October 14, 2019
Following recent reports from the likes of Boss and Leesman as well as the work of Neil Usher in his book The Elemental Workplace, a new study from Workthere confirms that what people want from an office is primarily basic stuff such as comfort and privacy. More →
October 14, 2019
The deployment of full-fibre broadband could boost the UK economy by around £59 billion, according to a new report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), commissioned by Openreach. The Full fibre broadband: A platform for growth report claims that connecting the UK to fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband could increase productivity, reduce commuting, enable smarter ways of working and improve public services. More →
October 11, 2019
A new study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour from academics at the Technical University of Munich and the Rotterdam School of Management claims that most people would prefer to be replaced in their job by a robot rather than another human. The study asked 2,000 workers in Europe and North America to respond to one of two scenarios in which they had to decide on the future of the workforce in an independent organisation or another organisation for which they themselves work which had decided to replace its current workforce completely with either robots or new human staff. More →
October 11, 2019
Sites in Birmingham and Peterborough are to be regenerated as part of a government programme designed to boost regional growth and save taxpayers’ money. The Government Hubs programme has so far seen the development of 14 office hubs around the country, which the government claims provide civil servants with state-of-the-art working environments designed to boost efficiency and drive savings by bringing together different departments under one roof – moving civil servants to inner-city sites located close to public transport connections, local amenities and shops. More →
October 11, 2019
New figures from work-life balance charity Working Families suggests that both parents/carers and best-practice employers alike are overwhelmingly in favour of greater transparency around companies’ flexible working and family-related leave and pay policies. Over 700 parents and carers and 74 Working Families employer members were surveyed.
October 10, 2019
Work-life balance charity Working Families has announced its annual list of the top family-friendly employers in the UK. Employers large and small from across the public, private, and third sectors compete annually to gain a coveted place on the charity’s list of Top Employers for Working Families. The announcement coincides with Working Families’ National Work Life Week campaign. More →
October 9, 2019
Just under a third (29 percent) of employees agree with the idea that their workplace has an always on culture, but new research from Microsoft UK suggests that many more are adopting unhealthy ways of working that are having a profound impact on their wellbeing and personal lives. More →
October 9, 2019
Over 2.6 million employees aged 45 and over expect that they will have to leave their jobs in order to care for a relative or partner, according to new research from Aviva. This equates to one in five (19 percent) employees in this age group. Many mid-life employees are opting to take on their relatives’ caring duties themselves as a means of minimising care bills, but this decision is coming at the expense of their career. More →
October 9, 2019
By 2030 we will see dramatic change as office design creates hyper-flexible, human-centric workplaces to inspire new levels of productivity, according to the Workplace Futures report by Nespresso Professional and The Future Laboratory. This implies a fundamental shift not only in how offices look, but –more importantly -in the purpose they serve. More →
October 8, 2019
The overwhelming majority of Scottish business leaders who already offer staff some form of flexible working say it has had a positive impact on their business. The research, conducted by YouGov for Family Friendly Working Scotland, claims employers surveyed reported benefits to the business including increased productivity among workers (37 percent) and better staff retention (40 percent). Almost a third (30 percent) reported fewer staff were off sick, while other benefits included increased profit (17 percent) and better employee mental health and wellbeing (40 percent). More →
October 7, 2019
More than three in five UK adults (61 percent) favour work life balance over a high salary, according to a new study from Hitachi Personal Finance. The report also claims that it is those aged 45 and upwards who are most likely to seek out a better overall quality of life at the expense of other job priorities, with 82 percent of workers aged over 45 saying they would always opt for a better life balance over a high salary, given the choice, compared with 49 percent of under 45s. More →
October 4, 2019
A new analysis of data from 1.6 million employees generated by Nexthink suggests that companies could do better in terms of the experience of workplace tech they offer to workers. The Digital Experience Score data claims that while most companies understand the importance of providing the best experiences with IT for their employees they struggle to quantify it and so can’t always identify and address problems. The challenge is particularly evident for larger corporations.
