City gives green light to flower power tower

City gives green light to flower power tower

towerA new 30-storey office tower with green walls and roof nestling next to London’s walkie talkie building has been approved by the City of London Corporation, CLC. Hong Kong-based developers Tenacity Group are behind the scheme which is the first tall building approved by CLC this year. More →

Homeworkers “at risk” unless employers recognise duty of care

Homeworkers “at risk” unless employers recognise duty of care

homeworkersA new generation of long-term homeworkers created by COVID-19 is at risk physically and mentally through inadequate employer support, claims research by EIZO. Employees are already feeling the negative effects of a home environment, often ill-equipped for the working day and EIZO warns there may be a rise in ‘Homeworking LOSERS’, or ‘Laptops On Sofas and Employment Rights Shelved’. More →

Half of employees ‘just going through the motions’ as redundancies hit morale

Half of employees ‘just going through the motions’ as redundancies hit morale

redundanciesMass redundancies across the UK are having a huge impact on the discretionary effort employees are willing to undertake on behalf of their employer, according to research from career transition firm Randstad Risesmart UK. More →

Disconnected leadership hinders effective employee engagement

Disconnected leadership hinders effective employee engagement

engagementNew research from Opinion Matters, commissioned by SocialChorus, the digital employee experience platform, claims that the digital employee experience (DEX) and employee engagement efforts by businesses across the US, UK and Nordics are hampered by the lack of collaboration between IT, HR and Internal Communications (IC) departments. More →

Extrovert-run businesses are more likely to be growing than introvert-run ones

Extrovert-run businesses are more likely to be growing than introvert-run ones

businessesA new report of over 1,000 small business owners and decision makers by Hitachi Capital Business Finance claims that extrovert-run businesses are more likely to be growing in the current environment, and more likely to have plans to win more business in 2021. More →

Surging demand for data science skills in 2021

Surging demand for data science skills in 2021

data scienceWith data science lauded as the answer to COVID-19 recovery, organisations are planning to significantly increase their data science headcount this year. This is according to the latest research from Le Wagon, an educational provider in data science bootcamps. More →

Tech and finance firms opt to keep offices closed

Tech and finance firms opt to keep offices closed

officesExpenses app, ExpenseOnDemand, has published new data which claims to highlight how businesses in different sectors are planning office returns in 2021. The majority of businesses across many sectors have stated offices will reopen this year at some point. More →

SLL publish specialist lighting guide for FMS

SLL publish specialist lighting guide for FMS

lightingThe Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) has published its first guidance document designed specifically to address the key lighting tasks required of facilities managers. Lighting is absolutely critical to providing a safe and productive working environment and much of the management required to procure, maintain and optimise lighting systems falls to facilities managers. More →

Call for employers to do more to safeguard the health of their employees

Call for employers to do more to safeguard the health of their employees

employeesIn April 2020, 47 percent of UK employees worked from home and for many, they still haven’t returned to the office. The events of 2020 have been unprecedented, as rules and advice from the government have changed at rapid rates in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. But one thing that remained relatively consistent is the encouragement for those who can, to work from home. More →

Remote work continues to impact physical and mental health of workers

Remote work continues to impact physical and mental health of workers

remote workNew research from Fellowes Brands claims to reveal the ‘alarming’ impact enforced remote work is having on the mental wellbeing and physical health of the nation. Over a third (35 percent) of UK workers admit feeling stressed or anxious, lonely and isolated (32 percent) and tired or lacking in energy (38 percent), while working from home during lockdown. The study is based on a survey of 1,000 UK office workers who had worked from home for at least four months. More →

The future of work is hybrid with a firm focus on employees

The future of work is hybrid with a firm focus on employees

employeesCompanies are searching for ways to reinvent the office and give employees reasons to return to their workplace and a new report by JLL says the focus must be on the workforce. The report, Reimagine: the new future of work to shape a better world predicts that the future of work will involve companies prioritising the health, wellness and mental well-being of employees. More →

Low paid workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic

Low paid workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic

low paid workersNew analysis by the Institute for Employment Studies has found that low paid workers are more than twice as likely to have lost their jobs during the pandemic and are at far greater risk of being temporarily laid off or having their hours cut. The research, funded by Standard Life Foundation, concludes that in this current lockdown it is likely that around two thirds of low paid workers – or four million people – are either temporarily laid off or working fewer hours than normal. This would be double the rate of work disruption for staff who are not classified as low paid. More →