April 2, 2024

Is working from home creating an epidemic of burnout and loneliness? Spacemade has an answer

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Since the pandemic, 69 percent of UK businesses have adopted a hybrid working model offering employees greater autonomy in their working lives. While this flexibility sounds ideal, it has unexpectedly created a work wellness issue, with employers reporting they have seen a 77 percent surge in mental health issues in 2023, vs 44 percent in 2022. In a recent survey by Statista, 21 percent of workers said that their biggest struggle with working from home was that they had no reason to leave it. More →

February 25, 2024

We need to talk about loneliness

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Wellbeing

Last year the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that loneliness is a pressing global health threat. Research has shown that it poses the same health risk as 15 cigarettes a day. According to the ONS, between January and February 2024, one in four adults in the UK reported feeling lonely. The government estimates the cost of severe loneliness per person is roughly £10,000 per year as a result of its impact on wellbeing, health and productivity. From a business perspective, this issue can be something that is often overlooked, particularly with the growing trend of hybrid working. In a connected workplace, employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to contribute their best. More →

June 14, 2022

Loneliness might hold back hybrid working productivity gains

by Gosia Bowling • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Loneliness is defined as the difficult emotion we experience when our need for meaningful social contact and relationships is not met, and it’s something we’ve all had experience of. Nearly half of the UK population have reported feeling lonely at times, with other research showing that 39 percent say their wellbeing was negatively impacted because they were lonely too. Why people feel lonely can be attributed to many reasons. Humans have a deep need for attention, warmth, and attachment to others. When such relationships end, or if someone finds themselves in an abusive or emotionally non-existent relationship, this can lead to elevated levels of loneliness. More →

October 14, 2021

Wellbeing, mental health and loneliness become major business concerns

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Wellbeing

Businesses across all sectors are having to re-think their employee experience and wellbeing strategies to provide support to staff in the wake of the pandemic. According to new research from Benefex, employees have become far more open about their own wellbeing during the pandemic. More →

September 9, 2021

Majority of younger workers fear loneliness from long-term home working

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture, Working lives

New research from Kadence claims that since working from home, Gen Z and Millenials feel disproportionately isolated, and say it is negatively impacting their ability to build and develop relationships at work – and potentially harming their career progress. More →

February 9, 2021

One in eight over 55s hit by loneliness and isolation during Covid-19

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has heightened existing feelings of loneliness and isolation among people aged 55 and over, according to a new report by housing provider Central and Cecil (C&C). More →

September 17, 2020

Lockdown loneliness strikes remote workers

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

A new survey by UK job board Totaljobs, claims that despite increased appetite in the UK for remote working practices to continue into the future, the disconnection from the day-to-day social interactions of the workplace and the encroachment of work on our home lives has seen feelings of loneliness and isolation take hold, in a workforce already struggling to adapt to the challenge of the ‘new normal’. More →

July 1, 2020

The loneliness of the long term flexible worker

by Dr Rachel Lewis • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Flexible working arrangements are those which ‘allow employees to vary the amount, timing or location of their work’ and may include part-time working, mobile/home working, compressed hours or job-sharing – among others. Before the lockdown, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), more than half of all employees in the UK used at least one form of flexible working, while a study by Gallup in the US suggests as many as 43 percent of employees already worked flexibly. The practice has been found to have positive effects on job satisfaction, employee commitment, reducing work-family conflict – and for many is now an essential component of modern working life. More →

March 25, 2020

Loneliness has always been a workplace issue

by Nigel Oseland • Comment, Wellbeing, Working lives, Workplace design

Loneliness is increasingly recognised as a serious issue in modern society. In the UK, the Office of National Statistics reported that 5 percent of adults feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’, with further 16 percent of adults reporting feeling lonely ‘sometimes’, equivalent to approximately 9 million adults suffering from loneliness to some degree. More →

April 23, 2019

The flexible solution to workplace loneliness

by Guzman de Yarza Blache • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design

For years, the word ‘office’ would doubtless conjure images of the traditional individual cubicle. However, times have changed, and where the cubicle once ruled the roost, a flexible working revolution is already disrupting the office market and reshaping the world of work.

September 18, 2024

You get what you give at the CoreNet Global Summit 2024 in Berlin

by Jo Sutherland • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Wellbeing

Have you ever attended a conference and been asked to gaze deeply into a stranger’s eyes for several minutes, standing just a metre apart in silence? No? Neither have I – until this September at the CoreNet Global Summit in Berlin. Gone are the days of handshakes and small talk. Today, it’s all about relationality, empathy, and hugging it out. For some, the summit’s emphasis on fostering human connections was a joyful opportunity to bond and share meaningful moments with fellow professionals. For others, it felt like being trapped in a never-ending therapy session nobody signed up for. More →

September 2, 2024

Arts and crafts boost personal wellbeing more than work, study finds

by Marvin Gort • News, Wellbeing

A new study suggests that engaging in arts and crafts activities can significantly enhance personal wellbeing, offering greater benefits than traditional employment. The research, conducted by a team from Anglia Ruskin University and published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, found that activities like pottery, painting, knitting, and woodworking can increase life satisfaction, happiness, and the sense that life is worthwhile. These findings suggest that arts and crafts, often seen as mere hobbies, could be a powerful tool for improving mental health and wellbeing on a broad scale. More →