Latest news with #OliverChapman
RNZ News
31-07-2025
- Automotive
- RNZ News
A-Z of Aotearoa: E is for Electric Bikes
Today we continue our way through the A-Z of Aotearoa with the letter E. Our focus is on E-bikes which have surged in popularity in New Zealand over the past five years or so. Joining Jesse to take us through their popularity, Oliver Chapman, founder of Hikobike , which is one of the leading designers and importers in New Zealand, and Hamiltonian and e-bike enthusiast Richard Graham. Photo: creative commons - pixabay - ebikeisrael
Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Times
Should workers who don't come into the office have their pay cut?
The UK was named the working-from-home capital of Europe last week, with university graduates revealed to work 1.8 days a week from home on average. We're nearly world-beaters too, with only employees in Canada found in the office less, averaging 1.9 days at home. Worldwide, the average is 1.3 days, according to the Global Survey of Working Arrangements, a poll of 16,000 full-time university-educated workers across 40 countries. However, the winds could be changing, with companies such as HSBC threatening to cut pay packages if workers don't come into the office more. But are they right to do this? Oliver Chapman, the chief executive of OCI, a supply chain company As a company, we pride ourselves on transparency, performance and long-term value. That's why I believe it's time we address the widening gap between in-office and remote work and change the pay structures that have failed to adapt. I'm not here to say remote work doesn't have its place. It does. During the pandemic, it kept businesses alive and people safe. But we are no longer in crisis mode. What we face now is a choice between what's convenient and what drives collaboration, innovation and growth. When employees choose to work remotely full-time, often from locations with a significantly lower cost of living, they are making a lifestyle decision. That decision has real economic implications. Yet in many cases, their salaries remain tied to cities they've left behind, often London, where pay reflects not just talent but living expenses, access and availability. If you're living in Cornwall instead of Canary Wharf, but drawing the same salary, we have to ask: is that fair to the company or to colleagues showing up in person every day? In-office work brings tangible benefits. It facilitates mentorship, spontaneous problem-solving and stronger team dynamics. It builds culture. These aren't just perks — they drive productivity. The people commuting daily, navigating the rising costs of transport, lunch and childcare, are investing in the business in ways remote workers simply are not. Compensation must reflect contribution — real, measurable, and holistic. If a role no longer requires city-based presence, great, we're flexible. But flexibility works both ways. Geographic-based pay is not about punishment. It's about equity. If you choose not to be where the work most needs you, that should be factored into how you're compensated. Some will call this regressive. I call it responsible. Businesses need to adapt to a post-pandemic reality, yes, that's true, but that means balancing flexibility with fairness, and performance with presence. Remote work isn't going away, nor should it. But it should evolve. And part of that evolution includes acknowledging that when you change where and how you work, it might also change what you're paid. That's not exploitation. That's economics. • Read more money advice and tips on investing from our experts Gemma Dale, a former HR director and senior lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University No, workers who don't return to the office shouldn't have their pay cut. Firstly, there are the legal issues. Any unilateral pay cut to a contractual salary is likely to result in a wave of claims from workers for unlawful deductions from wages, or breach of potential legal issues aside, it is still a very bad idea. Organisations need productive, engaged, healthy employees. Remote and hybrid work can help to deliver this. We learnt during the pandemic that a great deal of work can be successfully undertaken remotely. Employees want to retain that flexibility — and who can blame them? Remote work is good for wellbeing, work-life balance and inclusion, helps people manage caring and domestic responsibilities, provides them with time for family, friends and exercise, and saves money. In contrast, commuting can be expensive, stressful and, if you add in public transport, unreliable. When you get there, many offices aren't conducive to deep work, and, spoiler alert, watercooler conversations don't magically spark innovation. There is a growing body of evidence, which the debate too often ignores, that shows that workers are just as productive working at home than they are in the office. In fact, it has been found that people work harder and longer from home. • Bosses shouldn't discipline staff for working from home, judge rules Forcing people back to the office unnecessarily, even without a pay cut, runs the risks of talent attrition, disengagement and difficulties attracting the best people. Cutting workers' pay if they don't fulfil an attendance requirement, especially if they are performing well, is the very opposite of trust and motivation. It's also poor people management. Good managers focus on outputs and outcomes, not performative presence. People are paid a salary to undertake a role; what should matter most is how they do it and what they contribute. Cutting pay for employees working remotely conflates presence with performance. It's about lack of trust. Underneath lies an assumption that if people work from home they might skive or spend all day watching Homes Under the Hammer. There is no need to penalise people for wanting to work in a way that is practical, suits their family and supports their wellbeing. Flexible work is now an employee expectation, not a nice to have. The office still has a place, but when we empower people to choose how they work, everyone wins.
Entrepreneur
19-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Resetting the Dial
At the edge of spring and the start of something else, May is more than a marker on the business calendar for Oliver Chapman. It's a moment of clarity—a quiet pivot point when introspection gives way to strategy. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. "At this time of year, it is always good practice to evaluate your business," says Chapman, Group CEO of OCI, the global supply chain partner ranked fastest-growing UK company and listed as the 3rd fastest-growing company in Europe. "Focus on how to fine-tune operations, and determine how to bring your goals closer to reality," he adds. There's something striking, even elegant, about the way Chapman treats the mid-year: less as a checkpoint, more as a chance to reframe the narrative. This May, he is asking himself sharper questions. "How can our larger transactions be executed more intelligently, more efficiently, and more impactfully?" These aren't idle thoughts. OCI operates in a sector where the ground is always shifting—and right now, it's being rocked by policy and geopolitics. "We are seeing substantial volatility in the supply chain market since Donald Trump announced American tariffs," he explains. "Companies are unsure as to whether to trade with the US." The sheer unpredictability of global trade is why Chapman avoids bold pivots too early in the year. "Q1 is always too premature to make meaningful or informed change," he says. "This is the best time to do so, as you don't want to leave it much later. Believe it or not, Christmas is already around the corner, and you run the risk of being behind the magic eight ball if you are not already considering course adjustments." Rethinking growth in real time As the UK economy tiptoes toward recovery and global markets continue to uncoil post-Covid, Chapman is moving quickly but with precision. Certain OCI business streams, he says, are constants. But others are heading east - and fast. "We are seeing major demand and activity in Asia, especially Indonesia," he notes. "At present, we see that particular nation as the fastest-growing market—ahead of China and India—which is why we are committing a lot of its time and resources there." Indonesia's ascent as a supply chain hotbed is not just a numbers game. For Chapman, it signals a broader shift - a need to be where the action is becoming, not just where it has traditionally been. A Shift in Mindset May is not only about strategy; it's about mindset. "It's a time of year for me to look at how we can change the course of the game dramatically," Chapman reflects. "This is the time to identify something that will really move the dial beyond your everyday bread and butter business." That mindset shift, he adds, is crucial after months spent navigating the internal mechanics of a company like OCI. "It's a chance to zoom out," he says, offering a bird's-eye metaphor for what many CEOs never quite find the time - or courage - to do. "At the half-year mark, I am now looking at ways that OCI can drive performance and secure business with those corporates and governments coming down the pipeline. I understand that navigating these opportunities will propel and help maintain OCI's standing as a global player in supply chain solutions." Stepping back to push forward Even in the midst of all this recalibration, Chapman is carving out time to recharge. It's not idle downtime. It's intentional, even strategic. "I enjoy racing and have a few single-seater events lined up over the summer which I am looking forward to competing in," he says, almost in passing. Then, more personally: "My birthday is also at the end of May and a great chance to spend time with my wife and family, including our little boy, who was born last year." It's this combination of speed and stillness that seems to power Chapman—steering hard through complexity while never quite losing sight of the bigger road ahead. "For entrepreneurs, my advice would be that now is the time to get outside, go see nature, sit in a log cabin for a while, and take stock of your situation," he says. "Having the time to think, without distraction, gives you the rare and priceless opportunity to determine how best to move your business forward." For a man whose world is built on supply chain logic, there's something surprisingly human in his approach to recalibration. Not mechanical, but mindful. Not reactive, but rooted. And perhaps, in a world where volatility is the new norm, that balance between foresight and flexibility is the real competitive advantage.
