October 20, 2022

Hybrid working balance isn’t right for a third of people

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Some 39 percent of office workers are so-called hybrid “misfits” and don’t have the right balance of home and office working, a survey funded by the Economic and Social Research Council claims. The researchers discovered that workers who were in the office more often than they wanted were more likely to want to change jobs, have lower job satisfaction and have worse work-life balance.??The research suggests that office working is often beneficial for people who are able to enjoy hybrid working. More →

October 20, 2022

Economic uncertainty kills talk of quiet quitting and the great resignation

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

In spite of all the talk of a ‘great resignation’ and ‘quiet quitting’, more than three quarters of British workers (81 percent) are planning to ride out the recession with their current employer. This is in spite of the fact that nearly half (46 percent) say that they’d like to change jobs, according to a new poll from people analytics company Visier. When asked why they wouldn’t be keen to change job roles during a recession, concerns over job security in a new role (57 percent), having to settle for a lower salary compared to a current role (42 percent), and increased competition for current vacancies as a result of increased redundancies (28 percent) were cited as the leading reasons. More →

October 18, 2022

Monitoring remote workers is a good idea according to half of bosses

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Technology

A new poll from the CIPD and HiBob claims that more than half of bosses (55 percent) agree with collecting information on regular home workers, including the amount of time spent on laptops each day and email sending behaviours to identify risk of burnout. However, only three in ten (28 percent) leaders say their organisations are using software for monitoring remote workers and their productivity, according to the study. Where workplace monitoring is in place, the CIPD and HiBob urge employers to consider its purpose, and to be clear to staff about what is being monitored and why. More →

October 18, 2022

Digital skills shortage costs the UK economy £12.8 billion

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

With more than 5 million Brits unable to carry out simple online tasks like sending emails or using the internet, new research reveals UK workers are missing out on additional earnings of £5.69 billion due to a lack of digital skills according to Virgin Media O2 and economic modelling from Cebr. As the UK faces ongoing economic instability and with an uncertain jobs market, the research claims that a lack of adequate digital skills could exacerbate problems being faced by cash-strapped Brits struggling to make ends meet. More than a third of Brits (34 percent) feel a lack of digital skills training has held back their earning potential already, and almost a third say they need digital skills so they can shop around for deals and save money – amid rising anxiety over the cost of living. More →

October 17, 2022

Working habits are changing in response to cost of living increases

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The so-called cost of living crisis is having a fundamental impact on people’s working habits, according to Beamery’s latest Talent Index – Sixth Edition. Almost a third (29 percent) of workers polled for the report are now avoiding the office because of the increasing cost of travel whilst another third cited (31 percent) they were considering leaving their jobs completely due to lack of salary increases. More →

October 17, 2022

Flexible working may help to entice large numbers of older people back into work

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

There are 712,000 additional people aged over 50 who are economically inactive compared with the same period three years ago (pre-covid pandemic), according to new analysis from Rest Less, a digital community and advocate group for people in their 50s, 60s and beyond. The organisation is now calling on firms to ensure their flexible working practices and in-house training schemes are suitable for all age groups and not just targeted at younger people. More →

October 14, 2022

Office fit out and rent rises will hit occupiers worldwide this year

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Workplace design

Occupiers around the world are facing a 10 percent increase in office fit out costs with rental rises also squeezing budgets for those in EMEA, according to a new report from Savills. The firm’s Prime Office Costs (SPOC) analysis for Q3 2022 suggests that fit-out costs in key office markets around the world have continued to climb with inflation, rising an average of 10%, with increased rents in many markets also contributing to higher total net effective costs for office occupiers. Overall, the markets which have seen the largest increases in net effective costs (including fit-out costs, rents and other costs) over the quarter are largely clustered in the EMEA region, including Dublin (+7%), London City (+5%), Dubai (+3%), and Berlin (+3%). More →

October 13, 2022

Office utilisation in US returning to pre-pandemic levels, but structural changes remain

by Jayne Smith • News, Property

A new report from JLL claims that utilisation rates of US offices are returning to something closer to those of the pre-pandemic world, although hybrid working remains a far more widespread working practice than before. In addition, the focus of the market is shifting away from major city centres towards smaller, regional towns and cities. The US Office Outlook Report [registration] also suggests that higher quality office space is essential as lower grade offices are more likely to remain abandoned. More →

October 13, 2022

Transparency and collaboration key to real estate decarbonisation

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Property

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has warned of a ‘carbon bubble’ in the pricing of European real estate and urged the industry to work together to preserve values across the sector as it aims to meet the decarbonisation targets set in the Paris Agreement. To support a more collaborative approach, at the inaugural ULI C Change Summit, the institute has published its Transition Risk Assessment Consultation Guidelines as part of its C Change programme. These guidelines set out a standardised method for assessing the costs of decarbonising buildings and disclosing between owners, investors, potential buyers, and valuers the main transition risks and impact on values. More →

October 12, 2022

Four day week would mean longer days, according to majority of workers

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The majority of workers would expect a four-day week to consist of longer working hours with one in seven stating that up to 10 hours per day would be reasonable. According to a new poll from Talent.com among 1,325 respondents, workers believe that a shortened working week would enable them to achieve better wellbeing and mental health. More →

October 12, 2022

People going back to basics in terms of what they want from work

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

A new poll claims that growing economic uncertainty has forced employees to reprioritise what they want from their employers. People are increasingly interested in basics such as job security, a safe and comfortable workplace, salary and benefits, and a better workplace culture. The BCW Expectations at Work study [registration], which surveyed more than 13,000 people across five industries and 15 countries around the world, claims that one in two workers say they value the basics of job security (52 percent), workplace safety and comfort (50 percent), salary and benefits (49 percent) and workplace culture (48 percent) most out of 62 components across five dimensions of the employee experience. More →

October 10, 2022

Leading UK employers call for flexible working recruitment by default

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A joint letter from 21 leading employers – including several in the FTSE 100 – is calling on employers across the UK to advertise all vacant roles with flexible options by default. The full text is: More →