Bath-based workplace design firm  Interaction is inviting dog owners across the UK to nominate their canine colleagues and share a photo of their pets at work. The aim of the competition to find Britain’s best office dog is to highlight the important role that dogs play in workplace wellbeing. In the UK, households bought 3.2 million pets during lockdown – that’s a lot of new dogs for employees to consider. By supporting dog-friendly policies, the firm believes businesses can encourage these employees back into the office, whilst also reducing stress and improving engagement. More →

A new poll from the the CIPD suggests that many UK employers believe young people aren’t ‘job-ready’ and lack important workplace skills, with a fall in earning and learning opportunities cited as a key reason. The new report, Changing Face of the Youth Labour Market, claims to uncover a number of worrying insights into employers’ perceptions of young workers and their readiness for working life. The study suggests that only just over a quarter (28 percent} of employers who hired individuals aged 16-24 in the past year believe that young people are well-prepared for the world of work. More →

Those who attended the last Workplace Trends conference will recall that regular contributor Paige Hodsman (Saint-Gobain Ecophon) and the organisers are conducting research into why some women or men are not always heard in their workplace. They are now reaching out to more people to complete a 10 to 15 minute survey to inform this pertinent research.  You can take part by complete the survey here before the 24th of December. The survey also allows you to receive a copy of the findings or attend a free seminar once the research has been published.
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The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has expressed support for the UK Government’s ‘Get Britain Working’ initiative, which aims to tackle economic inactivity and promote greater inclusion within the workforce. However, the CIPD has urged the government to take more ambitious steps to elevate the status of apprenticeships and strengthen partnerships between employers and Jobcentres. More →

More than a third of office employees (37 percent) feel their work ethic has improved over the past 12 months, according to a new study. This is particularly apparent among younger people such as those belonging to so-called Gen Z, as the figure rises to more than half of those aged 18-24 (55 percent) and 25-34 (57 percent). One in five (22 percent) suggest they ‘always go above and beyond’, with the same number saying that they will ‘do whatever needs to be done to deliver’. More →