About Neil Franklin

Neil Franklin is Insight's news editor

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Employee engagement linked to improved financial performance

Employee engagement linked to improved financial performance

employee engagementCompanies which make employee engagement a strategic priority may be more likely to perform better financially, according to research released today. An analysis of the UK’s biggest companies found that those which frequently reference “employee engagement” in their annual reports also perform better financially. The findings were released by Sideways 6 which analysed the annual reports of the FTSE100 Index for each of the last three years (2016-18). More →

Migration adds billions to European economies, report claims

Migration adds billions to European economies, report claims

diversity in hiring can help firms address the skills gapA new study claims that the income from taxation and the benefits of welcoming an educated workforce in EU member states adds up to tens of billions of pounds. According to an analysis by Movinga, the UK gains the most in overall earnings over 10 years with around £20.5 billion, followed by Germany with £16 billion, and France with £10.5 billion. The report claims that the overall earnings and savings from highly skilled migration to the UK over a ten year period in the STEM, Education and Healthcare sectors could cover the annual expenditure of the UK Parliament 37 times over. The overall earnings and savings from highly skilled migration to the UK over a ten year period in the Healthcare sector alone is equivalent to the cost of 37,000 secondary care (emergency) hospital beds per year. More →

Being yourself at work has its downsides for many people

Being yourself at work has its downsides for many people

Being yourself has its downsidesBeing yourself at work has a lot of positive effects. Research supports the hypothesis that authenticity can lead to psychological benefits, including boosting self-esteem, and making people feel happier and more energised at work. But according to new research from academics at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) authenticity can also be a recipe for disaster. The study ‘Being your true self at work’ reviews the extant empirical work across 10 different authenticity constructs. and has been published in the Academy of Management Annals. More →

A quarter of workers would accept a significant pay cut to work in an eco-friendly role

A quarter of workers would accept a significant pay cut to work in an eco-friendly role

workers willing to take pay cutRising interest in climate change among the UK population has now reached such a level that our desire to take action is impacting our careers – with over a quarter of workers (26 percent) willing to take a salary cut in order to move to an environmentally conscious company or an NGO (non-governmental organisation), according to a new survey from TotalJobs. An additional 28 percent said they would consider quitting their job to work with for an organisation they considered to be more environmentally friendly than their current one, a figure that jumps to 50 percent when applied to millennial workers, aged between 23 and 38. More →

Half of self-employed people do not know what IR35 is

Half of self-employed people do not know what IR35 is

New research from FreeAgent conducted with 2000 self employed people in the UK, claims that more than half (57 percent) don’t know what IR35 is. The sets of tax legislation encompassed by IR35, designed to combat tax avoidance by workers and the firms hiring them, is unknown to over half of the people most affected by it – the self employed. The legislation, which has been heavily criticised by tax experts and the business community as being poorly conceived, badly implemented by HMRC and causing unnecessary costs and hardships for genuine small businesses, has not been well communicated to self employed people, the research reveals. Tax experts have predicted that IR35 could reduce a worker’s net income by up to 25 percent and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, recently announced the Conservative Party’s plan to review IR35 as part of its manifesto. More →

British workers are amongst the unhappiest in the world, report claims

British workers are amongst the unhappiest in the world, report claims

Coworking provider Mindspace has announced the UK findings of its global work culture survey, which polled 5000 employees across Europe and the US. On the UK side, the survey covered 1000 employees from across the country. In what the report claims is a dramatic wake-up call for UK employers, the survey revealed that around one-quarter of British workers are unhappy in the workplace and looking to change their situations. This places the UK at the end of the line up in workplace happiness among the other countries surveyed. UK workers rated only 73 percent on the report’s happiness index, compared to 81 percent in Germany and 93 percent in the US. More →

Manifesto calls for action on disability inclusion as pay gap for disabled people widens

Manifesto calls for action on disability inclusion as pay gap for disabled people widens

two people talking to illustrate the issue of disability inclusionA leading non-profit disability and business organisation is calling on the future Government to commit to a series of actions to support businesses to deliver on disability inclusion. Business Disability Forum published its ‘Manifesto for Inclusive Change’ today (3 December) to mark the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The manifesto calls for action in seven areas to ensure that the role businesses play in disabled people’s lives is enhanced, not inhibited, by government policy. To read Business Disability Forum’s ‘Manifesto for Inclusive Change’ go to www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk . Follow the debate at #DisabilitySmart. More →

Wellbeing risks remain for majority of inactive workers

Wellbeing risks remain for majority of inactive workers

Icon of person sitting cross legged with cup of coffee to illustrate wellbeingThe vast majority (84 percent) of British workers are failing to achieve the necessary amount of physical activity recommended by the NHS to maintain their health and wellbeing. That is according to the third Wellbeing Index Report from health and wellbeing provider, Westfield Health.  The quarterly analysis focuses on the negative impact of desk jobs: over a quarter (26 per cent) spend a dangerous nine hours or more sat down; 65 per cent say they quite or very often sit continuously for one hour or more, clocking up an average of seven hours and two minutes every day. More →

Planning permission granted for new 13 storey London offices

Planning permission granted for new 13 storey London offices

Planning permissionPlanning permission has been granted for a new 13-storey riverside office building at the Embassy Gardens development on London’s South Bank. Named EG:HQ, the development will provide 217,000 sq. ft. of flexible space in zone 1 Nine Elms, in addition to 18,000 sq. ft. of outdoor amenity space which will include a 9,000 sq. ft. communal terrace and several private open-air terraces. More →

HR profession needs to modernise if it is to stay relevant

HR profession needs to modernise if it is to stay relevant

KPMG HR reportFollowing the recent Gartner study describing the unpreparedness of the HR function for the future of work, another report is exhorting managers to step things up. According to the KPMG International global Future of HR survey, close to 3 in 5 (57 percent) Human Resources executives believe that if their function doesn’t modernise its approach to understanding and planning for the future needs of the workforce, it will rapidly become irrelevant within the modern organisation. More →

People need to feel comfortable about being themselves at work

People need to feel comfortable about being themselves at work

feeling comfortable at workOver a quarter of people (28 percent) in the workplace suffer bullying and/or discrimination on issues such as gender, age or sexual orientation, according to a new study. The Workplace Wellbeing Census, conducted by leading healthcare provider Bupa, found that such actions are the most harmful factors influencing workplace wellbeing at work. Women in the workplace face significant challenges with over a third (34 percent) experiencing bullying or discrimination, compared to 22 per cent of men. Women are also more than four times as likely to suffer negatively from workplace gender discrimination than men (13 percent vs 3 percent). More →

Two thirds of bosses say workers don’t like change. Workers disagree.

Two thirds of bosses say workers don’t like change. Workers disagree.

changeNew research by HR solutions provider People First, part of MHR International, claims that nearly three-quarters of bosses think that their employees do not like change. However, the same research suggests that 1 in 4 employees say that it is in fact their bosses who do not like change and who are holding the business back. Surveying the attitudes of 250 bosses and 250 employees from firms across the UK, the research highlights an interesting disconnect between bosses and their staff when asked about the other’s shortcomings. More →