December 17, 2019

Gig workers like the work-life balance but would prefer permanent roles

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

More than one in ten (12 percent) so-called gig workers in the UK are working multiple roles and consider temporary work as their main role, taking advantage of improved work-life balance, greater variety of work and the ability to see more of their families, according to a new report. The research, carried out by Reed Specialist Recruitment, for its Temporary isn’t Temporary campaign, surveyed 5,000 workers and looked at their experience of, and attitude to, temporary and multiple career roles.

October 15, 2019

Four in ten people close to breaking point at work, study claims

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A new study by CABA, a charity supporting the wellbeing of chartered accountants and their families, claims that 4 in 10 adults in the UK are close to breaking point at work. Research polling 2,000 professionals working across multiple sectors in the UK suggests that the average working adult feels stressed for almost a third of their entire working day. The study also claims that in an average week, employees spend 31 minutes complaining about their boss and 2 hours 45 minutes moaning about their job. Employees lose 5 hours of sleep each week because of the pressures they face at work, while 3 in 5 respondents said that they feel stressed whilst on holiday due to the thought of being behind on work and organising a handover. More →

September 18, 2019

More than half of female professionals have never negotiated a pay rise

by Neil Franklin • News

More than half of all female professionals – 57 percent – have never attempted to negotiate a pay rise, according to a new report from professional recruitment firm Robert Walters. Its findings suggest that men are 23 percent more likely to negotiate a pay rise across all stages of their career, even though the amount that negotiators pitch for is not far removed from their female counterparts. More →

August 15, 2019

Skills for the future of work laid out by new task force

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Because qualifications are only part of the story for employers, who are placing more emphasis on essential skill sets, like teamwork, presenting and problem-solving, but these are often difficult to assess at the recruitment and selection stage. In response, leading organisations from the education and employment sectors (the CIPD, The Careers & Enterprise Company, Business in the Community, the Gatsby Foundation, EY Foundation and the Skills Builder Partnership) have come together for the first time to agree a universal framework for essential skills. It will build on the Skills Builder Framework, already used by over 700 organisations, and set out the skills needed to thrive at work, as well as how these can be assessed and developed. It can be used by students, workers and employers. More →

July 29, 2019

The tipping point for flexible working arrives

by James Geekie • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

Although people have been talking about flexible working in one way or another for decades – the economist John Maynard Keynes declared in 1930 that technological advances would lead to a 15-hour working week – we may now be at the tipping point where work takes on an entirely different character. More →

July 29, 2019

Half of self-employed workforce now over 50

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

The number of over 50s working for themselves made up 46 percent of the UKs entire self-employed workforce in the first three months of 2019, according to new research from jobs and volunteering board Rest Less. There are now 2.27 million over 50s who are self-employed – up from 1.45 million 10 years ago, an increase of 57 percent in a decade. The survey looked at data from the Office of National Statistics to highlight self-employment trends amongst the different demographic groups in the UK. More →

July 10, 2019

Google remains most attractive company to work for

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

Universum Global has launched the findings for the UK portion of its annual Global Talent Survey (registration) which claims that Google is the UK’s most attractive company to work for by graduates for the seventh consecutive year. Universum studied 39,500 students from 97 British Universities to understand the career aspirations, goals and workplace requirements for graduates.

May 17, 2019

Flexible working for parents greatest challenge for SMEs

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News

Paid leave for new parents is a financial and operational challenge for 90 percent of UK SMEs, according to the findings of new research into the challenges faced by working women and their employers. The first ever Women in Business survey also claims that offering flexible working and covering the cost and resource of maternity and paternity leave is an even bigger concern for SMEs, with 96 percent of board level executives saying it’s a significant challenge for their business. More →

May 8, 2019

Some of the great ways progressive firms are increasing productivity in the workplace

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Productivity in the office is a big thing, as the more productive employees are, the more successful the business will be as a result. While most people go through peaks and troughs of productivity during their working life, it’s important for employers to give it their all when it comes to trying to keep the workforce as productive as possible. Therefore, many have come up with ways to make this happen.

May 7, 2019

Employers still not doing enough to support working parents

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Working Families and Bright Horizons have launched a new report which focuses on flexible working and the reality of flexible jobs from the perspective of working parents in the UK. According to the report, the experience of parents shows that flexible working is widespread, although patchy in some sectors and for some workers. It is beneficial in helping parents get a better work life fit, although it is not a panacea. Issues around job design, workloads and organisational culture undermine some of the benefits of flexibility, and proper management of flexibility to ensure it works is, for many parents, missing. More →

April 3, 2019

Government needs to sort Brexit deadlock as construction sector falls

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

The Government and Parliament must break the Brexit deadlock and find a way forward warns the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), in response to the latest Construction PMI data, which shows another drop in construction output. The March 2019 PMI data revealed an Index score of 49.7, up slightly from 49.5 in February, against the no change threshold of 50.0. This points to a sustained decline in construction output, representing the first back-to-back fall in construction output since 2016. While the residential building sector enjoyed an upturn, commercial construction was the worst performing area.

January 25, 2019

Government announces protections for pregnant mums and new parents returning to work

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Pregnant women and new parents returning to work after having children are to be further protected from unfairly losing their jobs under new proposals set out by the UK government. The consultation, launching today (25 January 2019) and running to 5 April, proposes that the legal protection against redundancy for pregnant women and new mothers on maternity leave is extended so that it continues for up to 6 months after they return to work. It will also seek views on affording the same protection to parents returning from adoption leave or shared parental leave.