The Grenfell inquiry illustrates the need for an Apology Act

Is it possible that Dany Cotton, the head of the London Fire Brigade, is so conceited and heartless that she really would do nothing differently if Grenfell played out again?

I don’t know, but I doubt it.  It’s hard to believe that anyone could willingly be so crass.

The Supreme Court vs the Government

The Supreme Court has ruled that the prime minister, Boris Johnson, acted unlawfully in proroguing Parliament.

The ruling 

The 11 Supreme Court justices were unanimous in their ruling this morning.  Lady Hale, the president of the Supreme Court, said therefore that Parliament has effectively not been prorogued.

How to tackle workplace discrimination, bullying and harassment

By Sylvia Sage, programme director at Corporate Learning Solutions

Sylvia 1It has only recently become clear just how widespread workplace discrimination, bullying and harassment are in the UK.

Since the birth of the #metoo movement, we have seen a string of organisations, business leaders and whole sectors come under fire for inappropriate treatment of staff.  From Google and Amnesty International to the NHS and Westminster, few sectors are immune.

Weak Links #2: brands, holocaust, art, apologies

“Weak Links?”

In 1973 Stanford Professor Mark Granovetter’s “the strength of weak ties” argued that weak links, between people with different opinions, help new and unfamiliar ideas spread.

Strong ties bind friends and families. They encourage group think and build echo chambers. They deter people from thinking broadly, or seeing other perspectives. Strong ties lock you in.

Saying sorry can be a good business decision

By Guy Corbet

A poorly handled first response makes a crisis even worse

Guy Corbet

The Apology Clause campaign has been set up to make it easier for businesses to behave with compassion when things go wrong, and to help victims have better recoveries. 

That is because too often, when it feels like a business should say sorry, it does not.  This may be to a customer who has been let down, or someone who might have had a right to expect better than they received.

Sorry needn’t be the hardest word to say

Together with a couple of others, I have recently launched a campaign called Apology Clause, which we have conceived, created and will run on a pro bono basis.

The campaign aims to make it easier for businesses to behave with compassion when things go wrong, and thus for victims to have better recoveries.

Taking a stand: the risks and benefits of corporate activism

Research from Ipsos Mori, the market research company, indicates many in politics and the media believe that businesses have a licence, or even an obligation, to speak out on important, and perhaps controversial, socio-political issues.

But if companies are considering taking a stand on a big social or political issue, what do they need to consider to get it right?