Search Results for: hybrid

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 →

London’s office market is reshaping the city and the way people experience the workplace

London’s office market is reshaping the city and the way people experience the workplace

2024: The year of connectivity, collaboration, and culture for workplace trends and changes in London's office marketLondon’s office market continues to adapt to evolving workforce demands. The normalisation of hybrid and flexible working since the pandemic remains the biggest cultural shift that the office sector has witnessed in decades. In addition to the rise in demand for quality-as-a-must in 2023, collaboration, culture, and connectivity will lead the charge for office space trends in the year ahead. More →

Employers must act to offer more choices to people

Employers must act to offer more choices to people

Henley Business School’s World of Work Institute has published a new report on what it calls The Omniployment Era The report claims to identify which what a post-Covid, post-Great Resignation workforce looks like. The study identifies six distinct worker ‘segments’* in the UK workforce and quantifies what attracts and retains them in jobs, and provides advice to businesses on how to build a strong workforce. More →

Technology is stealing your time in ways you may not realise

Technology is stealing your time in ways you may not realise

Technology is supposed to make our lives easier. Smart phones provide a palm-size window to the world, enabling us to do almost anything at the touch of a button. Smart homes look after themselves, and virtual meetings mean that for many, time spent commuting is a thing of the past. So we should have more free time. Time which is now spent sleeping, relaxing or simply doing nothing – right? More →

Third of employees resent return to office mandates

Third of employees resent return to office mandates

A new poll from Scalable Software of 2,000 UK knowledge workers claims more than a third (35 percent) resent being told they have to go into the office for a set number of days. Half (50 percent) of respondents say their employer has “productivity paranoia” over employees working away from the office, with 62 percent reporting their organisation has implemented a return to office policy within the last two years. More →

Flexible working is delivering the gift of seasonal productivity

Flexible working is delivering the gift of seasonal productivity

business leaders are still keen to maintain productivity with flexible working amidst the seasonal rush while allowing their team to enjoy the holiday periodEmployees have made it clear that they are keen for flexible working arrangements to stay. In fact, according to the Owl Labs 2023 State of Hybrid Work report, 40 percent of employees would decline a job if they were required to be in the office five days a week. With the festive season in full swing, employees will look to utilise the benefits of flexible working as they return home to their families. More →

Only a quarter of firms say that staff will need to work full time from an office in future

Only a quarter of firms say that staff will need to work full time from an office in future

New research by the British Chambers of Commerce Insights Unit and technology firm Cisco, shows less than 30 percent of firms expect their workforce to be fully in person over the next five years. The survey of over 1,000 businesses, of which 96 percent were SMEs, found just 27 percent of respondents predict their staff will be fully in-person over the next five years. 47 percent anticipate their staff to be mostly in-person, 16 percent expect mostly remote and 8 percent fully remote. More →

Ten years of Insight and a few things I think I know (one of our most read pieces this year)

Ten years of Insight and a few things I think I know (one of our most read pieces this year)

This website started in late 2012 as a way for me to explore both a new media format and a new way of thinking about work and workplaces. I’d already been active in various roles in the workplace, design and facilities sector for twenty odd years, but needed a new challenge. And this was it. I was going for a ride with an idea to see where it went. More →

People are worried about the impact of new tech, but many feel confident it will benefit them

People are worried about the impact of new tech, but many feel confident it will benefit them

With over a third (36 percent) of workers concerned about the impact of technological changes and what this might mean for them, a new report from Virgin Media O2 Business claims that many people believe new tech will offer them a better work-life balance. According to the report, the pandemic accelerated remote and hybrid work, mostly benefitting desk-based workers. Meanwhile, deskless workers like teachers, nurses and engineers saw limited long-term change despite many organisations comprising both types of workers. More →

Creating the epicentre: unlocking the untold benefits of next-generation office spaces 

Creating the epicentre: unlocking the untold benefits of next-generation office spaces 

Many associate the notion of futuristic office spaces, filled with equipment like sleep pods and beer taps, with companies that have a young workforce or challenger brand identityMany associate the notion of futuristic office spaces, filled with equipment like sleep pods and beer taps, with companies that have a young workforce or challenger brand identity. The association is often linked to tech giants like Google, which created quite a stir when it originally revealed its indoor slides. Whilst the inclusion of playground furniture in the office is not right for every business, the assumption that unconventional workspaces should be limited to unconventional companies simply isn’t true.  More →

Council employees working from home are committing fraud with second job

Council employees working from home are committing fraud with second job

The UK Government’s National Fraud Initiative is looking into a number of local authority employees who have been caught ‘moonlighting’ while they were supposed to be working from home for the councilThe UK Government’s National Fraud Initiative is looking into a number of local authority employees who have been caught ‘moonlighting’ while they were supposed to be working from home for the council. The NFI considers this a form of fraud because it is seen as working multiple contracts without the knowledge of employers and contrary to their terms of employment. Multiple contract working is seen as fraud when people who are paid to work full time, split their days between two or more employers without their knowledge. More →

‘Return-to-office’  rates vary widely across Europe

‘Return-to-office’ rates vary widely across Europe

New data demonstrates varying approaches to the so-called return to office across Europe, with France and Belgium leading, spending an average of 3.5 days working from the officeA new survey from JLL, Is hybrid really working? [registration] claims that the majority of international organisations (87 percent) are encouraging employees to work from the office at least some of the time. In fact, only 20 percent of employees who can work remotely all of the time or one-two days in the office now do so, down from 39 percent a year ago. However, the data demonstrates varying approaches to the so-called return to office across Europe, with France and Belgium leading, spending an average of 3.5 days working from the office. Germany, Netherlands, Spain and the UK are however lagging behind with an average of 2.5 days working from the office. More →