December 10, 2020

Employers should explain their monitoring policies to workers

The number of companies monitoring their employees is growing. According to a Gartner survey, more than 22 percent of employees use employee movement data, while 17 percent of them are monitoring computer usage. With companies choosing to monitor employees, privacy laws are also catching up, and thus there is a need for explaining employee monitoring to prospective hires. Employee monitoring is defined as the use of monitoring devices and methods by companies to learn about their employees’ workplace behaviours and performance. More →

December 10, 2020

UK tech workers prefer better work-life balance to a pay rise

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

When it comes to job satisfaction, Denmark tops the list of the best places to work in digital in Europe – beating the UK, Germany and France – according to the 2020 Digital Talent Global Work Happiness Index. The Nordic country scored highly for work-life balance, family-friendly working models, purpose, personal safety and personal impact, which describes how much impact an individual feels they are making to their business. More →

December 1, 2020

The great lesson of 2020 for small businesses is to be ready for anything

by Annil Chandel • Business, Comment

The repercussions of Covid-19 for the small business community have been particularly ruinous. Recent figures paint a worrying picture, revealing that approximately 76,300 SMEs in London alone ceased operations completely as a direct result of the pandemic, with lockdowns costing from £30,000 to £75,000 for one in ten small businesses. As the most vulnerable business segment in the current crisis, SMEs needed the biggest support and, by the end of April, had already received over £4 billion via the government’s CBIL scheme. More →

November 24, 2020

Area becomes founder membership of Studio Alliance network

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Workplace design and fit out company Area has become a founding member of Studio Alliance, a formal group of workplace experts who share common values, ethics and goals when delivering projects across Europe. Studio Alliance has been formed in response to accelerating globalisation and offers corporate occupiers and landlords local market knowledge combined with the experience of designing and delivering projects in over 5,000 buildings throughout 24 countries. More →

November 19, 2020

Six key factors of productivity for organisations disrupted by lockdown

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

With a new national lockdown, the situation in the UK remains unpredictable and complicated, and renewed pressure to work from home has forced many organisations to reverse their back-to-work plans, according to a new study from Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA). The study has detailed the matrix of pain that employees may be suffering due to this challenging situation – from those who didn’t want to return to the office when restrictions were eased but had to, to those who are unhappy about working from home. In creating unhappy, disengaged employees, these pain points undermine the six key factors of productivity, defined by the AWA as: social cohesion, trust, perceived supervisory support, information sharing, vision and goal clarity, and external communication. More →

November 16, 2020

How to manage workplace capacity in 2020

by Freddie Steele • Company news

The pandemic has totally shattered workplace norms, so it’s going to take a while before we see organizations returning to work at full capacity. When it does happen, it will require extensive planning and constantly evolving styles of people management. In addition to the logistics of phasing people back into the office and staggering shifts, you’ll need to work with your team to address their anxieties and make sure they feel comfortable in their environment. More →

November 11, 2020

Businesses prioritise environmental impact in post-COVID-19 strategies

by Jayne Smith • Business, Environment, News

Three-quarters (75 percent) of business decision makers say their organisation’s environmental and social impact has become more important due to COVID-19, according to new research from Epson. The research claims that business decision makers are taking action too, with more than half (55 percent) confirming they are now paying more attention to these targets compared to six months ago. More →

November 9, 2020

Working from home could energise some of our overlooked cities

by Michel Serafinelli • Cities, Comment, Flexible working

For years, we have been promised a work-from-home revolution, and it seems that the pandemic has finally brought it to pass. In April this year, at the height of the first wave of coronavirus, 47 percent of people in the UK were working from home, the vast majority of them doing so because of the pandemic. In a sense this is overdue: the work-from-home potential for UK employees is 32 percent; in France, Germany and Italy between 24 percent and 28 percent. More →

November 5, 2020

Pick Everard reveals new bespoke HQ office space

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard has unveiled its new-look head office following an extensive refurbishment led by its recently established in-house interior design team. More →

November 3, 2020

Should employers require people to use the NHS COVID-19 App when at work?

by Helen Farr • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

The NHS COVID-19 App was introduced on 24 September. Many welcome its arrival as another step to contain the spread of COVID-19. Others are concerned about using the app for data and privacy reasons. Employers face a dilemma. It is not mandatory for staff to use the app. Employers can do nothing and leave the choice to download to the employee or express a view about whether the app should or should not be used in the workplace. This is particularly relevant for those businesses who provide work devices. More →

October 30, 2020

Organisations shift attitudes on meeting costs of home office setup

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace design

Eighty-two percent of US based employers now believe the organisation should absorb the cost of a home office setup for employees that work from home full-time. This is a dramatic increase over those who did so before COVID-19. These and other findings from The Future of Home Office Cost Sharing survey from Global Workplace Analytics and Design Public Group, will lead to profound changes in how companies procure and distribute technology and furniture, budget for workplaces, attract and retain talent, and manage safety risk, according to the report’s authors. More →

October 29, 2020

Workplace culture is not something to be changed with hashtags

by Kirsty Ritchie • Comment, Wellbeing

The state of the nation’s mental health and subsequent pressure on organisations to do ‘something’ has resulted in a PR opportunity for those who see it and take it. While mental health is high on the agenda of workplace culture improvements, several organisations, including Barclays, Eon and Unilever to name a few, have signed an open letter to The Times pledging to prioritise mental health as employees return to work, after research showed that more than a third of workers were struggling. More →