Columnists
April 29, 2024
Workers may have new rights to request flexible working, but let’s not celebrate too soon
by Molly Johnson-Jones • Comment, Flexible working
The new flexible working rules which came into force this month have been touted as a win – normalising and bringing clarity to the world of flexible work. However, in reality, they will do the very opposite. Under the new rules, workers now have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment. […]
April 27, 2024
A philosophical take on meaningful work
by Caleb Althorpe • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace
April 23, 2024
Trust gap on AI in the workplace must be overcome if businesses are to get ahead
by Rob Smedley • AI, Comment, Technology, Workplace
With many AI firms increasingly pivoting towards developing specialised tools for easier integration into the workplace, it may come as a surprise that half of the companies Freeths recently surveyed have no plans at all to implement them, with only 15 percent reporting that investing in artificial intelligence tools for human resources was a strategic […]
April 22, 2024
AI is not coming for your job. But it will make it better
by Barry Murphy • AI, Comment, Technology, Workplace
“Artificial intelligence will outsmart humans, resolve all IT and business problems, and humans will not be needed in the workforce!” These are some of the most common misconceptions that too many companies and workforces currently have around AI and automation. To date, workforces have been inclined to broach AI with apprehension due to concerns that […]
April 19, 2024
We can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives with simple, small and cost-free changes
by Mark Eltringham • Cities, Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing
London, the crouching monster, like every other monster has to breathe, and breathe it does in its own obscure, malignant way. Its vital oxygen is composed of suburban working men and women of all kinds, who every morning are sucked up through an infinitely complicated respiratory apparatus of trains and termini into the mighty congested […]
April 19, 2024
Roboquitting is the latest workplace trend to emerge in the era of hybrid working
by Marvin Gort • Comment, Flexible working, Technology
The era of hybrid working has driven many changes in the way people work. And the latest workplace trend to emerge is something called roboquitting. It takes advantage of remote work and AI to allow people to automate parts of their jobs, freeing them for side hustles and more free time. It builds on the […]
April 18, 2024
A look back at The Stoddart Review: the once and future guide to workplace productivity?
by Rachel Houghton • Comment, Workplace design
The Stoddart Review, published in 2016, was one of the most significant reports of recent years to explore the role of the workplace for employee productivity in extensive detail and why the office environment was key for productivity purposes. There has been a huge shift in the world of work since then. What we once […]
April 17, 2024
From pixels to patterns: the unprecedented surge in screen time
by Dr Jennifer Tsai • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing
Technology has transformed our personal relationships by making communication more accessible than ever before. But, are we implementing best practices to ensure a positive and sustainable relationship with our technological devices? In today’s digital age, screens have become an integral part of our daily lives. From smartphones and tablets to laptops and televisions, we are […]
April 11, 2024
A definitive new book on the madness of hybrid working goes one step beyond
by Paul Carder • Comment, Flexible working
In any crisis, there are people who spot an opportunity. One such opportunity, in early 2020, was to seize the term “hybrid” and apply it to the world of work and place. And for the past four years, we have seen the emergence of polarised commentators, arguing over two extremes; work from home, and ‘back […]
April 9, 2024
The significance of women’s health is increasingly acknowledged in the modern workplace
by Olga Kokshagina • Comment, Wellbeing
Women, on average, outlive men but, as reported by the World Economic Forum (WEF, 2024), spend approximately 25 percent of their lives in poor health. According to the WEF, addressing the disparities in women’s health could dramatically reduce this statistic, enhancing the lives of billions globally. Notably, strategic improvements in women’s healthcare could add an […]
April 7, 2024
The scale of the problem for the workplace
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design
There is a typically telling and intelligent Pixar moment in the film A Bug’s Life in which an already well-lubricated mosquito goes up to a bar and orders a ‘Bloody Mary, O Positive’. The barman plonks a droplet of blood down on the bar. The mosquito sinks his proboscis into it, sucks it down in […]
April 29, 2024
Stress, anxiety and a beamish response to it all
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Legal news, Workplace
We now have a policy of not offering ourselves as an outlet for any of the deluge of comment pieces and surveys that are published each year to accompany the various days – and increasingly weeks and months – dedicated to certain conditions like stress and anxiety. They are a gift both to and from […]