I lead Hyperion's Energy Storage practice in Europe, covering the Battery value chain (cell to system), Stationary ESS, and Storage & Grid Digitalisation. I specialise in C-Suite and Senior-level assignments across Commercial, Operational & Technical disciplines.
Prior to Hyperion, I spent 10 years in executive search for international energy & chemicals, engineering, and digitalisation sectors, which has given me a holistic industry outlook and broad network reach. I'm passionate about building relationships with energy storage and grid leaders and I regularly network at industry conferences and events around Europe, including Energy Storage Summit, Smarter E, and Future Battery Forum. I am excited about building out the Energy Storage team at Hyperion as the sector is growing so quickly!
Outside of work, you'll find me exploring new cities and countries, watching my beloved Wigan Warriors rugby league team and Manchester United (amongst a Hyperion team of Liverpool fans!), or being outdoors with my wife Shell and dog Boston.
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03 February 2026
January's Energy Storage News & Views
By
2026 is in now in full swing and in general, the mood is more upbeat than 2025 with those well-established players continuing to scale globally and corporate or PE backed scaleups seizing market expansion opportunities. That being said, growth bottlenecks caused by investment challenges in early-stage companies are clear and some positive policy / regulatory changes are causing some short term turbulence and caution in hiring patterns.
For example, in the UK we've heard of NESO reform impacts causing talent hiring and retention headaches as outlined here
One key trend I've noticed over the last couple of quarters, is an emphasis on "holistic hiring", especially in scaleups and SME clients who were partner with. The "T shape" profile is in demand as business navigate a multitude of challenges. I share more here
The Hyperion Search Cleantech Market & Talent Review
We recently published our latest Review, with a look back on key industry news, deals, talent trends and people moves (below) from Q4 2025 and a look ahead at 2026 predictions.
To access the full report, you can download from our website here
Upcoming Events
Q1 is a busy event season for Energy Storage & Grid. Here are some of the upcoming events you'll find our team at the following:
If you're attending and want to meet up and discuss your hiring plans or personal career steps, then get in touch.
Market News
December's global BESS deployments were at record levels - In December we saw a record-breaking level of BESS capacity come online (20.5GW / 71GWh globally). Of this total global amount, 92% was in China with over 18GW/65GWh (this represented 25% of the total global deployments, just in December alone).
It's safe to say that the Chinese train is one that will never be caught and it's now about how players in other regions can cooperate safely and securely with Chinese partners or how they can offer smart added-value solutions for example smart EMS/BMS, optimisation SaaS etc.
EV downturn in the US presenting new BESS opportunities - The cooling EV demand in the US is providing a lifeline for ESS, as manufacturers pivot production toward BESS. This shift helps developers navigate new 25% tariffs on Chinese batteries and strict Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) rules that took effect in 2026.
Highlighting this strategic pivot, Justin Johnson, COO of Arevon Energy noted: "The slowdown in EV has been the biggest lifeline for the stationary storage industry. We are seeing manufacturers that were 100% focused on automotive now knocking on our door with dedicated BESS cells."
More here
UK BESS shifting to the execution era
In the latest Market & Talent Review shared above, we share insights on the key trend of BESS shifting from development to delivery/execution. This observation is certainly true in the UK, backed up by recent analysis featured in Energy-Storage.news
In the UK, a record 4GWh of BESS capacity came online in 2025. This shift was characterised by a move toward significantly larger projects, averaging over 400MWh, and a rise in long-duration energy storage (LDES) supported by new "cap and floor" revenue mechanisms.
Read more here
World's largest battery company signs record materials supply deal
CATL, secured a record-breaking $17.2 billion agreement with Ningbo Ronbay New Energy Technology to procure 3.05 million tons of LFP cathode material through 2031. This move will help stabilise CATL’s supply chain amid surging lithium prices and growing global demand.
Continued calls for new LDES support amidst predicted falling costs
As LDES costs are projected to drop by 37% by 2030, a coalition of industry groups is urging EU policymakers to make the "strategic choice" to integrate these technologies into the continent's energy framework to ensure grid reliability and independence. To achieve this, the coalition recommends that the EU implement duration-aware system modelling, set specific LDES procurement targets, and establish long-term revenue-certainty mechanisms like "cap and floor" schemes as we've seen in the UK.
Germany's new grid fee system proposals put forward
The Federal Network Agency in Germany has published a paper proposing a new system for battery / BESS grid fees from 2029 onwards. The new regulatory framework proposed will allow grid operators to earn a minimum of 1.4% higher revenues starting in 2029 to incentivise the massive investments needed for the country's energy transition.
By improving the risk-return profile for operators like E.ON and Amprion, the regulator aims to unlock the estimated €450 billion required to modernise the grid and integrate renewable energy by 2045.
The growing need for enhanced cybersecurity around BESS
In our latest Market & Talent Review, I predicted that cybersecurity would become a core pillar in decision making around BESS investments.
Well the recent warnings from cybersecurity firms Dragos and The Brattle Group lend weight to this prediction. They urge the industry to adopt proactive security measures, particularly around supply chain visibility and strict remote access protocols. They highlight that although standardisation has reduced costs and simplified BESS deployments, it has also made them easier targets for cyberattacks by reducing the level of sophistication required to exploit them. Uniform technology and direct internet connectivity expand the attack surface, potentially allowing adversaries to cause significant financial losses and grid instability.
Recruitment News
Firstly, some sound advice on the value of mastering your interview process from our Director of Delivery Ross Hoare
It's been a great month of progress on some of our key searches as well as securing several new partnerships with existing and new clients in the space. See below:
- Chair of the Board - New search with an energy storage client in expansion phase across Europe, now aided by strategic investment.
- Co-Founding CEO - Early-stage deeptech venture in the UK with an international market focus and early commercial traction in various industries such as O&G, Mining, Defence & Military etc. We require a CEO focused on commercialisation and fundraising to sit alongside the product-orientated Founders.
- VP Asset Optimization - Operational leadership role with real impact. Helping a market optimization and trading tech scaleup to grow across the US (multi ISO focus), empowering and growing a team, and coordinating closely with senior leadership on driving continuous improvements in all facets of the business.
- Senior Business Developer (Netherlands) + Supply Chain & Finance Manager (France) + Senior Technical PM (Europe) - with an exciting long-duration energy storage company, now backed by a strategic industrial investor, and focusing on growth in the maritime, ports and logistics segment.
Deals
Here is a selection of latest investment and M&A deals in the sector!
Investments
R.Power - €250 million (Equity) - To enable the Polish renewables IPP to develop a large-scale battery portfolio in Europe
Terralayr (Germany) - $223 Million / €192 million (Equity) - For the developer, owner, and operator of BESS assets to further grow its grid-scale BESS portfolio in Germany while scaling its LAYR (virtual battery and route-to-market optimization platform). Congrats to Philipp Man, Ludwig Wurlitzer, Mikko Preuss and team.
Gore Street Capital closes it's European BESS fund - This first fund close will target battery storage investments mainly in the European Union - it has already received cornerstone commitments from European Investment Fund and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, alongside other institutional, strategic and family office entities.
Jupiter Power - $500 million (Green revolving loan + letter of credit) - for the US BESS developer-operator to support the advance its project pipeline across the US.
Cylib (Germany) - €63.4 million - For the battery recycling scaleup to finance the second build-out stage of its and Europe’s first dedicated industrial-scale LFP recycling line in Dormagen, doubling total planned facility capacity to 60,000 tonnes annually - equivalent to 140,000 electric vehicle batteries. Congratulations Lilian Schwich, Gideon Schwich, Paul Sabarny and team.
MFT Energy invests in Northium Energy - MFT, the energy trading player in Denmark, has invested in Northium, acquiring a majority stake in the Danish grid-scale BESS developer. Northium Energy gains capital to accelerate and scale its project pipeline, combined with access to MFT’s market optimisation, algo trading, and market execution capabilities
NeoVolta (US) secures $13 million - to support NeoVolta’s planned entry into large-scale U.S. production, including a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Georgia, focusing on utility-level and C&I BESS production (initial capacity approx. 2 GWh)
M&A
Gresham House acquires SUSI Partners - With SUSI, the investment manager, now integrated it creates a £2.7 billion energy transition investment platform. The combined entity is launching a new global energy storage strategy, including international expansion, in 2026.
Kraken £750 million ($1 billion) funding to demerge from Octopus Energy - With this transaction, Kraken reached a staggering Kraken $8.65 billion valuation. Following the demerger from Octopus, Kraken will operate with a separate cap table, independent governance and leadership. Read more insights on Kraken from our MD, David Hunt. Article can be found here
Drax acquires Flexitricity for £36 million from Quinbrook - The UK-based flexibility asset optimiser manages over 900 MW of assets across wholesale, balancing and ancillary markets and this acquisition supports Drax’s plans to build a GW-scale battery storage pipeline and expand third-party optimisation services.
Elysia acquires Zitara - The Fortescue owned company in the UK has acquired US onsite controls company Zitara, and will integrate Zitara's tech into their battery intelligence portfolio - enhancing their foothold in the BESS market on both sides of the Atlantic.
I wanted to end this edition with some of my personal Must Watch / Must Listen Recommendations
1. Modo Energy Transmission Podcast
i) The Digital Backbone of Energy Storage Optimization with host Ed Porter and guest Roger Hollies of Arenko
2. 🎙Redefining Energy Podcast with co-hosts Laurent Segalen Gerard Reid Michael Barnard
Big Funds, Bigger Bets: Inside Infrastructure's Power Shift: with Zak Bentley
3. Energy Unplugged podcast by Aurora Energy Research
i) From Grid Bottlenecks to Battery Value: Europe’s Storage Markets Evolve with Claudia Günther + Steffen Schülzchen and Constantin Nicklas of Entrix
ii) Flexibility, Batteries and the Future of Europe’s Power System with Jesse Hettema +Simon Bushell of Sympower
4. Leaders in Cleantech Podcast hosted by Hyperion Search Ltd MD David Hunt
i) Johannes Leon Kirnberger- MD & Co-Founder at Delta Charge - Episode here
ii) Juergen Mayerhofer - Founder & CEO of enspired - Episode here
If you enjoyed this edition of the Energy Storage News and Views, please share with your network and don't forget to Subscribe if you haven't already. There will be a new edition coming soon!
See you next time!
David
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#energystorage
16 January 2026
The “Holistic” Cleantech Leader Era is Here
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Cleantech hiring has fundamentally shifted.
Looking at 2025 and into 2026, the industry has moved away from narrow specialisms. We are seeing a decisive move toward "Holistic Hiring" - where industry breadth and cross-functional expertise are no longer "nice to haves," but prerequisites.
Why the change? In my recent discussions with company leaders, Boards and investors, there is a clear push for talent that sits at the intersection of the ecosystem. To maximise revenue, companies need leaders who can navigate the integration of renewables, storage, grid connectivity, EV infrastructure, and smart flexibility and optimisation.
The strict boundaries between job functions have also evolved. We are now searching for "T-shaped" professionals i.e. individuals with deep expertise in a core area, but the versatility to add value across the entire project lifecycle.
If you look at Energy Storage specifically, the days of the specialist silo are gone. Batteries have matured into a sophisticated infrastructure asset class and the most valuable hires today are those who can navigate the entire value chain.
Some recent senior search examples from our desk highlight this trend:
🔹 Project Delivery combined with Grid Connection expertise.
🔹 Sales Leadership with a deep understanding of Project Finance.
🔹 Supply Chain Management integrated with Financial Coordination.
🔹 O&M Leadership paired with Commercial Asset Optimisation know-how.
The Bottom Line: Storage is now a staple of institutional infrastructure portfolios. Consequently, leaders are demanding the same level of rigorous commercial and financial fluency across their teams, that you'd expect in any other critical infrastructure class.
The "purely technical" or "purely commercial" roles are narrowing. The present and future belongs to the holistic leader.
What about your business? The 'silo' era is over. Is your leadership team built for 2026, or are you still hiring for the past?
We're helping Energy Storage C-suites and Boards bridge this gap right now - let’s discuss how we can de-risk your next senior hire. Get in touch with me at david.beeston@hyperionsearch.com to discuss how we can add value impact to your hiring strategy in 2026.
Hyperion Search is a leading international search firm, dedicated to renewables and cleantech sectors. We've supported the clean energy transition for 11 years, placing senior and strategic level talent in 19 countries to date.
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#leadership#talent
25 November 2025
November's Energy Storage News & Views
By
As we approach year's end and the holidays season, it's a period of both reflection and planning for everyone.
2025 has been a rather turbulent year for the sector, with sweeping policy reforms, global trade wars, and an investment squeeze. For many, it's been a year of consolidation, or in some cases survival. However, in BESS it has driven an even deeper focus on extracting maximum ROI from every project and a more considered approach throughout the project lifecycle - every decision is now scrutinised with a significant importance placed on clear data. What has encouraged me is the collaboration I'm seeing between developers, asset owners, optimisers and O&M / Asset Managers.
From a talent perspective, it' safe to say we're experiencing a "soft" market at the moment. Here's my advice to business leaders thinking this is an opportunistic time for a quick win hire... be careful!
Events
Recently Hyperion co-hosted the Climate Coffee event - a breakfast networking event at our offices in London. A real success with 60+ people in attendance - we look forward to hosting another in the future!
Market News
Global Deployments To Date 39% Up
Cumulative BESS deployments in the first ten months of the year have now reached 156GWh, up 39% year-on-year, according to recent research by Rho Motion mainly dominated by China (no shock there!)
Europe Close To Reaching Key Deployment Milestone
Europe is now on the verge of hitting a huge deployment milestone this month - it is expected the region will reach 100GW of cumulative energy storage deployments, according to new analysis from LCP Delta and Energy Storage Europe Association.
It's interesting to take a look at the technology breakdown too - over 50% of total deployment is Pumped Hydro with the rest mainly made up of Electrochemical Storage (Batteries, Flow Batteries etc). Interesting, behind-the-meter deployments outweigh front-of-the-meter deployments so far, but from now to 2030 utility-scale BESS is set to soar. The BtM numbers are mainly down to huge residential growth over recent years, but and commercial and industrial (C&I) is gathering pace with installations expected to go beyond 1GW by 2030.
Toyota opens US battery plant, confirms $10 billion investment plan
Toyota has confirmed plans to invest $10 billion over five years in U.S. manufacturing with a firm commitment to Battery manufacturing, as it begun production at its $13.9 billion North Carolina battery plant. This site will be able to produce 30 GWh annually at full capacity and house 14 battery production lines for plug-in hybrids and full EVs. It will eventually employ 5,000 workers.
UAE's World-Record Solar-Plus-Storage Project
Masdar has broken ground on a monumental solar PV and BESS project in Abu Dhabi, which is claimed to be the largest and most technologically advanced of its kind globally. The $5.9 billion facility combines a massive 5.2 GW solar farm with a 19 GWh BESS and is set to become operational in 2027.
This underlines the commitment of the UAE to the clean energy transition and the scale of some of the Middle Eastern projects is mind blowing!
ERCOT BESS Moves
We saw some key BESS project moves in the Texan ERCOT market recently, led by Energy Vault and Jupiter Power. Energy Vault acquired the 150MW/300MWh SOSA Energy Centre BESS for development under its Asset Vault platform, with commercial operation expected in Q1 2027. Separately, Jupiter Power finalised a large-scale, long-term agreement with utility Austin Energy to provide up to 100MW of electricity from a BESS facility.
Ireland Opens BESS To Wholesale Market
🇮🇪 Ireland has opened its wholesale electricity market to BESS under a new Scheduling and Dispatch Programme, allowing them to fully participate in trading, charging, and discharging based on real-time market signals.
This major reform, led by EirGrid and SONI, is critical for meeting renewable energy targets, enhancing grid flexibility, and is expected to unlock new revenue streams for battery owners, providing a significant boost to energy storage investment in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
French Grid Reform
TURPE 7, 🇫🇷 France's latest grid tariff reform, will introduce dynamic, locational pricing for BESS starting in August 2026. This new "injection-withdrawal" tariff component, approved by the energy regulator CRE, replaces uniform fees with variable rewards linked to grid needs. The goal is to incentivize battery operators to charge and discharge strategically in specific "injection" and "withdrawal" zones to reduce local grid peaks, improving system flexibility and enabling greater renewable energy integration.
A key country to watch for BESS investments and trading and optimisation focus in late 2026 and beyond!
🇪🇸 Spain's Significant Investment In Energy Storage
Our last edition featured Spain's commitment to investing in Energy Storage and further details have emerged. The country will allocate nearly €840 million in EU-backed grants to fund 143 selected projects, aiming to add approximately 9 GWh of storage capacity.
The funding, which was increased by 20% due to high demand, supports various technologies including stand-alone batteries, hybrid renewable projects, and thermal storage, with a focus on hybridisation with existing renewables. These combined efforts are critical components of Spain's strategy to meet its target of 22.5 GW of installed energy storage by 2030 and to integrate its rapidly growing renewable energy fleet.
A Key Reference Project for Thermal Energy Storage
Those of you who have followed the newsletter for some time will know of my strong belief in long duration energy storage (LDES) technologies to complement BESS. One such LDES technology stack is Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and it's great to see this flagship project planned.
Rondo Energy will partner with Siemens and Eneco to deploy a 100 MWh TES system, at a Heineken brewery in Seville, Spain, making it the largest project of it's kind in Europe. By replacing the facility's existing gas boilers with a specialised hot air blow and refractory bricks, the TES system is expected to cut the brewery's CO2 emissions by 7,000 tonnes annually, aligning with Heineken's goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.
Recruitment News
Congratulations... One of the best parts of a career in executive search is seeing the impact that your placements can make. I was delighted to see that Fergal Harrington-Beatty who we recruited for E-magy has recently been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer just 2 years after joining as Senior BD Manager. Congratulations Fergal!
It's been a great month of progress on some of our key searches as well as securing several new partnerships with existing and new clients in the space. See below:
Head of Manufacturing (Belgium) - an exciting nex-gen battery innovator in Europe. This role will help drive the company's transition from lab and early manual prototypes to pilot and semi-automated production in coming years.
Business Developer + Technical PM (Germany) - BESS client focused on expanding behind-the-meter storage and energy trading opportunities for C&I customers.
- The BD will join the existing commercial team and be focused on capturing significant behind-the-meter pipeline opportunities across Germany and wider DACH.
- The Technical PM will be focused on overseeing end-to-end delivery of customer projects as well as supporting the commercial function with technical support during customer engagements.
Business Development Lead (Netherlands) + Supply Chain Lead (France) - an exciting long-duration energy storage company, now backed by a strategic industrial investor, and focusing on growth in the maritime, ports and logistics segment.
- The BD Lead role will focus on developing their commercial footprint in the Netherlands (a key region) secure early pilot and commercial projects with leading tank storage operators in the region.
- The SC Lead will be a dual role combining supply chain management and financial coordination. You will be responsible for structuring, optimizing, and managing the company’s operational flows — from procurement to delivery — while overseeing the relationship with our external accounting and financial partners.
Deals
Here is a selection of latest deals in the sector!
Statera Energy (UK) - £235 million (Debt) - For its 680MW/1,360MWh Carrington BESS project in Manchester, UK.
European Energy (Latvia) - €37.9 million - for the renewable energy project developer's development of a hybrid solar and energy storage project in Latvia. The solar project is also co-owned by European Energy and Sampension.
FP Investment Partners (Germany) - €500 million battery storage fund - The fund manager has achieved first closing for its European battery storage fund, which will target to raise €500 million to invest in Storage projects across Europe with core target markets of Germany, Scandinavia, Italy and the Netherlands.
Drax Group (UK) - £157.2 million - to acquire 3 BESS projects from Apatura, to complement their already impressive existing Flexible Generation (pumped storage, hydro and gas turbines). The combined FlexGen portfolio will reach 1.8GW of storage and flexible generation across nine UK sites.
Exowatt (USA) - $50 million (Series A extension) - to expand the LDES company's US manufacturing and deployments of their P3 ESS - aimed at meeting the rising power demands of AI data centers and other energy-intensive facilities.
Nanoramic (USA) - $54 million (Series 1 equity) - to further scale the commercialisation of the advanced battery scaleup as they support GWh-scale demand, with commercial shipments scaling up and shifting to global manufacturing sites in 2026.
Enlight Renewable Energy-Clenera (Israel/USA) - $1.44 billion (Debt Financing) - to finance the renewables IPP-developer's Snowflake A project located in Arizona which will combine 600 MW of solar with 1,900 MWh of energy storage.
I wanted to end this edition with some of my personal Must Watch / Must Listen Recommendations
1. Modo Energy Transmission Podcast
i) Building Britain's biggest BESS with host Ed Porter and guest Lisa Mackay of Fidra Energy
ii) Unlocking investment for flexible assets with host Joseph Bush and guests Roberto Castiglioni and Helena Anderson, co-founders of Ikigai Capital
2. 🎙Redefining Energy Podcast with co-hosts Laurent Segalen Gerard Reid
Battery Boom or Policy Bust? The Big EV Divergence with guest Iola Hughes of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence / Rho Motion
3. Energy Unplugged podcast by Aurora Energy Research
i) Structuring The Future: How FPAs Are Powering Europe's Battery Revolution with Martin Daronnat of ENGIE, hosted by Dr. Casimir Lorenz
ii) Powering The Grid: The Growing Role of Large-Scale Battery Storage with Tom Palmer of Zenobē Network Infrastructure, hosted by Malavika Gode
If you enjoyed this edition of the Energy Storage News and Views, please share with your network and don't forget to Subscribe on LinkedIn if you haven't already. There will be a new edition coming soon!
See you next time!
David
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#energystorage
06 October 2025
Q3 Market & Talent Review: Spotlight on Energy Storage & Grid
By
Q3 2025 marked sustained yet complex growth in the Energy Storage and Grid sector. Record BESS deployments, particularly in the U.S, were offset by policy uncertainty, trade tensions and challenging investment conditions for technology providers from outside of Asia. Nonetheless, there is excitement around the huge demand opportunity that datacentres and AI will bring for Energy Storage and the continued emergence of longer duration storage technologies.
Market Trends
- Grid-scale storage in Europe expanded rapidly, especially in Italy, Germany, and the UK, driven by high renewable penetration and growing flexibility needs. This is dominated by grid-scale projects but the investment cases are growing for C&I as behind-themeter revenue opportunities increase across Europe.
- Long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies gained traction, with Italy’s 10 GWh MACSE auction, 77 UK projects
progressing under the cap-and-floor mechanism, and Google partnering with Energy Dome to decarbonise operations. - Energy security and supply chain resilience remain key priorities. Governments are pushing for local manufacturing to reduce reliance on Chinese imports, though competitiveness and financing challenges persist.
• Grid constraints continue across several markets. The UK’s NESO reforms aim to ease connection bottlenecks, and following Iberian blackouts, Spain increased its grid investment cap by 62% and Portugal committed €400M investment, and German policy changes could remove fee exemptions for storage between 2026-2029, threatening project viability. - In the U.S., record BESS deployments in California, Texas, and Arizona contrasted with new policy uncertainty stemming from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) and “Foreign Entity of Concern” (FEOC) regulations.
- The AI revolution energy demand is accelerating large-scale BESS adoption for utilities and IPPs, as datacentres require faster, more flexible clean power solutions.
- AI-driven forecasting, optimisation, and trading tools are becoming essential for maximising storage asset performance and
returns.
Talent Trends
In Q3, hiring shifted toward project execution, new-market expansion and supply chain resilience. Demand increased for:
- Project Engineers and Managers – delivering large-scale deployments.
- Territory Expansion Leaders – establishing new country or regional operations.
- Grid Managers – navigating evolving regulatory and connection landscapes.
- Asset Optimisation Specialists – maximising returns from complex BESS portfolios.
- Supply Chain Leaders – securing and stabilising battery and component supply.
Key Deals
- Fidra Energy reached financial close on the UK’s largest BESS project (Thorpe Marsh) totalling over L1Bn in equity and debt financing.
- The EU Commission pledged €852M in battery manufacturing grants.
- The UK’s National Wealth Fund, Equitix, and Aware Super (two private investment firms) invested L500M in Eelpower’s grid scale projects.
- Sympower and Suena raised €27M combined to accelerate the rollout of their BESS optimisation and flexibility software.
- FlexGen acquired Powin’s IP and key assets following bankruptcy.
- Lyten acquired all remaining assets of Northvolt, including gigafactories and IP valued at approximately $5 billion.
You can read, download and share our full Q3 Cleantech Market & Talent Review here: Hyperion Market Reviews
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#BESS
09 October 2024
New 4 day week rules set to change in the UK. Are you ready?
By
Flexibility is now one of, if not the most, important consideration for most professionals we speak to when looking for their next career challenge.
Therefore, the proposed rule changes around 4 day working weeks in the UK, as highlighted in this article, are very interesting indeed. In fact, they could be revolutionary for work as we know it!
Currently, employees in the UK have the right to request flexible working, but employers aren’t legally obliged to agree. However, that could be set to change with new planned laws which would mean all employers must offer employees the option of flexible 4 day working from day one of employment, except where it is “not reasonably feasible” (What this latter stipulation means, time will tell!)
It's a topic I've heard many people discussing recently and in most cases, positively.
The 4 day week has already been trialled and fully implemented in other countries, such as Belgium, Australia, Denmark etc and in 2023, a trial of over 60 companies in the UK, found approx. 90% of participating companies were positive post-trial and chose to keep the 4 day working arrangements permanently.
It's a topic close to home too. Here at Hyperion we offer the 4 day flexibility for some of our team members who have requested it, for example those with young children who might be navigating childcare availability and costs. Now in our case it's made easier given we're a Services business and ultimately quality output is the main measure for us. There's no “clock in, clock out” culture - ultimately, if your working pattern means you're delivering against your objectives and aligning with our values, then great!
Some of the positive impacts reported by those who have implemented the 4 day week include:
- Boosts in productivity - Many companies found that output improved after introducing 4 day weeks. With reduced hours, employees were more focused and efficient, so they could enjoy the benefits of the extra day off
- Improved engagement - Better work-life balance made people feel happier and more engaged during their working days. This can really boost team harmony and ultimately performance
- Reduced burnout - according to this BBC article, 71% of the 2023 UK trial reported reductions in levels of burnout
- Hiring benefits - With flexibility being a key driver for many job seekers, offering this arrangement can give companies an edge over competition when attracting top talent
Of course, it's not that easy for all industries and even in sectors where it is more practical, it will take some adjustment for many company leaders (it's been difficult enough to convince some leaders to allow working from home flexibility, never mind 4 day working!). As we know, typically people don't like change!
If you're a business leader faced with the prospect of these new rules, there are some important things to keep in mind:
- Not everyone will want this. Don't assume this needs to be a blanket rule. Some people like and work better in the routine and pace of a 5 day week and therefore may not adjust to a reduced week.
- Be smart with how this is implemented. It's no use having half your team off on the same day, if you have round-the-clock business. Think about how this can be staggered or on a rotation for your team members
- There should be no concessions when it comes to meeting objectives. This is an employee choice and accountability should come with this flexibility.
- Be careful not to inadvertently create an unhealthy intense, high-pressure work environment by compressing the same workload into four days. Be mindful your employees could end up overwhelmed and not perform at their best or in more severe cases this could impact physical and mental health.
- Less time for critical thinking and reflection. Some of the best business ideas spawn from “free time” where your team can reflect and focus on new solutions. This condensed workload may eliminate those windows of opportunity for creativity and strategizing.
- You may see top performers crash. In many businesses, productivity is already super high, with fast pace and constant deadlines (those running start-ups know exactly what I mean) so reducing workdays may seem like a benefit, but in fact it might add a new layer of pressure. Instead of taking the extra day to work on themselves, recharge the batteries, or be with their families, employees could instead end up logging into work to catch up on tasks they couldn’t complete during the 4 days, which ultimately defeats the point!
Ultimately, whether this concept works can come down to how it's implemented by the business leaders - particularly how you balance being accommodating of employee's expectations and the needs and expectations of the business. In any successful work model, whether its 4 days, 5 days, or whatever else, the focus should be on the quality of work and the wellbeing of employees. Don't treat them like cogs in a machine!
How do you anticipate the new 4 day working week rule changes affecting your business?
Hyperion supports cleantech and climatetech clients across Europe, to hire top senior and executive leadership talent. If you're looking for support in growing your business, contact me at david.beeston@hyperionsearch.com
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#mobility#energy
04 October 2024
How BESS can save the EU billions!
By
Show me the money!
Those of a certain age will remember the famous Jerry Maguire line. I often think of this when discussing the merits of renewables and energy storage with clients. Often clients tell me that one of the core challenges is convincing financers or those outside the industry, on the merits of “going green”. Rolling out technology specs and a bunch of acronyms sometimes doesn't cut it. Sometimes you need to break it down to simple financial terms… Show me the money!
This excellent analysis by Ember highlights the HUGE monetary benefits we could see by ramping up our BESS deployments. Focused on the EU, but applicable globally, the impact BESS can have on not only reducing curtailment costs but also alleviating the reliance on expensive gas generation, is enormous.
Quite simply, who can argue against potentially €9 billion per year in reduced costs?!
Hyperion Search supports Energy Storage and Grid clients to recruit senior and executive leadership talent, who can help their companies to grow significantly. If you're a leader of a Energy Storage & Grid company looking to expand or transform your leadership team, contact me at david.beeston@hyperionsearch.com to discuss how we can support you.