April 30, 2019
HOK has released the second volume of HOK Forward, its annual report exploring a crucial issue in workplace design. HOK Forward: Tech Workplace Takes Center Stage investigates the distinct threats and challenges facing the tech sector and explores how these same challenges are affecting all companies, regardless of the industry in which they operate. More →
April 30, 2019
Despite the government’s pledge to keep and strengthen workers’ rights in a post-Brexit world, research from the CIPD has revealed that over a quarter (26 percent) of British employees have expressed job anxiety. Simultaneously, a recent article from the Guardian also states that 64 percent of people believe the stress caused by Brexit is bad for their mental health. More →
April 30, 2019
Last week, news emerged that an automated system at Amazon had started firing low performing workers, highlighting the new role of AI and automation in traditional HR practices. Now a new report from the CIPD claims that the use of such systems will have a widespread but mixed impact on jobs. According to the study, the introduction of these new technologies at work will see job opportunities grow, by enhancing roles, employee skills and their pay. However, lack of thought and planning on how people and technology work together is reducing productivity improvements and increasing the risk of people being left behind.
April 29, 2019
Only half of UK employees consider their organisations to be effective at creating a positive work environment and only two fifths consider their employer to be effective at creating meaningful work. With 84 percent of workers stating that employee engagement and productivity are linked and 68 percent say their organisations do not measure the correlation between employee engagement and productivity – suggests UK business leaders need to think differently to prevent productivity slumps. The findings are from the Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2019 survey, which tracks the top trends shaping the agenda for HR and business leaders both in the UK and globally. Employee experience, leadership and learning, respectively, led this year’s top 10 UK trends.
April 29, 2019
Forth With Life, a company that provides blood sample analysis and bio-marker tracking to promote and support health and wellbeing, recently undertook a survey exploring the existence and effectiveness of menopause support options available in the workplace. Their sample group consisted of 1000 women, all over 45 years of age and in either full time or part time employment, from all around the UK. Of those women, 77 percent had already been through the menopause, or were currently experiencing symptoms.
April 26, 2019
Accountancy has joined the legal profession in a developing mental health epidemic within their respective workplaces. Recent studies found that just over a third (37 percent) of solicitors feel stressed by work, striking a worrying comparison between themselves and accountants. The accountancy profession is in the grip of a mental health crisis according to a new study which claims that a third (31 percent) of chartered accountants feel stressed on a daily basis. The research, conducted by CABA, a wellbeing charity, suggests that as few as 2 percent of respondents claim to be unaffected by stress. More →
April 26, 2019
Three of every five UK employees believe that their employer cares more about saving money than the wellbeing of their workforce, according to the latest research report from workspace efficiency company Cloudbooking. The Employee Evolution report (registration), which explores the attitudes of 1,000 employees, claims that there is a disconnect between what makes employees happy at work and what they are currently experiencing. Cloudbooking’s research also suggests that 88 percent of employees think that workplace wellbeing is one of the most critical elements in creating a positive experience for all workers, yet businesses are failing to address issues that are negatively impacting the experience and wellbeing of employees.
April 25, 2019
There are lots of reasons to worry about where the World might be taking us, or perhaps where we are taking it. You can take your pick but for me one of the most worrying aspects of contemporary discourse is the obvious dearth of empathy. We might like to think of this as an innate characteristic of human beings, but it really isn’t. It’s something that we also need to learn. This idea is explored in this piece by Hanna Rosin who centres her argument around an analysis by Sara Konrath, an associate professor and researcher at Indiana University who has discovered that our willingness to empathise with people is eroding rapidly, especially for those who we see as ‘other’ or irrelevant. If you want an example of lack of empathy, you can see it in this footage of a banker being taken to task for it in a US committee hearing.
April 25, 2019
The UK now ranks tenth globally when it comes to happiness in the workplace. Austria (690), Spain (682), United States (719), France (672) and Germany (675) are all above the UK in rating workplace happiness. To date, over 10,000 people globally have taken the free Workplace Happiness Survey by Engaging Works which aims to provide practical and personalised advice to help improve wellbeing at work and to increase productivity and overall happiness within the workplace. The Workplace Happiness Survey asks 26 questions and then delivers a score out of 1000.
April 25, 2019
Findings from a new and extensive survey on workplace adjustments will be announced today (25 April) at the Business Disability Forum’s annual conference in London. Based on the views of over 1,200 respondents, The Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey provides a detailed and up-to-date picture of what is and isn’t working when it comes to making and managing adjustments; how effective workplace adjustments are, and how far everyone who needs adjustments has them in place. More →
April 24, 2019
Not-for-profit, wellbeing provider Westfield Health has launched an online initiative to support workplace health and wellbeing which will educate employers across the UK on how they can make a positive difference within their organisation. With over half (54 percent) of businesses reporting that they don’t have any measures in place to support the health and wellbeing of their staff, The Orange Table will offer HR Directors and business owners free webinar and educational content to help improve workplace culture and in turn the performance of their employees. More →
April 24, 2019
The meteor strike of coworking and the beasts that will remain
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Workplace design
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