October 12, 2022
The majority of workers would expect a four-day week to consist of longer working hours with one in seven stating that up to 10 hours per day would be reasonable. According to a new poll from Talent.com among 1,325 respondents, workers believe that a shortened working week would enable them to achieve better wellbeing and mental health. More →
October 10, 2022
A joint letter from 21 leading employers – including several in the FTSE 100 – is calling on employers across the UK to advertise all vacant roles with flexible options by default. The full text is: More →
October 10, 2022
A new YouGov poll commissioned by Working Families and SF Recruitment claims to underscore the impact and importance of employers prioritising flexible working as part of their recruitment strategy. Launched to mark the start of National Work Life Week (10-14 October), the poll of 992 UK parents of children aged 18 and under demonstrates that advertising all vacant roles with flexible options stated by default widens the talent pool for employers and unlocks opportunities for parents. More →
October 7, 2022
A third of respondent organisations (34 percent) to a CIPD poll think the four-day week will become a reality in the UK for most workers within the next ten years. However, only a small minority of firms have moved towards the four-day week to date by reducing hours without reducing pay for their employees, or plan to do this over the next three years. One in ten (10 percent) organisations report they have reduced working hours without reducing pay for the whole or a significant part of their workforce over the last five years, although of these, under half of employers (42 percent) did so as a result of the furlough scheme. More →
October 5, 2022
Sunderland City Hall was celebrated as ‘Best of the Best’ at the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) National Awards at the Grosvenor House hotel in London last night, also taking home the ‘Corporate Workplace’ award. The office was joined by six other award winners recognised as leading examples of excellence in office space across the UK. The BCO’s National Awards programme claims to recognises top quality office design and functionality and says it sets the standard for excellence across the office sector. More →
September 28, 2022
Although workers think that their work location doesn’t matter, a new poll suggests that their bosses don’t agree. In the poll of US employees from workplace platform Envoy, 96 percent of respondents described as leaders say they take more notice of people’s work contributions when they are in the office. Just 42 percent of respondents described as employees agree. Gen Z employees, more than any other generation, value workplace visibility, with 73 percent believing their contributions are noticed more in-office than at home. Only 64 percent of Millennials, 53 percent of Gen X, and 45 percent of Boomers feel the same. Among executives, women are more likely than men to recognise work and contributions accomplished from home. More →
September 27, 2022
As businesses across the country face rising costs, new research from the CIPD and Omni warns that using pay to attract talent simply isn’t enough to tackle on-going skills shortages. While an increasing number of organisations (54 percent) are inflating pay to retain talent, this approach is not sustainable for most employers in the face of rising costs. To tackle the skills shortage, organisations need to highlight other components of good working practices when recruiting, such as offering flexible working and promoting career development opportunities. For instance, the latest Resourcing and Talent Planning survey shows that 68 percent of employers that offer hybrid/ remote working say it has allowed their organisation to attract and retain more talent. More →
September 23, 2022
Following approval from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), TOG and Fora are proud to announce the completion of their merger, bringing together two highly complementary businesses with similar cultures and portfolios of high-quality, design-led workspaces. The merged business (the ‘Group’) will operate under a parent company called The Office Group with both the TOG and Fora brands retained until a full brand review is completed. The Group has plans to create the premier flexible workspace group in London and other key European cities and is well positioned to draw on the expertise and scale of both companies. More →
September 23, 2022
A new poll from SD Worx claims that while 72 percent of British workers think working from home offers a better chance of improving their work-life balance, they have concerns about wellbeing and working culture. Based on data from over 4,000 companies in the UK and across Europe, the findings suggestthat the appetite for working from home (WFH) in the UK (72 percent) is creeping ahead of mainland Europe (66 percent). More →
September 21, 2022
At the halfway point of a six-month pilot programme of a four-day week in the United Kingdom, results so far indicate that the idea has been backed by an overwhelming majority of those companies taking part, with many already saying the move will be permanent. A poll found that 88 percent believed the trial was working ‘well’ for their business. Just under half (46 percent) of respondents said their business productivity had ‘maintained around the same level’, while 34 percent said that it had ‘improved slightly’, and 15 percent said it had ‘improved significantly’. More →
September 20, 2022
Teknion has announced that Routes, designed by Pearson Lloyd, has received the Gold award in the Office & Accessories category at the 2022 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). Teknion Routes is unlike any other contract furniture system, as it eschews conventional thinking to offer an alternative, flexible solution that evolves with the workplace. It is designed to allow teams to create flexible, practical, and engaging workspaces quickly and efficiently. Utilising the collection, teams can easily define their ideal ‘route’ to completion for any given task, increasing the office’s overall efficiency. More →
September 22, 2022
Getting working culture right is essential to hiring, supporting and retaining workers
by Richard Guy • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design