The new wellbeing movement: Anna Davison in conversation

The new wellbeing movement: Anna Davison in conversation

This is the second of six special episodes of the Workplace Insight podcast in which we consider what are the most important facets of workplace wellbeing.  The guest in this episode is Anna Davison who is head of workplace wellbeing at ukactive. Anna says her mission is to develop “the value of physical activity in all workplaces, delivering value to our members aligned to our wider mission of More People, More Active, More Often.” More →

Don`t believe what you read about wellbeing, except this

Don`t believe what you read about wellbeing, except this

wellbeing and the workplace messengerAs we are told repeatedly, the modern workplace is not very good for our physical and mental wellbeing, and potentially a death trap. Most of us are lucky to get home in one piece at the end of each day, regardless of the job we do. More →

Getting on with colleagues key to job satisfaction

Getting on with colleagues key to job satisfaction

Job satisfactionGetting on well with colleagues gives workers greater job satisfaction than having a good salary, new research has claimed. “New Decade, New Direction” by the Institute of Leadership & Management asked more than 2,100 workers to identify the factors that affect their job satisfaction and explored their career plans for the new decade. More →

Mental health challenges cost employers £45 billion each year

Mental health challenges cost employers £45 billion each year

mental healthA new report from Deloitte claims that poor mental health costs UK employers up to £45 billion each year. This is a rise of 16 percent since 2016 – an extra £6 billion a year. The research also looks at how employers can tackle this problem, finding that it pays to support employees’ mental wellbeing. On average, for every £1 spent on supporting their people’s mental health, employers get £5 back on their investment in reduced presenteeism, absenteeism and staff turnover. More →

Half of managers expect staff to suppress emotions

Half of managers expect staff to suppress emotions

emotionsSix in 10 people feel unable to express their true emotions in the workplace, new research has claimed. In a survey of 2,000 UK workers and 250 line managers by Totaljobs and Dr Terri Simpkin, a Visiting Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University, most workers said they prefer to deal with emotions on their own. This was particularly true of sadness, which 60 percent chose to handle themselves rather than asking for help. More →

Mental health issues force one in six into career break

Mental health issues force one in six into career break

Mental healthOne in six employees (17 percent) has been forced to take time out from their career due to stress or mental health pressures, a survey of 3,000 people has suggested. According to the research from AIG Life, 19 percent of non-retired women and 15 percent of men have taken time out from their career due to mental health pressures. The research highlights that employers risk the loss of valuable skills and experience, a drop in productivity and extra costs associated with recruiting replacement staff if they fail to support employees dealing with stress or mental health issues.    More →

Workers often care more about income than work life balance

Workers often care more about income than work life balance

work life balanceFinancial success is important to employees around the globe but the importance of maintaining a work-life balance differs between cultures, new research from BI Norwegian Business School has suggested. More →

Stress at work blamed for epidemic of burnout

Stress at work blamed for epidemic of burnout

stress at workFour in ten professionals admit they’re on the brink of burnout, with more than two thirds stating that stress at work is the main contributor, research carried out from online jobs site CV-Library has claimed. Out of more than 2,000 UK professionals surveyed, 45 percent said they have trouble sleeping, 40 percent suffer from negative thoughts and 39 percent feel exhausted.

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Workers at Bloomberg, Netflix and Google are among happiest in the US

Workers at Bloomberg, Netflix and Google are among happiest in the US

Blind, an anonymous professional network with more than 3.2 million work-email verified users, has announced the results of a survey that identifies what the firm claims are the top fifteen companies with the happiest workers in the US. The survey of more than 10,000 Blind users claims to provide insight into the link between employee happiness and personal growth. More →

Employers shift focus to wellbeing and employee benefits

Employers shift focus to wellbeing and employee benefits

wellbeingNew research from Aon claims that employers have increased their strategic focus on both emotional and financial wellbeing programmes, while physical wellbeing programmes have remained largely static. Aon’s UK Benefits & Trends 2020 Survey (registration) shows that 51 percent of employers now have financial wellbeing strategies in place, up from 21 percent three years ago, while 68 percent have emotional wellbeing strategies, up from 41 percent. These were the least developed pillars of employee wellbeing when Aon asked organisations in its 2017 UK Health Survey. More →

Workers value comfort and functionality over quirky office design

Workers value comfort and functionality over quirky office design

office design and engagementEmployees value physical office design features and amenities that offer them a greater deal of comfort and functionality in the workplace. They especially favour outdoor views, natural light and on-site food services, according to a new report from CBRE based on a survey of 1,600 North American office users. More →

Office design in the US now more closely aligned with needs of workers

Office design in the US now more closely aligned with needs of workers

office designOffice design and expectations around professionalism in the workplace are evolving along with the modern workforce in America, according to a new report from researchers at Olivet Nazarene University. The Modern Office Study claims that office design is evolving in parallel with changes in working culture, especially in the way that traditional North American cubicles, which were once the default model of office design in the US, are rapidly being replaced with open plan layouts. The report claims that these are now found in over half of American workplaces. More →