Work-life balance more important than pay for two thirds of people

Work-life balance more important than pay for two thirds of people

work-life balanceRising inflation and the UK’s cost-of-living crisis have put a lot of pressure on employers to increase wages and starting salaries this year, but a new survey suggests that there’s something that employees value more than pay – work-life balance. HR and payroll software provider CIPHR polled over 1,000 UK workers to find out which job aspects matter most to them. Based on the results, over two-thirds (70 percent of women and 65 percent of men) see work-life balance – albeit a term that can mean different things to different people – as being more important than their pay and employee benefits combined (selected by 60 percent of women and 57 percent of men). More →

Burnout doesn’t have to be the inevitable outcome of proving your value at work

Burnout doesn’t have to be the inevitable outcome of proving your value at work

burnoutResearch from Asana shows that three quarters (75 percent) of UK knowledge workers experienced burnout in 2021. Perhaps even more concerning is that over a third (36 percent) of workers believe burnout is inevitable to career success. This worrying and unsustainable trend shows that for many employees, constantly checking email, working weekends, and burning out seems to be the best way to show their value at work. More →

Lack of employer support exacerbates male health inequality

Lack of employer support exacerbates male health inequality

male health inequalityNew research from Peppy claims that twenty-five per cent of employers do not offer any male-specific health support in the workplace, despite as many as 81 percent believing that not doing so, risks losing their best talent. As working-age men are 32 percent less likely to visit a GP compared to women, serious issues often go untreated for longer, sometimes until it is too late, the report claims, and as a result of this male health inequality, one in five men do not reach traditional retirement age. More →

Are these the best countries in Europe for work-life balance?

Are these the best countries in Europe for work-life balance?

work-life balanceA new study from recruitment firm Remote claims to analyse how European countries are looking after the work-life balance of their employees. The report sets out to take an ‘holistic’ view on work-life balance taking into account of factors such as minimum wage, maternity leave, statutory annual leave, sick pay, the country’s healthcare system and the country’s overall happiness level to help workers determine the best locations for life-work balance. The UK comes in a lowly 28th place, in case you didn’t want to click on the report link. More →

Employers must do more to encourage active travel and cycling to work, says charity

Employers must do more to encourage active travel and cycling to work, says charity

cycling to workNew research carried out by YouGov on behalf of Cycling UK claims that 43 percent of young people (18-24-year-olds) are considering changing their method of travel to include more public transport and cycling to work due to expected increases in transport costs. The findings are published as the reduction in disposable income forces households to tighten budgets and workers are forking out a greater proportion of their income simply to get to work. More →

Working from home means half of remote employees have never met colleagues

Working from home means half of remote employees have never met colleagues

working from homeThe recent surge in the number of people working from home in the US means that more than half of remote working employees have never met their colleagues, according to a new report from Green Building Elements. The figure was highest in Nebraska, where 89 percent hadn’t met their workmates face to face. For those in Kentucky and Montana, only 17 percent haven’t met their colleagues properly. The survey also claims that just 41 percent of employees said their company regularly organises online social events which can also help bonding. More →

Simone Fenton-Jarvis on the new era of human-centric workplaces

Simone Fenton-Jarvis on the new era of human-centric workplaces

Simone Fenton-JarvisPlain speaking doesn’t always go down well, especially on social media and especially when cultural differences come into play. I recently had a friend intervene on my behalf to explain to an increasingly exasperated LinkedIn adversary that I wasn’t being rude, I was just ‘Northern’. This may well be a stereotypical Northern trait. If so, it is one that is shared by Simone Fenton-Jarvis, although then again it is one of the very few stereotypical things about her. More →

A third of UK office workers have no dedicated workspace at home

A third of UK office workers have no dedicated workspace at home

workspace at homeOver a third of UK office workers have no dedicated workspace at home, and only 6 percent have been trained for hybrid meetings, claims a new report from Leeds University Business School. The report is an interactive tool and suggests practical measures based on evaluation of stakeholders and employee interviews, industry workshops, cross-industry surveys of UK office workers, employee diaries and case study corporations. More →

Two-thirds of employees don’t know how, when and where they’re supposed to work

Two-thirds of employees don’t know how, when and where they’re supposed to work

A survey of 2,000 employees has revealed that more than half (53 per cent) do not describe their employer as a good communicator, and 70 per cent cannot agree that their employer is clear about the company’s work policy now that Covid-19 restrictions have eased. The research, conducted by Magenta Associates, the integrated communications consultancy for the built environment, also found that two-thirds of employees do not know how, when and where they are supposed to work. More →

Office occupiers should invest in neurodiversity, report argues

Office occupiers should invest in neurodiversity, report argues

office occupiers neurodiversityA new report from the British Council for Offices urges landlords and office occupiers to invest in design for neurodiversity, as disabling workspaces continue to hinder wellbeing. The report examines how the neurodiverse community remains underserved and often unsupported in the current employment ecosystem, and in turn, outlines the considerations that built environment practitioners can take to make offices enabling environments, and the crucial role of more inclusive designs. More →

Half of people aren’t comfortable talking about disability in the workplace

Half of people aren’t comfortable talking about disability in the workplace

disability in the workplaceA new poll from Samsung UK claims that people are generally uncomfortable talking about disabilities, including the issue of disability in the workplace. According to the survey, nearly half of the population (45 percent) admit to feeling uncomfortable saying the word ‘disabled’ or ‘disability’ in everyday conversations. Meanwhile, over half of people with disabilities say they have tried to conceal their challenges from work colleagues due to the fear of stalling their professional progression or landing a promotion (almost 45 percent) or being judged and made to feel like an outsider (41 percent).  Forty percent felt that their colleagues valued them less after they realised they had a disability. More →

Future Shock: a message from the past that defines the present

Future Shock: a message from the past that defines the present 1

We are all futurologists now. We all have our 2020 visions, at least for a little while. But there was a time, not so long ago, when the title was reserved for a few people who would be able to shake and shape the world with a single idea and a book. Yes, a book. Nowadays a book has to go hand in hand with a Ted Talk, blogs on the Huff Post and a speaking tour to get you anywhere at all. But within living memory it was possible to shift the thinking of the planet with a book. More →