New research looks inside the UK ageism epidemic

New research looks inside the UK ageism epidemic

ageismNew research conducted by McCarthy Stone, claims to expose the true scale of Ageist Britain, reporting that over a quarter (27 percent) of over 65s in the UK – equivalent to more than three million people – have been victims of ageism. 60 percent of UK adults believe it’s a problem that needs fixing. More →

The pandemic will transform the way we commute

The pandemic will transform the way we commute

Man on a bike on his commute to workOrganisations and businesses have a lot to contend with as they begin to reopen their offices. From social distancing, working from home policies, office layouts, hand gel stations and more. But there also remains one key issue when it comes to welcoming employees back to the office. And that’s how they will get to work in the first place. That’s because the daily commute is going to look a lot different than it did pre-COVID. Firstly, while many employers and workers see the benefit of meeting in person, the hybrid world we now live in will see workers commuting to the office far less frequently. And, if they do travel to the office, there is an element of hesitancy about how they will get there; a recent study revealed 60 percent that ‘post pandemic’ commuting say hybrid working has reduced stress from not having to commute daily. More →

Single parents in danger of being locked out of work and forced into poverty

Single parents in danger of being locked out of work and forced into poverty

povertyA report published by single parent charity, Gingerbread, and the Institute for Employment Studies highlights how the world of work simply doesn’t work for single parents and warns things are set to get worse before they get better – putting even more single parent families at risk of poverty and creating a two-tier society, with single parents firmly at the bottom. More →

Long working hours increase deaths from heart disease and stroke, says WHO

Long working hours increase deaths from heart disease and stroke, says WHO

long working hoursLong working hours led to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization published in Environment International today. In what the authors claim is the first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours, WHO and ILO estimate that, in 2016, 398 000 people died from stroke and 347,000 from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to long hours increased by 42 percent, and from stroke by 19 percent. More →

We need to acknowledge our bias if we want to see the world for what it is

We need to acknowledge our bias if we want to see the world for what it is

We’re all biased. We all recognise the sharp bump of our critical thinking skills kicking into life when confronted with ideas and information that go against our beliefs. We know how they doze in the comforting embrace of affirming data. So, it’s been entertaining this week to observe the reaction to the large-scale academic study of 10,000 IT workers which found that they had worked 30 percent longer hours while working from home, a fifth of it outside their normal times of work, without actually doing any more work. In essence their productivity had fallen by 20 percent in spite of their increased hours. More →

One in five employees now more comfortable taking a sick day

One in five employees now more comfortable taking a sick day

sick

New research from Love Energy Savings claims that one in five people are now more comfortable taking a sick day compared to pre-pandemic. This is in stark contrast to their findings pre-pandemic, when they found that 80 percent of UK employees went to work when sick, with one in 10 people attributing this to employee pressure and one in five to not wanting to let their teammates down. More →

Living life to the full, as we step out of lockdown

Living life to the full, as we step out of lockdown

lockdownNew research from comparethemarket.com claims that more than a third (36 percent) of Britons started planning their bucket list during lockdown. More than half (57 percent) claim their motivation for planning the list was due to their attitude that ‘life is too short’, whilst 29 percent say they want to do something for themselves. More →

Mental health is not a cultural priority for half of organisations

Mental health is not a cultural priority for half of organisations

An illustration depicting the mental health of individuals Koa Health, has released a new report titled Wellbeing at Work, exposing the impact of COVID-19 on mental health in businesses across the UK and organisations’ response to the crisis. Social listening research conducted by Pulsar on behalf of Koa Health claims that as COVID took told in the UK, content shared online about people’s declining mental wellbeing increased by 400 percent in the period from the last week of February 2020 to the final week of May 2020. More →

Why some people are more productive working from home than others

Why some people are more productive working from home than others

working from homeHas working at home during lockdown made people more productive or not? This has been the subject of some lively debate recently. Many companies do not routinely measure productivity. A large number will have traditionally assumed that they get the highest output when staff work longer hours or under close supervision, but remote working is clearly causing some to re-evaluate this. Major firms, for instance professional services group PwC, have been sufficiently impressed to make remote working a permanent option for their staff. More →

Half of workers expect their employer to make Covid vaccine mandatory

Half of workers expect their employer to make Covid vaccine mandatory

vaccineHalf of Britain’s workers expect their bosses to demand a vaccine passport before they can return to their workplace claims new research from BrightHR. The study of 5,000 British workers across various sectors claims only 17 percent have had a conversation about their companies’ policy on vaccines, but over a third said they expect it will be mandatory. More →

UK businesses improve their work culture to focus on wellbeing and flexibility

UK businesses improve their work culture to focus on wellbeing and flexibility

flexibilitySlack, a messaging app for business, has released new research looking into how UK businesses can change their approach to employee experience as lockdown eases, in order to help uphold culture, create flexibility, and maintain productivity. More →

Employee wellbeing and business results directly linked, research claims

Employee wellbeing and business results directly linked, research claims

employeeA survey released by Aon plc (NYSE: AON) in partnership with IPSOS, suggests there is a link between wellbeing and company performance. More →