Toxic workplace habits continue to undermine wellbeing

Toxic workplace habits continue to undermine wellbeing

New research by Bupa claims there are five toxic workplace habits that are especially harmful to employee wellbeing, including ‘chronic procrastination’ and ‘workplace stress’. As a result,  UK employees are actively searching for advice on how to manage their wellbeing at work. More →

Half of companies still not ready to meet the demand for flexible working

Half of companies still not ready to meet the demand for flexible working

flexible workingCompanies are unprepared for the structural shift to flexible working and must do more to create responsible, personalised and experiential workplaces, a new report from JLL suggests. Intensive experimentation and piloting are needed to achieve flexible working models that will deliver a unique workplace experience for all. The JLL research claims that globally organisations are looking to continue flexibility for where and when people work with 82 percent expecting employees to work remotely into the future at least part of the time – spending on average two days every week away from the office. Yet 48  percent of organisations in Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) still have not developed a future of work programme to meet the rising demands and expectations of their staff for greater work flexibility, exceptional and sustainable workplaces and increased wellbeing. More →

Employment opportunities denied to people from low socioeconomic backgrounds

Employment opportunities denied to people from low socioeconomic backgrounds

employment opportunitiesOver 50 percent of UK job seekers from low socioeconomic backgrounds miss out on employment opportunities, claims a study of over 2,200 people. The survey (registration), from EdTec startup Forage suggests that employers must refine their social mobility initiatives to achieve a fair recruitment process for all. More →

Wellbeing ‘not necessarily’ harmed by long hours, study claims

Wellbeing ‘not necessarily’ harmed by long hours, study claims

wellbeing and long hoursPutting in overtime often comes at a cost of stress, burnout and depression. But extra work doesn’t always negatively affect wellbeing. In fact, according to recent research from academics ESCP Business School, it could be the opposite. According to the study, the crucial difference lies in the motivation behind the long hours, whether they stem from an inner desire or external pressures. More →

Lack of ‘face time’ leaving people feeling disengaged

Lack of ‘face time’ leaving people feeling disengaged

quality face timeAround two thirds of professionals say they are ‘highly likely’ to leave their job this year due to a lack of face time with leaders within their organisation. Following the announcement yesterday from Government that working-from-home restrictions will be dropped, an annual employee survey from recruiter Robert Walters claims to reveal the potential damage of upholding remote leadership in 2022. Results from survey suggest a correlation between a decrease in output and morale for professionals who claim they see their manager (face-to-face) less than once a week. More →

Employees are ready for work in the metaverse but sceptical about ability of firms to deliver

Employees are ready for work in the metaverse but sceptical about ability of firms to deliver

working in the metaverseJust as businesses are starting to find their groove with hybrid working, the workplace has begun to evolve again with the emergence of the metaverse. New research from Lenovo claims that close to half of employees (44 percent) are willing to work in the metaverse and believe that it can deliver benefits like productivity to the workplace. The metaverse is primarily defined as a shared digital space with digital representations of people, places, and objects. In the future, the metaverse can be a highly immersive extension of the physical world, with its rich user interface. At the enterprise level, this opens up possibilities for businesses to create a more viable, interactive workplace. More →

Third of people don’t trust their leaders at work

Third of people don’t trust their leaders at work

Leaders need to work harder to build trust among employees with 32 per of U.K. workers admitting to not trusting senior leaders. These are the findings from O.C. Tanner’s 2022 Global Culture Report which analysed the perspectives of over 38,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners and executives from 21 countries around the world, including over 2,500 from the U.K. The findings are a marginal improvement on 12 months’ ago in which slightly more workers (35 per cent) confessed to not trusting senior leaders. More →

Firms need to do more to engage, attract and retain staff

Firms need to do more to engage, attract and retain staff

Over 40 percent of employers are finding it more difficult to retain and recruit staff, according to Aon’s Benefits and Trends Survey 2022 (registration). The report claims that many employers have adjusted their benefits strategies to address an intense labour market, in which employee work motivations have shifted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-one percent of employers said they have found it more difficult to retain staff in the last year, while 44 percent have found it more difficult to recruit new staff. Many employers anecdotally expressed in the survey that they need to pay higher salaries or sign-on bonuses to entice new recruits. More →

Four day week trial launched in UK

Four day week trial launched in UK

four day weekA six-month trial of the recently much talked about four day week has been launched across the United Kingdom. Around thirty companies are expected to take part, who have also committed to retaining current pay and conditions for the employees involved. The pilot has been launched by the think tank Autonomy, 4 Day Week Global, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College. More →

Cities need to open themselves up to Nature, report claims

Cities need to open themselves up to Nature, report claims

natural world in citiesCities contribute 80 percent to global GDP – but they also account for 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Integrating nature-positive solutions can help protect cities from growing risks associated with extreme weather while driving sustainable economic growth, according to a new study from the World Economic Forum. In collaboration with the Alexander von Humboldt Institute and Government of Colombia, WEF’s BiodiverCities by 2030 Initiative published a report addressing the urgency of cities’ untenable relationship with nature. The Initiative’s goal is to reverse this existential global threat and move forward with a plan that will result in cities and nature co-existing in harmony by the end of the decade. More →

Women working from home four times more likely to think career is stagnating

Women working from home four times more likely to think career is stagnating

working from home careerA new report reveals that more than half of women (54 percent) employed in the UK believe their employer isn’t providing them with enough opportunities for career progression. As working from home has become more permanent over the last year, women are now four times as likely than men to feel their career has stagnated. More →

Working from home isolation felt more keenly by younger workers

Working from home isolation felt more keenly by younger workers

working from home isolationA new poll from RingCentral, a provider of cloud communications claims that younger workers are more likely to report feelings of isolation and anxiety when working from home. The firm claims that the results of the survey highlight the need for employers and others to ensure they stay connected and engaged with those working from home alone. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that around 1 in 6 (17 percent) adults experienced depression during the latter half of 2021 – almost double the rate before the pandemic (1 in 10). More →