About Neil Franklin

Neil Franklin is Insight's news editor

Posts by Neil Franklin:

Remote workers feel “policed” by unpredictable managers

Remote workers feel “policed” by unpredictable managers

Daily monitoring can lead to remote workers feeling that their managers have less trust in them, research from NEOMA Business School revealsDaily monitoring can lead to remote workers feeling that their managers have less trust in them, research from NEOMA Business School reveals. Birgit Schyns, Distinguished Professor of People and Organisations at NEOMA, co-authored a study analysing survey data on 450 employees at UK-based firms. According to the researchers, when working from home, employees can feel that they have less autonomy and are under constant surveillance if monitored too frequently. These feelings can be exacerbated if managers’ behaviour is unpredictable, they say. More →

Men and women hide what they know from colleagues in different ways

Men and women hide what they know from colleagues in different ways

Men and women exhibit different behaviours in the ways they hide what they know at work, according to new research from academics at the UCL Global Business School for Health (UCL GBSH). The findings, published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, suggest men feel more entitled than women to conceal their knowledge: they hide it more often than women, specifically through rationalised hiding, while women use evasive hiding and playing dumb. Men also conceal knowledge more frequently in a female-dominated environment and are more likely to use the same methods as women, since they believe that women will sanction them less than men for this behaviour. More →

Younger workers have no idea what the hell older colleagues are talking about

Younger workers have no idea what the hell older colleagues are talking about

esearch from LinkedIn and Duolingo claims that jargon such as “blue sky thinking”, “move the needle on a deadline”, or “circling back to take something offline” is off-putting for younger workersA new poll suggests a workplace jargon language barrier may be driving a wedge between generations, with half (48 percent) of Millennials and Gen-Z saying it makes them feel less involved in the workplace. The research from LinkedIn and Duolingo claims that jargon such as “blue sky thinking”, “move the needle on a deadline”, or “circling back to take something offline” is off-putting for younger workers, as 69 percent say their colleagues use too much jargon at work. More →

People now less engaged, less fulfilled and more stressed in their working lives

People now less engaged, less fulfilled and more stressed in their working lives

New research from the CIPD exploring the quality of UK working lives suggests there has been a negative shift in how people think about and value their work.New research from the CIPD exploring the quality of UK working lives suggests there has been a negative shift in how people think about and value their work. The CIPD’s Good Work Index 2023 claims that most people like their work and find it satisfying. However, as many as 6-9 million workers, experience poor-quality work in some major respects. CIPD’s survey indicators show that there has been no significant improvement in job quality in the past four years and, in some respects, job quality has gone backwards. Compared to 2019, workers today are less enthused about work, less likely to perceive their work as useful and more likely to simply see work as purely transactional – simply for the money. More →

Artificial intelligence will boost short term headcount, claim half of employers

Artificial intelligence will boost short term headcount, claim half of employers

More than half (54 percent) of Britain’s employers expect Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies will have a positive impact on their staff headcount over the next two yearsMore than half (54 percent) of Britain’s employers expect Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies will have a positive impact on their staff headcount over the next two years, according to a survey by Experis, a part of ManpowerGroup.  The survey of 2,000+ British employers also suggests that more than two thirds (69 percent) of businesses expect AI tools and technologies – including ChatGPT, Machine Learning and Virtual Reality – to have a positive impact on upskilling and reskilling, as well as on employee training (68 percent). 67 percent of British organisations anticipate a positive impact on employee engagement because of AI technology, and 60 percent think it can positively impact the onboarding process too. More →

Corporate real estate strategies are now people centric focused on new ways of working

Corporate real estate strategies are now people centric focused on new ways of working

Corporate real estate decision-making and people-centric strategies are becoming more integratedCorporate real estate decision-making and people-centric strategies are becoming more integrated, according to CBRE’s 2023 European Occupier Survey. The report claims that 68 percent of organisations have partnered across multiple business functions including HR, IT and Communications when implementing workplace change strategies, indicating the importance of real estate decisions at a corporate level. More →

People don’t trust artificial intelligence on decision making ability in recruitment

People don’t trust artificial intelligence on decision making ability in recruitment

The vast majority of British workers (88 percent) are happy for artificial intelligence to be used in the recruitment process but draw the line when it comes to human decision makingThe vast majority of British workers (88 percent) are happy for artificial intelligence to be used in the recruitment process but draw the line when it comes to human decision making, according to a new poll from Totaljobs. The survey, which asked 2,002 UK workers about their thoughts on how AI will impact their working lives, found that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) believe that full disclosure of how the technology is used in the hiring process should be mandatory. More →

Think tank seeks funding for Universal Basic Income trial

Think tank seeks funding for Universal Basic Income trial

A universal basic income will be trialled in England for the first time, with thirty people set to be paid £1,600 per month over a two-year period regardless of personal circumstanceA universal basic income may be trialled in England for the first time, with thirty people set to be paid £1,600 per month over a two-year period regardless of personal circumstances. Researcher Autonomy is seeking funding for the pilot scheme, which it claims “has the potential to simplify the welfare system and tackle poverty in Britain”. People will be drawn from two locations in England to participate, with the scheme testing the effects of basic salary being paid to everyone regardless of wealth or job. More →

UK workers spend less time in the office than any other country, but still think it’s too much

UK workers spend less time in the office than any other country, but still think it’s too much

Workers in the United Kingdom spend less time in the office than any other country, however they want to further reduce their days further.Workers in the United Kingdom spend less time in the office than any other country, however they want to further reduce their days further. That is according to a new study from Unispace. The report, Returning for Good [registration], combines the results of a poll of 9,500 employees and 6,650 business leaders from 17 countries worldwide – found that just 34 percent of employees in the UK are in the office four or more days a week, less time than workers in any other country. More →

Surge in employee turnover suggest that the ‘Great Resignation’ is still with us

Surge in employee turnover suggest that the ‘Great Resignation’ is still with us

A new report claims that the level of job turnover suggests that the so-called Great Resignation may be far from overOver the past year, 55 percent of working adults have either started a new job or are looking for one, according to a report [registration] published by insurance firm YuLife. The poll  suggests that a further 35 percent of working adults say it is likely they will consider changing jobs within the next year.  The report claims that these findings suggest that the so-called Great Resignation may be far from over. The report also claims that high levels of stress characterize the modern workplace, and businesses which proactively address employees’ concerns around stress and invest in their wellbeing benefit from reduced churn and turnover. More →

Mandatory use of AI technology dampens people’s enthusiasm for the stuff

Mandatory use of AI technology dampens people’s enthusiasm for the stuff

Teams with a positive inclination towards artificial intelligence experienced a dampening effect on their enthusiasm to collaborate when forced to use AI technologyTeams with a positive inclination towards artificial intelligence experienced a dampening effect on their enthusiasm to collaborate when forced to use AI technology, a new study has found. Researchers also found that teams with initial negative views about AI were in fact more likely to collaborate with AI when forced to use it. The research, which has been published in the academic journal Group & Organization Management, underscores the importance of trust in AI and how employers should introduce the growing technology into their businesses. More →

Unintended economic consequences of remote working becoming evident

Unintended economic consequences of remote working becoming evident

New data suggests that office attendance in London has recovered strongly since the end of Covid restrictions, confounding predictions of remote working becoming the ‘new normal’New data suggests that office attendance in London has recovered strongly since the end of Covid restrictions, confounding predictions of remote working becoming the ‘new normal’, according to a new report from the Centre for Cities. However, recovery has stalled in 2023 and the report, London, Office politics: London and the rise of home working, co-authored with Professor Dan Graham and his colleagues from Imperial College and published in partnership with EC BID, addresses the possible economic risks of businesses adopting hybrid working permanently. More →