June 12, 2024

Britain is no longer a nation of shopkeepers, but it is divided by the work we do

Following last week’s news that the fastest growing job category in the US isn’t necessarily the one you’d expect, a new report from HR software provider Ciphr, based on ONS data, claims to identify which jobs are the most disproportionately common in each part of the UK. The report analyses the latest regional employee estimates for over 370 occupations to find out which work roles (with at least 5,000 full-time employees) appear to be more concentrated, or over-represented, in some places more than others. (more…)

May 28, 2024

Since the pandemic, people now work six fewer months over the course of their lives

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

As the UK government warns that the state pension age might need to rise, a new report from the the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) claims that, between 2019 and 2022, people’s work span in the UK fell by 6 months. The report argues that, to enable more people to stay healthy and be in work for longer, the next government should invest more in preventing ill health, supporting people to stay in work and building healthier behaviours. (more…)

May 16, 2024

Manchester Airport City plan reinvented as £ 1 billion science and tech hub

by Marvin Gort • News, Property

In a significant development, the ambitious £1 billion plan to transform a 60-acre site adjacent to Manchester Airport is being rebooted. The project, now known as MIX Manchester, aims to create one of the largest science and innovation campuses in the UK, spanning an impressive 2 million square feet of advanced manufacturing and science space. Notably, it will be the only campus of its kind situated next to an international airport, promising exciting opportunities for growth and collaboration. (more…)

April 22, 2024

Government to scrap employment programme for disabled people

by Marvin Gort • News, Workplace

A £100 million program designed to help disabled people find work in England and Wales has been quietly cancelled, raising concerns as the government pursues plans to reduce disability benefits. The Work and Health Programme (WHP), launched in 2017, will cease operation this autumn. This news comes amidst Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s proposed benefit cuts for 420,000 sick and disabled individuals, aiming to push them into employment. Charities warn these cuts could leave many in poverty. (more…)

March 28, 2024

Sick pay reform should encourage people back into work, government claims

by Marvin Gort • News, Workplace

A parliamentary committee of MPs has called for a ‘long-overdue’ boost to statutory sick pay (SSP), emphasising the need to strike a delicate balance between workers’ wellbeing and employers’ financial constraints. The Work and Pensions Committee has recommended aligning the SSP rate with the flat rate of Statutory Maternity Pay, a move that they say could significantly improve the financial safety net for workers. (more…)

March 7, 2024

The sector responds to the Spring Budget

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

Yesterday’s Spring Budget included a number of announcements that affect the various people, place and technology professions in the UK. These include a cut in National Insurance, pension fund reforms, support for working parents, AI, helping people back in to work and more. You can see the Government’s own summary here. The various industry sectors have been quick to respond to the announcements. You can see what some people have had to say below, in no particular order. (more…)

March 5, 2024

MillerKnoll’s top office fit out trends for 2024

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Furniture

The last few years have seen a major shift in how businesses approach their office spaces. With more emphasis on aesthetics, functionality, and employee wellbeing, 2024 will showcase some of the most exciting trends for future-ready workplaces centred on connection, wellbeing and change. As a leader in workplace design, MillerKnoll talks about the top six emerging trends shaping office spaces this year. Based on decades of expertise, MillerKnoll identifies shifting priorities that empower companies embracing conscious design attuned to modern needs. (more…)

February 29, 2024

Employee wellbeing advocate shortlisted for Veuve Clicquot Bold Awards

by Jayne Smith • Company news, Wellbeing

Francesca Brady, founder of AirRated who advocates for employee wellbeing and cleaner air in the workplace has been named as a finalist in Veuve Clicquot’s Future Awards, the international awards programme celebrating businesswomen. Previous winners include Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, the inventor of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID vaccine and Jo Whitfield, CEO of Co-Op Food. Francesca’s work highlights the dangers of a polluted workplace, as research shows the link between pollution, cognitive decline, dementia and poor employee wellbeing and mental health. (more…)

February 22, 2024

New occupational health taskforce will ‘tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivity’

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Businesses will be urged to tackle in-work sickness and stop people falling out the workforce, following the appointment of Dame Carol Black as the Government’s new Occupational Health Tsar. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, she will lead a new Taskforce to improve employer awareness of the benefits of Occupational Health in the workplace. (more…)

January 29, 2024

Lab rats – how the UK life sciences sector is struggling to find space to work

by Chris Barlow • Features, Premium Content, Property

In November 2023, plans to turn part of a golf course next to a motorway into a £340 million science park were refused by South Oxfordshire District Council. Although now classified as greenbelt, the location was the site of a landfill as recently as the 1990s and is just a stone’s throw from both the A40 trunk road and M40 motorway. The developers are expected to appeal. Whatever the details of this story, it is an example of how challenging it can be to meet demand for lab and life sciences space in the so-called Golden Triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge in the South of England. This lack of supply is acting as a brake on the UK Government’s dream of making the country a “science superpower”. (more…)

December 12, 2023

Government brings forward plans to relocate 22,000 jobs away from London

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Public Sector

The UK Government is bringing forward its target to relocate 22,000 civil service roles out of London. It comes as new figures today show that 16,061 roles have already been moved out of London, exceeding the commitment to relocate 15,000 roles by 2025 as part of the Places for Growth programme. Under the newly announced plans, Aberdeen, Darlington and Greater Manchester are to host second headquarters for major departments. Darlington is already the Treasury’s second headquarters.

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September 25, 2023

Report links economic growth with the idea of ‘good work’

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

In advance of the main party conferences, the CIPD is calling for the next UK Government to develop a long-term workforce strategy to underpin a broader, bolder vision for economic growth. This is a central message in its new ‘Manifesto for Good Work’ which outlines the public policy changes needed to address the UK’s multiple challenges, for all the main UK political parties. These challenges include stagnating productivity, rising skills shortages and our ageing working population. (more…)