WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH ARE A TOP PRIORITY; WHAT HAPPENS WHEN 200,000 SMALL BUSINESS COME OFF LIFE SUPPORT?

WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH ARE A TOP PRIORITY; WHAT HAPPENS WHEN 200,000 SMALL BUSINESS COME OFF LIFE SUPPORT?

Welcome to this week’s business & media intelligence update, with insights collected over the past week.

NEW STUDY INTO THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ETHICS AND TECHNOLOGY

  • A new report launched by WPP AUNZ, Secrets & Lies, on how Australians behave view technology, reveals a staggering 68 per cent of Australians no longer trust what they read online. Other findings include that there is a disconnect between people’s stated privacy concerns and their privacy choices when faced with inconvenience; and that Australians are accepting less and challenging more of the information they read online. You can read the full report here.

A MESSAGE FOR LEADERS: WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH ARE A TOP PRIORITY

  • The pandemic has sparked conversations on the importance of mental health, with a survey of 34,000 Australian and New Zealanders by Peakon revealing that the way a company has communicated during the pandemic has had a significant impact on their employees’ sense of wellbeing.
  • The Harvard Business Review also highlights the new challenge leaders face with balancing the priorities of their employees, with half of all employees concerned that they will be brought back to work before it’s safe, and the other half worried about the future of the company they work for – and their job. The message for leaders? Listen to your employees, communicate openly and frequently, make wellbeing a top priority, upskill on managing wellbeing and offer flexibility. Read more here.

COVID ACCELERATED E-COMMERCE REFLECTS STRUCTURAL SHIFT FROM BRICKS & MORTAR

  • Many retailers are doing it tough. Even Woolworths this week flagged that despite a record increase in sales, underlying earnings would fall about 2% due to the extra costs associated with COVID-19 including cleaning, labour, extra warehouse space and security. However, others are benefitting from the COVID-19 accelerated shift to e-commerce, including Amazon who has almost double its 2019 revenue from Australian businesses with rumours it is opening a warehouse in Western Sydney, equivalent to the size of 27 footfall fields.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN 200,000 SMALL BUSINESS COME OFF LIFE SUPPORT?

  • Media reports are turning to the economic reality post COVID-19, with many businesses less confident that their cash flows will rebound quickly as restrictions are lifted. Read the full AFR article here.

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