Law firms plan overhaul of business structures in wake of pandemic

Law firms plan overhaul of business structures in wake of pandemic

Around two thirds of legal firms plan to review their business structures and processes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and well over half are planning a major change in strategy. That’s according to a survey of more than 100 law firms of all sizes conducted by accountants and business advisors association MHA. The survey, carried out during lockdown, also claims that 85 percent of firms say the pandemic will have a ‘moderate’ or ‘major’ impact on fee income. Around 59 percent of firms say they will use the opportunity to change their business strategy with a focus on better IT, review of specialisms, and improving profitability. More →

Working parents and carers call for more flexible working post-COVID

Working parents and carers call for more flexible working post-COVID

flexible workingNew figures published today claim that more than 9 in 10 working parents and carers surveyed by work-life balance charity Working Families want their workplace to retain flexible working post-COVID-19.   More →

A third of employees asked to commit furlough fraud in lockdown

A third of employees asked to commit furlough fraud in lockdown

furlough fraudNew research on 2000 furloughed full time employees, suggests that a third of UK bosses are committing fraud and trying to ‘cash in’ by seeking to abuse the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (‘CJRS’) since lockdown. According to the survey by Crossland Employment Solicitors, 34 percent of employees have been asked by their boss to work while being furloughed by their company – an act of fraud under the current rules of the CJRS. More →

Three quarters fear lack of workplace safety for older workers

Three quarters fear lack of workplace safety for older workers

A majority of the public believe it is safer for younger people to return to work than their older counterparts, according to a nationwide survey by Populus Data Solutions. The survey, carried out on behalf of student employer Stint, claims that 73 percent of respondents felt it was not safe for over 65s to return to work, while 52 percent said they believed it wasn’t safe for workers over 55. More →

A third of workers feeling disconnected from company culture and colleagues

A third of workers feeling disconnected from company culture and colleagues

Employee recognition provider Achievers, have today released research taking a look at whether employees in the UK feel connected to their company’s culture and colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research suggests that a third of British workers feel less connected to their workplace culture and colleagues due to the ongoing situation. More →

Half of workers feel more productive working from home

Half of workers feel more productive working from home

work from homeProductivity has increased due to the current lockdown situation, according to around half of  UK workers. The majority (56 percent) of workers who don’t usually work from home feel more productive than in the office. Despite this, 50 percent of those currently working from home are looking forward to their workplace reopening, although 70 percent hope their employer lets them work from home more often in future. Nearly half (45 percent) of workers would therefore welcome a flexible office arrangement that allows them to split working time between the office and home.  More →

Positive employee experience expected to significantly dip as ‘a new burnout’ looms

Positive employee experience expected to significantly dip as ‘a new burnout’ looms

employee experienceKincentric today announced the results of a survey representing over 130,000 employees across 100 companies globally. The findings suggest a strong positive employee experience, however, Kincentric believes these are artificially high due to the extraordinary circumstances and will likely erode within nine months, which is consistent with how most people process change or loss, claims Global Culture & Engagement Practice Leader, Ken Oehler.

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Research predicts decline in business travel post-lockdown

Research predicts decline in business travel post-lockdown

business travelEnvironmental concerns and the changing work landscape could lead to a noticeable drop in both domestic and international business travel, as nearly half of UK workers (48 percent) are concerned about its negative environmental impact, according to new research from O2. More →

Virtual work has the potential to harm trust, social cohesion and knowledge sharing

Virtual work has the potential to harm trust, social cohesion and knowledge sharing

virtual workTrust, social cohesion and information sharing are the most potentially vulnerable to damage when people work virtually, according to a study of around 750 academic papers conducted on behalf of the Advanced Workplace Institute (AWI), a global workplace management body. As organisations rapidly embrace home working and virtual work in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the study warns that without active management to respond to changes in working, team dynamics are under risk with a knock on effect on both employee happiness and performance. More →

Offices in the post lockdown era will focus on what they are good at

Offices in the post lockdown era will focus on what they are good at

Office spaces will become a hive of activity in the future as more businesses embrace office designs which promote innovation, creativity and team collaboration, predicts commercial real estate advisors Colliers International. The EMEA Workplace Advisory team has published its latest report, Exploring the post-COVID-19 Workplace, which evaluates feedback from its global Work from Home survey to discuss future workplace trends. More →

Workplace technology enters new `golden age`

Workplace technology enters new `golden age`

A ‘golden age’ of workplace technology could be coming, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a new report, co-authored by Professor Michael Dickmann from Cranfield University which investigated the Global Mobility response to COVID-19. The report claims that some multinational companies were completely lacking crisis response plans when the pandemic hit, and many are now adjusting their goals because of movement restrictions and employee wellbeing. More →

Study suggests need for UK employers to offer employee mental wellbeing support

Study suggests need for UK employers to offer employee mental wellbeing support

mental healthA survey of 2,000 UK consumers by digital health company BioBeats suggests that nearly a quarter (21 percent) of UK employees say that their mental health will be negatively impacted by extending remote working measures post-lockdown. Only 5 percent of respondents state that their mental health will improve as a result of extended remote working but alarmingly only 3 percent say they would ask for help in coping with this new way of working, which presents a striking gap between employees’ needs and their ability to seek support from their employer. More →