What got people talking this week — 9 July

Originally published on O2’s internal Workplace — 9 July

1. M&S were criticised by Dishoom for their somewhat familiar bacon naan recipe

Dishoom are well known for their classic dish and so when M&S posted a recipe without crediting them, there was a big uproar.

M&S’s bad behaviour was surprising, given how affronted they were when Aldi started selling Cuthbert The Caterpillar cakes, which bore a stark resemblance to their own Colin!

They eventually credited Dishoom but the damage was done.

Dishoom issued a statement and a spoof image of a Percy the Pig naan, ‘In honesty, it hurts. After a year in which our cafés have been mostly closed, a year when we’ve spent many months (and countless sleepless nights) perfecting our first-ever meal kit to be able to bring this much-loved dish to the doors of patrons nationwide, it hurts all the more.

There are many ways to entice people to visit a store. To attempt to profit off a dish that has become synonymous with a restaurant (which, like so many others, is doing everything in its power to stay afloat, to rebuild, and to protect over 950 jobs), seems to me pretty cheeky.’

2. “Of Course The Work From Home Guidance Ends On The Same Day As Schools Close For Summer”

With lockdown easing on 19 July and Boris Johnson announcing the new guidance, there’s a big debate about the economy and flexible working, with city centre businesses struggling and offices sitting empty.

A feature in Grazia said the government’s decision to throw open the country for business on the same day the schools close seemed almost too clownish to be true. And women are picking up the brunt of childcare, which has been an issue throughout the pandemic and set them back in the workplace.

Presenter and influencer Mother Pukka is at the forefront of this discussion and her latest campaign around childcare going to parliament aims to help parents who are concerned about the school holidays kicking off.

The average job’s leave allowance is 25 days. But the standard summer holiday is 42 days, not including Easter, Christmas or half-terms. It just doesn’t add up.

3. TikTok again — busking is going to the next level, with performers simultaneously live-streaming their performances to TikTok.

Singer Liv Harland, is making more than three times as much money from her live streams compared to what she gets on the street.

As well as the platform creating more ways for people to make money, it’s now helping you get jobs. “TikTok Resumes” is a pilot programme for recruitment and job discovery. TikTok is teaming up with select companies for positions with employers, including Chipotle, Target, WWE and Shopify, with a TikTok video resume.

4. Big stars like Tom Jones, Mahalia and Rag ’n’ Bone Man are to play small shows as live music returns.

The “Revive Live” scheme has been organised by the Music Venues Trust, in conjunction with the National Lottery, which is contributing £1 million to help up-and-coming artists pay for touring expenses, like crew and transport, that they may not have been able to afford after a year of inactivity. Up to 30,000 tickets — about half of those available — will be gifted to National Lottery players.

It’s quite similar to our BRITs Week series with War Child (not as strong a line up I must say!), however it’s not totally clear how players apply for tickets / how they will be allocated.

Bonus

• Kevin the Carrot joins Love Island in Aldi spoof!

• Pret bought back its Christmas sandwich as not enough people got to enjoy it in December
• Burnley FC will become the very first team from the UK to stream games live on TikTok. The club will also be collaborating with TikTok football content creators.
• HSBC & the UK Black Business Show announce the Top 25 Black Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021
• Sainsbury’s uniform sells in vintage store in Copenhagen for €60

• Gareth Southgate now more popular than Winston Churchill but behind The Queen and David Attenborough