this is worklife from bbc news with sally bundock and karin giannone. the ugly side of the beauty industry, as a leading body in the uk claims bullying is rife within the industry. live from london, that's our top story on wednesday the 27th of november. in an exclusive interview with the bbc, the british beauty council says workers are suffering from a wide range of issues, from name calling to psychological abuse. also in the programme. trouble at softbank, as the japanese giant fails to woo investors for its new fund.

and — we'll be hearing from the young entrepreneur who's connecting upcoming social media influencers with the world's biggest brands. getting it right when it comes to where we work — we'll meet the company aiming to take the slog out of renting office space. today we want to know — what's on the menu for your christmas dinner? it looks like the traditional festive blow—out could be impacted due to extreme weather, with supplies of turkey and some veg affected. so will this change your plans? let us know — just use the hashtag #bbcworklife. let's get started. we begin with our top story. the british beauty council has exclusively told the bbc that they want an independent body to be set up to investigate claims of bullying and unfair dismissal. it's after the victoria derbyshire programme showed them evidence

that there is bullying in all tiers of the beauty industry. beauty therapists and make—up artists have made claims ranging from gossiping and name calling to psychological abuse. as the workers have no union, victims say their are few protections. zak says he was previously a victim of bullying as a male make—up artist. being a guy in the make—up industry kind of goes against what women think you can do, which is sad. there were a lot of times they were like, are you sure you want him to do your make—up? he's a guy, he doesn't know how to do make up. you talk about having to fit a mould and if you don't fit the mould you're out. yeah. so, my friend, we were working at this boutique and they asked her to not work on the front desk because they thought she was too ugly and too fat and it would stop people coming in. viewers here in the uk can see the full report at 10am on bbc two and the bbc news channel. but right now we can talk to the reporter ellie costello. what exactly did you find out?

zak isjust zak is just one of the people i've spoken to, i've spoken to more than 20 people in the beauty industry and that ranges from make—up artists on the shop floor of department stores all the way up to director level of big beauty brands that we would all recognise. i've heard accusations ranging from gossiping and rumour spreading, up to psychological bullying and unfair dismissal. it is really important to note that a lot of people are too afraid to go on the record. they describe feelings of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts. almost everybody i spoke to said there is an institutional crisis when it comes to bullying in the industry. why is it so right? it's a really difficult question and i asked everybody i spoke to. some people say it's a female dominated industry and they say that's what happens when you get that many women working together, there is a lot of gossiping and it's very competitive. other people say it's about how you look and being beautiful so if you don't fit the mould you don't fit

in. most people say the most important thing is the fact there is no recognised union. if you do feel you're a victim of workplace bullying there is nobody you can go to to seek advice or make a complaint and that makes things really difficult. you mentioned some people are too scared to speak out, why isn't it spoken about? it's not common knowledge, is it? the first reason is the beauty industry is massive, one in every 60 jobs in the uk is in the beauty industry. it's also a very small world and it's about your reputation and your name. people are very fearful about coming out with claims of bullying because they are afraid they won't have a work in the industry again. the second thing is the use of nondisclosure agreements which this investigation found is commonplace in big beauty brands. companies will give employees and nda to sign off on an exchange for thousands of pounds, sometimes tens of thousands of pounds for their silence and people had signed those ndas and

told me it's very damaging because how can you recover from something you can't talk about? you either can't talk about it or you're too afraid to. in terms of what people are calling on the industry to do, what does that look like? we took oui’ what does that look like? we took our findings what does that look like? we took ourfindings to what does that look like? we took our findings to the british beauty council and spoke to the ceo millie kendall and she said she was shocked but she said this isn't a beauty problem, this is a workplace problem. she called for an independent body to be set up to investigate claims of harassment and bullying in the workplace. thank you. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the indian ride—sharing firm ola has begun signing up drivers in london ahead of plans to launch services in the capital "in the coming weeks". it comes days after rival uber was denied a new licence to operate in london after repeated safety failures. ola, which already operates in the uk, said it has held "constructive conversations" with local authorities.

hip—hop starjay—z is suing an australian retailer over the use of his name and lyrics in its products. the little homie sells "hip—hop inspired" clothing and books. the artist claims the firm has breached his intellectual property, including in a children's book titled ab to jay—z. it's being reported that the owner of english premier league champions manchester city is selling a $500 million stake to private equity firm silver lake. the deal values the club at $4.8 billion. it's thought that abu dhabi controlled city football group signed the deal at the weekend — and an announcement is expected as soon as today. let's talk about softbank now — because this week it's reportedly pushing ahead with its rescue plan for the office—sharing firm wework, in a deal worth $5 billion. ——in a deal worth $9.5 billion.

wework is one of 70 companies which currently receive investments from softbank‘s vision fund. but its failed share sale has already proved damaging to the japanese conglomerate's reputation — and its bottom—line. sharanjit leyl is in singapore for us. what is the latest on softbank? softbank is reportedly under fire from its shareholders over its poor investments and poor governance including the wework debacle and its plans to finance its second fishing fun. the wall street journal plans to finance its second fishing fun. the wall streetjournal is reporting a number of investors have been privately lasting the japanese conglomerate over its recent losses and many are criticising their intention to lend $20 billion to its ceo and other executives for them to invest in the fishing fund. you might remember the first vision fund was mainly backed by saudi arabia and a bit by abu dhabi. getting back to the debacle over wework, it's had to the debacle over wework, it's had

to slash its valuation of wework by more than 80%. they have agreed to a $9.5 billion rescue deal and softbank plans to push ahead with an offer of 3 billion. interesting. let's look at markets. it is the thanksgiving day break in the us tomorrow so no action on wall street on thursday at all but today we will get some indication as to how the birds biggest economy is doing, we'll get home sales numbers, durable goods and the big ticket items that people buy, us factory orders and that kind of thing. that will give us a sense how the us economy is faring. let's have a look at the european markets today. they are headed, not all headed higher, the ftse 100 is but elsewhere are headed, not all headed higher, the ftse100 is but elsewhere in germany and france, a little bit lower. not much big corporate

stories moving markets today as we saw earlier this week with big deals announced both on monday and tuesday. federal prosecutors in the us are investigating six pharmaceutical companies for potential criminal charges, in connection with shipping big quantities of opioid painkillers that contributed to a health care crisis — according to official documents. it's being reported that five of the companies have received subpoenas from the us attorney's office in the eastern district of new york as part of the investigation. vivienne nunis has more from new york. according to reports, federal prosecutors are trying to find out whether pharmaceutical companies here violated the controlled substances act. this law requires the pharmaceutical industry to closely monitor commonly—abused drugs and report suspicious orders. drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies have all been widely criticised for fuelling the opioid crisis by turning a blind eye to suspiciously large orders. the epidemic has killed 400,000 americans over the past two decades.

while the federal attorney's office here in new york won't confirm a criminal investigation is under way, investors are clearly worried. stocks in drug manufacturers teva and amneal pharmaceuticals plummeted today. at one stage, both were down 10%. stocks in drug distributors amerisourcebergen and mckesson fell between 3% and 5%. the drug companies deny responsibility for the opioid crisis, saying they followed the laws and regulations that govern the pharmaceutical industry. now for our look at some of the newspaper and website stories which have caught our eye. joining me is tania jackson, managing director of red idea marketing agency. welcome. your first story, welcome. yourfirst story, mark zuckerberg discussed the future but only with mostly white men. yes, it seems appalling because if we talk about technology, there are so many people out there who could be able to do thatjob people out there who could be able to do that job and also women and

diversity and we could see diversity on those nine persons, rarely. this isa on those nine persons, rarely. this is a story on bloomberg which talks about how mark zuckerberg completed his 2019 personal challenge on monday with this event where he says, i'm going to host a series of public discussions about the future of tech in society so he kicks off with a panel of nine people, mostly white men and most of them over the age of a0. white men and most of them over the age of 40. majority professors and ceos, age of 40. majority professors and ceos, said he didn't invite anyone from the health sector or students, anyone from the community. from the health sector or students, anyone from the communitym from the health sector or students, anyone from the community. it says facebook has positioned itself as a leader in the push to diversify the tech industry. its promised to double its female workforce in the next five years but it is not reflected, eight out of nine white males in this group discussing the future. even his own head of

technology, he could invite his own people and he didn't. let's have a look at this other story which is all about the fashion industry, the future trends in fashion and we aren't talking about what people are wearing, it's about other issues like sustainability which didn't surprise me to hear that that is a future trend. as you can see, all the massive fashion brands two brands are pushing for sustainability and transparency with the chain and internationally. you can see off—white, stella mccartney and ikea have new policies to be completely sustainable. is this being driven by what consumers are asking for? the fact people are feeling more guilty about disposable fashion and think they can throw away? yes, i think there is a huge change in society that they want to be more into climate change and

being sustainable, instead ofjust buying a garment or something they are going to throw away, that can la st are going to throw away, that can last forever, but have a conscience and to be sustainable. another trend highlighted is not throwing away but selling on. it's becoming very common especially amongst young fashion consumers to sell on their kids to each other on sites such as depop. yes, some of the brands decided to create deals between brands so there is less wasting in terms of merchandising and manufacturing. thank you. still to come. taking the slog out of renting the right office — how a happy workplace can mean a happy workforce. you're with worklife from bbc news.

if you didn't know, it's black friday on friday which means in theory they're supposed to be a lot of bargains out there but how do you know what you're buying is safe? electrical safety first have found potentially deadly items on sale on sites like amazon marketplace, ebay and wish — everything from phone chargers to laser hair removers that have all failed safety tests. martyn allen is technical director at the charity. what did you find? we tested 15 everyday electrical items and 14 of those failed basic safety tests. some of those were on marking issues but others were really concerning, issues of electric shock to anyone using them or items that could cause a fire. if we are going to be savvy shoppers, what can we do to make

sure we buy things that are safe and regulated properly? always buy from a reputable retailer, whether it's in the high street or an online equivalent. that is the best thing to do. if you shop online you've got to do. if you shop online you've got to look for things like price, if it's too cheap it's likely not to be the item you're expecting. look for markings, look for the contact details, if it's got a po box or no details, if it's got a po box or no details you should be really concerned. i would suggest you don't buy it. the best ways to buy from reputable retailer. if consumers see something being sold on amazon in its marketplace, they will potentially assume this has already been taking care of and they are safe to buy. what needs to change to make people really safe? we all shop online and we aren't suggesting that change at all. but we are saying the next government must look at putting legislation in place a bet online marketplaces are regulated so that nobody can bite dangerous and unsafe

products online. —— can buy dangerous products online. at the moment it isn't the case. thank you, martyn allen, technical director of electrical safety first. a travel retailer called on the beach says its profits have dropped 26% in the year to september and for similar reasons to the reasons thomas cook collapsed, a fall in demand for this type of holiday. you're watching worklife. a reminder of our top story — in an exclusive interview with the bbc, the british beauty council says bullying is rife within the industry. they want an independent body to be set up to investigate claims of name calling and psychological abuse.

now let's change the subject. we're spending more and more time at work — and that means it's increasingly important for us to have the right working conditions. whether it's the right location, size orjust the vibe of the place — companies have got their work cut out when it comes to renting office space. london is an especially difficult market where competition for space is compounded by the sheer cost of getting the right office. our next guest runs a platform aiming to take the slog out of renting office space in the capital. tom watson is with us now. tell us what you're offering. hubble helps businesses find office space throughout london. research across 5000 offices and use tech, data and people to find the right match whether you are a business of five

people to 500 people. how do you make money? lots of companies aren't managing to do that. we charge the office providers when we make a successful match. it's based on finding the right office for a business. you describe yourself as a cross between wework and booking.com. wework is one of our customers and we match people for spaces like that but we have a vast array of different spaces. at the moment you only operate in london, what are the challenges? around london you see layers and layers of office space that looks like it's empty. is it just office space that looks like it's empty. is itjust too expensive?m can vary. some of that space is a bit expensive and some is empty for a variety of reasons. we help some businesses offset some of their excess s pa ce , we businesses offset some of their excess space, we have some excess space, we have some businesses that take a larger space than they need right now because they are looking to grow but have a bit of excess. we can help them

shift some of that space and sublet it to shift some of that space and sublet ittoa shift some of that space and sublet it to a smaller company. sharing is a big component. it is definitely one component of what we do. what about the atmosphere in your office? you have a focus on mental health of your employees, what is important to your employees, what is important to you about being an employer?” your employees, what is important to you about being an employer? i think we are finding that employees more and more are looking at the office space they are getting into when they are choosing someone to work. it's really important we have a space and businesses have a space which is not only fun and a good place to work, we spent most of our waking hours at work so it's really important. also that leads to a lot of productivity and is beneficial for the business as well as the people. some things are in demand now for workers, they want childcare, close by or even within the office space that they are renting or using. those elements are very much high on the agenda. yes, we seeing a lot more varied services offered by flexible workspaces and

serviced offices. childcare facilities, things like ping—pong tables, even though these things can seem tables, even though these things can seem frivolous, they make a meaningful difference to an employees life at work. what should start—ups consider when they are thinking about renting their first office? it is a big step, if you've been working from home and you're thinking about taking on more people aren't getting a space outside of where you've been used to. yes, and it can be a complicated process. start—ups need it can be a complicated process. sta rt—ups need to it can be a complicated process. start—ups need to consider where they want to be but also the budget and how much they want to spend and think about where they are going to be in think about where they are going to beina think about where they are going to be in a year's time or tears time. it is part of the reason we started the business because when we were looking for space and talking to start—ups and small businesses, they struggled with this decision and it can be quite a risky choice. if you get it wrong it can really impact you. what is the most unusual request you've had? i'm putting you on the spot! we've had requests for things like how they bring an

aquarian to the office, which is fun. —— an aquarian delete maclean aquarium. isn't the tide towards remote working? there is obviously still a strong need for office space but there is this new drive for people not wanting to have to get into the office at all. yes and we are funding with remote workers that they still want some sort of community, even if you are a 1—person business, that you still wa nt to 1—person business, that you still want to have some way you can have an environment and collaboration but also the flexible work industry really suits remote working as you can expand and contract very quickly depending on your headcount. can expand and contract very quickly depending on your headcountm can expand and contract very quickly depending on your headcount. it is fascinating! thank you for coming m, fascinating! thank you for coming in, tom watson from hubbleho.

in a moment, we'll run through some viewer responses to our twitter question. but first, what does it take to start a company that connects the world's biggest brands to up and coming social media influencers? timothy armoo is the founder and boss of the website fanbytes. he tells us what inspired him. you'll never be ready and this is one of the big things that i've come to realise running a business. you'll never be ready to become a ceo, you'll never be ready to take that leap, you'll never be ready to do anything. you have to force yourself into doing that. personally, there was never a time where i felt ready to, like,

lead a business with 30 plus people at 24. there was never a time when i thought that i could go to investors and raise over a million for my business. we're never ready for it. but what i did was i forced myself to really become that person by learning how other people, who had got what i was trying to achieve, how they had gone in and just ruthlessly... and almost taking emotion out of it, just attacking that. the key to this is thinking about it almost as like a scientific process, treating it as a very logical thing. if a was able to get b, then technically if i do what a has done, then i'll be able to get b. i think this dates back from my love of maths and computer science, having done computer science at university and also my first business started by tutoring people maths. i think just that appreciation of logic has really helped me in being able to grow the business. at the top of the show, we asked you about your christmas dinners.

rising prices might affect what's on your table. let's take a look at how some viewers have responded. ginny says: "fish finger sandwiches and a good champagne. "that's my tradition and i'm sticking to it." i could seriously go with that. mirtika has tweeted: "i am not at all fond of roast turkey. "i'd rather have a grilled cheese sandwich. so, maybe this is a good excuse to not have turkey." fairenough! but neil says: "please tell me there's still plenty of sprouts!" that's the problem, because of the severe wet weather it has affected the sprout crops. denise has been in touch: vegetarian all the way for us, nut roast wellington with roasties, red cabbage and sprouts. misty says: it'll cost more because food prices have gone up.

and gary says he's: hungry now! as an icon we've been talking about this story all morning! i'm feeding ten on christmas day and i've still not decided what we are going to eat. fish finger sandwiches and champagne sounds great. that is a lot of pressure. not really. not compared to presenting live television. we take it in our stride. it's been really interesting to hear from you. stride. it's been really interesting to hearfrom you. get stride. it's been really interesting to hear from you. get involved and tell us what you think about this story, because of the extreme weather apparently it has impacted the hot temperatures in the summer, the hot temperatures in the summer, the eggs and chicks for the turkeys and recently potatoes, sprouts with all the rain. every which way. have all the rain. every which way. have a good day, we will see you tomorrow. thank you for watching,

seizing. -- see you soon. hi, there, there's more rain in the forecast for today and tomorrow, but things looking drier and brighter by the end of the week. but that comes with a few consequences. let's talk about today, first of all. we've got this area of low pressure, that's influencing things. we got a number of weather fronts just spiralling around us, and that's bringing us some rain this morning. it's pretty wet, particularly across parts of norfolk into lincolnshire, yorkshire, some persistent and heavy rain into the afternoon. elsewhere, a few showers still into this afternoon, but the rain easing off slightly. still a bit of rain across the far north of scotland. temperatures not as high as they were yesterday. but still in double figures at about 10 to 12 degrees. through tonight, that rain will continue across the north—east and it'll push into south—east scotland, the north—west of england,

but that area of low pressure will gradually move its way east as we go into thursday. we've got a weather front moving south, but that will also bring with it colder air from the north. we can see that arctic air moving its way south throughout the day on thursday. turning chilly across northern areas. but we've got that rain, as i mentioned, across northern parts as we move south. a bright start in the south on thursday. there will be a bit more cloud. eventually, there will be some sunshine coming through across scotland, northern ireland, but temperatures dropping away, 6 to 8 celsius here, still in double figures across the south. into friday, that cold air will move its way further south, except perhaps the far south—west of england. herejust holding on the milder weather, but for most of us a much chillier day and certainly on friday morning, you'll notice a bit of a frost around across northern and western areas, with many of us temperatures much lower than they've been compared to recent mornings. friday, there could still be some

cloud, one or two spots of rain in the far south—west but elsewhere, lots of sunshine throughout the day on friday. a drier day, but much, much chillier. maximum temperatures 4, 5 degrees celsius in scotland, 6 or 7 degrees celsius for england and wales. into the weekend, we've still got that northerly wind, but this area of low pressure will try to move in from the south and that will start to bring in a bit of rain across southern areas on saturday. perhaps even a bit of hill snow in southern parts of wales, the south—west, but generally speaking, over the weekend, it is dry. temperatures, though, 3 to 7 degrees. bye— bye.

you're watching bbc news at 9am with me annita mcveigh. the headlines: jeremy corbyn admits some people on lower incomes could pay more tax under a labour government because of plans to scrap marriage tax allowance. nicola sturgeon will say that boris johnson is unfit for office when she launches the scottish national party's manifesto later this morning. and coming up shortly — in the latest in our interviews with the leaders of the main political parties, we'll be putting your questions to adam price, the leader of plaid cymru. blue story director rapman questions "hidden reasons" for banning the film — saying it could help stop gang violence. if you're in a gang and you're living that life and you're running