Net zero climate pledges of major companies hide their true intentions

Net zero climate pledges of major companies hide their true intentions

net zero climate pledge failThe headline climate pledges of 25 of the world’s largest companies in reality only commit to reduce their emissions by 40 percent on average, not 100 percent as suggested by their “net zero” and “carbon neutral” claims, according to a new analysis. These are the findings of the Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor released today, conducted by NewClimate Institute in collaboration with Carbon Market Watch. It evaluates 25 major companies – operating across different sectors and geographies – to determine the transparency and integrity of their headline climate pledges. More →

Half of unemployed men aged 50+ out of work for at least a year

Half of unemployed men aged 50+ out of work for at least a year

unemployed menThere were nearly 200,000 men aged 50 and older out of work between September and November 2021 – an increase of 24 percent in two years – and 50 percent of them were unemployed for at least a year, according to new analysis from Rest Less, a digital community and advocate for older people. Rest Less analysed the latest labour market data from the Office of National Statistics to find that unemployed men aged 50+ are significantly more likely to be in long-term unemployment, defined as out of work for at least a year, than any other age group. More →

Poor workplace culture means people are more likely to pull a sickie

Poor workplace culture means people are more likely to pull a sickie

poor workplace culture increases sickie daysA new report from O.C. Tanner calls into question the validity of ‘National Sickie Day’ (7 February 2022), instead pointing to poor workplace culture as the root cause of over a quarter of absences. The 2022 Global Culture Report claims that 28 per cent of UK workers have taken more days off lately to avoid work with over a quarter (26 per cent) admitting that they dread going into work. The study of over 38,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners and executives from 21 countries around the world, including over 2,500 from the U.K suggests that the pandemic has caused social connections to break down, and this has led to more mental health challenges with lonely and disengaged workers looking for ways to avoid work. More →

Flexible working most likely to be offered in tech, charity and creative sectors

Flexible working most likely to be offered in tech, charity and creative sectors

flexible workingA new study claims that IT & Telecoms, Charity and Media, Digital & Creative are the topmost progressive sectors when it comes to offering jobs with a flexible working element. Conducted by e-learning platform Preply, the study analyses January 2022 job listings, ranking each job sector by the percentage of roles that offer the option for remote working. Other relevant factors the analysis also highlights are the percentage of remote jobs that are part time, average salary and the UK cities seeing the highest increase in demand for those specifically looking for remote work. More →

Critical industries at risk of collapse as people shun key worker jobs

Critical industries at risk of collapse as people shun key worker jobs

critical industriesSectors critical to putting food on the table and looking after the health of people are on a cliff edge as working age adults shun many of the essential jobs in critical industries that keep the UK running – from food production and logistics to health and social care. That’s according to new research from skills development organisation, City & Guilds. The research finds that despite key workers seeing the nation through the pandemic, the UK’s most vital industries are being threatened by growing skills shortages, as poor reputations and concerns about low pay turn off potential new recruits. More →

Workplace culture needs a rethink in line with employees’ changing priorities

Workplace culture needs a rethink in line with employees’ changing priorities

workplace cultureConsiderable job insecurity and uncertainty has pushed companies to rethink their workplace culture to meet employees’ new needs, priorities, and expectations, according to the annual Fjord Trends report from Accenture. According to the report, nearly two years of social, economic and employment disruption has resulted in a collective shift in people’s relationships with work and employees are re-assessing what they want and expect from a company culture and employee value proposition. This means enhancing workplace flexibility, benefits packages, and greater employee care and compassion will continue to be notable trends in 2022, creating both challenges and opportunities for businesses looking to retain and recruit talent. More →

Business ethics boosted by pandemic

Business ethics boosted by pandemic

business ethicsEntering the third year of a pandemic, more professionals responsible for business ethics and compliance worldwide say that their ethical culture is more potent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest annual Ethics and Compliance Program Effectiveness Report from LRN. But, while values and ethics helped sustain companies during the pandemic, new areas of concern have emerged. And, there is a significant gap between companies with high-impact ethics and compliance (E&C) programs and those with low-impact ones. The top-ranked programs were proactive, utilised available resources, and made their programs more accessible to employees. High performing organisations also scored 27 percentage points higher than low-performing ones when it came to weathering COVID. More →

Indoor air quality and hygiene of greater concern to older workers

Indoor air quality and hygiene of greater concern to older workers

indoor air qualityOlder workers are much more concerned than their younger colleagues about the health risks of returning to office based working, a survey claims.  The study commissioned by manufacturing firm Airdri, suggests that just 16 percent of under 24s are worried about indoor air quality and picking up germs from colleagues/communal areas on returning to work. In comparison, 43 percent of over 25s, around a third of 35–44-year-olds (34 percent), 35 percent of 45–54-year-olds, and 41 percent of over 55s agreed, showing a big disparity in the opinions of the younger age groups.  More →

Three quarters admit to ghosting an employer

Three quarters admit to ghosting an employer

employer ghostingMore than three quarters (76 percent) of British job seekers admit to ghosting an employer or prospective employer in the past 18 months, despite over half (59 percent) having been ghosted themselves, according to new research from people analytics company, Visier.  The study asked 1,000 UK employees who have been job hunting in the past 18 months about their experiences with ghosting, using Psychology Today’s definition of the term as ‘abruptly ending communication with someone without explanation’ in association with the workplace from recruitment through to starting a new role. More →

Half of business leaders now paralysed by decision making

Half of business leaders now paralysed by decision making

decision makingHalf (48 percent) of UK C-suite leaders now feel less confident making business-critical decisions compared to before the pandemic, according to a report (registration / promotion) commissioned by Treasure Data. The survey of 500 business leaders in the UK the impact the pandemic has had on leadership decision-making, and reviews whether these decision making processes are fit for purpose in a new era of unpredictability. More →

London office market ‘returns to normality’ in latter half of 2021

London office market ‘returns to normality’ in latter half of 2021

london office market broadgateAvison Young’s latest research claims that occupier activity in the London office market last quarter increased to 3.1 million sq ft, 27 percent above the previous quarter, to reach levels last seen in 2019 in what the report claims is ‘a strong sign that London’s occupiers are approaching their workplace strategies and office use with increased confidence’. The firm claims that nine deals above 100,000 sq ft were completed during the last six months, more than in the preceding eighteen months combined. More →

Business leaders have undue confidence in the idea of hybrid working

Business leaders have undue confidence in the idea of hybrid working

hybrid workingFlexible working has overtaken salary as the top benefit to employees (59 percent), highlighting that flexibility and autonomy over the working day is now more important than financial reward for most workers. This is according to a new report from Jabra; the  Jabra Hybrid Ways of Working 2021 Global Report carried out amongst 5,000 knowledge workers in five countries worldwide, including the UK. However, the report also suggests that many business leaders have a false sense of confidence in their ability to implement hybrid working.

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