At the beginning of 2024, the government changed the tourist visa to allow for remote working; ESG was removed from the corporate governance code and a fifth of employees reported having experienced burnout.
Tourist visa changed to allow remote working
The visitor visa legislation changed on 31 January to allow remote working.
People visiting the UK can now officially respond to work emails or participate in remote meetings and calls.
The government published guidance that clarified immigration officials would have to check applicants' main purpose for coming to the UK.
Charlotte Wills, partner at immigration law firm Fragomen, said that this opened the door to “workcations”.
A fifth of employees reported burnout
A fifth (20%) of UK workers said they had to take time off work due to stress in the last year, research by Mental Health UK revealed.
At the same time, data from the Office for National Statistics in January showed that long-term sickness absence reached a record high.
Chief executive of Mental Health UK, Brian Dow, said: “The UK is rapidly becoming a burnt out nation.”
Dow pointed to the cost of living crisis and continued global tensions as contributors to employees’ stress.
ESG removed from UK Corporate Governance Code
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) removed all references to environmental and social governance (ESG) its new version of the UK Corporate Governance Code.
The code is part of the UK company law and corporate governance framework, and applies to all Premium-listed companies on the London Stock Exchange.
The FRC revised the code in response to a government consultation on restoring trust in corporate governance in 2022.
Luke Hildyard, executive director of responsible business thinktank the High Pay Centre, described the deletion as “an interesting indicator of recent backlash against the concepts of responsible business practice and accountability from some investors and corporate leaders”.
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