The Week Unwrapped: Homework pay cuts, Taiwan and Cinderella

Olly Mann and The Week go behind the headlines and discuss what’s really important over the past seven days.

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In this week’s episode we discuss:

WFH for less

The long-term work-from-home debate was reignited this week when a UK law firm said its staff would never have to return to the office – as long as they were willing to take a 20% pay cut. Employees can work from home two days a week without having to forego income. As organizations adapt to the post-pandemic world, many are still trying to find the right approach to hybrid working.

Taiwan threatened

The US has held high-level talks with Britain over increased Chinese aggression towards Taiwan. People familiar with the summit told the Financial Times the discussion was not in response to a new “imminent threat” but included “contingency plans for conflict for the first time”. Speculations mounted as to how Beijing would react after Russia invaded Ukraine. Is an attempt to forcibly reunite the democratic island with mainland China now more likely than ever?

Curtains for Cinders

Despite five-star ratings, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s West End production of Cinderella is coming to an end after an unfortunate run during the pandemic. What does the show’s ending say about the return to the theater? And is that an isolated case or a warning to other productions that show business is getting tougher?