October 1, 2023

Three days in the office seems to be the ‘sweet spot’ for hybrid working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A new survey concludes that three days a week in the office appears to be optimal for many people to optimise key aspects of workplace culture and performance. The report claims to provide empirical analysis into the impact that remote and hybrid working are having on employee experience, culture and productivity. The report commissioned by Ipsos Karian and Box is based on a survey of 1,400 full-time UK office workers. More →

September 26, 2023

‘Levelling up’ development is new home for 1,400 civil servants

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Public Sector

The UK government has purchased land for the permanent site of the new Darlington Economic Campus as a key part of its so-called levelling up programme. The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) was established in August 2021 and currently houses 674 government staff. McLaren Property has now sold its option on a 7,926 square metres site on Brunswick Street in Darlington to the Government Property Agency for a permanent base for the Treasury’s second headquarters and Department for Business and Trade. More →

September 25, 2023

The workation is taking off – but it needs the right tech to make it effective

by Eamon O'Doherty • Company news, Technology

The trend for semi-nomadic working has grown in the past few months, and with it the ‘workation’, as people have looked for last minute sunny getaways after a somewhat disappointing UK summer. For the unfamiliar, a ‘workation’ is essentially taking advantage of remote working to blend work and a holiday. This could involve taking a summer holiday, and then working from the destination for a further week or two. Some may plan a visit to stay with friends or family, building some days of work into the trip, so they still get the enjoy the evenings with their loved ones. Or they may simply plan a normal working week undertaken remotely from a different location for a change of scene – anywhere from a mountain lodge to city break. More →

September 15, 2023

Wellbeing, flexibility and work-life balance top most employees’ wish list in 2023

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

The latest Employee Wellbeing Data Report [registration] from flexible office provider Mindspace claims that around 9 in 10 employees consider wellbeing facilities and offerings are ‘critical’ when choosing a workplace, and 82 percent expect support from their employers in achieving a work-life balance. The report argues that whilst the trend of ‘quiet quitting’ may be abating and the ‘return-to-office’ mandates are increasing, the survey suggests that attitudes towards the workplace and work-life balance continue to shift, with the majority of employees putting more emphasis on mental and physical health and overall wellbeing. More →

September 8, 2023

Not many people want fully remote work, but nearly everybody wants a better office

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology

Just 7 percent of UK office workers back fully remote work, but eight in ten would like to see significant improvements to their company’s office and more support for flexible working, according to the Sony State of Offices Report 2023 [registration]. The report from Sony Professional Displays and Solutions Europe suggests that over two fifths (41 percent) of UK office workers still prefer to work from a dedicated company office, and across Europe this trend is even more pronounced with over half (53 percent) favouring office-based work. However, eight in ten (79 percent) in the UK call for improvements to offices, and the tech within them, to better suit their new flexible, asynchronous working styles. More →

August 11, 2023

Half of working parents are using annual leave to cover summer childcare commitments

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A new poll from IWG claims to highlight the challenges faced by working parents in managing childcare commitments during the summer holidays. The survey of more than 1,000 working parents, suggests that almost two thirds (62 percent) find arranging childcare for the school summer holidays to be a significant source of stress. Consequently, over half (55 percent) use their annual leave to meet childcare responsibilities, whilst over 1 in 10 (12 percent) use their entire annual leave entitlement in the process. More →

August 10, 2023

Zoom opens new London ‘Engagement Hub’

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

Zoom has opened a new London ‘Engagement Hub’ which the firm claims will spearhead the shift from traditional office spaces to ‘experiential working hubs’. With the demand for hybrid working and remote capabilities giving rise to unconventional ways of operating, Zoom says it has designed its new office to support the changing nature of the employee experience, marking a new era of modern work. More →

August 1, 2023

Award-winning WorkBold Podcast returns for a ninth season on space-as-a-service

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Podcasts

Caleb Parker’s award-winning #WorkBold Podcast returned for an industry-leading ninth season, which took the podcast to over 100,000 downloads (117,000 at the time of publishing this article) with an audience from 90+ countries. The only podcast dedicated to Space-as-a-Service (SPaaS), #WorkBold Podcast is in the top one percent of business podcasts globally. Its host, entrepreneur Caleb Parker, is the founder of Bold – a joint venture with NewFlex. More →

July 20, 2023

Help over-50s and other groups into self-employment to boost economy, say MPs

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

The UK Government’s Work and Pensions Committee has called for more employment support to address economic inactivity. The support for helping people into work should be widened to those not on benefits, with a new scheme developed to encourage people to set up their own businesses and move into self-employment. The Committee has also called for more focus to be given to measures to help young people, the over 50s and people with disabilities and long-term health conditions find and stay in work. More →

July 20, 2023

Are you ready for the latest family friendly employment laws?

by Adrian Lewis • Comment, Workplace

It’s increasingly important for employers to have family-friendly employee benefits and policies to support recruitment and retention. These need to recognise the diverse needs and responsibilities of employees today and enable them to effectively balance their work and family life. Now to support employees and give them more protection in law three new ground-breaking employment laws will transform the employee benefit landscape. More →

July 12, 2023

Generations in the workplace: setting the record straight

by Jo Sutherland • Comment, Workplace

If there were an algorithm to create a word cloud in response to searches for ‘What millennials want in the workplace?’, you’d expect to see Google spew out terms such as ‘flexibility’, ‘meaning’, ‘fairness’, ‘equality’, ‘inclusivity’, ‘opportunity’, ‘connections’, ‘socialising’ and ‘experience’. Do the same with ‘Gen Z’ replacing ‘millennials’ and – guess what – you’ll see the exact same word cloud, although perhaps in a different colour and order so you don’t think it’s based on the same homogeneous assumptions about younger generations. More →

July 5, 2023

Most UK workers now expect to retire at 62 years old

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

A new poll of people aged between 35 and 55 suggests that most workers expect to retire at around 62 years old, four years earlier than the UK state pension age of 66. The report called Providing for tomorrow today: understanding an ageing workforce was commissioned by law firm Osborne Clarke. It surveyed employees aged 35-55 working in seven industry sectors across the UK. The report claims to identify workers’ current and future employment and retirement expectations and the impact these may have, not only on the shape of the future UK workforce, but also on employers in the industry sectors surveyed. More →