December 12, 2019

Are these the best places to work in the UK?

Glassdoor has announced the winners of its 12th annual Employees’ Choice Awards – its sixth in the UK – honouring the Best Places to Work in 2020 across the UK and eight other countries. Unlike other workplace awards, the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards are based on the input of employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback, by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer over the past year. Common themes among the Top 50 UK Best Places to Work in 2020 include work-life balance, a great culture, smart people and respect for and from leadership and senior management. More →

December 12, 2019

Climate change emergency demands more and better action

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News

Four years after the Paris Climate Agreement, tangible action from governments is falling well short of what is needed to restrict global warming to 1.5° Celsius. Meanwhile, the actions of the majority of businesses that do support emissions reductions also currently fall far short of where they need to be to address climate change. A new impetus for 2020 to raise company ambitions to net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, is required. These are the findings of a new report, The Net Zero Challenge published by the World Economic Forum. More →

December 11, 2019

Growing number of major firms commit to net zero carbon buildings

by Neil Franklin • Architecture, Environment, News

Today, seven major global private sector companies including Goldman Sachs and Lendlease have announced pledges to slash emissions from their buildings to net zero, by signing up to the World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment). The organisations have pledged to take urgent action to ensure their own portfolios of buildings operate at net zero carbon by 2030 or sooner. More →

December 11, 2019

No financial incentive to tackle climate change for 90 percent of CEOs, study claims

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News

Fewer than 10 percent of UK CEOs have financial incentives in place to be environmentally friendly in their business practices and thus tackle the climate change emergency, according to new research from Vlerick Business School. In fact, the researchers found that only 6 per cent of UK CEOs have in their bonus a KPI focusing on the environment, and less than one per cent have long-term incentives focused on this area. More →

December 10, 2019

Wellbeing is increasingly in the hands of HR and the future looks bright as a result

by Chris Pinner • Comment, Wellbeing

The future of workplace wellbeing is in HR’s hands; hence, the discipline is even more pivotal to organisational success. As admin and payroll become increasingly digitised and automated, time can be spent more effectively, supporting good people to do good work. Influential people are now catching on to the importance of wellbeing. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told More than GDP, “We need to address the societal wellbeing of our nation, not just the economic wellbeing”. Her government will set a budget to measure wellbeing and the long-term impact of policy on the quality of people’s lives. More →

December 10, 2019

Channel 4 confirms move to landmark Leeds building

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

One of the UK’s leading broadcasters has confirmed its deal with the Rushbond Group for its new national headquarters to be at The Majestic in Leeds city centre. The third, fourth and fifth floors of the building will become home to Channel 4, with teams from across the organisation coming together to operate out of the iconic building. The deal with Channel 4 leaves four floors remaining, from 8,000 sq ft to a total of 39,000 sq ft of workspace to be let to additional dynamic organisations. More →

December 9, 2019

Two-thirds of major world cities set for weaker growth as global slowdown bites

by Neil Franklin • Cities, News

A new report from Oxford Economics (registration) predicts that the present slowdown in the global economy will persist into next year and it is already having a significant impact on growth in the world’s major cities and their prospects. Of the top 900 cities around the world, the report predicts that just under two-thirds, some 586, will experience slower growth in the period 2020-21 than they enjoyed during the past five years – in some cases, very markedly slower, with growth rates of some key cities halved or more. More →

December 9, 2019

Do emails outside of work hours breach employment law?

by Darius Whelan • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing

It is common for many employees to send, read and reply to work emails at all hours of the day and night, including weekends. This change in work culture developed in recent decades and has accelerated with the advent of smartphones. But is this a breach of employment law? The short answer is that “it depends” and we need some test cases to clarify the situation, not least in the UK. Some workplaces have a culture of long working hours and it can be difficult for an individual employee to go against it. The contract may refer to a 40-hour week but the reality may be very different. Smartphones and other digital devices have contributed to a culture of “digital presenteeism”. More →

December 6, 2019

Employers still not fully embracing flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Employers aren’t doing enough to help their employees to work flexibly, according to a survey by Tiger Recruitment, which has found that a third of UK workers questioned (32 percent) aren’t happy with the flexible working options available to them. The study of over 2,000 employees claims that only a third have the option of home or remote working – a seven percentage point drop since last year – while only one in five (22 percent) are offered the option of flexi-time, and even fewer have access to informal flexibility (19 percent) or the opportunity to go part-time (18 percent). More →

December 6, 2019

Firms turning to “corporate wellness” programmes as a solution for stress

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A new report by workforce performance firm CR Worldwide (CR), drawing on data from 287,000 employees at over 120 large enterprises, claims that as the incidence and awareness of the issue of stress grows, firms have responded with a 22 percent year-on-year increase in UK spending on perceived solutions such as corporate getaways with companies now spending an average of £3,100 per person per trip. The proportion of activity or nature-based business trips involved in such wellness programmes has more than doubled to 56 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year. With human-animal interactions believed to have therapeutic effects on mental health, UK firms are also increasingly offering ‘nature tourism’, from orangutan treks in Borneo to working with endangered rhinos in Rwanda and shark diving. Husky sledging is now among the top 5 Christmas corporate travel activities for UK firms. More →

December 5, 2019

The menopause and other female health issues should be addressed in better ways

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

From menstruation to menopause, the challenges that come with being a woman at work is causing reoccurring career breaks, which are costing UK businesses, according to a new report from Bupa. As many as 11 million women have had to take a long-term leave of absence at some point during their working life, from their late teens to their early seventies. More →

December 5, 2019

Gartner report sets out top 5 priorities for HR leaders in 2020

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

As 2020 approaches, HR leaders are focused on five key measures to continue driving business outcomes, according to a report from Gartner. The priorities include: building critical skills and competencies, strengthening the current and future leadership bench, incorporating organisational design and change management, driving digital business transformation, and enhancing employee experience. More →