August 20, 2020

Commuting, not Covid, main reason employees are avoiding offices

Employees worried about returning to the office post-lockdown are most concerned about work-life balance and the daily commute, rather than their health, according to research from absence intelligence company e-days. Whereas only a quarter of employees are most worried about potential health implications, results of a snapshot poll of 100 workers show that 7 out of 10 of us are more concerned with impact to work-life balance (37 percent) or the office commute (34 percent). The research follows the change in government advice on 1 August 2020 meaning employers can make their own decisions about staff returning safely to work. More →

July 13, 2020

Half of SME employees say working from home negatively affects mental health

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Findings from a recent study show that there is little additional support from SME’s to meet employee wellbeing standards when working from home, as many make a more permanent change after lockdown. The Working from Home study, conducted by Wildgoose, surveyed employees from 133 companies throughout the UK as the Covid-19 lockdown eases. They were asked how their working day differs at home compared to in the office, whether they would be happy to continue working from home after lockdown is ended, and how companies could improve home working practices. More →

June 29, 2020

One in four LGBT+ employees in the UK completely closeted at work

by George Eltringham • News, Working lives

Research from Accenture suggests that, despite some signs of progress, LGBT+ employees face significant challenges at work. Almost 70 percent of leaders surveyed believe they foster an empowering workplace environment, however 86 percent of LGBT+ employees do not feel fully supported. More →

June 19, 2020

A third of employees asked to commit furlough fraud in lockdown

by George Eltringham • News

New research on 2000 furloughed full time employees, suggests that a third of UK bosses are committing fraud and trying to ‘cash in’ by seeking to abuse the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (‘CJRS’) since lockdown. According to the survey by Crossland Employment Solicitors, 34 percent of employees have been asked by their boss to work while being furloughed by their company – an act of fraud under the current rules of the CJRS. More →

June 12, 2020

Fewer than one-third of UK employees feel a sense of belonging

by George Eltringham • News, Working culture

Just 32 percent of UK office workers feel as though they completely belong within their company, despite this being essential in order for employees to feel motivated and loyal, according to new research. Over a third claim they have no bond with their employer at all. More →

May 6, 2020

Employees reluctant to give up flexible working after lockdown

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

New working patterns prompted by COVID-19 could cause employees to permanently reduce time spent in the office, as nearly half (45 percent) of Brits predict a permanent change to their employers’ approach to flexible working when lockdown lifts. O2 Business’ new report – entitled The Flexible Future of Work, conducted in partnership with ICM and YouGov – claims that employees will be reluctant to give up their new way of working after lockdown. Nearly half the workforce think flexible working will increase, with a third (33 percent) of this group expecting to increase the amount they work from home by at least three days a week after lockdown, and 81 percent expecting to work at least one day a week from home. More →

March 30, 2020

Employees struggle to adapt to new workplace technology

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Working culture

New research by Hays Talent Solutions claims workplace technology has had a significant impact on businesses and organisations when it comes to development, automation and growth; continuing to shake up the modern workplace and workforce in 2020. Paving the way for the change, younger workers are arguably redefining what workers want from their employers, while employees struggle to adapt to a technological workplace. More →

March 24, 2020

Employees express love-hate relationship with workplace collaboration

by Jayne Smith • News, Working culture

A report released by Unify Square, “Digital Workplace Collaboration Apps Report: Benchmarking Usage and Productivity” examines the most utilised features across both unified communication and workstream collaboration application platforms, application usage trends and how they are impacting productivity, employee behaviour, security and more. The report suggests how digital workplace collaboration applications impact the success of today’s enterprises. More →

March 12, 2020

Company reputations can live or die by the behaviour of employees on social media

by Pete Eyre • Comment, Technology

A recent survey from law firm Herbert Smith Freehills suggests that 95 percent of large organisations polled expected a rise in the number of employees using social media, such as Twitter, to raise complaints and concerns about their company over the next five years. It is an extremely worrying development for business. While social media can in general be a great platform for everyone to have their voice heard, in this context, it takes an internal issue to a public space and it could do a great deal of harm to the business concerned. An aggrieved employee tweeting criticisms of their company has the potential to go viral, garnering vast numbers of likes and reaping untold damage to the reputation and brand of the organisation concerned. More →

$Employees use only fraction of their knowledge at work$

February 19, 2020

Employees use only fraction of their knowledge at work

by Jackie Le Poidevin • Knowledge, News

Employees use just 38 percent of their knowledge and expertise at work, meaning organisations are failing to unlock even half of the brainpower of their people, research has claimed. According to the survey of more than 1,000 UK and US “knowledge workers” by Starmind, 90 percent of employees want more opportunities to share knowledge and expertise and three quarters believe their organisation would benefit from accessing more of their expertise. More than 6 in 10 respondents feel they could contribute more but don’t know how, while nearly two-thirds say they have knowledge their organisation isn’t aware of or doesn’t capitalise on. More →

February 13, 2020

What performance culture can teach us about motivating employees in the workplace

by Diane Strohfus • Comment, Workplace

From start-ups to well-established companies, organisations thrive or fail on motivating employees. It’s mission-critical. Motivated employees are easy to spot – they tend to align their purpose to that of the company, are more innovative with their problem-solving and have a greater impact. Organisations must actively work to motivate and engage employees, giving them a sense of purpose. Otherwise, there’s a real risk of the company falling behind the competition and staying there. More →

February 5, 2020

Businesses can fail if employees are over-confident

by Jackie Le Poidevin • Business, News

Senior employees being too confident about the value of their ideas could be one reason businesses are failing, according to research by the University of Cologne. The study, conducted by Professor Fabian Sting and a team of interdisciplinary co-authors, highlights how choosing the wrong ideas to pursue can lead businesses to make unwise investments and miss out on opportunities, which could threaten their survival. A large part of the problem, it says, is that the person who comes up with the idea overestimates how successful their innovation will be and views their skill or performance as better than it actually is. More →