About Neil Franklin

Neil Franklin is Insight's news editor

Posts by Neil Franklin:

Lack of employee engagement continues to dog organisations around the world

Lack of employee engagement continues to dog organisations around the world

A declining share of employees said they were motivated to go above and beyond at work, or were inspired to do their best work, according to the latest employee engagement benchmark data from QualtricsA declining share of employees said they were motivated to go above and beyond at work, or were inspired to do their best work, according to the latest employee engagement benchmark data from Qualtrics. The new proprietary data – aggregated from thousands of employee engagement surveys administered in 2022 – shows symptoms of burnout and a significant drop in confidence in leaders from 2020, when the pandemic ‘upended workplaces’ around the world. The report argues that employees are willing to tell their employers that they were struggling, and if something doesn’t change, they may look for a new job. Labour productivity also reflected this drop in motivation, the report claims. More →

Connection and collaboration motivate people to work from an office

Connection and collaboration motivate people to work from an office

The key driver for employees wanting to go into the office is the need for socialisation and collaborationThe key driver for employees wanting to go into the office is the need for socialisation and collaboration, according to the latest quarterly Workplace Index from Eptura. The report claims that this is an acknowledgement of the desire to be part of a community and the potential isolation of working at home. More →

Industrial action means people are opting for more unconventional work spaces

Industrial action means people are opting for more unconventional work spaces

In addition to relatively conventional adopted work spaces, such as coffee shops and cafes (24 percent), more than one in ten (11 percent) people could be logging on from their local pubAs industrial action continues to affect travel and commuting for millions of people across the UK, office workers have been seeking alternative from which to work. In addition to relatively conventional adopted work spaces, such as coffee shops and cafes (24 percent), more than one in ten (11 percent) people could be logging on from their local pub according to the poll from Uswitch.com. More →

People who drive networking in businesses often end up burnt out and abusive

People who drive networking in businesses often end up burnt out and abusive

People who adopt a role as a 'networking broker', connecting other colleagues and teams who might otherwise not know each other, often end up burnt out and more abusive towards their co-workers.People who adopt a role as a ‘network broker’, connecting other colleagues and teams who might otherwise not know each other, often end up burnt out and more abusive towards their co-workers. That is the key finding of a new study from ESSEC Business School published in The Journal of Organizational Science.  These networking go-betweens often receive career advantages such as faster promotions, unique information access, or a creativity boost. They play a critical role in the functioning of the organisational. However, there can be hidden psychological and social ramifications associated with this important role as they’re also more likely to suffer the consequences of being so socially adept. More →

Do political and social opinions belong in the office? People can’t even agree on that

Do political and social opinions belong in the office? People can’t even agree on that

The UK workforce is divided on whether political and social opinions belong in the office, according to a new report from HiBob. According to the poll commissioned for the report, half of UK professionals (53 percent) feel that respectful socio-political discourse in the workplace should be encouraged. However, the other half (45 percent) believe socio-political discussion should be kept out of the office, citing concerns over the impact on company culture.  More →

Growth of serviced office market doesn’t mean it has bounced back

Growth of serviced office market doesn’t mean it has bounced back

An analysis of the UK serviced office market from Sirius Property Finance, claims that while the sector is set to grow by 17 percent in 2023, a growing acceptance of remote working means it is still struggling to match its pre-pandemic highs.An analysis of the UK serviced office market from Sirius Property Finance, claims that while the sector is set to grow by 17 percent in 2023, a growing appetite for remote working means it is still struggling to match its pre-pandemic highs. More →

One-third of hybrid working managers feel they need to prove their worth when working from home

One-third of hybrid working managers feel they need to prove their worth when working from home

Almost one-third (30 percent) of hybrid working managers feel they need to prove their worth when working from home - significantly higher than the non-management populationA poll of 3,000 workers in Europe and North America from Insights Learning & Development claims that managers of hybrid working teams see multiple benefits to a new working arrangement. These include improved team performance, improved team agility and increased ability to deliver on objectives.  However, on a personal level, many managers highlighted the need for more support. Almost one-third (30 percent) of these managers feel they need to prove their worth when working from home – significantly higher than the non-management population. More →

Cost of living crisis and other employee concerns are top risk concerns of businesses

Cost of living crisis and other employee concerns are top risk concerns of businesses

The managers and owners of firms across the UK now believe that the cost of living crisis is the top risk to their business, closely followed by a range of employee related issuesThe managers and owners of firms across the UK now believe that the cost of living crisis is the top risk to their business, closely followed by a range of employee related issues, according to a new poll. Employee related risks in the top five include lack of skilled talent, employee retention and cost of salaries. Despite the cost of materials continuing to rise over the last 12 months, this risk has dropped back from first place in 2022. Risks relating to debts, late payments and fraud all make an appearance in the top ten for the first time. More →

Office lease lengths may be decreasing but majority of firms will increase their footprint

Office lease lengths may be decreasing but majority of firms will increase their footprint

office lease lengths has fallen to the lowest on record and that vacancies rates had soared, office designers Unispace are suggesting firms should be wary of making 'rash decisions' regarding their office footprintResponding to reports from property management platform, Re-Leased, that UK office lease lengths has fallen to the lowest on record and that vacancies rates had soared, office designers Unispace are suggesting firms should be wary of making ‘rash decisions’ regarding their office footprint over the long term. A study published by the firm – Returning for Good – which surveyed 9,500 employees and 6,650 employers from 17 countries worldwide – claims that while employees in the UK spend the least amount of time in the office compared to any other country, there is an expectation that this will increase as workers face limited access to career progression opportunities while working remotely. More →

The office no longer provides ‘separation between life and work’, remote work survey claims

The office no longer provides ‘separation between life and work’, remote work survey claims

office workers are experiencing the highest levels of burnout and lowest levels of happiness and job satisfaction when compared to remote and hybrid workersA new poll from IE University,  the WorkAnywhere campaign and Remote claims that office workers are experiencing the highest levels of burnout and lowest levels of happiness and job satisfaction when compared to remote and hybrid workers. The team behind the survey say this indicates that the office environment isn’t the effective separator between life and work that many believe it to be. According to findings from The Global Life-Work Survey, in the past month alone, 41 percent of full-time office workers experienced signs of burnout compared to 26 percent of fully remote workers and 34 percent of hybrid workers. More →

Cost of living crisis incentivises people to work from home

Cost of living crisis incentivises people to work from home

A new report claims that rising numbers of the people in the UK are choosing to shop and work from home to make every penny countA new report claims that rising numbers of the people in the UK are choosing to shop and work from home to make every penny count as the cost-of-living crisis continues. These insights mark the launch of the second Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index – a quarterly barometer that combines anonymised and aggregated UK movement data from O2 Motion, with national polling findings to reveal key trends relating to the behaviour of 2,000 British businesses and 1,000 UK consumers. Together, the data paints a picture of movement patterns and the trends behind them. The second quarter of this year reveals a more cash-conscious image of Britain as more of the UK public change their behaviours to cope with a tough economic backdrop. More →

Office landlords take efficiency-boosting measures to cut energy costs

Office landlords take efficiency-boosting measures to cut energy costs

A new poll of 250 office landlords from infintSpace and Instant Group claims to have identified the most widely used energy saving measuresA new poll of 250 office landlords from infinitSpace and Instant Group claims to have identified the most widely used energy saving measures at their properties.  The study set out to identify which energy-saving measures are the most widely used and which landlords are prioritising in the years ahead as ambitions for a net-zero commercial real estate sector become increasingly focused. More →