March 2, 2022

Quarter of young people don’t want to work for firms with unsustainable practices

Almost a quarter (24 percent) of Gen Z employees (18 to 24-year-olds) would not work at a business that profits from unsustainable practices, according to a a new poll from PLAY. Among British employees more broadly, two-thirds surveyed (68 percent) felt it was important for the company they work for to be committed to acting sustainably, and nearly half (44 percent) want businesses to demonstrate the initiatives or goals that will make the entire business more sustainable (not just one part of the business). However, pay remains the most attractive job feature for most surveyed, inlcuding young people. More →

March 1, 2022

Office furniture giant Flokk acquires Connection, doubling footprint in UK

by Mark Eltringham • Company news, Workplace design

Flokk, one of the leading European manufacturers of office seating and office furniture products, has acquired UK-based office furniture manufacturer Connection, expanding its footprint in the strategically important UK market and underpinning its international growth strategy. “Having Connection join the Flokk group moves us into the major league of Europe’s second-largest office seating market. We roughly double our size to about EUR 30 million in the key UK market. The transaction is another example of Flokk continuing to consolidate the fragmented European office seating market through targeted and value-creating acquisitions of attractive companies and brands,” says Lars I. Røiri, CEO of Flokk. More →

March 1, 2022

People management role to evolve into guardianship of data, change and culture

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

New research from The Adecco Group and the Center for Leadership in the Future of Work, University of Zurich claims that people management executives are moving further away from being “managers,” toward a dual role as both data scientists and guardians of change and culture. The report, The Chief People Officer of the Future: How is the Top People Management Role Changing as the World of Work Evolves? draws upon the views of 122 senior people management executives from 10 countries and regions, and who are responsible for a total of 3,110,419 employees, to assess how the landscape of people management is changing. More →

March 1, 2022

Home office falls short when it comes to amenities, say half of workers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace design

Over half of employees believe their home office set-up falls short of standard workplace amenities, a new poll claims. The study from Brita and Oktra (page includes promotions) claims to highlight the value of functional design and the impact well-designed workspaces have on employee wellbeing, engagement, and productivity. More →

February 28, 2022

Hybrid working means we have to make the most of our time in the office

by Dr Omar Merlo • Comment, Flexible working

The covid-19 pandemic has drastically affected every aspect of our lives, whether it be in a personal, societal, or professional sense. One of the biggest changes to come from the pandemic is the impact it has had on workplaces, and what we now know our working world to be, including the advent for the first time of widespread hybrid working. Long gone are the days of long commutes, long days in the office and set working hours. More →

February 28, 2022

The Workplace Event announces speaker line up

by Jayne Smith • Company news, Events

The Workplace Event has announced its comprehensive conference agenda with renowned industry speakers across three days. Keynote speakers include Geoff White, investigative journalist, author and broadcaster, and technology correspondent for Channel 4 News: Cally Beaton (pictured), comedian writer and business mentor; and Jonny Jacobs, finance director EMEA at Starbucks and Trustee of the Mental Health Foundation. Each day of the conference will take a different theme: technology, future of the workplace and wellbeing. More →

February 25, 2022

Bad behaviour at work can be regulated by a little perspective

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

People who can self-reflect and regulate their moral behaviour are more likely to bounce back after a failure rather than deviate from their ‘moral compass’ and misbehave, according to new research. According to the authors, it is well known that people do not always act in accordance with their own standards regards what is right and wrong. Moral disengagement is a psychological concept that helps explain how people may routinise bad behaviour, rule-breaking and wrongdoing without feeling guilty or seeing the need to make amends. More →

February 24, 2022

The Workplace Event launches annual Workplace Data Census

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Technology

The Workplace Event has launched a Workplace Data Census, in partnership with Accruent, designed to develop a better understanding about the access, use and value of data, and the opportunities and challenges it presents. The Workplace Event’s Workplace Data Census dives deep into the current usage and output of data. The results of the survey will map how organisations are capturing and utilising the various data opportunities in today’s workplaces and develop a robust understanding of the value placed on it by business leaders. More →

February 24, 2022

Location pay doubts are now rife amongst organisations

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The latest data from XpertHR suggests that 44 percent of UK organisations are ‘unsure’ about the future of their location pay arrangements following the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shift to hybrid working. Location pay is currently offered by more than half of UK organisations (55 percent). Its most common form is a London allowance on top of basic pay (offered by 40 percent of organisations),with inner London employees receiving a median location payment of £3,775 (£3,250 in outer London). More →

February 23, 2022

Flexible working takes a back seat to salary as inflation bites

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, Jobs, News, Workplace

Salary is now the most important factor (40 percent) for those looking to make a move as cost-of-living crisis squeezes budgets, claims a new survey from Michael Page. In a week in which UK wage growth was shown to still lag behind the cost of living, the poll suggests that salary is now the number one priority for workers, with flexible working seen as less important. The survey of 2,000 UK office workers claims that over a quarter (28 percent) are currently on the hunt for a new job, rising to 43 percent among those aged 18-34. This points to hopeful times ahead for businesses seeking talent, with recent ONS figures showing that open job vacancies hit a record 1.3m between November and January. More →

February 23, 2022

Employers offering flexible working reap recruitment and retention benefits

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Employers who have embraced flexible working policies have seen a 20 percent improvement in employee recruitment and retention compared to two years ago, according to new global research from Targus. According to the poll, seventy percent of senior business decision-makers say flexible working policies and working environments are positively impacting recruitment and a further 76 percent say it’s positively impacting employee retention. More →

February 22, 2022

A third of businesses plan to scrap self-isolation for workers

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

New research suggests that many British employers won’t require staff who test positive for Covid-19 to self-isolate at home now that the remaining legal restrictions have been lifted. A poll of 250 business owners, CEOs and senior managers, by HR software provider CIPHR, claims that less than half (48 percent) are planning to keep staff with Covid at home and away from the workplace. One in five (21 percent) of those surveyed are still unsure how they’ll deal with the imminent easing of self-isolation restrictions for positive or asymptomatic people. More →