£10m Derry regeneration funding gets minister's approval
A multi-million pound fund to help regenerate Londonderry's historic city centre has been approved by Stormont's communities minister.
The North West Regeneration Fund – worth up to £10m over the next five years – will provide government loans for the regeneration of buildings within the city's walls.
The fund will be delivered by Derry's Inner City Trust, and has a specific focus on projects that the private sector does not see as commercially viable.
Minister Gordon Lyons said the fund "will make a "significant contribution" to the city's regeneration.
Lyons said it will be used to revitalise "strategic properties within the Historic City Conservation Area".
He said it is "an exciting time for the city" with a number of key projects under way, including the expansion of the university, public realm works, the City Deal and redevelopment of the Fort George site.
"All of these interventions are serving to enhance the city," Lyons said.
The Inner City Trust works to inject commercial and social life into Derry's city centre.
Archdeacon Robert Miller chair of the trust, said the funding's approval is "a transformative moment for our city".
"This investment will breathe new life into the heart of Derry, strengthening our heritage, supporting our economy, and ensuring our built environment serves the needs of future generations," he said.
Foyle SDLP MP Column Eastwood said the fund "actually has the potential to transform public spaces and do real, visible good for Derry".
Sinn Féin MLA Ciara Ferguson also welcomed the funding, adding it "will make the city a more attractive and vibrant place to live, work and socialise".
DUP assembly member Gary Middleton said the funding is "a testament to our commitment to preserving our heritage while injecting new life and economic opportunity into our city centre".
Earlier this year, the Department of Communities provided a grant of more than £1m to allow the Inner City Trust to complete the purchase of the former Austins department store in Derry.
What next for store that once dominated city?
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The Hill
5 days ago
- The Hill
Management failure, not work-from-home, kills productivity
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The experiment conducted by Elizabeth Lyons of UC San Diego and Namrata Kala of MIT involved 434 remote workers on Upwork. These participants were under varying conditions of digital surveillance intended to track how they worked throughout the day. The hope was to see whether technology that logs keystrokes or captures screenshots has any measurable effect on productivity. The results, according to the researchers, are eye-opening. It turns out that employees do not simply become more efficient because a manager watches their every move. Rather, they want clarity, communication, and trust. Lyons and Kala's randomized control trial split remote workers into different groups, including some who were told to keep their monitoring tool on to improve performance, others who could opt out of the tool, and a control group receiving no instructions about removing or continuing surveillance. Among low-performing workers, those forced to stay under digital scrutiny with no explanation saw a 17 percent drop in their efficiency compared to those given the choice to remove the tool. High performers, meanwhile, suffered a 17 percent decrease in productivity when the monitoring tool was removed without a clear explanation. Even though one might expect them to celebrate the cessation of constant oversight, they felt unsettled when they did not understand why management had changed the policy. 'Investing in managerial capital is probably a better use of resources than investing in monitoring technology,' Lyons concluded. Those findings speak volumes about the real reasons companies experience remote work struggles. Many leaders lacked the training to handle remote teams in a thoughtful way. They believed that software could fill the gap by supplying real-time data about what each employee was doing. That plan backfired because employees saw that management had little understanding of how to translate raw surveillance metrics into meaningful guidance or support. A recent Gallup study highlights a concerning truth: just 10 percent of managers have completed formal training on leading hybrid or remote teams. Another 18 percent have access to voluntary guidance, yet these resources often go untouched because managers face unrelenting deadlines and shifting priorities. Without organization-wide programs to equip them with hybrid best practices, most leaders are left improvising their way through a new era of work. The result is a serious shortfall of the necessary skills to keep distributed teams productive, cohesive, and engaged. Underprepared managers frequently wrestle with sustaining productivity and ensuring clear communication among remote and on-site team members. They lack the insight to address employees' unique challenges, which makes old in-office approaches feel simpler in comparison. Frustration grows, and the default response is to push for more face-to-face oversight in a traditional office, where familiar techniques for supervision seem easier to apply. But it is not proximity that spurs high performance. Remote workers excel when they have well-defined goals, regular feedback, and a sense that the manager is paying attention to their progress in a constructive way, as the study by Lyons and Kala suggests. Remote work does not fail because of geography — it fails when managers do not receive the training to establish clear expectations, communicate effectively, and support their teams' growth. The new research from UC San Diego and MIT offers a compelling argument that digital surveillance only works if leaders justify its role and frame it within a transparent, respectful managerial approach. If managers fail to share the reasoning, performance dives as much as 17 percent. High performers feel no sense of reward when surveillance ceases without explanation. Low performers see forced surveillance as a sign of distrust. In both cases, productivity falters, and discontent spreads. Amazon, AT&T, and UPS, along with government agencies, mandated five-day in-office policies because they believed it was the solution to lagging results. However, the data suggest that the real culprits are managers unequipped to foster remote productivity. Without targeted training, managers struggle to guide dispersed teams to success. Bringing everyone back to the office might temporarily disguise the problem, but it does not resolve the leadership deficiency at its core. The best path forward is for organizations to invest in developing remote work management capabilities. Transparent communication and robust support systems build trust and accountability. That is the key to ensuring employees perform at a high level, no matter where they happen to be located. By strengthening their management practices rather than clinging to surveillance or rigid, five-day in-office mandates, companies can unlock the full potential of remote teams and thrive in today's rapidly evolving business landscape. Gleb Tsipursky, Ph.D., serves as the CEO of the hybrid work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts and authored the best-seller 'Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams.'
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'Acknowledge and normalize that they're going to feel a range of emotions, whether it's anger or sadness,' Bryan-Podvin said. Whether you are feeling sadness, shock, anger or even relief, taking a moment to feel those emotions can help you move forward. To make plans for the future, it's essential that you review your current financial situation, said career coach Marlo Lyons. If you have a budget, take a closer look and review whether you have expenses that you can temporarily cut to save money. Lyons recommends that you know how long your severance package will last if you're receiving one. Applying for unemployment benefits as soon as possible can help alleviate some of the financial stress of a layoff. While the amount you get for unemployment might not be as much as your salary, it can help you to stay afloat for some time, Lyons said. The Labor Department has tips on applying for unemployment. Getting laid off from a job can affect your self-esteem, so Bryan-Podvin recommends that you create a list of good qualities about yourself that add to your overall value as a person. Bryan-Podvin calls this a 'non-financial asset list." 'If I were doing a non-financial asset list on myself I might say I'm a pretty good partner and a fun aunt,' she said. When working with her clients, Bryan-Podvin recommends that they create this list to remind them that their self-worth is part of their net worth. If you lose your job, you'll need to be more strategic about your spending, said Jesse Mecham, founder of the money management app YNAB. 'In a layoff, it becomes even more imperative that you treat every dollar with more attention than you have in the past,' Mecham said. Part of YNAB's budgeting strategy is giving each dollar a job, whether it is to pay rent, buy groceries or add to your savings account. When adjusting your spending, Bryan-Podvin also recommends that you approach this with some compassion. Since cutting back can bleed into not doing activities that make you happy, she recommends reminding yourself that this is a temporary pause rather than a permanent change in your lifestyle. While utilizing your credit card to pay for some expenses is almost inevitable, it's best to not completely lean on credit while you're searching for a new job. 'If getting a new job takes them a little longer than they thought, that credit card has just become an anchor for them,' Mecham said. Even though unemployment is temporary, Mecham recommends cutting expenses rather than keeping them at the same level and leaning on credit. Look for community resources, whether that means finding a food bank near you or applying for a temporary hardship program. 'Lots of communities offer temporary hardship programs when it comes to necessary bills, such as electricity or water,' Bryan-Podvin said. offers a benefit finder where you can find available programs and how to apply. As you are applying to new jobs, Lyons recommends that you take some time to assess if your professional goals are still the same. If you're continuing in the same field, Lyons recommends that you make your resume 'forward-looking,' which means showing your future employer what you can do, not just what you have done. 'You want to show the employer what you can do, what unique value you can bring to that particular job that no other candidate can bring because of your previous experience,' Lyons said. Lyons also recommends that you activate your network by reaching out to past colleagues on LinkedIn or attending industry networking events. Online certifications are another great way to make yourself a better candidate, she added. Having a routine can help you take care of your mental health and keep a cadence of applying to jobs. Plan your days so they include eating at your usual time, exercising and applying for jobs for a specific amount of time. 'When we are laid off, unemployment can feel really aimless, especially if it came at us kind of out of nowhere,' Bryan-Podvin said. It's also important to avoid isolating yourself and lean on your support system for emotional support, she added. ___ The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
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How to take care of yourself and your finances when you've experienced a layoff
NEW YORK (AP) — Recent layoffs from technology and media companies and government agencies might have you thinking about job security. Losing your job is a difficult thing to process and you might feel the impact in several parts of your life. But there are things you can do to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety. If you've been laid off, experts recommend that you first take a moment to process and then move on with a plan for your job search. 'A layoff can feel so personal but it's not a reflection of your value or what you contributed. Especially in the U.S., the work we do is so tied to our identity,' said Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, a financial therapist. Here are some expert recommendations to help you take care of your finances and your mental health if you've lost your job: Take a break to process Losing your job can cause a lot of stress and financial anxiety, so it's important that you take time to emotionally process. 'Acknowledge and normalize that they're going to feel a range of emotions, whether it's anger or sadness,' Bryan-Podvin said. Whether you are feeling sadness, shock, anger or even relief, taking a moment to feel those emotions can help you move forward. Review your current financial situation To make plans for the future, it's essential that you review your current financial situation, said career coach Marlo Lyons. If you have a budget, take a closer look and review whether you have expenses that you can temporarily cut to save money. Lyons recommends that you know how long your severance package will last if you're receiving one. Applying for unemployment benefits as soon as possible can help alleviate some of the financial stress of a layoff. While the amount you get for unemployment might not be as much as your salary, it can help you to stay afloat for some time, Lyons said. The Labor Department has tips on applying for unemployment. Remember that you are not your job Getting laid off from a job can affect your self-esteem, so Bryan-Podvin recommends that you create a list of good qualities about yourself that add to your overall value as a person. Bryan-Podvin calls this a 'non-financial asset list." 'If I were doing a non-financial asset list on myself I might say I'm a pretty good partner and a fun aunt,' she said. When working with her clients, Bryan-Podvin recommends that they create this list to remind them that their self-worth is part of their net worth. Adjust spending If you lose your job, you'll need to be more strategic about your spending, said Jesse Mecham, founder of the money management app YNAB. 'In a layoff, it becomes even more imperative that you treat every dollar with more attention than you have in the past,' Mecham said. Part of YNAB's budgeting strategy is giving each dollar a job, whether it is to pay rent, buy groceries or add to your savings account. When adjusting your spending, Bryan-Podvin also recommends that you approach this with some compassion. Since cutting back can bleed into not doing activities that make you happy, she recommends reminding yourself that this is a temporary pause rather than a permanent change in your lifestyle. Avoid overusing your credit card While utilizing your credit card to pay for some expenses is almost inevitable, it's best to not completely lean on credit while you're searching for a new job. 'If getting a new job takes them a little longer than they thought, that credit card has just become an anchor for them,' Mecham said. Even though unemployment is temporary, Mecham recommends cutting expenses rather than keeping them at the same level and leaning on credit. Find community resources Look for community resources, whether that means finding a food bank near you or applying for a temporary hardship program. 'Lots of communities offer temporary hardship programs when it comes to necessary bills, such as electricity or water,' Bryan-Podvin said. offers a benefit finder where you can find available programs and how to apply. Approach your job search with a plan As you are applying to new jobs, Lyons recommends that you take some time to assess if your professional goals are still the same. If you're continuing in the same field, Lyons recommends that you make your resume 'forward-looking,' which means showing your future employer what you can do, not just what you have done. 'You want to show the employer what you can do, what unique value you can bring to that particular job that no other candidate can bring because of your previous experience,' Lyons said. Lyons also recommends that you activate your network by reaching out to past colleagues on LinkedIn or attending industry networking events. Online certifications are another great way to make yourself a better candidate, she added. Create and maintain a routine Having a routine can help you take care of your mental health and keep a cadence of applying to jobs. Plan your days so they include eating at your usual time, exercising and applying for jobs for a specific amount of time. 'When we are laid off, unemployment can feel really aimless, especially if it came at us kind of out of nowhere,' Bryan-Podvin said. It's also important to avoid isolating yourself and lean on your support system for emotional support, she added. ___ The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
