April 28, 2021

Global real estate CEOs plan for industry transformation

The real estate industry needs to transform to serve the needs of people and cities in the next decade, according to a new report released by the World Economic Forum. COVID-19 has revealed vulnerabilities throughout the real estate industry, ranging from indoor air quality problems to excess supply and accelerated underlying demand drivers, which need to be addressed for buildings and cities to be healthier, prosperous and more sustainable. More →

April 27, 2021

UK businesses prepare to shed suppliers that do not live up to their social values

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

UK business leaders are increasingly turning their backs on suppliers who fail to align with their social values, according to new research by Sodexo. The survey highlights the effect the pandemic has had on procurement decisions, with the majority of respondents agreeing that the events of the last year had made it more important to consider environmental and diversity policies when selecting suppliers. More →

March 24, 2021

Women in tech more likely to have career progression impacted by pandemic

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Working culture

A survey by Talent Works claims that the pandemic has negatively impacted the career progression for more women (33 percent) than men (21 percent). The research, which surveyed UK developers, also claims that 23 percent of women have seen their potential to earn negatively affected compared to 11 percent of men, with under 35s (21 percent) also having more pay cuts than over 35s (11 percent). More →

March 18, 2021

From the archive: Escaping the gravity of the fixed times and places of work

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Working culture

In November 2019, just before that thing happened, there was this… The worst workplace related news story of 2019 is also one of the most widely reported. I’m not linking to it because I don’t want to give it any credibility, but it has been discharged into the ether by Fellowes along with a ‘behavioural futurist’ called William Higham. I will say only two things about it. Firstly, we flatly refused to publish a story about the damn thing and it’s a shame that the mainstream media couldn’t spot it for the utter drivel it is. The fact that they have picked up on it says something about the way such issues are covered in the press. That’s why you’re more likely to see a stress-related story about rats driving cars on the BBC than you are something meaningful. More →

March 18, 2021

Employers need to “catch up” with the mental health crisis

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

During the pandemic, 1 in 4 (25 percent) employees say they’ve had no wellbeing check-ins from their workplace. The research from Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, of 2,000 employees, claims that almost a third (29 percent) of workers never discuss mental health in meetings with their employers. More →

March 16, 2021

HR technology that doesn’t help employees may just disappear

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Workplace

Human resources research and advisory firm Josh Bersin Research, claims that the biggest change in the HR technology market is the spread of HR applications into areas beyond payroll and employee administration to support a broad set of work activities. Other evolutions in the HR tech market include rising corporate determination to improve overall employee experience (EX) and the growth of HR tools designed for employees, not managers. More →

March 5, 2021

London crowned the most desirable city in the world to work

by Jayne Smith • Business, Cities, News, Working culture

A new study on recruitment and workforce trends has crowned London as the world’s most desirable city to work in, with the UK capital holding onto the top spot, despite uncertainty around Brexit and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. More →

March 3, 2021

People working from home hide mental health impact from employers

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

People working from home during the pandemic are experiencing higher levels of stress and withholding mental health conditions from their employer, for fear of a negative impact on career progression, according to a new health and safety at work report by Lloyd’s Register. More →

February 11, 2021

LGBT+ workers experience higher levels of conflict at work

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

The CIPD has launched a new research report ‘Inclusion at work: Perspectives on LGBT+ working lives’ to highlight how LGBT+ workers tend to have a more negative experience of work. More →

February 11, 2021

Flexibility and reskilling top priorities for UK employers in 2021

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

The COVID-19 pandemic is driving a fundamental shift in the way companies operate, accelerating the need for an adaptable and agile workforce to drive business success. According to Mercer’s 2021 Global Talent Trends study, the financial impact and work-life disruption caused by the pandemic is causing UK employers to focus on redefining flexibility and skills development to ensure their business and employees become more resilient and agile in the face of disruption.

February 5, 2021

Workplace things we have missed, and those we hope to regain

by Emma Morley • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Let’s be honest, work life pre 2020 had its flaws, whilst the longing for variety of scenery, change of pace and even a train journey (somewhere…ANYWHERE) would be welcomed by many of us right now, many of us had become a bit ‘hamster wheel’ in our approach. Commuting was stressful, expensive and time hungry; our natural and individual rhythms squeezed into a set 9-5 schedule and workplace design had become a bit ‘quantity over quality’ – desks have been reducing in size year upon year in order that capacity could be increased. We had reached a point at which everything was ripe for change but there was largely a resistance to both flexible working requests and embracing much of the technological advancements that were already at our fingertips. More →

January 19, 2021

UK SME leaders bullish about 2021 business landscape despite the challenges ahead

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

As SME leaders plan for the year ahead, Vistage’s latest CEO Confidence Index claims that more than half (54 percent) of small and mid-size enterprise (SME) members in the UK and Ireland are optimistic that the economic conditions will improve in the next 12 months. More →