The briefing
Diners plan to eat out less
Almost a third of diners expect to eat out less than a year ago, new research by Maritz has found.
And the story gets worse, with a quarter expecting to eat out even less in a year's time. The survey of 1,000 regular diners found that 41% of diners had changed their eating- and drinking-out habits as a result of the credit crunch and rising living costs.
The research found that increasing a restaurant's curb appeal could help attract customers, with 91% of diners saying they looked at outside menus and 82% saying they would pick somewhere that looked attractive.
A stressful time
Workers are suffering from more stress and worries compared with this time last year, according to new research,
A study of 2,000 employees by training provider LearnHR found that nearly half (49%) felt more anxious than last year, largely due to the impact of the UK's financial crisis.
More than one-third (38%) felt insecure in their jobs, and a fifth (20%) were expecting to be off sick at some point in 2009 due to stress-related illness.
The research, reported in Personnel Today, also revealed that 29% of respondents admitted to dropping their levels of productivity and efficiency.
Other survey findings included:
- 36% of UK workers are worried about paying their mortgage or rent.
- Nearly half (49%) of all workers questioned don't feel they have a good work-life balance.
- Workers in the West Midlands (57%) and London (52%) are experiencing the highest stress levels of the past 12 months.
- Staff in Yorkshire and Humberside feel most secure in their jobs (50%), whereas workers in the West Midlands (43%) and London (40%) feel the least secure.
