Search Results for: workplace

Three quarters of organisations never or rarely check on employee morale

Three quarters of organisations never or rarely check on employee morale

Organisations cannot afford to neglect or pay lip service to employee morale if they want to retain talentOrganisations cannot afford to neglect or pay lip service to employee morale if they want to retain talent, according to new research from MHR [registration]. In its latest Employee Experience report – which identifies employee wellbeing as a huge component of morale – MHR reveals that 75 percent of organisations fail to regularly check in on employee needs and attitudes, for example through satisfaction surveys. More →

A million women in the UK routinely hide period sick days from employers

A million women in the UK routinely hide period sick days from employers

More than a million women mask period sick days each year because they feel unable to tell their boss the true reason for their absenceMore than a million women mask period sick days each year because they feel unable to tell their boss the true reason for their absence. The latest research revealed in the Bupa Wellbeing Index, shows that one in eight (13 percent) women have taken time off work in the last 12 months due to symptoms linked to periods, with a third (35 percent) gave a different reason when requesting the time away. More →

New RIBA guidance sets out to demystify smart building technology 

New RIBA guidance sets out to demystify smart building technology 

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published its Smart Building Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published its Smart Building Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work. Developed with ScanTech Digital, Glider Technology, Kier and Hoare Lea, RIBA says this free resource will support anyone involved in the design of newbuild, retrofit or refurbishment projects to implement smart building technology. The Smart Building Overlay introduces smart building terminology and outlines the benefits of embedding smart building technology from the outset. Its principles can be applied to projects of all scales and scopes. More →

Many people continue to put a brave face on mental health

Many people continue to put a brave face on mental health

Seven in ten employees (67 percent full time and 69 percent part time) say that they feel the need to put a brave face on things when asked about their mental health. Half (47 percent full time and 54 percent part time) report that the reason is because bigger things are going on in the world right now and they don’t wish to be a burden, whilst a quarter of full time employees (27 percent) and a third of part time employees (35 percent) don’t believe that people really want to know how they are. A quarter (26 percent full time and 27 percent part time) say they fear being judged if they open up. As a result they are feeling withdrawn, isolated and less able to socialise. More →

Underutilised office space? I just can’t be bothered with it

Underutilised office space? I just can’t be bothered with it

A while ago, Antony Slumbers asked me why I thought firms had never done anything much about the underutilisation of their offices. This was in the first throes of lockdown-driven remote work hysteria, prompted by one of those headlines about how offices being half empty was some signifier of hatred for them.

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Firms want to embrace AI, but bewildered by range of options

Firms want to embrace AI, but bewildered by range of options

The vast majority of Chief Information Officers plan to increase AI tool spending in 2024, but say their teams are overwhelmed by the number of apps on the marketThe vast majority of Chief Information Officers plan to increase AI tool spending in 2024, but say their teams are overwhelmed by the number of apps on the market. As a result, 77 percent are concerned about application sprawl adding to their complexity and security risks. That is according to a new report from Canva which includes insights from more than 1,360 CIOs on their priorities, opportunities and the challenges of managing their IT amid the AI boom. The company commissioned Harris Poll to survey CIOs from the UK, US, France, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Australia to understand how they’re managing application sprawl and making decisions about workplace tools in the AI era. More →

Cost of living pressures hurting productivity and wellbeing

Cost of living pressures hurting productivity and wellbeing

three quarters (74 percent) of HR leaders fear the cost of living crisis is affecting employee performanceNew research investigating how cost of living pressures are impacting the workforce has found that three quarters (74 percent) of HR leaders fear the cost of living crisis is affecting employee performance. In the survey of 500 UK HR Directors, carried out by Nous.co, a third (34 percent) of HR leaders said they’d noticed a drop in productivity due to employees having other things on their minds. Three quarters (74 percent) said financial pressures were directly affecting employee performance. More →

People don’t want to work for firms that can’t live up to their own brand values

People don’t want to work for firms that can’t live up to their own brand values

Being yourself has its downsidesBusinesses that lack clear brand values and a defined company purpose are at risk of losing their employees, according to a new poll from Berkeley Communications [registration]. In an international study looking at workers’ attitudes around company loyalty, the report suggests that three quarters (75 percent) of respondents believe a company’s purpose is an important aspect of their current or prospective employer and 73 percent said the same about their current or prospective employer’s brand values. More →

The three biggest disruptors of our time

The three biggest disruptors of our time

When we look at the context for change, we many times just look internally at what we think needs to change for whatever reason and then set about making that happen. Rarely do we think about what is going on for the people within the organisation and just how ready they and the organisation itself are for the actual change and the disruptors that underly it. Are there the right people, systems, processes, etc in place to support the change or are there a number of elements that will hinder it?  Not to mention the fact there will be a number of external elements that could and will also either help or hinder the change one way or another. More →

Return to office mandates linked to higher business travel costs

Return to office mandates linked to higher business travel costs

a key finding in new research by Uber for Business  which claims to reveal a resurgent demand for business travelThe majority of UK travel managers (89 percent) say travel is a growing business priority in 2024, anticipating increased budgets driven by return-to-office policies, inflation and ESG requirements. This is a key finding in new research by Uber for Business  which claims to reveal a resurgent demand for business travel. The research, drawing insights from over 250 corporate travel managers across the UK, sets out to explore the top business travel trends and challenges to watch in 2024. In this landscape of shifting dynamics, where emphasis on ESG requirements is intensifying, there is an increasing need for innovative travel management solutions, the firm says. More →

Lab rats – how the UK life sciences sector is struggling to find space to work

Lab rats – how the UK life sciences sector is struggling to find space to work

The UK wants to build on its already successful position as a globally important player in the life sciences and pharma sectors. Yet it is struggling to create enough space for growth in the right places and having to rethink wher research and innovation takes place In November 2023, plans to turn part of a golf course next to a motorway into a £340 million science park were refused by South Oxfordshire District Council. Although now classified as greenbelt, the location was the site of a landfill as recently as the 1990s and is just a stone’s throw from both the A40 trunk road and M40 motorway. The developers are expected to appeal. Whatever the details of this story, it is an example of how challenging it can be to meet demand for lab and life sciences space in the so-called Golden Triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge in the South of England. This lack of supply is acting as a brake on the UK Government’s dream of making the country a “science superpower”. More →

RIBA issues new guidance on including more people in decision making on buildings and places

RIBA issues new guidance on including more people in decision making on buildings and places

One of the regular, longstanding gripes of our publisher Mark Eltringham (there are many) is that architects don’t particularly like non-architect folk having any sort of opinion on what they do. You can read him banging on here (ten years ago!) and elsewhere about the problems architects have with muggles. Now the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has pulled a rabbit from the hat by publishing new guidance to ensure that stakeholder engagement is considered, when appropriate, at every stage of planning, designing and constructing buildings and places. It remains to be seen what the rank and file make of this and what it means by ‘when appropriate’. More →