September 22, 2022

Working culture a major draw for younger job seekers

According to a new poll from Breathe HR, a large majority of younger workers now prioritise working culture in their job searches. The study of around 1,300 people claims that workers aged 18-34 are more likely to consider company culture (86 percent) when applying for jobs, compared to those working aged 55 and over (66 percent). In addition, 81 percent of 18–34-year-olds are more likely to ask about company culture in an interview than over 55-year-olds (57 percent) and four-fifths of UK workers say they would not apply for a role that had “unrealistic expectations”. More →

September 21, 2022

Storytelling offers an effective tool to HR analytics users, new research suggests

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

‘Storytelling’ as a practice is a frequently-used and effective tool for HR analytics professionals, new research from Trinity Business School, UCD and Maynooth University has revealed. According to the research, undertaken by Na Fu, an associate professor of human resource management at Trinity Business School, and Anne Keegan, Full Professor of Human Resource Management at UCD and Steven McCartney, Assistant Professor, Management & Organisational Behaviour at Maynooth University, HR analysts regularly engage in storytelling to aid them in doing their jobs. More →

September 21, 2022

Four-day week pilot met with overwhelming approval at halfway point

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

At the halfway point of a six-month pilot programme of a four-day week in the United Kingdom, results so far indicate that the idea has been backed by an overwhelming majority of those companies taking part, with many already saying the move will be permanent. A poll found that 88 percent believed the trial was working ‘well’ for their business. Just under half (46 percent) of respondents said their business productivity had ‘maintained around the same level’, while 34 percent said that it had ‘improved slightly’, and 15 percent said it had ‘improved significantly’. More →

September 21, 2022

Poor acoustics hamper productivity and deter people from spending more time in the office

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Noisy offices are lowering productivity, with 60 percent of office workers unable to concentrate and delivering poor quality work due to loud workspaces, is deterring people from returning to offices more often, and can even lead to violence. Those are the key findings of a new poll of 2,000 workers from Oscar Acoustics. The survey [registration] suggests that just 8 percent of people feel they work in a quiet office, with only a quarter of office workers working in a space that has well designed acoustics for their job. More →

September 21, 2022

The twenty-five technologies that can help climate action

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Technology

A new report by the World Economic Forum’s Climate Trade Zero initiative calls for scaling up trade in 25 key technologies to support climate action and cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 to meet targets set out in the Paris Agreement on climate change. As many parts of the world face rising energy bills, reducing trade barriers can cut technology costs, as well as speed up availability, innovation, access and adoption. More →

September 20, 2022

Lack of training in communication is setting up line managers to fail

by Neil Franklin • News

A new report from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ (CIPR) Inside Group claims that while the successful running of any organisation relies on effective line manager communication, and this is a high HR priority, designated line managers are ultimately being “set up to fail” through a lack of specific communications training. The report – ‘Effective line manager communications’ – surveyed line managers, HR professionals, and internal communicators, and it showed a clear mismatch between the expectations of line managers and the support provided. More →

September 9, 2022

Right to disconnect laws are a turn-off for a third of employers

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Over a third of business leaders admit they don’t agree with the introduction of a law in the UK that would protect an employee’s right to disconnect, similar to the law in place in France, a new poll from iCompario claims. One in seven remain unsure (14 percent). The legislation, which was introduced in France in 2017, forbids employers from expecting their employees to engage in communications, such as emails outside of working hours. The data suggests that substantial two thirds (66 percent) of UK workers would support a similar law being introduced in the UK. More →

September 9, 2022

Hybrid work may be ‘here to stay’, but the office remains essential for many businesses

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Property, Workplace design

As businesses continue to evolve their workplaces to best meet the needs of their employees, JLL’s global Future of Work Survey claims that 72 percent of decision makers believe the office is critical to doing business. The research shows that over the next several years companies anticipate hybrid work to become the dominant model and will be looking across their real estate portfolios to re-think their office spaces, invest in new technology, including virtual offices, and prioritise sustainability. More →

September 8, 2022

Nearly half of people feel disconnected from colleagues

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Around 42 percent of UK employees don’t feel a sense of connection to co-workers and a quarter say they don’t think they have one friend at work, according to a new poll from BetterUp [registration]. UK employees with a lower sense of belonging have an 80 per cent stronger intention to quit their jobs than those who feel comfortable at work, according to the survey. It also claims that the findings come as UK workplaces are struggling with new trends such as ‘quiet quitting’, whereby employees are setting boundaries when it comes to working late and working on projects that aren’t in their job description, as well as issues around recruitment and talent retention. More →

September 7, 2022

World Architecture Festival announces Special Prize shortlist

by Freddie Steele • Architecture, Environment, News

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the 2022 Special Prize shortlist, ahead of this year’s festival which takes place in Lisbon from 30 November – 2 December. The projects shortlisted for the Special Prizes are selected from across the greater WAF Awards shortlist to shine a light on the submissions that exhibit an outstanding use of Engineering, Colour, Natural Light and Certified Timber, as well as the best Small Project of the Year Prize. This year sees two inaugural new prizes, The Futureglass Prize supported by Aestech and The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust International Building Beauty Prize supported by Ballymore. More →

September 6, 2022

Digital infrastructure is the key to achieving net zero

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Technology

A net zero future hinges on the creation of the right digital infrastructure, although doubts remain about our preparedness, claims a new report from Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and Worley. The report, From Ambition to Reality: Measuring change in the race to deliver net zero is part of a series that the firm claims examines the infrastructure delivery challenge of reaching mid-century net-zero. More →

September 5, 2022

Hybrid working tax consultation announced by government adviser

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS), an independent advisor to the UK government, has launched a review looking for evidence of trends in relation to hybrid working. The review will also consider whether the tax and social security rules are flexible enough to cope, and what businesses, advisors and other bodies are experiencing as new ways of working become business as usual. The review will also consider the implications of any developments on cross border workers.