About Neil Franklin

Neil Franklin is Insight's news editor

Posts by Neil Franklin:

Castaway workers have forgotten the art of small talk, getting dressed and colleagues’ names

Castaway workers have forgotten the art of small talk, getting dressed and colleagues’ names

castaway workersA third of UK workers admit they’ve forgotten the password to their computer, office entrance or locker, one in five workers have forgotten a colleague’s name or called them by the wrong name and say their small talk skills have been impacted by working from home. Those are some of the findings of a new report from Michael Page into the effects of a year and a half of lockdown and workplace disruption. More →

Labour market confidence surges to nine year high, claims CIPD

Labour market confidence surges to nine year high, claims CIPD

labour market looks upEmployers are indicating strong employment intentions for the third quarter of 2021, with confidence surpassing pre-pandemic levels to hit a nine year high. This is the key finding of the latest quarterly CIPD Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey, involving more than 2,000 employers and covering all sectors of the economy. The survey claims that its net employment intentions figure, which measures the difference between the proportion of employers expecting to add jobs and those planning to cut them, has risen for the fourth consecutive quarter. The figure now sits at +32, up from +27 last quarter, marking the strongest employer intentions seen since tracking began in Winter 2012/13. More →

The future of work will be shaped by the needs of workers

The future of work will be shaped by the needs of workers

The future of work and lifeAs the UK government has withdrawn its advice for employees to work from home, more organisations than ever will be instituting what have become known as hybrid working models: 68 percent globally, according to research from  Steelcase. Definitions of “hybrid work”, however, are often contradicting and unclear – leaving business leaders without definitive guidance about how to approach the future of work. To provide businesses with a more concrete view of what hybrid working looks like in reality, and provide tangible actions to help streamline productivity and collaboration, Steelcase have researched the experiences and needs of workers worldwide in their report: Changing Expectations and the Future of Work. More →

Green Building Council responds to IPCC climate change report

Green Building Council responds to IPCC climate change report

green buildingThe UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has responded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, referring to it as a massive wake-up call. At the end of last year, the organisation set out plans for a roadmap to net zero for the built environment, which contributes around 40 percent of the UK’s entire carbon footprint. The roadmap is dues to be unveiled at the UN’s COP26 conference in Glasgow later this year. More →

Arrival of paperless office may have been accelerated by lockdowns

Arrival of paperless office may have been accelerated by lockdowns

paperless officeOne of the least talked about potential casualties of the recent lockdowns is the printed page. In a sign that the arrival of the paperless office may have been accelerated, total worldwide page volumes printed from office and home devices plummeted nearly 14 percent year in 2020 after several years of stable but slow decline. According to the research from International Data Corporation (IDC), 2.8 trillion pages were printed in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and the dramatic shift from offices to work from home models are behind the sharp decline, even for those who can manage to get a printer to work in the first place. More →

Managers and workers have different perception of the future ‘employee experience’

Managers and workers have different perception of the future ‘employee experience’

employee experienceA gap is emerging between executive and employee perceptions on the future of the ’employee experience’, according to a report from Gartner. The 2021 Gartner Hybrid Work Employee Survey of 4,000 employees in January 2021 claims that there are six perception gaps that employers must resolve. The Gartner survey claims that 75 percent of executive leaders believe they are already offering a flexible employee experience, yet only 57 percent of employees indicate that their organisational culture embraces flexible working. Further, nearly three-quarters of executives believe the business understands how flexible work patterns support employees, but only half of employees share this view. More →

Negative perceptions of remote work persist among both managers and workers

Negative perceptions of remote work persist among both managers and workers

remote workNew research from the US based Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) claims that there are widespread, persistent negative perceptions of remote work amongst line managers who are likely to express a preference for local work. In addition, remote workers themselves continue to express reservations about losing opportunities for networking and increased pay. More than two thirds of supervisors of remote workers surveyed by SHRM, or 67 percent, admit to considering remote workers more easily replaceable than onsite workers at their organization, 62 percent believe full-time remote work is detrimental to employees’ career objectives and 72 percent say they would prefer all of their subordinates to be working in the office. More →

Corporate real estate markets continue to improve worldwide, report claims

Corporate real estate markets continue to improve worldwide, report claims

global corporate real estateThere has been a further improvement in sentiment across the global corporate real estate market, according to the latest RICS Global Commercial Property Monitor. Respondents highlight a continued steady recovery, with the Americas and Europe leading the way. Importantly the improvement is being recorded on both the occupier and the investor sides of the market, reflecting improved macro-economic factors. Sentiment amongst both occupiers and investors continues to recover, consistent with the expectation of a sustained economic recovery from the pandemic.  The global sentiment reading for occupiers rose from -26% to -10%, whilst for investors it climbed from -10% to +1%. However, whilst forecasts for the global economy have strengthened, uncertainty remains over any future impacts of COVID following the upsurge in cases linked to Delta variant.

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Shared parental leave pioneered by Nordic and Eastern European countries

Shared parental leave pioneered by Nordic and Eastern European countries

shared parental leaveThroughout the pandemic many workplaces have offered their employees more flexibility. Flexible working options such as adjusting hours, days, or place of work, are attractive to many employees. New research by Bupa claims that 27 percent of working parents want to see more flexibility at work, too. One area that’s surged in popularity over recent months is shared parental leave. This is where both parents can take time off in a more flexible way during a baby’s first year. The new research claims there has been a 33 percent increase in Google UK searches for ‘shared parental leave’ over the past year, too. More →

Indoor air quality guide published by BESA

Indoor air quality guide published by BESA

indoor air qualityThe removal of most Covid restrictions in the UK has increased calls for clearer practical guidance and the setting of specific indoor air quality (IAQ) contaminant targets to support the health and wellbeing of building occupants. The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has, therefore, produced a concise guide to good practice: ‘Indoor Air Quality for Health & Well-Being’, which is designed to help building owners, managers and engineers interpret IAQ data and turn it into useful strategies for improving the indoor environment. More →

Technology is the great enabler for employee wellbeing programmes

Technology is the great enabler for employee wellbeing programmes

employee wellbeingTechnology is now integral for short and long-term employee wellbeing following the dramatic changes to working life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Thomas Woods, Vice-President of Enterprise for Virtuagym, the global fitness technology provider.  The argument was made during a keynote presentation at the Virtual Engage Employee Wellbeing Conference, a case study led solutions event addressing the important challenges and opportunities relating to the mental, financial and physical health of people in the workplace. More →

Inclusive workplaces will be focus of new disability strategy

Inclusive workplaces will be focus of new disability strategy

two people talking to illustrate inclusive workplacesA new strategy from the UK government promises more inclusive workplaces, easier commuting and better job prospects for millions of disabled people. The strategy sets out 100 immediate commitments supported by £1.6bn of funding alongside an ambitious agenda for future reform. As well as inclusive workplaces, the strategy covers a range of other areas including accessible housing and better access to justice, culture and the arts. More →