Workplace stress and busy schedules are biggest barriers to a healthy lifestyle, claims report

Workplace stress and busy schedules are biggest barriers to a healthy lifestyle, claims report

by • News, Wellbeing

New research from the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) claims that almost half (48 percent) of adults say that busy lives and stress play a large role in stopping them from eating healthily, with 40 percent of adults admitting that being too tired after work is their main reason for not being active. The survey, conducted as part of BNF Healthy Eating Week, questioned almost 500 adults across the UK, and also revealed a number of different factors that affect people’s food choices when at work or university. High workload makes it difficult for a third of adults to eat well, along with finding it difficult to take a proper lunch break. While at work a quarter say they do not have enough time to prepare healthy foods and 24 percent of respondents say there are limited healthy food and drink options available at work or close by; 28 percent say there are too many unhealthy snacks available in their work setting.

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US companies are waking up to the benefits of caring for employee mental health

US companies are waking up to the benefits of caring for employee mental health

by • Comment, Wellbeing

In 2015, the American Psychological Association chose American Express as the inaugural winner of the Organizational Excellence Award, recognizing successful efforts to integrate psychology and prioritize behavioral health and emotional well-being in the workplace. American Express had an employee assistance program (EAP) for workers dealing with depression and other mental health challenges. The EAP was a telephone-consultation system and only about 4 percent of employees utilized it. After the firm added on-site counselors to meet with employees for free—and rebranded the EAP as part of its “Healthy Living” —the usage rate more than doubled.

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British employees less confident and more stressed over last three years

British employees less confident and more stressed over last three years

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

UK employees could be heading for crisis, according to a three-year study by ADP, which has found that three key measures of employee wellbeing – optimism, stress and skills confidence – have taken a hit since 2015. The exact reason for the changes is unclear, however the timings suggest that Brexit may have played a part, along with the rise in new technologies entering the workplace.

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BCO to provide definitive guidance on enabling wellbeing in the office

BCO to provide definitive guidance on enabling wellbeing in the office

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

BCO to provide definitive guidance on enabling wellbeing across the office A major research study “Wellness Matters: Health and Wellbeing in offices and what to do about it” by The British Council for Offices (BCO) is being launched today. The study critiques existing Health and Wellbeing measurement and certification, identifies the most recent and relevant medical evidence justifying a proactive approach to Health and Wellbeing in the built environment, and articulates the business case for investment in this space beyond simply improving productivity. (more…)

Firms ignoring employee anxieties about workplace communications

Firms ignoring employee anxieties about workplace communications

by • News, Wellbeing

UK companies are failing to support employees suffering with work-related performance anxiety, the business world’s equivalent to stage fright, despite it being a regular occurrence for many workers, according to new research. RADA Business, the commercial subsidiary of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art which provides communication skills training for corporate individuals, has published the report Beating Workplace Performance Anxiety, which surveyed 1000 workplaces. The report found that, on average, workers report feeling anxious at least once a week (five times per month). Despite this, few workplaces act effectively to counter incidents of workplace communications anxiety. Only 13 percent of people surveyed said that anxieties round communicating in the workplace are picked up and resolved by the management team.

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Prevalent ageist attitudes harm the health and wellbeing of everybody

Prevalent ageist attitudes harm the health and wellbeing of everybody

by • News, Wellbeing

A report published by Royal Society for Public Health in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has revealed the extent of ageist attitudes across the UK, and how they harm the health and wellbeing of everyone in society as we grow older. RSPH is calling for action to tackle inter-generational isolation, end the stigmatisation of older people, and undo the media clichés that keep ageism alive and well. RSPH evaluated ageist attitudes across 12 main areas of life, finding that the public are most ageist about memory loss, appearance, and participation in activities (both physical and community). The report highlights the extent to which old age is viewed by many as a period of decline and ordeal, and calls on stakeholders in the media, government, voluntary sector, and schools to take action to reframe the way our nation views ageing in a more positive light.

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Seven stories about the workplace to round off your week

Seven stories about the workplace to round off your week

by • Facilities management, Features, Property, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Not funny. Women twice as likely to be negatively affected by workplace banter as men

Not funny. Women twice as likely to be negatively affected by workplace banter as men

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Not funny. Women twice as likely to be negatively affected by workplace banter as menOne in 10 women blame workplace banter for causing mental health issues and are twice as likely as men to have been negatively affected by workplace banter, according to a new report by The Institute of Leadership & Management. Banter: Just a bit of fun or crossing the line? found that more women (twice as many at 20 percent) were made to feel less confident than their male colleagues due to the negative banter they experienced and 10 percent of women said banter has had a negative impact on their mental health, compared to just three percent of men. The survey also revealed that those at the mid-way point in their careers (31-40 years) are most affected by banter. This age group reported loss in confidence, drops in performance and poor mental health due to experiencing negative banter. They also said they avoided work situations and skipped work socials. The findings showed that over a third of graduate trainees have been left embarrassed by banter and people (over 1 in 4) in their first job are more likely to avoid work socials than any other group as a result of banter.

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Employees who work in digitally advanced workplaces are more productive and motivated

Employees who work in digitally advanced workplaces are more productive and motivated

by • Facilities management, News, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace

Companies that are less technologically advanced are at risk of falling behind the competition and not attracting top talent, claims a new global study from Aruba. By contrast, employees who work in digital workplaces are not only more productive but also more motivated, have higher job satisfaction, and report an overall better sense of well-being. The study, Digital Revolutionaries Unlock the Potential of the Digital Workplace, outlines both the business and human benefits of more digitally-driven workplaces, and how. Almost all respondents (97 percent) thought their workplace would be improved through greater use of technology, while 64 percent said their company will fall behind the competition if new technology isn’t implemented. The same portion (64 percent) believe the traditional office will become obsolete due to advances in technology. However, the survey also warns that companies must be vigilant as more digital-savvy employees are taking greater risks with data and information security.

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Your happiness at work is not just down to your employer

Your happiness at work is not just down to your employer

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

When Google promoted a software engineer named Chade-Meng Tan to the role of “Jolly Good Fellow”, his career – and the entire culture of Silicon Valley – took a sharp turn. Meng, a cheerful employee valued for his motivational qualities, went from developing mobile search tools to spreading happiness across the organisation. Happiness became his job. Google wasn’t the first to hire someone with the sole remit of enforcing employee contentment. In 1999, when Google was still a start-up, French fashion brand Kiabi hired Christine Jutard as its chief happiness officer. She was one of the first to perform the role. But once Google did it, happiness at work became a key metric and other organisations quickly adopted their approach. Three years after Meng’s appointment, fast food giant McDonald’s even promoted Ronald McDonald from brand mascot to CHO.

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Seven workplace stories that caught our attention over the last week

Seven workplace stories that caught our attention over the last week

by • Facilities management, Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Why telling an adult they are a hard worker can backfire

Facebook takes on entire WeWork location on Soho

Are these the world’s best tall buildings?

How one Chinese city is spending more on AI than the EU

Evidence that daylight can make a positive difference in the workplace

Automation is starting the clear the clutter from offices

Considering the merits of universal basic income

How our noisy world was foreseen by the 20th Century’s great minds

How our noisy world was foreseen by the 20th Century’s great minds

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Over the past few years we’ve become more aware of the problems associated with the pace and clatter of modern life and not least among them its noise. Authors like Susan Cain have highlighted not only how distracting noise can be for everybody but how it affects different personality types in different ways. She is perhaps the world’s most high profile proponent of the idea that sometimes we need to work quietly and alone and is the author of Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking and the person responsible for this now famous and archetypal TED Talk presented on the effects of sound and the need for more silence and privacy. But she is not alone in making these claims, nor is she the first person to do so and the warning signs have been around for quite some time. The first calls for people to heed the racket of modern life came at least a hundred years ago as we began the 20th Century transition to office based life with its distractions of noisy things and people.

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