September 26, 2016

Employers must adopt a trust based approach to flexible working ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Employers are being urged to create a more inclusive and flexible working environment for their employees by adopting a trust based approach which focuses on the meeting of objectives rather than hours. This is the advice of Harvard University’s Global Leadership award winner Charlotte Sweeney on the launch of National Work/Life Week. In 2015, 23 percent of employees were reported to be doing some of their work remotely, up from 19 percent in 2003 according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. But more than just adopting agile working, the diversity expert says businesses should begin to focus on individual well-being and supporting employees to enrich all aspects of their lives, their families and their communities. Corporates should implement a trust-based approach, which focuses on employees meeting their objectives, rather than focusing on where they are actually doing the work or even how many hours it takes to complete.

September 23, 2016

Employers urged to support ‘sandwich generation’ of older workers ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, Legal news, Wellbeing, Workplace

Over a third (36 percent) of managers are unaware of anything their organisation does to attract, retain and engage older employees despite two-thirds (66 percent) believing the average age of retirement will increase in the next five to ten years. This is according to a new white paper from AXA PPP healthcare – Supporting fuller working lives – How organisations can embrace older employees and those with caring responsibilities. It warns that with the proportion of people aged 50 to 64 and aged 65+ in employment on the up (from 55 percent to 70 percent and from 5 percent to 10 percent, respectively, since 1984) and an estimate by Carers UK that nearly two-thirds of people are likely to end up caring for someone at some point in their lives. Yet the research claims that many businesses are not sufficiently adjusted to the changing nature of the workforce and not tuned in enough to helping workers who are often sandwiched between caring for older relatives and their offspring.

September 22, 2016

Overwork lead employees to sandwich in lunch at their desks ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

New data suggests the further decline of the traditional UK workers’ lunch hour, as 42 percent of employees say they do not take their full lunch hour, and nearly sixty (59 percent) take less than 30 minutes. With the majority of people continuing to work during what was traditionally a break from the working routine, despite not being paid for it, the survey by healthcare advisors Benenden claims workers aren’t maximising the little time they do take, as around one in four eat at their desk five times a week with 40 percent blaming ‘too much work’. Only one fifth of those in work, take their full allotted lunch hour, and despite a boom in healthy living, there are only a small minority of workers (7 percent) who choose to exercise in their down-time. Meanwhile over half (56 percent) of respondents stated that work gets in the way of keeping active, with more than 73 percent of people saying that their employer doesn’t actively encourage it.

September 21, 2016

Innovative and ambitious disabled employees still face discrimination ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace

Disabled employees outperform all other groups in terms of innovation and professional ambition, according to new data from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) in its paper, Attitudes to Employability and Talent. The report, which explores attitudes towards employability and responsibilities for career development in the UK, includes the attributes associated with employment and career success. Individuals with disabilities ranked more highly than any other group in the categories of ‘Brings new and innovative ideas’ and ‘A great desire to develop’. The group also scored particularly highly in the categories of ‘Fits with organisational values’, ‘Good work ethic’, ‘Reliable’, and ‘Positive attitude to work’. However, when quizzed on current approaches to recruiting from diverse workforce groups, only 11 percent of respondents said they actively target individuals with disabilities during recruitment. This is despite the fact that over half (51 percent) currently employ professionals with physical and mental health conditions. More →

September 20, 2016

If you want to improve the workplace, let employees procrastinate ⁰

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

An analysis of workplace habits carried out by office supplies firm Viking claims that the biggest causes of worker procrastination are internal problems within an organisation, and that restricting social media usage could make employees less productive. The survey of over 1,500 office workers claims that almost half of workers (48 percent) procrastinate while waiting for other people’s work to be completed and 40 percent procrastinated in order to take a break from work and reduce their stress levels. The study also claims that people who work in an office experience more stress then those who work from home, which the study concludes is because working from home allows employees to take breaks more frequently. Although the Flexible Working Regulations introduced in the UK in 2014 suggests we’re working towards a more lenient workplace, survey findings suggest that in-office cultures are still struggling to find their footing when balancing work and relaxation.

September 20, 2016

New project invites organisations to explore issue of workplace wellbeing ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Are our offices making us sick? This is the question addressed by a new research project looking at the link between health in the workplace and access to the natural environment. The study is backed by the Soil Association, is endorsed by Kate Humble and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and draws on studies from the past thirty years which have also addressed the issue. The Good Life Project aims to provide evidence-based and cost-effective solutions to the benefits of nature in making businesses happier, healthier and more profitable. The project is led by behaviour expert and author Jez Rose along with a team of psychologists and neuroscientists and is endorsed by the Soil Association. The Project is designed to overcome the problem of workplace absenteeism by trying out a range of workplace initiatives based around the natural environment to see what sort of difference they make to an employee’s feeling of wellbeing.

September 19, 2016

North America leading the way in adopting healthier buildings ⁰

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

While building owners, developers, managers and investors in North America are showing increasing interest in practices that prioritise the physical, mental and social well-being of tenants and occupants, European buildings have fewer spaces created with wellness in mind. The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings 2016, by Dodge Data & Analytics and the World Green Building Council, produced in partnership with the Canada Green Building Council and Delos, says the top five healthier building features currently in use include better lighting, products that enhance thermal comfort, spaces that enhance social interaction, enhanced air quality and products that enhance acoustical comfort. However, in an analysis of global trends in health and wellbeing, European respondents reported less frequent use of spaces that enhance tenant mood, spaces that enhance social interaction or spaces that create opportunities for physical activity than their North American or Asian counterparts.

September 19, 2016

Overweight people considered less employable in customer service roles ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new study from researchers based at Strathclyde Business School suggests that both men and women who are considered overweight are deemed to be less employable in the service sector, with women’s weight in particular affecting their perceived employability. This is true even for job candidates whose weight falls within a healthy BMI range. The study based on the attitudes of 121 women and 61 men gauged the reactions of respondents to images of the faces of job candidates. The respondents were shown images that were distorted to make the candidates appear heavier as well as images of the candidates as they actually appear. The results show that heavier looking candidates were considered less employable, especially for customer facing roles and if the candidates were women. The results suggest that even a subtle simulated increase in a candidate’s BMI, even within a healthy range, is a very real stigma that negatively impacts on people’s life chances.

September 19, 2016

London firms promote health and wellbeing with Square Mile Relay ⁰

by Tim Playbook • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace

On the 22nd September, the biggest corporations in the City of London will compete in the iconic Bloomberg Square Mile Relay. The global race series, now in seven cities across the world, is celebrating its tenth anniversary in the capital with a record sell-out of 115 teams taking part in a unique relay in the heart of the square mile, as they attempt to prove themselves to be the fastest in the city. Each team consists of 10 runners, and each runner will be required to complete a one-mile course before passing the baton to the next competitor. While at the heart of this race is its charitable motives, it is also reflective of an ongoing rhetoric surrounding the importance of health and wellbeing in the workplace. The companies who have chosen to compete in this year’s global race series are communicating their desire for employees to embrace fitness as a lifestyle choice. It is a strategy in alignment with the ‘soft’ or ‘Harvard’ model of human resource management

September 16, 2016

Study suggests one in three people feel like nodding off in afternoon meetings ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology, Wellbeing

The afternoon drop in productivity and alertness is a well-known phenomenon, according to a recent survey from Hilton, with 44 percent of respondents worldwide confirming they feel less productive between 2 and 4 pm. The global survey of attitudes and behaviours by Hilton claims to uncover the habits of British, German and US meeting attendees, suggesting that over one in three (34 percent) admitted to feeling drowsy or actually falling asleep during meetings after lunch while half of British respondents admit that they spend time doing trivial things on their phones. Key reasons for the afternoon slump for Brits correlate with meetings that fail to provide food and refreshments or adequate breaks that allow them to be active. Supporting this, Hilton’s international survey claims that most meeting attendees consider themselves active and healthy in their daily lives but more than half don’t maintain this routine when on the road for meetings.

September 16, 2016

Career advancement opportunities help attract and retain staff ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Three in 10 US employees say they are likely to leave their employer within the next two years as employers continue to experience difficulty with attracting and retaining staff. According to the Global Talent Management and Rewards Survey, from Willis Towers Watson roughly half of employers are experiencing difficulty attracting critical-skill employees, top performers and high-potential employees. More than a third of respondents reported challenges in retaining high-potential employees (37 percent), top performers (36 percent) and critical-skill employees (35 percent). The firm’s Global Workforce Study identified advancement opportunities as key. Over a third (36 percent) cited opportunities to advance as a key reason to join a company and to leave (45 percent). However, only four in 10 (41 percent) indicated their employer does a good job of providing advancement opportunities, while nearly half (47 percent) said they would need to leave their organisation to progress.

September 15, 2016

Call for work life balance to help preserve relationships and health ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

More than a third of UK workers (35 percent) say that their work schedule is detrimental to their relationship with their partner, nearly one in five (18 per cent) say their job has caused arguments, and eight per cent admit that work was a major factor in the breakdown of their relationship. This is according to research, commissioned by Coople that suggests the extent to which work is ruining relationships, causing arguments with partners and even taking a toll on sex lives. Nearly one in 10 (nine per cent) say the pressures faced at work has had a negative impact on their sex life and one in five (20 per cent) report their work has led to a decline in their health and wellbeing, citing stress and depression. Unsurprisingly, the survey also found that 54 per cent of people value a good work life balance in a job the most, above wages, career progression, doing something meaningful in their work or any employee benefits.