Search Results for: home working

Homeworking has environmental benefits, says Carbon Trust

by • Environment, Facilities management, Flexible working, News

Environmental and cost benefits of homeworking

There have been some doubts cast recently on the environmental benefits of flexible working. At the recent ThinkFM conference, Lord Rupert Redesdale, the CEO Energy Managers Association said that keeping buildings open for longer to accommodate flexible workers could become unfeasible for many businesses. But what if you simply increase the numbers of home workers instead? Homeworking reduces employee commuting, resulting in carbon, money and time savings. If office space is properly rationalised to reflect this, homeworking can also significantly reduce office energy consumption and rental costs. This is according to new research from the Carbon Trust, which found that if adopted and encouraged by employers across the country, homeworking could result in annual savings of over 3 million tonnes of carbon and cut costs by £3 billion.

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Working from Home Week: good idea, but it doesn’t suit everyone

by • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace

Meeting the management challenges of caring for home workers

Yesterday was hyped as the most depressing day of the year, but it also marked the beginning of Working from Home Week (20-26 January 2014). The idea will resonate with anyone struggling to get out of bed and join the January commute. There are many advantages to home working; but depending on your personality and personal circumstances there are also disadvantages. Yes, you’ll avoid traffic jams/crowded trains, take the dog for a walk when you fancy and can concentrate on a project without annoying interruptions. But working from home has its disadvantages too; including feeling isolated and finding it difficult to remain motivated. Rather like those who decide to move to the country but find it’s too quiet – for some people the buzz of the workplace is vital to their productivity and wellbeing. More →

New research from China highlights benefits of working from home

by • Facilities management, Knowledge, Workplace, Workplace design

CTripA new report from researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Guanghua Management School at Beijing University looking into the experience of working from home at one large Chinese firm has found that the practice led to a 13 per cent increase in productivity. The research also found that workers reported increased levels of job satisfaction and half elected to continue working from home when the choice was given to them at the end of the study period even though it was evident that their chances of promotion on the basis of performance had reduced as a result of the experiment.

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Are you working or shirking from home?

by • Comment, Legal news, Technology, Workplace

Staff ill health

During recent weather-related travel disruption, I was inundated with various pieces of information on software that spies on home based employees to check that they really are working, not shirking from home. As Acas opens a consultation on a draft Code of Practice regarding the extended right to request flexible working; and figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show the number of people working from home in the UK has risen to over 10 per cent – the advent of these systems begs the question: do employers really trust their staff enough to let them work remotely?

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Book review – Working Assumptions by Julia Hobsbawm

Book review – Working Assumptions by Julia Hobsbawm

by • Comment, Facilities management, Flexible working, Workplace design

This is almost certainly the most important book about work and workplaces to appear in the first half of this year. Working Assumptions by Julia Hobsbawm will be one of the two most important published this year, as we shall soon discover. It is also one packed with wisdom, knowledge and a central premise that is undoubtedly true. Namely that the events of the past four years have given us the opportunity to rethink how we work and so how we spend our days and our lives more generally. More →

What’s so wrong with being slaves to the rhythm of the working week?

What’s so wrong with being slaves to the rhythm of the working week?

by • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing

we need to rethink our attitude to the working week, and that shouldn’t mean replacing one rigid approach with anotherOne of the most familiar ways we measure time has its roots in a famous instance of daydreaming. The story goes that in 1583 a young student at the University of Pisa called Galileo Galilei was daydreaming in the pews while his fellow students were dutifully reciting their prayers. He noticed that one of the altar lamps was swaying back and forth and even as its energy dissipated, the arc of each swing slowed so that each took the same amount of time as the last, measured against his own pulse. More →

The rise of supercommuters linked to adoption of flexible and hybrid working

The rise of supercommuters linked to adoption of flexible and hybrid working

by • News, Working lives

New research from Trainline claims that the number of UK “supercommuters” using rail to travel longer distances to work has doubled since Covid. Almost half (47 percent) of current supercommuters surveyed made the lifestyle change either during or post-pandemic, and over four in five (84 percent) of these new supercommuters say hybrid working has enabled this switch in their commuting habits. More →

Majority of working parents say they would look for a new job if they were required to travel

Majority of working parents say they would look for a new job if they were required to travel

by • News

New research among working parents claims that three quarters (74 percent) would look for a new job if they were asked to travel to a central office five days a week.New research among working parents claims that three quarters (74 percent) would look for a new job if they were asked to travel to a central office five days a week. The study, undertaken by International Workplace Group among more than 1,000 parents in hybrid working roles, highlights that 83 percent said they were better parents as a result of the flexibility offered by hybrid working. 89 percent say they are closer to their children and are more present (92 percent), while 86 percent say their family’s quality of life has improved. More →

Younger people put far less emphasis on flexible working than older colleagues

Younger people put far less emphasis on flexible working than older colleagues

by • Flexible working, News

Demand for flexible working options surged during the pandemic but has since become less important to people, according to ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2024: A Global Workforce ViewDemand for flexible working options surged during the pandemic but has since become less important to people, according to ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2024: A Global Workforce View [registration]. Overall, the survey of  nearly 35,000 people in 18 countries suggests flexible working hours are important to 25 percent of workers, while 15 percent value flexible locations. Workers of all ages and in all regions rank flexibility of location below salary, job security, work enjoyment and career progression. In Europe, only 14 percent of respondents favour flexible location, a slightly smaller share than in Asia Pacific (15 percent), Latin America (15 percent), and North America (17 percent). More →

People say hybrid working has reduced their risk of burnout

People say hybrid working has reduced their risk of burnout

by • Flexible working, News, Property, Wellbeing

new poll claims that the vast majority of workers who have shifted to a hybrid working model say that it has helped them to greatly reduce burnout in their working livesA new poll claims that the vast majority of workers who have shifted to a hybrid working model say that it has helped them to greatly reduce burnout in their working lives. The survey of more than 1,000 people, undertaken by hybrid working firm International Workplace Group, suggests that three quarters (75 percent) reported a dramatic reduction in burnout symptoms, defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplaces stress, since moving to a hybrid model. More →

Wellworking recognised as one of the UK’s Best Places to Work

Wellworking recognised as one of the UK’s Best Places to Work

by • Company news

Wellworking, an award-winning UK supplier of home and office furniture and specialist in workplace wellbeing, has been recognised as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024. This prestigious nationwide workplace survey celebrates Britain’s top employers, and highlights where employee happiness and wellbeing is prioritised. More →

Hybrid working era means a boom time for workplace apps

Hybrid working era means a boom time for workplace apps

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

A new generation of workplace apps, coupled with a choice of settings, help people tailor their days and their experiencesDisseminating information about a building to the people who occupy it has come a long way from a basic, intranet desktop interface with warnings about wet floors or notices about charity fundraising. These days apps promise a much more sophisticated workplace experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your hand. Gartner has a useful definition of workplace apps’ capabilities, stating, “They are used to explore and reserve workspaces, navigate the workplace, find colleagues, plan the best days to attend the workplace, access services and ensure that employees could feel safe in a future post pandemic workplace.” More →

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