October 3, 2019
People are only spending around 40 percent of each day doing the things they are paid to do. This means that UK businesses are missing the opportunity to tap into underused potential, due to unproductive activities and misapplied technologies, according to the new 2020 State of Work report (registration) by Workfront. More →
September 26, 2019
A new report published jointly by Instant Group and Area addresses the issue of how ensure workplaces address the physical, technological and personal needs of the growing number of people who have a choice about where they work. The report explores what employers can do to ensure that the workplace is still a place where people want to be.
September 25, 2019
As well as using contingent staff to help them become more agile, research from recruitment consultancy Robert Half UK claims that over three quarters (76 percent) of employers are turning to the temporary market to aid their digital transformation efforts. More →
September 16, 2019
Many British High Streets face a bleak future as policymakers are failing to identify a clear economic focus to city centre regeneration strategies. According to the Centre for Cities’ latest research, in partnership with Nationwide Building Society, success is defined by those policies that create skills, jobs and quality office space for businesses rather than currently accepted interventions such as cultural initiatives, business rate reforms and online sales taxes. More →
September 5, 2019
Coming up with a good creative idea is hard. We do not fully understand how this process works, but there are certain techniques that have proved successful in fostering creativity, such as mind-mapping, brainstorming or creating conditions for free experimentation. Many big companies (such as design agencies) embrace these practices in the way they work. More →
September 5, 2019
Women who have an hour-long commute are nearly a third (29 per cent) more likely to leave their current job than if they had a 10-minute commute, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS concludes that this contributes to men doing the majority of higher paid jobs and that it’s likely women prefer short commutes because it allows them more flexibility for childcare and unpaid work. More →
September 2, 2019
Over three quarters of people (76 percent) want to work for firms with a good reputation, according to the latest business reputation survey “Everyone’s Business” by the CBI, in collaboration with Porter Novelli and Opinium. Encouragingly, the reputation of business has improved since the last wave of the tracker in September 2018. Last year a series of events and scandals in the business community had a chilling effect on business reputation, but 2019 has seen this ‘reputational chill’ start to thaw, with a 4-point rise in those thinking business reputation is good (60 percent). More →
September 2, 2019
The demand for talent is at an all-time high, and companies need to focus on building out robust and effective diversity and inclusion strategies that attract both permanent and contingent talent, according to new data released by Randstad Sourceright. According to results from the firm’s 2019 Talent Trends survey (registration), 72 percent of permanent talent and 71 percent of contingent talent find it important to work with a company that emphasises creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. More →
August 16, 2019
It’s been a year since the launch of the Mayor of London’s smart city roadmap, designed to transform the capital into the smartest city in the world. But twelve months later, is the city any smarter? The Mayor of London’s smart city roadmap is proposing to transform the capital into the smartest city in the world, and as part of the initiative, Sadiq Khan appointed his first Chief Digital Officer to help steer the plan to focus on knowledge and technical advancements that will make life easier for London’s citizens. More →
August 9, 2019
Almost all (98 percent) employers believe that their employees’ financial wellness has a direct impact on productivity and their business performance – especially concerning employee productivity (67 percent) and engagement (62 percent). This is according to the Future of Pay research study (registration) by technology firm ADP, which surveyed 4,000 employees and 2,900 businesses to explore workers’ perceptions and attitudes towards traditional and emerging pay methods to address some of the biggest human capital management concerns. More →
July 30, 2019
As the consequences of climate change, social tensions and high levels of inequality are increasingly evident, the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, led by Professor Diane Coyle, has published its initial report on how to improve economic measurement by replacing GDP as the standard measure for national prosperity with others that include wellbeing and social and environmental capital. More →
October 2, 2019
Breaking free of the linearity of modern work
by Howard Lewis • Comment, Technology, Workplace design