrook, Derbyshire. It introduced the policy at the end of 2020 when Covid-19 cases were rising.
Many workers remain reluctant to return to offices, according to research by XpertHR published in July: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/hybrid-working-survey-xperthr-employees-reluctant-to-return/
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Email: liz@coaching-at-work.com