April 11, 2019

What lift design tells us about who we are and how we work

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

In 1959, cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman identified the personality traits which go hand in hand with disproportionate levels of heart disease. These include an overblown sense of time urgency, a desire to fit as much into each second as possible, excessive competitiveness and aggressiveness and frustration when other people are doing things more slowly than absolutely necessary. In other words – your typical 21st Century human. Friedman and Rosenman coined a term for such people which has now entered common usage. They called them Type-A personalities.

April 11, 2019

Signs that somebody is about to quit are there nine months in advance

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

The first signs that an employee is considering quitting appear clearly nine months before they actually depart, with declining loyalty as a key indicator, claims a study called The 9-month warning: understanding why people quit—before it’s too late (registration) from Peakon. Based on more than 33 million employee survey responses across 125 countries, the study also claims that the key factors that drive a person to quit include unchallenging work, the inability to discuss pay and no clear path for career/personal growth. In most cases, people quit because of poor managers, not because of colleagues or company culture, the study suggests. More →

April 11, 2019

Are these the best countries for parental leave worldwide?

by Neil Franklin • Legal news, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Following the TUC’s recent call for an overhaul of shared parental leave rights, a new interactive study created by Red Letter Days claims to display just how many babies are born every minute in 169 countries and what each has to offer its citizens when they become a parent, such as maternity and paternity leave as well as outlining the benefits of having both maternity and paternity leave in place. Estonia tops the list as one of the best countries for maternity leave, offering 62 weeks for new mums, while the United States remains at the bottom with zero weeks of guaranteed leave. More →

April 11, 2019

Is there a global lack of support for mental health?

by George Eltringham • News, Wellbeing

Employers need to be mindful of the significant differences globally in how mental health is viewed and treated, when it comes to managing an international workforce, according to The Health Insurance Group. Disparities in both attitudes to, and treatment of, mental ill-health could make the difference between an international post succeeding or failing, if not understood and managed effectively. More →

April 10, 2019

Insecure managers can cause huge damage to their organisations

by Marie Hillen • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Insecure managers who worry that their performance could be undermined by competent subordinates can end up ostracising talented employees they feel are a threat to their own position. According to an paper published in The International Journal of Human Resource Management by Professor Kirk Chang of the University of Salford Business School and his research team, managers whose negativity towards staff they see as threats can go on to cause huge damage to their organisations. Professor Chang, an expert in human resource management, said: “While the competence of subordinates is considered desirable in the workplace, it may create challenges in managing people in organisations.”

April 10, 2019

Employees sceptical about attitudes of employers to digital transformation

by Marie Hillen • AI, Facilities management, News, Technology

More than half of employees are confused about the true meaning of ‘digital transformation’ and have a high degree of scepticism about their employers’ appetite for digital innovation, a new poll suggests. The research into employees’ attitudes toward digital transformation, innovation and cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, conducted by YouGov amongst employees at 500 businesses with 50 or more employees, on behalf of Cherwell Software, found that 57 percent of employees don’t know the correct meaning of ‘digital transformation’: 20 percent of respondents couldn’t hazard a guess at its meaning and 12 percent thought it meant moving to a paperless office.

April 9, 2019

CIPD warns stress related absence is a growing problem for UK workplaces

by Marie Hillen • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Heavy workloads and poor management styles are behind the increase of nearly two-fifths (37 percent) in stress-related absences over the past year, according to a new report from the CIPD and Simplyhealth. Respondents say having heavy workloads (62 percent), which can be attributed to poor management, is the top cause of stress-related absence. The second biggest contributing factor is management style which has risen from 32 percent to 43 percent in the last year. The annual Health and Well-Being at Work Survey Report found that more than four-fifths (83 percent) of respondents have observed ‘presenteeism’ (going to work when ill) in their organisation and a quarter (25 percent) say the problem has got worse since the previous year.

April 9, 2019

UKGBC issues circular economy guidance for construction clients

by Marie Hillen • Architecture, Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

New guidance has been launched by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) to assist client organisations to include more ambitious circular design and construction best practices in project briefs for non-domestic projects. It addresses the commercial realities associated with making this practically happen and provides support and evidence to assist clients in setting clear strategies that ensure budget, project timescales and risks are all minimised and mitigated. The guidance may also be helpful for those in the supply chain looking to support construction clients on their journey towards specifying and practically applying circular economy principles.

April 9, 2019

Personal financial worries are increasing workplace stress

by George Eltringham • News, Wellbeing

Employers need to understand more about the impact of personal financial worries on workplace mental health, but are struggling to agree best practice standards to address the issue, new research from MetLife UK claims. More than six out of 10 (61 percent) senior HR executives have seen a rise in financial wellbeing issues affecting employee mental health and work performance, the nationwide study from MetLife UK suggests. More →

April 8, 2019

Navigating organisations through digital transformation

by Ian Tickle • Comment, Technology

It’s hard to escape the digital disruption that is reshaping not only the world we live in, but the fundamental way that businesses operate. Greater levels of data exchange and automation are creating new layers of innovation, shifting functional workflows to agile systems. And to prosper in this upheaval, leaders must look at how they can support their company’s ability to adapt and identify new opportunities to embrace these changes.

April 8, 2019

Ten employment law changes to look out for in the rest of 2019

by Hayley Marles • Features, Legal news, Workplace

This year is set to be a busy year for HR and employment law. From post-Brexit immigration rule changes and gender pay gap reporting, to age discrimination at work, employers are faced with amended employment laws and new deadlines for their organisation to meet. These are ten important areas of the law that HR professionals and business owners need to be aware of. More →

April 5, 2019

Brexit, Brits and blending: what MIPIM told us about the state of corporate real estate

by Anna King • Comment, Property

MIPIM celebrated its 30th anniversary during uncertain political and economic times, yet the mood was positive and even the backdrop of an impending Brexit decision failed to derail the UK contingent. However, the one thing missing from MIPIM in 2019 was British politicians. They were all back home, participating in decisive votes in the House of Commons as Parliament continued to kick the Brexit can down the road.