Growing awareness of pros and cons of working from home

Growing awareness of pros and cons of working from home

working from homeHalf of UK workers (49 percent) who are currently working from home have admitted that their mental health has suffered since the lockdown, according to new Covid-19 Mental Health research from Qualtrics. These feelings are mostly rooted in the growing sense of isolation but many also feel their motivation has suffered and find it harder to focus. Conversely, the majority are also relieved they are no longer commuting and are grateful to choose their time of work. (more…)

Organisations still adjusting to reality of `gig economy`

Organisations still adjusting to reality of `gig economy`

gig economyA new report from Aon claims that the so-called gig economy will continue to flourish but many employers are still adjusting to its realities. Using research from HR and gig workers across Europe, the report, Gig Economy: Financial Security or Greater Control, claims that 26 percent of European HR directors believe their workforces will have 51-75 percent of gig workers in five years’ time, while 18 percent of UK HRDs believe 75 percent or more of their workforce will be made up of contractors in 5 years’ time. Nearly all HRDs believe providing health and benefits packages would improve gig worker recruitment (94 percent), engagement (93 percent), productivity (88 percent) and retention (95 percent). (more…)

Working from home opens up new data security threat

Working from home opens up new data security threat

working from home securityA new report from Tessian claims that nearly half of employees (48 percent) are less likely to follow safe data practices when working from home. The State of Data Loss Prevention 2020 report suggests that the global shift to remote working poses new security challenges for businesses and why traditional security solutions are failing to curb the problem of the insider threat and accidental data loss. (more…)

Majority of HR professionals aware of value they add to their organisation

Majority of HR professionals aware of value they add to their organisation

HRFour in five (80 percent) of those who work in the domain of human resources in the UK and Ireland say that a role in HR and other parts of the ‘people profession’ offers them a meaningful career and almost three quarters (73 percent) believe they have the opportunity to add value to their organisation, the latest People Profession Survey from the CIPD and Workday claims. (more…)

Demand for London office space plummets, but will bounce back (to an extent)

Demand for London office space plummets, but will bounce back (to an extent)

London office spaceThe impact of the measures taken to curtail the spread of COVID-19 have dramatically changed the working landscape, not least of all for the commercial property market, claims a new report from property consultancy DeVono Cresa. Commercial occupier demand for London office space fell by 30 percent across Q1 of 2020, according to the report. However, it also suggests that the market fundamentals at the end of March remain relevant and will dictate heavily on future real estate decisions. (more…)

Corporate wellbeing is too focused on sick workers

Corporate wellbeing is too focused on sick workers

corporate wellbeingCorporate wellbeing initiatives are often too focused on sick individuals, and firms should be addressing the root causes of physical and mental health by building healthy organisations instead. That is the main claim of a new report from the Corporate Research Forum (CRF) report, supported by Lane 4 and Mercer.  The report is based on interviews with 150 HR leaders from FTSE 100 and similar sized businesses. (more…)

Wellbeing benefits of time in nature endure for months

Wellbeing benefits of time in nature endure for months

Mental healthThe wellbeing benefits from simple daily contact with nature can last for months, once initiated, according to a new review from The Wildlife Trusts. The review is based on surveys completed by people taking part in 30 Days Wild, a study based on three peer-reviewed papers. Researchers at the University of Derby evaluated survey responses from more than 1,000 people over five years and discovered the enduring effects on wellbeing from participation in 30 Days Wild – the positive effects are still felt two months after the challenge is over. (more…)

Most British workers reluctant to work mainly from home, BCO poll claims

Most British workers reluctant to work mainly from home, BCO poll claims

Rumours of the demise of the office are much exaggerated, according to new independent polling commissioned by the British Council for Offices (BCO), the representative body for the UK’s office sector. Just one in five (20 percent) UK adults plans primarily to work from home in the future, while only 16 percent hope that working from home replaces the office. Last week, Twitter, the social media company, announced that staff could ‘forever work from home’ if they wanted to. However, that offer would only be partially taken up by British workers, with many instead opting for ‘mixed working’, balancing time between the office and home. (more…)

Clerkenwell Design Week postponed for 2020

Clerkenwell Design Week postponed for 2020

The organisers announced today that Clerkenwell Design Week will now be postponed until 25-27 May 2021. The event – a must attend in the annual calendar for workplace designers and managers – had originally been postponed from its regular May date for this year to 14-16 July. “This has not been a decision taken lightly, though above all else, the health and safety of CDW’s visitors, exhibitors, clients and staff remains the number one priority in light of these unprecedented times”, said the organisers in a statement. “CDW wants to ensure the festival can be delivered safely and with everyone’s best interests at the core of its approach. (more…)

Firms need to embed lessons from pandemic in a new work culture

Firms need to embed lessons from pandemic in a new work culture

work cultureOrganisations should build on the lessons they have learned about themselves and their employees during the pandemic and embed them into their work culture. That is the main claim of the tenth annual Global Human Capital Trends report from Deloitte. (more…)

Wellbeing nosedives as people miss interactions with colleagues

Wellbeing nosedives as people miss interactions with colleagues

wellbeingWellbeing amongst professionals has taken a dive since lockdown restrictions were enforced in March, according to a new survey by recruiting firm Hays.  From a survey of over 16,200 professionals, close to two thirds (61 percent) rated their wellbeing as positive before restrictions were put in place, but only 35 percent said it remained positive since lockdown. Those who rated their wellbeing as negative rose from 7 percent to 23 percent. (more…)

Organisational change is best achieved by `kinetic’ leaders, claims report

Organisational change is best achieved by `kinetic’ leaders, claims report

organisational changeDeloitte has published its 2020 Global Technology Leadership survey, “The Kinetic Leader: Boldly Reinventing the Enterprise,” which sets out to examine the broader scope and evolution of tech leadership roles. The findings claim to reveal the increased need for agile and kinetic leaders — change instigators adept at driving tech-enabled transformation and organisational change. (more…)