Remote working preferred, with just one in ten workers happiest in an office environment

Remote working preferred, with just one in ten workers happiest in an office environment

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Workplace

Remote working preferred, as just one in ten workers happiest in an office environmentOne in four workers (28 percent) would move jobs if they weren’t allowed to work from home, increasing to nearly half (45 percent) of millennial workers. Yet while two thirds of UK employees (65 percent) can work from home, 35 percent are still not given the option of working remotely. Totaljobs’ research revealed that remote working is in the top five most important benefits when looking for a new job, beating perks such as enhanced parental leave, travel allowances and learning and development. One in five workers would pick a job that offered remote working over one that did not when deciding on a new role. Given the choice, two fifths (38 percent) of the UK workforce prefer working from home, a figure that rises to 46 percent of 18-34-year olds as opposed to just 31 percent of over 55’s, clearly showing the popularity of remote working options to the millennial workforce. The flexibility that remote working offers is most appreciated by women, with a quarter (24 percent) preferring the option of working from home or in the office compared to 16 percent of men.

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Flow of gig workers moving in and out of Britain will increase due to Brexit

Flow of gig workers moving in and out of Britain will increase due to Brexit

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Flow of gig workers moving in and out of Britain will increase due to BrexitUK businesses are already one of the top employers of short contract “gig workers” at an international scale and with Brexit just around the corner,  a new survey commissioned by Graebel and carried out by Wakefield Research found that 97 percent of UK Millennials would be interested in relocating to another country for a contract job. After Brexit takes place, nearly three in five (58 percent) British gig workers are more likely to relocate from the U.K. to another EU country for a contract job, and 72 percent of British Millennials answered the same way. Gig workers in each of the top three gig economy markets (UK, US and Singapore), were asked how companies can cater for the needs of this new generation of workers and how to retain their top talent. New York (33 percent), Los Angeles (21 percent) and Paris (21 percent) are the top three picks for UK gig workers looking to relocate. On the other hand, London is still the top choice for US gig workers (33 percent) and second choice for gig workers in Singapore (26 percent).

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Nearly half of workers blame technology issues as top reason for lack of productivity

Nearly half of workers blame technology issues as top reason for lack of productivity

by • Facilities management, News, Technology, Workplace

Nearly half of workers blame technology issues as top reason for lack of productivityEight in ten workers use their personal smartphones for work purposes to make their jobs easier as almost half report wasting 10 minutes per hour in their working day due to their employers’ ineffective technology. According to the 2018 Connected Worker survey from Deloitte – just under half (49 percent) of respondents said they waste an average of ten minutes for each hour worked, in a median 35-hour week. Of the reasons given, 44 percent cited issues with technology, such as non-working or lack of devices as the main reason for not being productive at work. Workers compensate for the lack of employer provided technology with their own devices, with eight in ten (81 percent) already using their personal smartphones for work purposes. Over half (54 percent) of the workers feel they have the skills to use more technology at work.

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Employers needs to do more to support working families

Employers needs to do more to support working families

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Tackling unsupportive workplace cultures is crucial in helping parents achieve a better work life balance, according to a new study from lobby groups Working Families and Bright Horizons. The 2018 Modern Families Index: how employers can support the UK’s working families, published by work life balance charity Working Families and Bright Horizons, claims to expose the limitations of policies like flexible working, whilst unsupportive workplace cultures remain in place.  Many parents feel compelled to work far beyond their contracted hours to meet managers’ expectations and to progress in their careers, according to the report. When parents were asked how they felt about their employer in terms of work-life balance, over a third (34 percent) of parents said they felt resentful, with more fathers than mothers agreeing (37 percent vs. 32 percent). Millennials were the most resentful; 46 percent of millennial fathers felt resentful, the highest proportion of any group of parents.

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New religion and belief guidance from Acas aims to help prevent discrimination at work

New religion and belief guidance from Acas aims to help prevent discrimination at work

by • Legal news, News, Workplace

New religion and belief guidance from Acas aims to help prevent discrimination at work

New guidance on religion and belief in the workplace has been published by Acas. It is intended to help ensure businesses are following the law when it comes to managing staff that have a particular religion, belief or indeed don’t hold any beliefs. The guidance offers employers essential advice on how to comply with the Equalities Act, which protects employees against discrimination based on religion and belief. The new guidance for employers and employees sets out to explain what religion or belief discrimination is, how to avoid it and includes advice on what the law says about religious dress codes, fasting and time off for religious festivals or holidays.

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Employees’ overwhelming view is they are being held back from developing their career

Employees’ overwhelming view is they are being held back from developing their career

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Employees' overwhelming feedback is they are being held back in developing their career

Half (49 percent) of UK workers believe their current job offers little to no chance for career progression and out of 1,000 UK workers asked about the state of their career progression including the prospects for advancement, not one felt they had the right level of support from managers. The survey by Qualtrics claims that just 7 percent believe there is a great deal of opportunity to progress their career in their organisation. It’s a marked difference from October 2017, when the number of employees saying they had a significant opportunity for career progression was 17 percent. The research suggests the pessimistic outlook could be down to a lack of acknowledgment and support at work. Of those claiming to have little or no opportunities for career progression, the data found that 71 percent are given little to no change to trying out new things that interest them, all of them (100 percent) say they don’t receive the right level of support from managers and 49 percent rarely receive consistent acknowledgement for doing good work.

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Bosses warned about major leadership changes in a tech-driven economy

Bosses warned about major leadership changes in a tech-driven economy

by • News, Technology, Workplace

Bosses warned about major leadership changes in a tech-driven worldWith companies holding ever greater amounts of data and facing heightened scrutiny through social media, employers need to consider the wider implications of their business decisions. This was the message of the President of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), who has warned business leaders and students in Birmingham of the challenges facing bosses in the rapidly evolving tech and data-driven economy. Speaking at the annual MacLaren Memorial Lecture at Aston University, Bruce Carnegie-Brown told the 200-strong audience that the digital revolution is having a transformative effect on the priorities of business leaders, which pose new management challenges. “The growth of social media has made an invaluable contribution in democratising the control of information, he said by, “increasing transparency through universalising access to data and doing it in real time”. Carnegie-Brown, who is also the chairman of Lloyd’s of London, added: “With information more accessible than ever before, those that own or collect data find themselves with huge amounts of power – both social and commercial. But with great power comes great responsibility and balancing these two forces is the greatest leadership challenge of today’s generation of business leaders.”

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Jobs vacuum due to high employment and skills shortage is creating a war for talent

Jobs vacuum due to high employment and skills shortage is creating a war for talent

by • News, Workplace

Jobs vacuum due to high employment and skills shortage is creating a war for talent

Figures published yesterday showed that the jobless rate has fallen to 4.2 percent, the lowest since 1975 according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). While good news for the economy, the challenge for employers will be recruitment. On average, over 40,000 job vacancies are left unfilled for over six months according to research by Robert Half UK. The figure doubles to 80,000 for roles left vacant for more than a month. The findings come following research into the UK job market looking at trends in the modern workplace which confirmed that high employment coupled with an ongoing skills crisis is leading companies to face a war for talent which is leaving many positions unfilled. A lack of skilled candidates (51 percent) tops the list of challenges, whilst difficulties in finding the right talent follows close behind (30 percent). Even when the right person has been found, many firms aren’t hiring fast enough and end up missing out on their preferred candidate (28 percent). UK organisations clearly recognise the detrimental effect that unfilled roles can have on their business. Reduced productivity (42 percent), increased stress (42 percent) and limited business growth (38 percent) are cited as the main consequences – all of which can cripple a firm’s performance.

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Workplace aggression can lead to vicious circle of misconduct

Workplace aggression can lead to vicious circle of misconduct

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) claims that frequently being the target of workplace aggression not only affects the victim’s health but can also cause them to behave badly towards others. Workplace aggression is a significant issue particularly in the healthcare sector, where nurses can be targeted by both their colleagues and co-workers through bullying, and by patients and their relatives through ‘third-party’ aggression. While workplace aggression has been examined in relation to the health-related consequences for victims, less is known about the possible negative impact it may have on their own behaviour at work. The findings of this study suggest that the experience of anger and fear associated with being the target of aggression at work could lead some nurses to translate the emotions that are triggered into misconduct, possibly disregarding professional and ethical codes. More →

Workers fake physical sickness to mask mental health issues due to stigma worries

Workers fake physical sickness to mask mental health issues due to stigma worries

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Workers fake physical sickness to mask mental health issues due to stigma worries

Two fifths (42 percent) of UK employees are calling in sick claiming a physical illness, when in reality it’s a mental health issue, new research from BHSF has claimed. The research was commissioned to raise awareness of employee wellbeing during  Mental Health Awareness Week, a campaign hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, which has stress as its focus this year.  The survey found that 24 percent of employees worry that if they did need to take a sick day, they wouldn’t be taken seriously. Over half (56 percent) of employees admitted to suffering from stress, a third from anxiety (36 percent) and a quarter from depression (25 percent). Despite 46 percent admitting that work is the main cause of their health problems, just 15 percent would tell their boss if they were struggling with an issue of this nature.

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Seven stories to get your week off to a flying start

Seven stories to get your week off to a flying start

by • Facilities management, Features, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

Why great employees leave great cultures

Are flexible short term leases the new future?

Four mega-trends for the future of work

The revolution will not be transactionalised

Bjarke Ingels joins WeWork as Chief Architect

The road to automation, the joy of work, and the ‘Jen problem’

How Soho House transformed BBC Television Centre (registration required)

Employers face increasing challenge in finding the right person for the job warns CIPD

Employers face increasing challenge in finding the right person for the job warns CIPD

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Employers face increasing challenge in finding the right person for the job warns CIPD

Employment prospects in the UK are improving, as the number of vacancies in the UK economy remain well above historic average levels, but the CIPD is warning that employers’ demand for skills and labour may not be met by supply. The latest Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD and The Adecco Group shows that employers’ near-term employment expectations have risen to a five-year high. This continued growth in demand for labour, while highlighting employer optimism, is set to lead to a further tightening of the UK labour market for employers, making it harder for them to find the skills and labour they need. Almost two-thirds (61 percent) of employers in the survey said that at least some of their vacancies are proving hard to fill.  By comparison, just over half (56 percent) of employers reported that they were currently having difficulty filling vacancies in their organisation during the same period in 2017. In response, more than a quarter (28 percent) said that they are raising wages to tackle their recruitment difficulties. The report authors also suggest that offering staff more flexible work and collaborative spaces could help with recruitment and retention.

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