August 15, 2022

Circularity is now essential in the delivery of net zero buildings

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published new insight into the positive impact circular thinking can have in delivering whole life carbon reductions and value creation across construction projects. The study, ‘How Circular Economy Principles can impact carbon and value‘ seeks to increase understanding within the built environment sector of how circularity can support reductions in whole life carbon in achieving net zero. It also seeks to enable project decision-makers and key built environment stakeholders to strengthen the business case for implementing circularity. More →

August 15, 2022

Benefits of zero-hours contracts outweigh downsides for most people

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

New research from the CIPD suggests there needs to be a more balanced and nuanced debate about their place in the labour market, that recognises both the positives and downsides to zero-hours work. The CIPD’s new research ‘Zero-hours contracts – Evolution and current status’– claims that this kind of arrangement – where there’s no guaranteed minimum number of hours that must be worked – is an established part of the UK labour market. It finds that the number of people on ZHCs has changed little since 2015, making up just 3 percent of employment. Fewer than a fifth of employers (18 percent) use ZHCs, and they’re most often used in the hospitality and entertainment industries, in the voluntary sector, and typically in roles such as bar staff, waiters/waitresses, and care workers. More →

August 10, 2022

Exploring the best current thinking about work and the workplace

by Mark Eltringham • IN Magazine, News, Premium Content

Issue 12 of IN Magazine is in production, but in the meantime Issue 11 explores the best and latest thinking from the world of work. In this issue: we talk to Joanna Frank about active design; visit the offices of Drees and Sommer in Stuttgart; consider the role of routines in creativity; argue that we need to understand the past before we can shape the future; discover Iceland’s new Science City; hear about the changing nature of workplace experiences; and much more. Includes our latest supplement, exploring the role of internal comms in hybrid work cultures, published in association with Magenta. Print copies will be mailed out in the next few days. More →

August 8, 2022

Commercial property values fall during July

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Capital values decreased 0.5 percent across all UK commercial property in July 2022, according to the latest CBRE Monthly Index. Over the month, rental value growth was 0.3 percent. Total returns were -0.1 percent. In July, capital values for the office sector decreased 0.1 percent. Capital value growth was pulled down by Outer London and M25 offices and offices in the rest of the UK both reporting a decline of 0.3 percent. Central London offices posted a capital value growth of 0.1 percent. Rental values for the office sector increased 0.1 percent in July. Rental growth was driven by Outer London and M25 offices (0.4 percent) and rest of UK offices (0.3 percent). In July, total returns for the office sector were 0.4 percent. More →

August 4, 2022

ESG: only a third of people think their workplace has a positive impact on society and the environment

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Wellbeing

According to a poll from YuLife and YouGov, just over a third (39 percent) of people think their place of work has some sort of positive impact on society and the planet. This is in spite of the many announcements from organisations about how ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) can boost employee engagement and help them stand out from their competitors. With many businesses having upped their ESG investment in recent years, the new YuLife-YouGov report claims to shed light on what UK working adults want and expect from their workplaces, equipping businesses with vital insights into how to focus their ESG programmes most effectively. More →

August 1, 2022

Employees who practice mindfulness are more likely to think their job is stimulating

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Employees who practice mindfulness are less bored at work and less likely to quit, according to a new study. Researchers found that in monotonous jobs, employees who are more ‘mindful’ have greater job satisfaction, are less likely to quit and think their job is less boring. The study, entitled “It’s so boring – or is it? Examining the role of mindfulness for work performance and attitudes in monotonous jobs”, has been published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology and is co-authored by Andreas Wihler of the University of Exeter Business School, Ute Regina Hülsheger of Maastricht University, Jochen Reb of Singapore Management University and Jochen?Menges of the University of Zurich and Cambridge Judge Business School. More →

July 28, 2022

Commercial real estate enters downturn in UK, claims RICS

by Jayne Smith • News, Property

The UK’s commercial real estate market is entering or might already be in a downturn, according to an industry survey from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. As higher interest rates push up investors’ financing costs and economic sentiment takes a dive, 43 percent of respondents to its quarterly commercial property survey thought the sector was in the early stages of a downturn, and a further 10 percent thought it was in the middle of one. By contrast, three months ago 53 percent said the sector was in the early or middle stages of an upturn, a proportion that has now slumped to 22 percent. More →

July 28, 2022

Generational careers divide opens up in wake of pandemic

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Almost half of UK employees aged between 18 and 24 think that COVID-19 has decreased the importance placed on their careers, compared to 35 percent of 55-64 year-olds. And more than half think the pandemic has negatively impacted their career progression, compared to just 35 percent of 35-44 year olds and 17 percent of 54-65 year olds. Those are the key findings of a poll presented in a report from Employment Hero, shows that COVID-19 has caused a widening generational divide in the career motivation and wellbeing of UK employees. More →

July 28, 2022

Hybrid working success depends on the creation of ‘digital HQs’

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

Around three quarters of people think that so-called digital HQs are fundamental to making hybrid working a success, according to a new report from Slack. The study also claims to reveals how both virtual and in-person office etiquette has changed along with new workplace habits. The survey of over 1,000 UK office workers suggests that the majority (73 percent) believe hybrid working is ‘here to stay’ and 53 percent think businesses should operate on a digital-first approach. Spending more time at home is a must for most with over 3 in 5 (66 percent) likely to start looking for a new job if hybrid or remote working is not offered. Over two-thirds believing hybrid work has helped them with the cost of living crisis, with less being spent on transport and lunches. More →

July 28, 2022

MPs call for Menopause Ambassador role to help women in the workplace

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Lack of support from employers for women with symptoms of the menopause is pushing ‘highly skilled and experienced’ women out of work, claims a new report from the cross-party House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee. The authors call on the Government to act, amending the Equality Act to introduce menopause as a protected characteristic, and to include a duty for employers to provide reasonable adjustments for menopausal employees. The MPs also urge the Government to remove dual prescription charges for oestrogen and progesterone as part of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) nationwide, replacing it with a single charge for all women.

July 28, 2022

Quarter of European firms now use HR analytics tools

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace

Just over a quarter of European companies are using HR analytics tools for performance management, according to new research from Durham University Business School. The researchers also claim that firms that monitor and manage the performance of their employees using HR analytics are also the ones that use financial incentives to staff intensively. Hence, there appears to be a positive relationship on the role financial incentives have on performance of employees and the use of HR analytics. Whilst also, the researchers discovered that the larger the organisation, the more likely they were to invest in HR analytics for monitoring, although this effect appeared to taper off for the largest firms. More →

July 22, 2022

Awards and recognition for innovation can harm future levels of creativity

by Neil Franklin • News

New research from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, claims to have identified one reason why some first-time innovators struggle to repeat their initial creativity while others go on to continually produce creative works. Markus Baer, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Olin, and Dirk Deichmann, of the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, discovered that recognising first-time producers of successful novel ideas with an award or recognition can significantly decrease the likelihood that they will produce future creative work. More →