March 20, 2020
IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed), the Creative Industries Federation and other organisations representing freelancers have written an open letter calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson for a Temporary Income Protection Fund to support the self-employed during the Coronavirus crisis. More →
March 20, 2020
How supportive are you of your employees’ wellbeing? New research from CV-Library claims that two-thirds of Brits (61.7 percent) say being happy at work is the most important part of a job, but 87.9 percent feel their employer could do more to improve morale in the workplace.
What’s more, the study, which surveyed 2,300 UK professionals, suggests that Brits think being happy is more important than salary (22.1 percent) and location (15.5 percent) when it comes to work. Interestingly, being happy in their job was also more important for women (66.4 percent) than men (58.7 percent), as well as for 55-64-year olds (66.9 percent) and 45-54-year olds (64.8 percent). More →
March 13, 2020
In the third in our series of wellbeing podcasts published in partnership with Wellworking, I am in conversation with Derek Clements-Croome, one of the world’s leading experts on wellbeing and sustainability in the workplace. We look at the increasingly powerful links between personal wellbeing and green sustainable building design and consider some of the most important yet last talked about wellbeing and productivity issues such as temperature and air quality. More →
March 6, 2020
CIBSE has updated its Technical Memorandum 40: Health and wellbeing in building services (paywall), to reflect what it says are “significant changes in the environmental conditions we are exposed to and advances in our knowledge of how these environments affect our health, comfort and cognitive performance.” More →
March 3, 2020
The idea of giving everybody something called basic income – an unconditional, regular income – has become increasingly popular in the last few years, partly because employment has become less secure and people fear that increasing automation may cause job losses across many sectors. More →
March 2, 2020
A new report from the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) claims that better support for line managers is needed in the workplace. The Squeezed Middle: Why we should be hugging and not squeezing line managers recommends that HR metaphorically ‘hugs and not squeezes’ people in management roles, if organisations are looking to lower health related sickness absence and stimulate productivity growth. More →
February 27, 2020
Following the recent report outlining the mental health benefits of spending time outdoors, The National Trust has published its own research on the wellbeing impacts of the natural world in partnership with the University of Derby, which shows those with an active ‘engagement’ with nature enjoy significant health benefits and are more likely to address environmental issues. The research has prompted a new initiative focussed on a series of activities that will help people engage more with their natural surroundings. This includes a new weekly guide to every day nature connection and a public awareness campaign, including billboards by roads and in railway stations, on the first day of spring. More →
February 27, 2020
With a new decade comes a renewed focus on talent for workplace designers. Employers are beginning to better understand the value in hiring neurodiverse employees for creative and strategic thinking. They also understand that creating physical and digital workspaces, which blend the principles of universal design (making spaces accessible for the broadest possible range of individuals), and encouraging wellness are essential for attracting top talent and giving their business a competitive edge. More →
February 26, 2020
Wellbeing advocacy group ukactive has announced a new partnership with HCA Healthcare UK, to undertake a consultation into health and physical activity in the workplace. The partnership brings together the independent research expertise of not-for-profit health body ukactive and the resources of healthcare provider, HCA UK. Anna Davison of ukactive can be heard speaking about workplace wellbeing in the Wellness Maters podcast here. More →
February 25, 2020
A problem shared may be a problem halved but, according to a new report, many UK office workers can’t discuss work with their nearest and dearest without them switching off. The survey by CWJobs claims couples are more likely to know the PIN to their partner’s phone (40 percent) or who their favourite band is (38 percent) than understand what they do for a living (30 percent). Three quarters of the workers surveyed said their spouse could not explain their job to another person. More →
February 24, 2020
In his book The Greatest Show on Earth, the evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins devotes a section to the biological rationale for pain which has implications for the way we view ergonomics and the design of offices. Although the question of why we suffer is an ethical issue as far as humans are concerned, and most of us think it’s one thing we could easily do without thank you very much, Nature is indifferent to such moral concerns. More →
March 24, 2020
A shift in the workplace axis might be a welcome outcome of this crisis
by Luke Munro • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design