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This week Nick Peters focuses on pay and productivity on Shop Floor, in association with the IDG. Nick discusses with Ian McVey, UK Manager at Qualtrics, why levels of productivity are so low in the UK. How can companies keep up to date with with performance, happiness and training of their workers? Sussex-based Dinamiks may have the answer as Nick talks to the co-founder Shirley Barnes. He also looks how the National Living Wage with Charles Cotton, Performance and Reward Specialist at CIPD, and how it will affect small businesses and the self-employed with Microbusiness Champion, Tony Robinson OBE. Nick Peters looks back at some of the issues covered on the show with Lance Gerrard-Wright from IDG.

In this week's programme, in association with IDG, Nick Peters looks at HR strategies that reward their staff with Ailsa Suttie, Operations Director at CSMA Club, who managed to bring a new and fresh approach to help its workers. Nick Howard, Executive Director at Edelman ENGAGE, explains the lack of trust between staff and their leaders and how the latter can build trust with their workers. Nick also speaks to Scott Stirrett, Executive Director and founder of Venture for Canada, a company that recruits and trains young graduates in start-up businesses. In contrast Andrew MacKensie, Policy and Research Manager at Reed in Partnership discusses their recent report, "Too Poor to Work", which looks at the cost of finding and sustaining work for the long-term unemployed in the UK.

Nick Peters talks to Sarah Lewis, Managing Director and Principal Psychologist at Appreciating Change, who believes poor managements encourages employees to put on their ‘stupid hats’ when they come to work. She outlines how smart managements can access the intelligence that their workforce brings to work every day, and encourage them not to switch it off.

Nick Peters open Shop Floor by analysing how some company bosses can turn abusive over time, despite being understanding and fair with their staff at first. With Russell Johnson, from Michigan State University, they talk about a recent research into what causes the mood switch for many employers. Should the state take control over the lives of the self-employed? Bright Blue think tank recommend a change in policies that will benefit those who run their own business as much as those regular employees. Nick speaks to David Kirby on the matter. Nick also looks at the absence of ethnic minorities in top jobs, particularly the British Muslim communities. In a report called Rising, published by the think tank Demos, its author Louis Reynolds explains why many individuals are missing out on job opportunities. Finally, Nick looks at low wage levels. TUC low pay adviser Paul Sellers discusses why the wages market is so tight.

What challenges do women face in their careers and how do they overcome them? Nick Peters looks at three women who work in predominately male-dominated areas and explores how they worked their way up in the industry. Max Steuer from LSE explores the role of head hunters and their role to present CEO candidates to boards and Andrew McKenzie, Policy and Research Manager from Reed in Partnership, talks about the cost of getting a job.

Nick Peters hits the shop floor for another packed edition on workplace issues. This week, social mobility, the goal of productive work and enterprise, comes under attack. Nick Peters talks to Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA, about the idea that social mobility could be cruel or even evil. Digital skill levels among young people mean employers are finding it harder to get qualified staff and many young people risk missing out on good jobs - Nick Peters finds out more from Nigel Walsh at CapGemini. The Prime Minister says he wants ex-offenders to have much more support moving from jail into jobs and productive lives. It’s already happening - Nick Peters discovers how from Jane Gould, a trustee of Christian charity CleanSheet. And we head east to Vietnam to meet the "Digital Nomads", young people who are taking the idea of remote working to extraordinary lengths.

Nick Peters on the Shop Floor, finding out what the budget means for employment with Mark Beatson, Chief Economist for the CIPD, employee absence, why it happens and what are the stories behind it, Nick find out with Rob Briner, Professor of organisational psychology at Bath University and finally Serve Legal, the job where fresh faces are needed to apply, founder Ed Heaver tells Nick all about it.

This week, Nick Peters hits the Shop Floor to discuss why ever high levels of employment are not translating into higher wages with Steve Lewis, a former army officer and businessman who runs the Number 18 coffee shop in Crickhowell. Steve is one of the leaders of the Fair Tax Town programmes. Nick looks at why leaders need to listen to their followers in order to close the digital skills gap inside corporations with Colin Sloman, Managing Director of Accenture, a consultancy firm who conducted a major survey of global businesses to assess how they are keeping up with the pace of lightning fast technological change. Despite unemployment levels falling, and more people striking out on their own to add to the country's growing micro-business community, Nick Peters hears from Gerwyn Davies, the Labour Market Advisor at the CIPD about why this good news isn't necessarily good for wages and productivity levels. And the good, the bad, and the ugly, Nick takes a closer look at workforce surveys to find out the do's and don'ts when it comes to writing them with Anthony Hughes of recruitment specialists Coburg Banks. Plus, the first in our series of IDG Insights is launched, bringing you the stories that matter.

This week Nick Peters hits the Shop floor to discuss with former BBC HR director Lucy Adams the concept of disruptive HR and the need of an intellectual shake out in human resources. According to a recent article on HR magazine, most remote workers work harder when there is no one watching. Psychologist Cristina Quinones, from the Open University Business School talks us through this phenomenon. We also take a look at the crisis of recruitment in the South American drug business with Tom Wainwright, author of the book "Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel". Finally we explore the issues raised in the last month with our partner Inspirational Development Group.

This week Nick Peters visited Sandhurst where Shop Floor partners, the Inspirational Development Group, bring clients to the Academy to delve into their exclusive relationship with the Military Academy. Major General Paul Nanson explains how trainees are carefully selected and bring out their leadership potential; while Lieutenant Colonel Lucy Giles talks about the changes of the role of women cadets. In the second half of the show, IDG Founder and Chairman Stephen Bennett, explains analyses the role of leadership in the world of business; and Patrick Thomson, Senior Programme Manager at The Centre for Ageing Better, questions whether older workers being pushed out of the workforce.