Columnists
December 1, 2020
The great lesson of 2020 for small businesses is to be ready for anything
by Annil Chandel • Business, Comment
The repercussions of Covid-19 for the small business community have been particularly ruinous. Recent figures paint a worrying picture, revealing that approximately 76,300 SMEs in London alone ceased operations completely as a direct result of the pandemic, with lockdowns costing from £30,000 to £75,000 for one in ten small businesses. As the most vulnerable business […]
November 30, 2020
We need to understand and channel workplace conflict in the right way
by Jon Maddison • Comment, Workplace
Earlier this month, in a sudden and unexpected turn of events, the prime minister’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, walked out of 10 Downing Street for the last time, having resigned/been asked to leave, depending on whose account of the episode you believe. However, the affair unfolded in reality, it seems clear that the departure of […]
November 23, 2020
The crisis is making us more authentically human at work
by Jill Dark • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design
November 20, 2020
HR professionals must seek a new connection with the IT team
by Joseph Morley • Comment, Technology
It has now been more than eight months since the government first advised people to work from home if possible, due to COVID-19. The shift to remote working happened suddenly in March and quickly became part of everyday life; in April 2020 alone, 47 percent of people in employment did some work at home, compared […]
November 19, 2020
Covid-19 is levelling the playing field for disabled workers
by Ruby Gullon • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing
As many of us cope with yet another lockdown, optimism is easy to misplace but, for disabled workers, this could result in monumental change for future employment. On the month commencing the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act and the run-up to International Day of Disabled Persons, could this be the final push for […]
November 12, 2020
Stepping back into the workplace arena
by Rachel Houghton • Comment
Dr Brené Brown is one of those individuals whom I find myself channelling, particularly during challenging times. Her views on the power of vulnerability and her call to be brave and ‘step into the arena’ have shaped my career. In a crisis, we need to be courageous and ready for the fight. It’s not just about rolling with the punches. It’s about knowing that it’s ok to get […]
November 11, 2020
Burnout, stress and disconnection are now our most urgent workplace mental health issues
by Catherine Flynn • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing
This has been a tough year all round, particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to cause seismic shifts in how we live and work. Surveys across various countries indicate that employees are experiencing more feelings of burnout, stress and disconnection as the pandemic is taking a toll on people’s mental health. What’s causing this and […]
November 11, 2020
UK office design should look to Europe for inspiration
by Ollie Plastow • Comment, Workplace design
The word ‘office’, based on the Latin term officium, wasn’t originally used to describing a building, or a space: instead it was used primarily as a term for a position: a role that was occupied by a person. So it seems only right with this etymology to take inspiration from Europe. And when considering office […]
November 10, 2020
What Carl Sagan could teach us about knowledge and information
November 9, 2020
Working from home could energise some of our overlooked cities
by Michel Serafinelli • Cities, Comment, Flexible working
For years, we have been promised a work-from-home revolution, and it seems that the pandemic has finally brought it to pass. In April this year, at the height of the first wave of coronavirus, 47 percent of people in the UK were working from home, the vast majority of them doing so because of the […]
December 2, 2020
Creative firms have most to lose from a loss of serendipity
by Gary Chandler • Comment, Workplace design
Most of the analysis about the effects of the 2020 pandemic on people’s working lives has tended to involve grand statements about new normals and the death of this or that, as if everybody wants the same things, has the same personal circumstances, works in the same ways, the same places and same sectors.