July 14, 2022

There are now fewer taboo workplace subjects, and we should talk about that

Rewind even a few years and issues like mental health were not really talked about in the workplace. Now we’ve seen dramatic improvements around certain topics, we should ask what other areas of employees’ lives could employers help with? There’s been a lot of discussion around what employers can do to support women going through the menopause. Though the construction industry is a traditionally male dominated sector, NHS Employers says that “Menopause is not just a gender or age issue as it can impact on colleagues both directly and indirectly and it should therefore be considered as an organisational. issue.” More →

July 13, 2022

ESG reporting is mainly a box ticking exercise, say half of employees

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Wellbeing

Half of employees see ESG reporting as a box-ticking exercise according to a new poll from EcoOnline. The firm’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) survey was conducted in June 2022 and included 124 businesses and their employees. The study found a significant minority of businesses polled are not actively reporting on ESG measures and performance, with 42 percent of survey participants disclosing that their organisation currently has no reporting system in place. More →

July 8, 2022

Four day week should be about people, not productivity

by Mick Jordan • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

You may well have seen the announcement that more than 3,300 workers at 70 UK companies, ranging from a chippy and a distillery to leading financial institutions, have started working a four day week, with no loss of pay, in what is described as ‘the world’s biggest trial of the new working pattern’. The pilot – which will run for six months – is being organised by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with the think tank, Autonomy, and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College. More →

July 1, 2022

Skills shortages lead to fall in wellbeing, increased workload and decreased profitability

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

According to The Open University’s Business Barometer 2022 report, published in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce, UK organisations are experiencing the knock-on effect of ongoing skills shortages, as more than three quarters (78 percent) report seeing reduced output, profitability or growth. The Open University’s annual report which sets out to provide an overview of UK skills , also highlighted the effect the skills shortage seems to be having on morale and wellbeing, as almost three-quarters (72 percent) of organisations say the impact increases workload on other staff. More →

June 29, 2022

Workplace green flags to look out for

by Samantha Losey • Comment, Wellbeing

Culturally, and most definitely post-lock down, I think we have all moved to a different level of understanding and involvement when it comes to the value and meaning of workplace wellbeing. We’ve all worked in those organisations that pay lip service to a great culture, amazing benefits, a fun working environment (was that a bean bag I saw?) and then fall so wide of the mark once the HR shine has worn off you that you are left spinning, then stressed, then burnt out. More →

June 27, 2022

The raging truth about burnout

by Stephanie Fitzgerald • Comment, SF, Wellbeing, Workplace

We’re probably all familiar with an image of burnout. People sitting head in hands, or lying in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to get up and get going in the morning. Burnout is once again a topic of the moment as workplaces are left reeling by the “Great Resignation”, and those that are left behind are struggling to cover the resulting gap in knowledge and resource. More →

June 27, 2022

Four in ten people would take unpaid leave to get more time off

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

New research shows British workers are increasingly willing to take measures to achieve better work-life balance, as over 4 in 10 (43 percent) of UK employees would take unpaid leave to get more time off – the second highest amount of all European countries surveyed. The poll from SD Worx, claims that while people want to prioritise taking time off, the struggle is how to disconnect from the working world. Findings show that almost a third (32 percent) of UK employees check their work while they should be offline, and 34 percent say that it’s difficult to let go of workload when on holiday. More →

June 24, 2022

People become chameleons to fit in with strong workplace culture

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

People struggle to express themselves authentically at work because they feel a need to conform to the tenets of the workplace culture, Dame Inga Beale, the former and first female CEO of Lloyd’s of London, told ESCP Business School. Speaking on the school’s ‘We All Make Mistakes’ podcast to the host and Professor of Entrepreneurship Ben Voyer, Dame Beale said that companies with a strong traditional culture can be resistant to modernisation as new employees are either absorbed into the current culture, or decide to leave. More →

June 24, 2022

Physical activity could boost UK economy by up to £17 billion

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

The fitness and leisure sector holds the key to encouraging physical activity which could save the UK economy up to £17bn a year, according to a new report from ukactive. The report’s authors have called on the Government and its partners to work with the fitness and leisure sector to get the nation’s workforce physically active, as new research from Deloitte shows it could benefit the UK economy by up to £17bn a year. The landmark report was commissioned by IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) on behalf of the Global Health and Fitness Alliance. More →

June 23, 2022

We need to stop misusing the term ergonomic

by Guy Osmond • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design, Works Magazine

You don’t have to search for long to find the word ergonomic; it pops up everywhere, in connection with every sort of product and device for the workplace (and elsewhere). You can – so the marketeers will tell you – buy an ‘ergonomic’ chair, desk, keyboard or mouse. What’s wrong with that? An awful lot actually. The word ergonomic has a particular meaning. Ergonomics (note the crucial addition of an ‘s’ at the end), from the Greek ‘Ergos’ for work or labour and ‘Nomos’, meaning natural law, is the discipline of designing and arranging an environment to optimise the comfort and performance of the individual. More →

June 22, 2022

Poor mental health twice as likely to affect underappreciated workers

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Unappreciated employees are ‘twice as likely’ to experience poor mental health, a study into workplace recognition claims. The Employee Recognition Survey conducted by Wildgoose, surveyed employees from 133 different UK companies. It asked them whether they receive enough praise and appreciation, how they would react to a lack of recognition and how companies could better meet their ‘recognition needs’. More →

June 21, 2022

Flexible working options can support women in the workplace

by Dr Gabriella Rosen Kellerman • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

As of May 2022, more than one hundred years after the passage of the Sex Disqualification Removal Act – legislation which opened the workplace equally to women – more than half of the UK’s female professionals are at risk of leaving their jobs. As a recent study showed, 52 percent of women in the UK say they are either considering leaving or have already left a role due to lack of flexibility. The widespread nature of this “Flexidus” is chilling. The pandemic has already set back women’s participation in the workforce back 22 years behind men. How can businesses respond with the flexible working choices that many women are seeking? More →