March 6, 2019

Flexible working means longer hours and different outcomes for fathers and mothers

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Flexible working and especially the ability to work from home mean that people tend to work longer hours, a study published by the Hans Böckler Foundation in Germany claims. According to the study, working mothers and fathers make different uses of flexible working practices. While fathers spend substantially more time working, mothers work only a little more overtime, primarily because they are more likely to be balancing work with extra childcare duties. The report concludes that while flexible working should help to balance work and family life, in practice it can also reflect and cement traditional gender roles. The report calls for greater clarity and more onus on fathers to take a greater responsibility for childcare, although it notes that flexible working does not offer workers of either sex more free time. (more…)

March 5, 2019

Designing a better workforce: how workplace design can impact wellbeing

by Mary Lawrence • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

In a recent survey, 95 percent of office workers said their physical work environment is important for their wellbeing and mental health. However, half believe their current working environment does not have a positive effect on their mental health, wellbeing, mood and productivity. The issue of employee wellbeing has risen up business’ agendas in recent years, and, as part of the drive for better mental health support for workers, companies are looking at ways in which the physical workplace can improve the mental health of their employees.

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March 5, 2019

Digital transformation offers great opportunities for firms, but at a risk

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Wellbeing

Digital technology can improve our lives but it also poses a major risk of widening social inequality and blocking opportunities for people without the skills to navigate the online world safely, according to a new OECD report. A mix of technical, emotional and social skills is a pre-condition for people to combine their digital and real lives in a balanced way, and to avoid the mental health problems and other risks linked to abuses of online technologies, the report says.

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March 4, 2019

One Dorset Street becomes first Fitwel certified building in Hampshire

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace design

One Dorset Street in Southampton has become the first building in Hampshire to achieve Fitwel certification, the system for designing and operating buildings that claims to actively improve occupant health, and also commands the highest commercial rent in Southampton (£24.50psf). The investment in One Dorset Street aims to support occupiers who understand that employee wellbeing is critical to their commercial success.

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March 1, 2019

National Employee Appreciation Day? What a joke!

by Helen Jamieson • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Today is (apparently) a hot new date for all employers’ calendars as we ‘celebrate’ National Employee Appreciation Day. This US import seems to be finding feet in UK workplaces as employers plan to hand out freebies, gifts and perks to their hard-working staff. We all like to receive a thank-you, and likely won’t turn down free cakes, boxes of chocolates, or an early-finish. However, ‘moments’ like these do nothing to improve employment conditions. They are often nothing more than hollow gestures, designed to show the outside world how great an employer is rather than demonstrate true appreciation.

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March 1, 2019

Overworking staff hurts productivity, says TUC on ‘work your proper hours day’

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Today is the TUC’s 15th annual Work Your Proper Hours Day, marking the fact that, according to the union, the average person doing unpaid overtime has effectively worked the year so far for free. A new analysis of official statistics published today by the TUC argues that UK companies claimed £32.7 billion of free labour last year because of workers’ doing unpaid overtime with more than 5 million people putting in an average of 7.5 hours a week in unpaid overtime during 2018. TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s not okay for bosses to steal their workers’ time. L (more…)

February 26, 2019

Men are less likely to be stressed by long hours at work, research suggests

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Men who work long hours are less likely to become depressed than women who have similarly time consuming roles, a study from researchers at University College London and Queen Mary University has found. The study of more than 20,000 adults published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that women who worked 55 hours or more a week had 7.3 per cent more depressive symptoms than those on a standard 35-40 hour week. No significant link was found for men working the same hours.

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February 25, 2019

A four day week, people-watching at work, the art of AI and some other stuff

by Mark Eltringham • AI, Facilities management, Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

While the recent Finnish pilot of universal basic income had mixed results, a trial of the other most talked about solution to our problem with work – the four day week – has been reported as far more promising. A New Zealand financial services firm called Perpetual Guardian switched its 240 staff from a five-day to a four-day week last November and maintained their pay. The results (registration) included a 20 percent rise in productivity and improved staff wellbeing and engagement.

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February 25, 2019

Workplace passport offers support needed by disabled people

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The TUC and the GMB have launched a new disability passport to help the nearly 1 million (946,010) disabled people who fall out of work or switch employers each year to get the support they need. Disabled people can leave their jobs for many reasons. One preventable reason is when employers fail to carry out their legal duty to make – and keep in place – the reasonable adjustments their disabled staff need to do their jobs.

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February 22, 2019

Employees put off seeking medical advice due to worries over missing work

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Although the majority (85 percent) of all business decision-makers agree that workplace health is a top priority, employees still aren’t being as open as they should, often playing down their illness or injury (32 percent) or feeling too busy to miss office hours (27 percent), a new survey by Bupa and Babylon Health has claimed. Worry over missing work is a key driver in avoiding appointments as seven in 10 employees (70%) have delayed or put off seeking medical advice when they should, despite the majority of business leaders having no issue with colleagues taking time off to deal with health issues. Men, young workers (18-34), Londoners and those employed in SMEs are all more likely than average to delay or put off seeking help. The data also shows that those in manual roles (vs. clerical) are more likely to shrug off illness or injury. Mark Allan, Commercial Director, Bupa UK, said: “As much as those in decision-making positions really want their employees to put their health first, they’re competing against a strong resistance from those who will strive to soldier on. This is particularly the case with those employees in SME businesses, amongst others.”

February 21, 2019

Over half of workers admit to arguments about the office temperature

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Almost two thirds (59 percent) of UK employees say that the office temperature is a controversial topic amongst colleagues, with over half (52 percent) admitting that it causes regular arguments. Now new research conducted by Boiler Plan highlights the extreme lengths that some office workers are willing to go to in the battle of the thermostat. More than one in seven (14.5 percent) workers have gone as far as making a formal complaint to their HR department due to the temperature in their office and almost one in eight (12.3 percent) have taken it as far as actually damaging the temperature control unit.

Female office workers are more than twice as likely to vandalise the thermostat as their male colleagues, and one in five (20 percent) women have requested a desk move because of this issue. Six percent of men say they have fallen out with a colleague and 7 percent admit to sending passive aggressive emails due to the temperature in the office.

February 20, 2019

Work life balance remains greatest challenge for owners of growing businesses

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A new survey from Vistage claims that work-life balance is the biggest challenge facing what it refers to as scaleup business leaders in the UK. Defined as a business with an average annualised return of at least 20 percent in the last three years – and with a minimum of 10 employees at the start of the period – scaleup businesses are seen as key to the success of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy. Of the 2,800 respondents who took part in the poll, Vistage found a whopping 46 percent believe juggling a healthy home life with the demands of work is the biggest challenge owners of fast-growing businesses face. Access to talent came in a distant second with 22 percent of the vote, while sustaining momentum ranked third.