August 20, 2016

Links between people and place + Lessons from Yahoo + Intelligent lighting ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, Newsletter, Technology, Workplace

In this week’s Newsletter; Steve Maslin argues the idea that people matter to workplace designers is all too often surface deep; Andy Gallacher describes the benefits of intelligent lighting; Alexander Gifford reveals the majority of people still prefer to work at a desk; and Charles Marks says the way we interact with technology is changing the way we think. In news, the UK’s commercial property sector has fallen since the Brexit vote: researchers find a link between flexible working patterns and susceptibility to infection; and a survey suggests that even demanding job applicants place flexible working low on their priorities. From Work&Place Chris Kane’s views on bridging the gap between people and place; and Andrea Hak looks at the lessons of Yahoo. Download our new Briefing, produced in partnership with Boss Design on the link between culture and workplace strategy and design; visit our new events page, follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.

August 18, 2016

Uncompromising job candidates’ demands don’t include flexible work ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Job candidates are becoming more demanding claims a new survey, with three quarters (79.2 percent) of UK workers polled not willing to compromise on certain areas when looking for a new role. Unsurprisingly, 18.2 percent say that a low advertised salary would put them off a role entirely, but other less tangible issues would also dissuade them from pursuing an application. This includes unclear job descriptions (20 percent) and a long recruitment process (10.2 percent); while 7.8 percent revealed that poor communication throughout the recruitment process would drive them away from a company. The research, which was conducted by CV-Library, surveyed 1,000 UK workers and found that candidates are growing increasingly impatient with their job hunt. Other key deterrents cited were poor traits about the businesses themselves, including a bad reputation (9.5 percent), a high staff turnover (7.1 percent) and poor management (6.1 percent).

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August 16, 2016

Flexible working patterns may make us more susceptible to infection ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, Knowledge, News, Wellbeing

We are more susceptible to infection at certain times of the day as our body clock affects the ability of viruses to replicate and spread between cells, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help to explain why people who work outside normal working hours are more prone to health problems, including infections and chronic disease. The time of day of infection can have a major influence on how susceptible we are to the disease, or at least on the viral replication, meaning that infection at the wrong time of day could cause a much more severe acute infection. According to the study, when a virus enters our body, it hijacks the machinery and resources in our cells to help it replicate and spread throughout the body. But, the resources our body has to fight infection fluctuate throughout the day, partly in response to our circadian rhythms – in effect, our body clock.

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August 16, 2016

How to save a sinking ship: lessons from Marissa Mayer’s experience at Yahoo ⁰

by Andrea Hak • Case studies, Features, Flexible working, Technology, Work&Place

When former Google employee Marissa Mayer joined Yahoo as its CEO in 2012, she inherited the company’s vast problems. Though it was once seen as one of the first tech behemoths, Yahoo’s inability to come up with ground breaking products like Google and others, put it in a slow, steady decline. Mayer was immediately tasked with trying to reinvigorate the stagnating company. Her focus was to find a way to identify and retain talent, while phasing out ineffective employees. However, Yahoo’s new management policies have brought about much debate and criticism from HR experts. A controversial book by journalist Nicholas Carlson titled “Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo!” paints a highly critical view of Mayer’s first years as CEO. In response others have defended her, arguing that she has done the best she can with the resources available, but has become a scapegoat for poor management, like so many other women in powerful positions.

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August 10, 2016

The solution to closing the digital skills gap starts at home ⁰

by Andrea Chadwick • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace

Much has already been written about the UK’s digital skills gap, and undoubtedly as the Government continues to develop and roll out its Digital Strategy for the nation, many more headlines will be devoted to it. For a country so focused on technological development it’s a problem which is both acute and imperative. Recent Government figures put 12.6 million Britons at risk of being left behind in terms of the skills needed for a modern economy. Parliamentary plans to address this issue focus firmly on education: including digital development as a key part of apprenticeships, encouraging vocational digital skills courses at universities, and broadening access to other educational courses to help people to learn to code. However, responsibility to upskill the nation’s workforce also resides with employers. Whether the current role demands IT skills or not, technology increasingly impacts and transforms every element of our lives.

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August 10, 2016

Low take up for shared parental leave raises questions over demand ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

New research questions how much demand exists in the UK for fathers to take shared parental leave. The first available figures reveals a low take-up of new rights to paid leave, as just 3,000 new parents took advantage of the system in the first three months of 2016 – one year on from its introduction. By contrast, approximately 52,000 fathers and 155,000 mothers took paternity and maternity leave in an equivalent time period in 2013/14. The figures were published as a result of a freedom of information request from law firm EMW who suggest that this shows that the new rules are being significantly under-utilised and policymakers need to give more consideration to what benefits future changes to employment law will actually deliver versus the impact on small businesses which have to implement them. The new Shared Parental Leave system allows parents to share paid time off between them, in place of (and at the same rate as) Statutory Maternity Pay.

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August 8, 2016

Universal basic income is an idea whose time has come at last ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing

It is no longer a question of whether one of the world’s major economies will introduce a universal basic income for all of its citizens, but when. Over the weekend, the leader of the UK’s Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn announced in an interview in the Huffington Post that he was ‘instinctively looking’ at an idea that is already being discussed and piloted in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada. Corbyn may be one of the current glut of what would have once been political outliers in the Western World, but the idea of a universal basic income is one that is increasingly accepted in mainstream economic thinking. The RSA continues to campaign for it and has even put a number on it, suggesting that every UK citizen should be offered £308 between the ages of 25 and 65. Andrew Flowers offers up a masterful and detailed analysis of the economic and political issues involved in this piece on fivethirtyeight.com.

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August 8, 2016

Small business owners are sacrificing their physical and mental health ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Small business owners are working thirteen hours a week more than the UK average, negatively impacting the health of nearly a third (28 percent) of them, according to a survey commissioned by business marketplace Bizdaq. According to the Small Business Wellbeing Report, owner /managers typically work an additional 13 hours per week above the national UK average of 37 hours. Mental health is a particular concern with the reports suggesting that 660,000 owners nationwide are currently experiencing a negative impact on their mental health due to the pressures of running their business. The report also suggests that 566,000 small business owners nationwide have not taken a holiday since they started their business. The report also reveals that there is both a regional and demographic split in attitudes. Perhaps most surprisingly, younger business owners tend to be more optimistic despite current challenges including Brexit.

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August 6, 2016

Connectivity creep + Appeal of open plan + Tech and real estate ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, Newsletter, Property, Technology, Workplace

In this week’s Newsletter; Antony Slumbers looks at the impact of technology on corporate real estate; and Mark Eltringham describes a precursor of the scientific management theories of Frederick Taylor that continues to influence open plan design. We report on the impact Smart Cities can have on energy management; why people are opting for a ‘digital detox’; and how workers are turning their backs on the traditional 9-5 day. A new report says CRE must deliver greater value in a dynamic business environment; one in five workers miss sleep over work worries; and despite hitting an all time high, Brexit uncertainty still permeates the UK’s commercial property market. We also list the seven workplace stories you should read this week. Download our new Briefing, produced in partnership with Boss Design on the link between culture and workplace strategy and design; visit our new events page, follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.

August 5, 2016

Lack of perks leaves workers feeling less trusted and appreciated ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Businesses are failing to provide the perks that can help employee productivity and motivation during the summer months, claims a new survey by Peldon Rose. It also suggests that workers feel less trusted and appreciated by their companies. The report argues that during the summer months, businesses can find motivation slows as employees are distracted by seasonal events and count down the days until their holiday. Those companies found to offer summer perks to help boost morale and wellbeing, summer hours (47 percent), casual dress (37 percent) and ice cream rounds (31 percent) were the most popular, indicating that these benefits are the most highly valued by workers. However, 86 percent of respondents said that their company does not offer any such perks, with the result that many employers are missing an opportunity to make employees feel appreciated and boost happiness and morale in the summer months.

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August 4, 2016

Connectivity creep is driving more people to switch off their devices ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Technology, Wellbeing

Fifteen million UK internet users have undertaken a ‘digital detox’ in a bid to strike a healthier balance between technology and life beyond the screen, according to a new Ofcom study. The study of around 2,500 people suggests that our reliance on the internet is affecting people’s personal and working lives, leading many to seek time away from the web to spend time with friends and family. Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2016 finds that one in three adult internet users (34 percent), equivalent to 15 million people in the UK, has sought a period of time offline, with one in ten (11 percent) doing so in the last week alone. Of these digital down-timers, 25 percent spent up to a day internet-free; 20 percent took up to a week off; and 5 percent went web-free for up to a whole month. The most common reasons for taking a time out were to spend more time doing other things (cited by 44 percent) and more time talking to friends and family (38 percent).

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August 4, 2016

Office workers spend half their average week working remotely ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace

New research suggests that UK workers are overwhelmingly turning their back on the standard 9-5 office life with 72 percent agreeing that it’s not relevant for the 21st century. Working remotely and flexibly makes them more effective in their job said 82 percent of respondents to the TeamViewer report ‘The End of Nine-to-Five’ with 73 percent agreeing that having the ability to work flexibly makes them feel more valued and 82 percent that all employees should be offered flexible working hours without it affecting their career. With 79 percent of people rating work-life balance as more important than salary, the report suggests it is critical for businesses to ensure they are offering more than just monetary incentives, as almost half (49 percent) say that flexible working hours would be the most important factor to them when looking for a new job. According to the survey, UK office workers are already spending on average 2.5 days, half of their week, working remotely.