The Week Unwrapped: Home-working pay cuts, Taiwan and Cinderella
Should people who work from home earn 20% less? Is Taiwan at risk of a Chinese invasion? And what does the failure of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest production tell us about post-Covid theatre?
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
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In this week’s episode, we discuss:
WFH for less
The debate about long-term working from home was reignited this week when a British law firm said its staff need never return to the office – as long as they were prepared to take a 20% pay cut. Employees can work two days a week from home without losing any income. As companies adapt to the post-pandemic world, many are still trying to find the right approach to hybrid working.
Taiwan under threat
The US has held high-level talks with the UK over increased Chinese aggression towards Taiwan. People familiar with the summit told the Financial Times that the discussion was not a response to any new “imminent threat”, but did include “conflict contingency plans for the first time”. Speculation had mounted over how Beijing would respond following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. So is an attempt to reunite the democratic island with mainland China by force now more likely than ever?
Curtains for Cinders
Despite receiving five-star reviews, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s west end production of Cinderella is coming to a close after an ill-fated run during the pandemic. What does the show’s closure have to say about the return to the theatre? And is this a one-off, or a warning to other productions that show business is getting even tougher?
