The workplace puzzle + Feeling blue about work + Commuting more than ever 0

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, Newsletter, Property, Technology, Wellbeing, Work&Place, Workplace, Workplace design

Figuring out the workplace puzzleIn this week’s Newsletter; Ian Ellison says there are no silver bullets for workspace design, but it’s worth the effort; Justin Miller explores the workplace implications of seasonal affective disorder (SAD); and Jeff Flanagan explains why workplace design and management teams should look towards consumer-facing industries for inspiration. Asia set to lead the world in the uptake of artificial intelligence in the workplace; Staples announces tomorrow’s workplace design winners; and UK Government to invest properly in the next generation of technological infrastructure. One in seven UK employees now commute over two hours each day; Millennials reject the gig economy; Autumn statement could adversely affect London’s tech firms; and global report finds that flexible working is a necessity for younger workers. 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.

Dissatisfaction with work-life balance is more and more likely to be a reason to quit

Dissatisfaction with work-life balance is more and more likely to be a reason to quit 0

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Workplace

Dissatisfaction with work-life balance is more and more likely to be a reason to quit

The term ‘work-life balance’ has been promised by large corporations for years – and it now could finally become a key factor choosing a career. According to a worldwide survey, the upcoming generation of Y and Z workers demand more flexibility, less face-time, and rather than having to account for half-day annual leave, attending school plays or meetups, expect to be trusted to do the job on their terms. However, the research by Emolument also claims that in some industries, implementing such a shift in perception and practice is still a long way off, as client demands in terms of reactivity and timeliness remain unchanged. Employers do understand that dissatisfaction with work-life balance is more and more likely to be a reason for quitting though, and that higher pay struggles to compensate for time spent away from family and friends. With more pressure on women to cover for childcare commitment, housework and logistics, 42 percent of women say they’ve a bad work/life balance compared to 33 percent of men.

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Workplace professionals should look to the consumer sector for boosting engagement

Workplace professionals should look to the consumer sector for boosting engagement 0

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace, Workplace design

Bright Office Lobby

More and more businesses are recognising the power of the workplace experience to drive employee performance and engagement. Global brand Airbnb, for example, has now renamed its head of human resources as “chief employee experience officer.” This is good news for workplace design and management professionals. We are well placed to capitalise on this shift in business opinion, but if we want to make a tangible impact, we need to bring practical solutions to the table. First and foremost, these need to be backed up by research. There have been few studies specifically into what makes a healthy and productive work environment. However, there are a number of research projects that examine how a human being’s surroundings impact their mood and behaviour, and in particular how consumer environments shape customers’ perception of and engagement with a brand. As workplace professionals, we can learn a great deal from this consumer research and this is why workplace design and management teams should look towards consumer-facing industries for inspiration.

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Millennials prefer the traditional job model to the ‘gig economy’

Millennials prefer the traditional job model to the ‘gig economy’ 0

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

millennials-prefer-the-traditional-job-model-to-that-of-the-gig-economyOrganisations that offer a range of perks, flexible hours and contract work to attract younger workers may be wasting their time, as it seems millennials prefer a more traditional approach to that of the gig economy. In a survey by the US-based Career Advisory Board of 500 respondents representing a diverse sample of American workers, 91 percent of the millennials surveyed reported they would like to work at a single full-time job rather than embrace the gig economy and 81 percent overall said they would prefer a single position that’s full-time. Of the 81 percent of respondents of all ages who’d prefer a single full-time position, an overwhelming number didn’t mind going into an office, but would like some location flexibility (59 percent). Most surprisingly, millennials were more likely to want to work in an office every day than their older colleagues. And as for special perks like onsite food, wellness perks and day-care, less than 1 percent of respondents preferred special company perks to the more crucial benefits such as medical/dental plans, paid time off and retirement benefits, which rated the most important offerings after competitive salary.

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Asian HR executives ready to welcome our new robot overlords 0

by • News, Technology, Workplace

artificial-intelligenceAsia is set to lead the world in the uptake of artificial intelligence in the workplace and human resources managers expect to be in the vanguard when it comes to managing in the new era. According to a report in the MIT Technology Review, two thirds of HR managers in the region expect to be dealing with AI within five years and nearly three quarters believe the technology will lead to substantial job losses over the same period. Although the report is based on interviews with just 60 executives it highlights a growing awareness among HR managers worldwide that they will have to adjust very soon to a new era in which people are working alongside the next generation of AI. The report also highlights the different perspectives that HR professionals have on the subject compared to the boardroom.

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Gender earnings gap in tech sector is significantly higher than national average

Gender earnings gap in tech sector is significantly higher than national average 0

by • Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

homepage-insideThe high tech sector may pride itself on offering some of the most attractive and modern workplace environments, but when it comes to equal parity between the sexes it seems out of date. New research from Mercer claims that at 25 percent, the gender earnings gap in the UK’s high tech sector is significantly higher than the national average (18 percent). The consultancy also found that small companies have the largest gap, with a 30 percent difference in (median) pay between all male and female employees, and a 26 percent gap when considering mean base salaries. This difference reduces as company sizes grow. Where the data allowed comparison of pay between women and men in equal job roles, the pay gap was much smaller, typically 8 percent. This is comparable to the UK norm of 9 percent for this type of analysis. The reasons for this gap is due on further analysis to a multitude of factors including the reluctance of many women to enter the tech field, not enough effort being put into promoting women and a lack of will in promoting flexible working patterns.

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Number of people who commute over two hours a day increases by a third

Number of people who commute over two hours a day increases by a third 0

by • Environment, Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Number of people who commute over two hours a day increases by third

One in seven UK employees commute over two hours or more each day. This represents an increase of nearly a third (31 percent) over the past five years, which claims the TUC, is due to a combination of low wages, high house/rental prices and the government’s lack of transport infrastructure spending, According to a new analysis by the union to mark Work Wise UK’s Commute Smart Week, in 2015 3.7 million workers had daily commutes of two hours or longer – an increase of 900,000 since 2010 (2.8 million). In 2015 one in seven UK employees (14 percent) travelled two hours or more each day to and from work, compared to one in nine in 2010 (11 percent). UK workers spent 10 hours extra, on average, commuting in 2015 than they did in 2010. This is the equivalent of an extra 2.7 minutes per day. London (930,000) has the highest number of employees who make long commutes, followed by the South East (623,000) and the East of England (409,000); while workers in Northern Ireland (+57 percent) have experienced the biggest rise in long commuting, followed by the South East (+37 percent) and the West Midlands (+27 percent).

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Employers and ambitious employees combine to boost a buoyant job market

Employers and ambitious employees combine to boost a buoyant job market 0

by • News, Workplace

employers-and-employees-on-the-move-boasting-a-buoyant-job-marketThe job market continues to remain buoyant in the face of economic and political uncertainties, and this is matched by a noticeable enthusiasm among employees to move jobs, suggests new research. The Totaljobs Employment Index, which measures activity across the totaljobs website, has shown that job postings on the site were up 7 percent year-on-year (YoY) in October. But this demand seems to have been outstripped by jobseekers’ needs, with the number of applications on the website up 14 percent YoY. This means that despite an increase in vacancies, the number of applications per job has soared 7 percent. This trend continues when looking at the last three months (Aug-Oct) compared with the same period in 2015, as jobs rose 11 percent and applications increased 12 percent. Broken down across the UK, the best performing regions in terms of growth in jobs posted include the North West (up 17 percent), the East Midlands and Wales (both up 13 percent).

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Ethics a grey area for staff, when management fails to lead by example

Ethics a grey area for staff, when management fails to lead by example 0

by • News, Workplace

Ethics a grey area for employees when management fails to show an example A third of people have taken a sick day in the last two years when they weren’t really ill, and one in 10 said that every sick day they’ve taken in the last 24 months has been false, a new study of British workers claims. And men are more likely than women to take a sick day when they’re not genuinely sick (36 percent of men compared to 30 percent of women). The survey of 2,000 employed adults in the UK also found that 36 percent would rather work for a company that paid them more, over one whose ethics they agreed with. Fifty-six percent of people in the study would continue to work for a company that avoided paying tax, and 14 percent said they currently work somewhere with managers or senior staff members that they believe are dishonest in their company’s tax returns. Yet despite all of this, nine out of 10 people say they do uphold ethical standards in their workplace.

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HR directors struggle to devise long term digital workplace strategies

HR directors struggle to devise long term digital workplace strategies 0

by • News, Technology, Workplace

Digital AmericaOne of the effects of the UK’s falling unemployment levels is that HR Directors risk becoming so consumed with issues of talent retention and hiring that they are unable to plan effectively and build a long term strategy for their business, especially when it comes to key emerging issues such as the digital workplace. While the latest ONS statistics show that UK unemployment fell by 37,000 to 1.6 million in the three months to September, hitting an 11-year low, in an anonymous survey carried out by The Curve Group, 92 percent of HR Directors say re-designing their organisation in response to the emergence of the digital workplace, new entrants and a flat economy should be their main priority, but only 44 percent feel able to do so.

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New advice published on how to better manage mental health at work

New advice published on how to better manage mental health at work 0

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

New Acas advice published on how to better manage mental health at workWorkplaces that create positive environments for mental health are more productive as they can reduce employee absences due to stress and anxiety at work, but managers need to learn the skills needed to help reduce stress and poor mental health among staff. This is according to a new report based on research by Essex Business School  commissioned by Acas. The report makes the human case that employers should prioritise mental health in the workplace to include careful management of those with mental health conditions, making reasonable adjustments to working practices where appropriate, and educating their whole organisation to challenge stigma. Leaders and line managers have a crucial role to play in reducing anxiety levels claims the report, and those trained in ‘people skills’ are best equipped to build trust and respect among their teams and individuals. This trust can help staff to disclose their mental health conditions so that appropriate support can be provided. Alongside the report Acas has published specific advice for managers on how to manage anxiety in the workplace.

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Employers as well as workers behind the creation of the gig economy

Employers as well as workers behind the creation of the gig economy 0

by • Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

Employers and workers are both driving the creation of gig economyEmployers and workers are both driving the creation of a temporary, independent workforce, but despite the benefits, there are some significant management challenges, claims two new EY surveys focusing on the gig economy. Among large organisations (100,000 employees or more) surveyed, 49 percent said they increased their use of gig workers in the last five years and 40 percent of organisations expect to increase their use of contingent workers in the next five years. One quarter expect 30 percent or more of their workforce to be contingent workers by 2020. On the employee side, the research shows more people are choosing to do contingent work; 73 percent of the 1,008 short-term contingent workers surveyed had positive reasons for their independent work arrangement, with only 20 percent saying they were short-term workers due to a lack of suitable full-time positions. Sixty-six percent believe the benefits of contingent working outweigh the downsides always or most of the time compared to just 6 percent who believe the opposite.

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