March 22, 2016

While politicians squabble, here’s what the Budget meant for the workplace ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Legal news, Workplace, Workplace design

Strange as it may seem now, there was a Budget last week. We’d planned to produce a report on it once the dust had settled but given that whatever dust had originally been kicked up has now been swept away by a political storm, it’s only now we feel able to offer some perspective a few days out. As ever these days, the budget touched on a number of aspects of the workplace, sometimes hitting the mark and sometimes suggesting politicians don’t yet understand how people work. There was the usual stuff about rates and commercial property but also plenty to digest about the freelance economy, productivity, new technology, flexible working legislation and the current, often faltering attempts to develop wealth and infrastructure as well as the 21st Century creative and digital economy in places other than London. There’s plenty to digest here and plenty of people have already had their say, so a chance to grab a coffee and take all or some of it in.

March 22, 2016

Third of workers over 50 will retire later than planned, but not all reluctantly ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

A third of people aged over 50 who are employed in the private sector are now planning to retire later than they previously thought according to Aviva’s latest Working Lives report. A lack of pension savings (46 percent) is the primary reason for people to postpone their retirement plans, and the amount that would be available through the state pension (32 percent) was also an issue. Not all the reasons given for working longer were negative though, with one in five (21 percent) of those expecting to work longer doing so because they feel they still have a lot to offer their employer. A similar proportion (20 percent) said that job satisfaction has encouraged them to put off retirement. Levels of job satisfaction were highest amongst those aged over 65, with a large majority (86 percent) of private sector workers in that age group saying they enjoy their work, compared with just 57 percent of those aged 18-64.

March 22, 2016

A growing need to create an office that attracts rather than repels staff ⁰

by Darren Bilsborough • Comment, Property, Workplace, Workplace design

So where do you start when identifying the attributes that make an office an ‘attractor’ for staff? There are numerous articles extolling the virtues of everything from pool tables, to hammocks, creative “playgrounds” and all manner of enticing and unique workplace design considerations. However, I believe that there are more intangible and subjective issues at stake such as building aesthetics, prestige and values alignment. Very few businesses benefit from working in low-key, nondescript locations. The only likely motivation for occupying such a space would be cost-driven. Likewise, nobody wants to work in a building that is run-down, outdated and clearly past its best-by date. It is preferable for most office workers to work in a building that is new, interesting, prestigious or an acknowledged landmark. It becomes something they can be proud of and would be happy to share with family, friends and colleagues.

March 21, 2016

Staff value engagement and culture but many feel let down by employers ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Real estate consultancy JLL has issued a survey to explore the results of its January 2016 report into workplace engagement. The new study reveals – perhaps unsurprisingly – that there is a mismatch between employee’s positive attitudes towards the issues of engagement and culture and their negative experience of them in their current roles. So, while 87 percent of respondents agree that engagement and culture are key drivers of organisational performance, 42 percent don’t believe that their employer effectively capitalises on the workplace to enhance employee engagement, 46 percent do not think that their workplace is used as a key competitive differentiator to attract and retain talent and 41 percent do not agree that their workplace is used as a tool to generate a positive company culture. The study highlights the issues associated with lack of engagement and suggests a number of solutions to help employers engage with staff.

March 21, 2016

Graduates value flexible work and innovative office spaces over pay ⁰

by Sara Bean • Comment, Flexible working, News, Workplace, Workplace design

There’s been a lot of assumptions and predictions made about Millennials, and the upcoming generation of workers dubbed Gen Z. They’re alternately spoilt with a sense of entitlement or have a zeal for change and strong social conscience. So while there is a danger of stereotyping this diverse group, employers still need to work out the best way to attract and retain the most talented. Today’s graduates have enjoyed much higher quality university accommodation and facilities than previous generations, and the flexibility of the modern day campus is clearly influencing their work choices. Unlike the generation before them, recent graduates place double the importance on flexible work and work-life balance than they do on their earnings to chart their success. A Bright Network study of over 2,000 of the country’s top graduates also found that high priority was placed on a clear path for advancement over and above high earnings.

March 18, 2016

Organisations and senior staff have contradictory ideas on motivation ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

Only 40 percent of executives say their organisation helps them unlock their potential, according to a new global survey of senior executives. Pay and benefits are just one of many factors motivating these executives; with the most commonly cited motivation “making a difference,” chosen by 55 percent of respondents, followed by “personal growth and development,” “leading and organising others” and “monetary compensation,” each chosen by 45 percent of those surveyed. The wide range of motivations among leaders is underscored by the fact that no single factor was chosen by much more than half of the respondents. The survey by Egon Zehnder, “What Makes You Thrive?” discovered that many executives are leaving their potential at the office door, with 31 percent saying their organisation didn’t help unlock their potential and 27 percent not sure. 72 percent of those surveyed said they would welcome more help from their organisation to pinpoint and pursue personal motivations and goals.

March 18, 2016

Foreign team leaders bring out the best in multicultural teams ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Workplace

Foreign team leaders are better equipped to lead multicultural teams – and can directly increase team performance, according to new research from Katja Raithel of the RSM Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. The report surveyed 66 multicultural teams and found that those led by foreign managers put in more effort and were better at completing their work on time.The teams also reported to be better at problem solving and were seen to be more effective in general.The results also showed that it does not matter how long a foreign national has been in the job – they will be more effective regardless of tenure. However, when looking at local leaders, Raithel found that the experience of leading a culturally diverse team could serve as an international experience in itself – and that the longer a local leader held their position in a multicultural team, the better the team would perform.

March 17, 2016

Poor line management blamed for lack of career progression at work ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

A third (33 percent) of UK employees say their career progression to date has failed to meet their expectations, with four in ten (39 percent) blaming poor line management for stifling their ambitions. According to the latest Employee Outlook Survey: Focus on Skills and Careers from the CIPD, a lack of effective training programmes (34 percent) and negative office politics (34 percent) are also to blame. The survey of over 2,000 employees considered the key factors relating to employees’ upbringing, education and workplace that affect whether or not their career progression had met their expectations. It also found that over a quarter (26 percent) of those whose career has failed to live up to their expectations identified poor-quality career advice and guidance at school as a key factor to blame, with three in ten (29 percent) saying they are in the wrong career so cannot show their strengths or potential.

March 16, 2016

Over half of workers are not getting enough sleep to do their job effectively ⁰

by Sara Bean • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace

Daylight saving time began in the US on Sunday and the clocks will ‘spring’ forward in the UK and Europe in less than a fortnight’s time (27 March). Although having more daylight is welcomed, losing even an hour’s sleep can be a jolt to the system. According to a new survey from CareerBuilder, over half of workers (58 percent) already feel they don’t get enough sleep, and 61 percent say lack of sleep has a negative impact on their work. Only 16 percent of workers say they actually reach the recommended goal of eight hours sleep, with the majority of workers (63 percent) logging an average of six to seven hours of sleep each night during the workweek, while 1 in 5 (21 percent) average five hours or less. But as much as insufficient sleep affects workers’ jobs, the reverse is true as well: 44 percent of workers say thinking about work keeps them up at night.

March 15, 2016

US businesses wasting $1.8 trillion annually on mundane tasks ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new report from enterprise software firm Samanage, claims that US businesses are wasting up to $1.8 trillion annually on repetitive and mundane tasks that could easily be automated, leaving people free to carry out more productive and creative work. The Samanage State of Workplace Survey, polled around 3,000 US working adults and claims that workers spend an average of 520 hours a year – more than one full day’s work each week – on repetitive services and tasks that could be easily automated, such as, password reset requests, contract reviews and approvals, office supply requests and performing other simple administrative tasks. In addition to lost time and money, the survey also claims employees are skirting organisational IT policy. Outdated technology is holding employees in the modern workforce back from driving process efficiency and identifying ways to make their work life better.

March 15, 2016

Décor matters but location most important factor for the ideal office ⁰

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

Recent data has shown that increasingly, it’s people, not cost, which is the primary driver behind real estate decisions. British Land has carried out research into what features would make up the UK workers’ ideal office and the results point to a clear link between delivering these ideal features and talent recruitment and retention. The good news is that the workers surveyed believe they would be 36 percent more productive at work if they were working in the ideal office, and, 86 percent say they’d stay longer with an employer that had the ideal office location and features. The other side of the coin is that 80 percent believe that companies that don’t offer their employees a convenient location and attractive features are more likely to lose them. Younger workers in particular are markedly more likely to move jobs to find a working environment that suits them, and this includes offering a workplace with a ‘buzz’.

March 15, 2016

More than a quarter of managers not comfortable discussing mental health ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Over a quarter (28 per cent) of managers admit to having been diagnosed with or treated for a mental health related condition such as stress, anxiety or depression, however, 26 per cent of them keep this private at work, citing fear of being judged by colleagues or their manager (42 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively). And it’s not surprising this reticence persists when you consider that over one in four UK managers (27 per cent) would be more comfortable discussing employees’ physical health than they are discussing their mental health. According to the new research from AXA PPP healthcare, fear it would harm their career prospects (25 per cent) and fear of being discriminated against (21 per cent) are the main reasons for keeping quiet. Although 57 per cent say they’re just as comfortable discussing one or the other the sizeable minority who don’t indicates there’s still work to be done to overcome the mental health taboo.