About Mark Eltringham

Mark is the publisher of Workplace Insight, IN magazine, Works magazine and is the European Director of Work&Place journal. He has worked in the office design and management sector for over thirty years as a journalist, marketing professional, editor and consultant.

Posts by Mark Eltringham:

Millennials are no more tech savvy and able to multitask than anybody else, claims review

Millennials are no more tech savvy and able to multitask than anybody else, claims review

by • News, Technology

Last year we reported on the fact that a large number of organisations still think they can solve all their tech and digital transformation issues merely by hiring one of the aliens we’ve come to call Millennials, based on little more than the idea they are ‘digital natives’. Since that time, a growing body of research and a little bit of thought has started to erode many of the stereotypes of this particular demographic. Turns out they’re just people like the rest of us and many of their ‘characteristics’ appear to be not that different to those of young people from other generations. The latest salvo fired at the stereotype comes from researchers Paul Kirschner and Pedro De Bruyckerec who claim the average Millennial is essentially a ‘yeti with a smartphone’ as they colourfully put it, just like everybody else. Millennials are not particularly good at multitasking either, according to the study.

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The partners of men with flexible working hours have higher incomes

The partners of men with flexible working hours have higher incomes

by • Flexible working, News

A new study suggests that the partners of men who have access to flexible working earn significantly more than those who have more rigid working cultures. The study of German couples, conducted by Dr Laura Langner at the University of Oxford’s Department of Sociology, explored changes in incomes once at least one partner is able to begin flexible working. The study suggests that once men started working flexible hours, their wives’ hourly wages increased significantly, particularly if they were mothers (14.2 percent after four years). The husband’s own hourly wages also increased by 7.4 percent over the following four years.

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Being on a temporary or zero-hours contract is bad for your wellbeing, especially if you’re young

Being on a temporary or zero-hours contract is bad for your wellbeing, especially if you’re young

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Two major new studies claim to show the impact of temporary or insecure work on the wellbeing of people, especially younger workers. Research into the lives of 7,700 people from the UCL Institute of Education (IOE) suggests that young adults who are employed on zero-hours contracts are less likely to be in good health, and are at higher risk of poor mental health than workers with stable jobs. Meanwhile, an analysis from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Business in the Community suggests that younger workers (born since 1982) in part-time and temporary work – or who are underemployed and/or overqualified – are more likely to experience poorer mental health and wellbeing, compared to younger workers in more permanent and secure work.

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Men and women report similar work life balance problems

Men and women report similar work life balance problems

by • News, Wellbeing

work life balanceContrary to commonly held perceptions and media narratives, women and men report similar levels of work-family conflicts, both in the form of work interfering with family and family interfering with work, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The study found men are less likely to complain about or address the issue however. Researchers spent several years examining the findings from more than 350 studies conducted over three decades that included more than 250,000 participants from across the world. The results were surprising, said lead researcher Kristen Shockley, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Georgia. The research was published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

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Near universal access to broadband in OECD countries

Near universal access to broadband in OECD countries

by • News, Technology

High-speed Internet use continues to grow in OECD countries with mobile broadband penetration reaching 99 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in December 2016, up from 91 per 100 inhabitants a year earlier, according to new data released by the OECD. The addition of 113 million new mobile broadband subscriptions in the 35-country OECD area made a year-on-year rise of 9.8 percent, driven by continued growth in the use of smartphone and tablets, and lifted the OECD total to 1.275 billion subscriptions in a population of 1.284 billion people.
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Critical thinking ability is a better predictor of life decisions than intelligence

Critical thinking ability is a better predictor of life decisions than intelligence

by • News, Wellbeing

When it comes to making the most important decisions in our lives, IQ may not be the best tool at our disposal, according to a new study in the journal Thinking Skills and Creativity. The research team led by Heather Butler of California State University claims that “critical thinking” – the ability to make judgements without jumping to false conclusions such as the difference between correlation and causation– is a much better guide to key outcomes than a straightforward measure of intelligence.

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Japan introduces new teleworking laws to change work culture in run up to Olympics

Japan introduces new teleworking laws to change work culture in run up to Olympics

by • Cities, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

It’s not just the UK that took time yesterday to reconsider its relationship with work. Japan launched a scheme to promote teleworking in an effort to address the country’s notoriously poor working culture and ease congestion in the build up to the Tokyo Olympics of 2020. Over 900 companies are claimed to have participated in Telework Day, which will be held on July 24 each year from now until the Olympics opening ceremony on July 24, 2020. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government has already introduced laws to address Japan’s notorious problems with overwork, raise contract workers’ pay, and curb a general abuse of labour laws. Earlier this year, the Japanese government announced plans to impose a cap on overtime of 100 hours a month to reduce the number of cases of “karoshi”, or death from overwork, among its people. The idea is to restrict overtime to an average of 60 hours a month, with a 100-hour limit in busy periods.

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Over 200,000 British workers will aim for smarter working on Monday as the Summer holiday season begins

Over 200,000 British workers will aim for smarter working on Monday as the Summer holiday season begins

by • Flexible working, News

On Monday, 24th July, over 200,000 British office workers from 200 different companies will be given the option to work flexibly as part of the Smarter Working Initiative. The campaign claims to encourages companies to give their staff the opportunity to spend one day working from a location that suits them, to show organisations the positive impact of smarter working. Businesses including Purplebricks, RED Driving School, MediaCom and Farfetch are signed up, with Timberyard, Haus and NearDesk offering free coffee and access to over 40 cafes and co-working spaces across London and the UK. The campaign’s own research claims that nearly half of employers (48 percent) do not encourage flexible working, despite 70 percent of workers saying the option would make a job more attractive to them. Over half of workers (53 percent) stated they would be more productive if they could spend some time working out of the office, and the campaign aims to demonstrate how flexible working results in improved wellbeing, increased productivity and faster business growth.

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Insurance claim data suggests that musculoskeletal disorders dominate workplace health

Insurance claim data suggests that musculoskeletal disorders dominate workplace health

by • News, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

According to an analysis of the private medical insurance (PMI) records of over 45,000 UK employees carried out by Aon Employee Benefits with its largest clients, the highest claims are for musculoskeletal disorders- almost double those for cancer related illness. In a study of reports from private medical insurers (PMI), Aon found that 31 percent of claims were for musculoskeletal concerns, while 15 percent were cancer related, 4 percent were for mental disorders and 4 percent for urology. The data forms part of its new report, Wellbeing: Examining the correlation between employee health and financial wellbeing. Among the remaining 46 percent of claims, problems included gastrointestinal issues, diagnostic and treatment planning (equally prevalent), followed by obstetrics, heart, respiratory, head/neck, trauma/injury, nervous system, and eyes, ears and dermatology.

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Job insecurity fears more than double in aftermath of Brexit vote

Job insecurity fears more than double in aftermath of Brexit vote

by • News

A survey of 1,257 British workers claims that job insecurity has more than doubled since the decision to leave the EU, with the percentage of those feeling insecure in their jobs rising from 5 percent to 13 percent. According to the study from Office Genie, for those who felt secure, Brexit has also done considerable damage: job security levels have dipped by 17 percent. Pre-referendum, 70 percent of workers felt secure in their job, now just over half (58 percent) feel secure. Nearly three quarters (70 percent) of the workforce believe it’s an employer’s duty to calm Brexit-related distress. 54 percent of workplaces have experienced such concerns but only 31 percent of these employers chose to comfort staff.

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Tax reforms forcing contractors out of public sector work, claims report

Tax reforms forcing contractors out of public sector work, claims report

by • News, Public Sector

New research from CW Jobs claims that the public sector is seeing an exodus of IT contractors following the introduction of the IR35 tax reforms. The changes mean IT contractors in the public sector are now taxed like employees. It came into effect in April this year and has meant contractors are losing up to a quarter of their previous take home pay. A significant 71 percent of the IT contractors surveyed said their income had reduced because of IR35. Nearly a third (29 percent) of those have seen an 11-20 percent reduction in income, while more than a quarter (27 percent) have seen a 21-30 percent reduction. The changes have prompted many IT contractors to make the switch from public to private sector.  Nearly half of the 1,000 IT candidates surveyed (47 percent) say IR35 has caused IT contractors to leave the public sector and over three quarters (83 percent) said the private sector is now the most attractive to work in.

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UK government publishes update on physical and digital infrastructure spending

UK government publishes update on physical and digital infrastructure spending

by • News, Public Sector, Technology

The UK Government’s Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has published its 2016 to 17 annual report on major projects, reporting 143 major projects on the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), worth £455.5 billion and spread across 17 government departments. The report is in support of the IPA’s ongoing purpose ‘to improve the way infrastructure and major projects are delivered and the government’s commitment to transparency and delivering public services effectively and efficiently’. Projects currently on the GMPP reflect the government’s priorities; ‘making our infrastructure fit for the 21st Century, maintaining the security of the realm and modernising and digitising our public services’. The spending also updates progress on spending on faster broadband and connectivity as the UK continues to play catch up on digital infrastructure.

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