Business & Technology
Managers most likely to quit, Firstup UK survey finds
Firstup has published UK research showing that nearly half of workers expect to look for a new job within a year. The findings are based on a survey of 3,127 UK workers.
Most respondents still described themselves as engaged at work: 76% of office-based staff, 83% of managers and 69% of hourly workers. Yet 48% of office-based employees, 50% of managers and 47% of hourly workers said they were likely to seek a new role within the year.
The gap was most pronounced among managers, who emerged as both the most engaged group and the most likely to consider leaving. The research suggests employee engagement no longer closely tracks staff retention.
Bill Schuh, chief executive officer at Firstup, said the findings point to a broader problem in how employers communicate with staff across different roles and working environments.
“Managers are the most engaged yet most likely to move on, and the other roles are not far behind. This disconnect means that engagement alone is no longer a reliable signal of workforce stability,” Schuh said.
“Organisations must do more to deliver critical information in a consistent, targeted and measurable way. When employees have to work just to stay informed, engagement can quickly shift to burnout and lost productivity rather than organisational loyalty.”
Communication Strain
Large numbers of employees said they were missing important updates despite receiving regular information from their employers. Across roles, 62% to 76% said they had missed key policy or procedural information, while 37% to 48% said their organisation lacked an effective way to share information with them.
Workers also identified practical reasons messages were being missed, including message overload, lack of time and uncertainty about where to find information. Between 30% and 55% said there were too many messages, 34% to 43% said they lacked time, and 10% to 14% said they did not know where to look.
The burden appears to fall heavily on line managers. Although managers were seen as the most trusted source of information, 77% said they faced challenges communicating with frontline teams. Only 21% said they were very confident that current communication methods kept workers compliant.
The operational impact was also evident in the time workers spent looking for information. Some 34% of office-based employees and 37% of managers said they spend three or more hours a week searching for basic information needed to do their jobs.
Stress And Trust
The research linked communication failures to wider workplace pressures. Miscommunication was associated with stress for 39% to 49% of respondents across roles, productivity loss for 32% to 38%, reduced teamwork for 27% to 35%, and missed policies for 29% to 36%. Between 5% and 12% also said it had safety effects.
More than one in five employees across roles said poor communication made them want to look for another job, adding to concerns for employers already dealing with retention pressures in a tight labour market.
For hourly workers in particular, the report pointed to lower trust and a sense of neglect among the disengaged. Among disengaged hourly staff, 65% said their employer did not care about their wellbeing, 62% cited poor workplace culture, 60% reported a lack of recognition or rewards, and 54% said they did not trust leadership.
Employees’ demands were relatively consistent across groups. Beyond pay, the main requests were for employers to show more care, improve communication and provide better tools. Between 50% and 55% said they wanted their organisation to show it cared, 42% to 54% wanted better communication, and 37% to 44% asked for better tools.
AI Access Gap
The study also examined the role of artificial intelligence in closing communication gaps. Hourly workers were more likely than office-based staff to say AI could improve workplace communication, with 37% taking that view compared with 29% of office-based employees.
Even so, access remains uneven. Firstup found that 68% of hourly workers had never used AI tools at work, and the same share cited a lack of access as the main barrier.
Nathan Lowis, managing director for EMEA at Firstup, said communication problems and inefficiencies were widespread across roles.
“AI could help solve many of these challenges, but ironically, hourly workers who feel they would benefit most from AI are often the last to receive access. If organisations want to improve communication and drive critical business outcomes such as increased retention, productivity and safety, they have to empower all employees with the right technology.”
Gas network company SGN confirmed it had repaired three minor gas leaks and left the site on Monday, August 3, six days earlier than expected.
The leaks were discovered during excavation works last month and contributed to the pushing back of the road’s reopening date, yet again, to September 20.
The completion of the gas mains replacement marked a significant step forward in the wider Oxford Station improvement project, which was originally budgeted at £161 million but is now expected to cost at least £237 million.
The development prompted hopes that Botley Road, closed beneath the rail bridge since April 2023, could reopen earlier than planned.
However, Network Rail has moved to manage expectations, saying the project remains on course to meet its existing target date rather than finish ahead of schedule.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re pleased that SGN has completed its gas mains replacement work.
“While this is an important milestone, it doesn’t necessarily mean the overall project will finish early as some remaining work is dependent on access to the railway, which we have had to rearrange to enable the replacement of the gas main.
“Our focus remains on meeting our planned deadline of 20 September for reopening Botley Road to traffic.”
While the completion of the gas works removes one of the most recent obstacles facing the scheme, Network Rail says further work under the bridge and around the station is still needed before the route can reopen to traffic.
The club is currently struggling in the summer heat, and has launched a new fundraiser to keep its gymnasts safe.
The club, which is based at Grove House Barn near Warkworth in Banbury, launched the fundraiser so it could buy and install four air conditioning units to keep its space cool.
Currently, the club hopes to raise £7,000 through the appeal so it can buy four 10kW air conditioning units and cover all the installation costs.
So far, the club has raised £380.
Karl Wade, director of Wade Gymnastics, said the club has become “increasingly warm” during the summer months due to the rising temperatures.
READ MORE: Thames Water leakage targets are ‘not realistic’ says boss after pay rise
“Despite our best efforts to keep doorways and shutters open, it becomes very uncomfortable for gymnasts to play and train,” Mr Wade said.
He added: “The safety of our gymnasts and coaches is always our utmost priority.
“Unfortunately, the risk of having to close the business during these hot spells is increasing and we need to have more effective ways of keeping everyone cool.
“An air conditioning system would allow the business to stay open during those extreme hot conditions and continue to provide classes for everyone who attends.”
The gym currently delivers classes seven days a week for around 900 people, which range from toddlers to athletes competing at national level.
The gym club was founded more than four decades ago by Ruth Wade and, for the past 20 years it has been based at its current facility.
SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO
News Editor
Solihull Council has appointed ICS.AI to deliver the first phase of an AI Transformation Discovery programme to examine how artificial intelligence could be used across several resident-facing services.
The 24-week programme will review opportunities in Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Economy & Infrastructure, and Public Health. It is intended to help the council decide where AI could be used and where future spending should be directed.
In this first phase, ICS.AI will assess the council’s readiness for AI and identify use cases across the four service areas. The programme is expected to produce a prioritised shortlist of about 200 use cases, including 50 validated from a finance perspective, alongside a longer-term AI Transformation Roadmap.
The work is intended to create an evidence base before any wider implementation decisions are taken. Ethics, privacy, and safeguarding will be considered throughout the assessment process.
Discovery phase
ICS.AI will use its AI Target Operating Model framework to review Solihull’s current position across five dimensions before ranking opportunities. The outputs will be based on council-owned baseline data and reviewed by public sector specialists.
The approach reflects a broader pattern among local authorities exploring AI in service delivery while facing pressure to justify spending and manage risks around data use and public accountability. Councils have also been seeking clearer business cases before committing to larger technology programmes.
Solihull said the discovery exercise would support a measured approach to service modernisation. The authority wants to identify where AI could improve services for residents while also demonstrating value for money.
“We are committed to taking a well-considered and planned approach to modernising the services we provide. By building a strong evidence base for future decisions, this programme will help us understand where the greatest AI opportunities exist. We will then be able to prioritise those improvements that will deliver the greatest benefit for residents, while ensuring full value for the council,” said Councillor Dave Pinwell, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Resources, Solihull Council.
Public sector focus
ICS.AI said the Solihull engagement builds on work it has carried out with more than 20 public sector organisations using its AI transformation and discovery assessments. Those organisations include Derby City Council.
The company focuses on AI projects for the public sector, where interest has increased as authorities look for ways to manage demand pressures in social care, public health, and other frontline services. At the same time, councils are under scrutiny to show that new technology investments are proportionate and supported by practical evidence.
Dwayne Johnson, Chief Local Government Officer at ICS.AI, said local authorities need stronger justification before committing funds. “Local authorities need confidence that every investment is backed by robust evidence and long-term value for residents. Solihull Council is taking the right approach by starting with a structured discovery programme that builds a clear understanding of priorities before decisions are made. By developing finance-validated business cases and a practical roadmap, the council can be more proactive in the decisions it makes,” he said.
The programme’s initial outputs are expected to give Solihull a ranked view of where AI could be applied across services, the level of organisational readiness, and which projects may warrant further consideration. This first phase is focused on identifying options rather than moving directly into deployment.
For local government leaders, that distinction is becoming increasingly important as councils test AI in areas that affect vulnerable residents and essential public services. In Solihull’s case, the work spans some of the authority’s most visible functions, including care services, children’s provision, public health activity, and parts of local infrastructure planning.
The council aims to use the findings to inform later investment decisions through finance-validated business cases and a practical roadmap for future priorities.
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoHSBC UK & Visa test AI shopping with live payments
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoValarian lands USD $50 million backing for sovereign AI
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoMouser warns against viral hacks to cool overheating phones
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoNew romantasy bookshop attracts queues of customers
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoSNP & Palantir launch AI tools for SAP transformations
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoKane tops England influencer rankings after Mexico win
-
Traffic & Transport4 weeks ago‘I felt my spine and body split’: the woman who was hit by a child on a Lime bike – and denied compensation | Ebikes
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoDWP now checking bank accounts for Universal Credit and Pension Credit