
Nearly one in three UK workers would rather have root canal work than attend their office Christmas party. A new survey by Sunny, a charity tackling loneliness and workplace disconnection, suggests the office bash has become symbolic of a deeper malaise in employee engagement across the UK workforce.

AI-moderated research company Bolt Insight has raised £7 million. The London-based business will use the funding to scale its BoltChatAI platform globally and accelerate the development of its next-generation intelligence system.

Tricia Nelson joins Insights to lead its next phase of global growth. Her appointment completes the company’s executive leadership team and reflects its ambition to scale its learning and development impact across 109 countries.

Leon enters administration as part of a restructuring effort. The fast-food chain aims to close loss-making restaurants and cut jobs. Co-founder John Vincent reacquired Leon from Asda and plans a Company Voluntary Arrangement to return to core values.

Policy uncertainty is impacting Britain’s small business sector. Goldman Sachs’ Kunal Shah highlights concerns over unclear taxation and employment laws affecting investment and hiring decisions. Despite optimism in performance, regulatory shifts continue to challenge entrepreneurial confidence.

Neo4j launches Fleet Manager to unify graph database governance. The platform gives CIOs and CDOs centralized oversight across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises deployments, simplifying administration and compliance as graph adoption accelerates in AI and data-driven enterprises.

Over a third of disabled consumers say their experience would improve if staff had a greater understanding of disability. New Business Disability Forum research highlights persistent barriers in product access, customer service, and design — and calls on companies to turn inclusion into a strategic advantage.

Bank of England signals hawkish stance on future interest rates. Despite measures in the upcoming Budget expected to reduce inflation, policymakers remain cautious, focusing on persistent inflation risks and economic pressures that may influence future rate decisions.

Revolut Business has opened the waitlist for Titan. Designed for modern, high-growth teams, the ultra-premium Visa-powered card offers travel, lifestyle, and productivity benefits within a single spend management platform. It launches for UK businesses early next year.

The UK government has announced a £725 million overhaul of apprenticeships. Training costs for SMEs will be fully covered, but some business leaders say wage and productivity burdens still make apprenticeships unaffordable for many.