Avoiding burnout and losing the workplace blues

Avoiding burnout and losing the workplace blues

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

No burnout at Steelcase LINC Center MunichStressed at work? Feeling blue at this time of year? Take a breath. You are not alone. While the World Health Organisation (WHO) is just now recognising burnout, a result of stress, as an “occupational phenomenon,” the conversation around wellbeing at work is not new. If we learn anything from this newest designation, it’s that wellbeing cannot be ignored because the need to focus on it continues to intensify.

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Wellbeing depends on workplace basics more than trivial features

Wellbeing depends on workplace basics more than trivial features

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Workplace design and wellbeingA new report supports the idea that when it comes to the workplace and the effect it has on personal wellbeing and productivity, employees want the basics first. According to the Workplace Wellness Study published by Future Workplace, a New York-based research firm, and office technology provider View, the most highly prized features of an office are good air quality, access to natural light, and an ability to personalise immediate workspace. More →

Workplace design must address a neurodiverse workforce

Workplace design must address a neurodiverse workforce

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Neurodiversity in workplace designHOK’s WorkPlace practice has issued its latest report, Designing a Neurodiverse Workplace (registration), exploring how organisations can apply workplace design to create physical environments that support the full range of neurodiversity in  employees. HOK’s report includes interviews with experts as well as suggestions for design strategies, operational changes and individual adjustments that can support neurodiverse and neurotypical staff alike. More →

Back to workplace basics, the joy and pain of work, squeezing people in and some other stuff

Back to workplace basics, the joy and pain of work, squeezing people in and some other stuff

by • Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

A coworking workplace in Chengdu by WeWorkLet’s get the inevitable WeWork story out of the way first. A supposed news item in Crain’s New York Business has claimed that WeWork is ‘squeezing’ people into half the space recommended in the BCO’s Specification Guide; “roughly the size of two standard doors laying side by side”. You can see the editorial cogs at work here, combining a story about WeWork with one about how people are crammed into the workplace like cattle these days.

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Acting like an extravert increases wellbeing (and the reverse is true too)

Acting like an extravert increases wellbeing (and the reverse is true too)

by • News, Wellbeing

extraversion and wellbeingAlthough researchers have long recognised a correlation between extraversion and general levels of happiness and wellbeing in individuals, the idea that simply acting in more extraverted could make people happier has been a source of contention. Now a new study from researchers at the University suggests that not only does acting in more extraverted ways increase people’s levels of positive emotion, the converse is also true, so merely acting like an introvert can reduce wellbeing. More →

Freelancers and the self-employed need holidays too

Freelancers and the self-employed need holidays too

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Taking time off improves the work performance of freelancers, a new study from IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) claims. The research suggests that almost two-thirds of freelancers believe taking holiday improves their work performance in some way. Asked what advantages came with taking more time off, 63 percent said it improved aspects of their work including productivity, energy, creativity and confidence in their work. More →

A grey tsunami, three goldfish, the red pill of coworking and some other colourful stuff

A grey tsunami, three goldfish, the red pill of coworking and some other colourful stuff

by • Features, Property, Wellbeing, Working lives

A right leaning think tank’s suggestion that the UK should set a new retirement age of 75 and introduce a range of measures to extend people’s working lives to boost the economy and improve people’s wellbeing sparked an inevitable paroxysm of rage. Immediately followed by an equally inevitable and furious level of what passes for debate these days. A stramash the Scottish would call it. More →

Two-thirds of people say work damages their mental health

Two-thirds of people say work damages their mental health

by • News, Wellbeing

mental healthA new survey from CV-Library suggests that the UK’s professionals have a problematic relationship with work, with three-quarters  (74.2 percent) claiming that their job is damaging their mental health. The research, which surveyed over 2,000 professionals, claims that four in ten (43.9 percent) workers even consider resigning from their job because of this, with a further 52.6 percent stating that their workplace doesn’t do enough to support employees. More →

Stress of extra Summer workloads can be overwhelming

Stress of extra Summer workloads can be overwhelming

by • News, Wellbeing

An illustration of a worker with stress through overworkOver a third of workers feel extreme pressure or even experience panic attacks when taking on their colleagues’ workloads over the Summer, a new study from Cornerstone OnDemand claims. The study of over 2,000 UK adults, claims that 81 percent of Brits will take on a colleague’s workload in their absence. Furthermore, while taking on a colleague’s workload, 48 percent of workers are more likely to work through their lunch break or work more than their working hours, contributing to the feeling of stress.

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Wellbeing challenge known to firms, but they need to up their game

Wellbeing challenge known to firms, but they need to up their game

by • News, Technology, Wellbeing

Employers need to up their game on wellbeingA new white paper from Aon argues that while the vast majority of employers are aware of a range of wellbeing issues, they often don’t act in appropriate ways to address poor health behaviours and chronic medical conditions. The white paper Prevention Is Better Than Cure (registration) claims that 95 percent of employers see a correlation between employee health and performance and believe they have a role in trying to educate and improve poor lifestyle behaviours.

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Firms need to place more value on older workers

Firms need to place more value on older workers

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Working lives, Workplace

Older workers are now a key part of the workforceAs we live longer lives, it’s inevitable that more of us want to work for longer. It makes good business sense too: with fewer younger people starting work to replace those set to retire in future years, coupled with uncertainty over Brexit and labour shortages, employers can’t afford to lose older workers.

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Mental health concerns mean two thirds of men consider quitting job

Mental health concerns mean two thirds of men consider quitting job

by • News, Wellbeing

A depiction of poor mental health and depressionA new study from job board CV-Library claims that men across the UK have reached breaking point in their careers, with nearly two thirds (61 percent) wanting to quit their job because it’s affecting their mental health. The survey explored the views of 2,000 UK workers and found that although more women (35.4 percent) say they suffer with mental health problems than men (21.2 percent), men are more likely to feel the effects of poor mental health in the workplace. Around 82 percent of men claim that it affects their working life, compared to 68 percent of women.  More →

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