November 11, 2021

Hybrid working is both a challenge and opportunity for comms firms

by Andrew Walker • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

Huge swathes of workers have been returning to the office in recent weeks – many for the first time in almost two years. A significant number of companies, however, will never return to the pre-pandemic ‘normal’ of a five-day office week and will instead integrate hybrid working permanently. According to the CIPD, 40 percent of employers expect more than half their workforce to regularly work from home after the pandemic has ended. More →

November 10, 2021

Working culture should align and balance with commercial objectives

by Siobhan Byrnes • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Wellbeing

Throughout the pandemic, we have had to constantly adapt to new models of work and a new working culture. And what makes this process even more challenging is that we’re having to work against a backdrop of uncertainty at every turn. Business leaders that are emerging from the pandemic successfully have been clear on priorities throughout and know how to balance them. This is certainly easier said than done but is integral to leadership as we enter the next chapter of workplace transformation. More →

November 3, 2021

Recruitment drive sees majority of firms embed flexible working policies

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

New research by Totum Partners, claims that the majority of firms now have hybrid working policies in place, as worker preferences and economy-wide recruitment pressures drive increased demand for flexible working. This includes 50 percent of firms which have implemented a company-wide policy, while the remaining 50 percent have published guidelines that can be interpreted by location or individual team. More →

October 27, 2021

Hybrid working: too few companies are making the workplace changes they need

by Tony Antoniou • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

At a recent Women in Office Design event on the subject of hybrid working and workplace change, the founder of WOD Harsha Kotak posed a question which I thought was extremely important but often goes unasked. “Whilst I have a great understanding of how the workplace landscape will change”, she said, “are companies making these changes?” This is a brilliantly relevant question because in my opinion based on my research and experience of the past year and a half, not enough companies are. More →

October 18, 2021

Managers can be blind to some of the stresses of home workers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Managers in the increasingly digital, knowledge-fuelled and hybrid working environment may not be able to see the “invisible” strains on workers juggling home life and their workloads, a report by Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) claims. The challenge of managing mental workload is rapidly becoming critical and employers need to be more aware of factors that could impact the effect on home workers and do more to understand and mitigate the factors, AWA says in the report (registration). More →

October 13, 2021

Business leaders concerned about digital inequality in the future hybrid working model

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Technology

A new report from Actual Experience, claims organisations are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of digital inequality on employees, as hybrid working looks set to become the new normal. This new working model is causing concern across multiple sectors; 67 percent of C-Suite representatives cite that they’re worried these new ways of working will introduce inequalities in how people access and use digital tools. More →

October 12, 2021

Workers feel more trusted and motivated thanks to hybrid working

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

New research from Kadence (formerly Chargifi) claims that after a year of flexible working, almost two-thirds of US and UK office workers (62 percent) now feel more trusted to do their job effectively. Of those workers, half also feel more motivated to do a better quality job (51 percent) and go the extra mile (48 percent) thanks to their new working arrangements. More →

October 11, 2021

Almost half of working mothers feel they are held back from promotion

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

New polling, carried out to mark the start of National Work Life Week (Oct 11–15), highlights a wide gulf in how working mothers, parents and carers are managing to balance their work and home lives as we come out of the pandemic. Outdated cultures and practices still hold sway in many workplaces around the UK. More →

September 28, 2021

Hybrid working opens door to greater risk of data breaches

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

More than eight in 10 (83 percent) UK businesses say hybrid working increases the risk of a data breach, yet over a fifth (22 percent) remain unprepared if it happens, with speed of response the top concern. According to new research published within TransUnion’s Data Breach Support for Businesses ebook (registration), business leaders expect 43 percent of their workforce to be hybrid working in the coming year, splitting their time between the office and remote working. Yet this change to working practices means a far greater potential for devices and data to end up in the wrong hands. More →

September 27, 2021

Remote working led to drop in high quality output, Microsoft study concludes

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Working lives

A new study of 61,000 Microsoft employees claims that the sudden shift to remote working had a profound effect on their work behaviours and output. Overall, remote workers spent less time in meetings, had fewer real time conversations and worked in more siloed ways. Crucially it found that there was a reduction in the strengths of ties between people and fewer networking opportunities. While not suggesting that office based work and remote work are necessarily better than the other, the study concludes that the drop in loose connections and chances of networking with other teams could have a negative impact on higher quality work outputs and working culture. More →

September 22, 2021

Flexible working rights consultation welcomed by CIPD

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The CIPD has welcomed a new consultation from the UK Government on making flexible working requests a day one right. The CIPD launched its #FlexFrom1st campaign in February, calling for all employees to have the immediate right to request flexible working. Under the proposed legislation, companies would be obliged to explain their reasons if it is then refused. The plan would also oblige employers to respond to such requests more quickly, and is being billed as a major reshaping of the way people work in a post-pandemic world, making flexible work the default. More →

September 22, 2021

More hybrid working to bring 3.8 million Brits into employment

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

Hybrid working could bring nearly four million people “locked out” from work such as parents, carers and disabled people into the workforce and enable part-time workers to work more hours adding £48.3bn to the UK economy each year, according to a new study by Virgin Media O2 Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). More →