Majority of employers looking to shift to flexible work arrangements

Majority of employers looking to shift to flexible work arrangements

workThe COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition away from traditional workforce models, and 56 percent of companies are expecting to shift more of their roles to contingent, project or contract work as a result, according to a new report by Randstad Sourceright. More →

Single parents in danger of being locked out of work and forced into poverty

Single parents in danger of being locked out of work and forced into poverty

povertyA report published by single parent charity, Gingerbread, and the Institute for Employment Studies highlights how the world of work simply doesn’t work for single parents and warns things are set to get worse before they get better – putting even more single parent families at risk of poverty and creating a two-tier society, with single parents firmly at the bottom. More →

Government must recognise role of managers in halting unemployment crisis

Government must recognise role of managers in halting unemployment crisis

GovernmentA shift to remote working in the pandemic has made starting a new job even more challenging and the Government must recognise the vital role managers have to play as it works to ensure the success of its £2.6 billion job drive. More →

Long working hours increase deaths from heart disease and stroke, says WHO

Long working hours increase deaths from heart disease and stroke, says WHO

long working hoursLong working hours led to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization published in Environment International today. In what the authors claim is the first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours, WHO and ILO estimate that, in 2016, 398 000 people died from stroke and 347,000 from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to long hours increased by 42 percent, and from stroke by 19 percent. More →

Employer hiring optimism leaps to eight year high, claims research

Employer hiring optimism leaps to eight year high, claims research

hiringUK employers are the most optimistic about hiring in eight years, according to the latest CIPD/Adecco Labour Market Outlook report. The survey claims that all sectors are experiencing a jobs recovery, alongside an improvement in pay prospects. More →

Over a quarter of freelance businesses are back to pre-pandemic levels

Over a quarter of freelance businesses are back to pre-pandemic levels

businessesNew research from IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) claims almost a quarter of freelancers (24 percent) report their businesses returning to pre-pandemic levels, while nearly a third (29 percent) predict the easing of restrictions will give an added boost to their businesses. A fifth (19 percent) said their businesses had been largely unaffected by the pandemic. More →

Rapid UK hiring growth hampered by jobseeker shortage as lockdown lifts

Rapid UK hiring growth hampered by jobseeker shortage as lockdown lifts

jobseekerTens of thousands of restaurant, hotel, event and leisure jobs are available as England moves to the next step on the roadmap out of lockdown on Monday 17th May, but jobseeker shortages are making these jobs hard to fill, according to new research from global job search engine Adzuna. More →

Employee optimism dampened by pandemic, but majority of UK workers remain positive

Employee optimism dampened by pandemic, but majority of UK workers remain positive

optimismOptimism among workers in the UK has been shaken in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, claims the ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View. Nevertheless, two-thirds still have a positive outlook on the world of work for the next five years, mirroring the sentiment of people across the world. More →

Ditching ageism and ableism at work could pay dividends

Ditching ageism and ableism at work could pay dividends

ageismA new report launched by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) highlights how pervasive ageism and ableism in the workplace are still locking far too many people out of work as they age, costing not only individuals but employers and the economy. More →

One in five employees now more comfortable taking a sick day

One in five employees now more comfortable taking a sick day

sick

New research from Love Energy Savings claims that one in five people are now more comfortable taking a sick day compared to pre-pandemic. This is in stark contrast to their findings pre-pandemic, when they found that 80 percent of UK employees went to work when sick, with one in 10 people attributing this to employee pressure and one in five to not wanting to let their teammates down. More →

Secrets to stress relief and seeking work life balance

Secrets to stress relief and seeking work life balance

work life balanceNew research from Microsoft Surface claims that 64 percent of Brits agree that seeking greater balance in their lives has become even more vital through the pandemic and 63 percent are in favour of a three-day weekend to help them achieve a greater work life balance. More →

Workers dreading dressing smartly on their return to the office

Workers dreading dressing smartly on their return to the office

officeA new survey has suggested that people’s reluctance to head back into the office has much less to do with the risks of COVID-19 or other germs and more to do with the dress code of the company they work for. According to the poll from Airdri, as organisations across the country begin to welcome staff back from working from home, it seems many Brits are not looking forward to dropping the leisure wear and returning to a more formal attire needed when working amongst peers. More →