April 24, 2024

Working from home: how to look after your eyes

In an era where working from home has become the new norm, our eyes are more essential than ever for navigating the digital landscape that defines our daily lives. The rise of remote work has been rapid, with a significant portion of the American workforce transitioning to home-based employment post-pandemic. According to a recent survey, approximately 10 percent of the British workforce reported working remotely full-time, and 29 percent were working remotely part-time. However, there is a trend towards returning to the workplace, and least in part, with several businesses mandating a return to the office. More →

April 24, 2024

Wellbeing at an ‘all-time low’ claims report

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

A new report published by Dialogue Health Technologies Inc., claims that overall wellbeing is at a low point as people struggle with lifestyle challenges around sleep and physical activity. Wellbeing Report: A benchmark for Canadian health, based on data gathered through Dialogue’s Wellbeing Score benchmarking thousands of people across Canada, is indicative of trends seen across the globe. More →

April 24, 2024

The role of emotional intelligence in effective sales leadership

by Freddie Steele • Company news

The sales industry has long esteemed the virtues of sharp negotiation skills and strategic thinking. However, a growing body of research suggests emotional intelligence (EI) is a pivotal force behind sales leadership success. More than just a buzzword, EI encompasses the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in ourselves and others. Leaders adept in emotional intelligence are often seen forging stronger relationships and achieving greater outcomes. Below, we explore how EI can enhance sales leadership and why it’s critical for those looking to excel in this dynamic field. More →

April 23, 2024

Trust gap on AI in the workplace must be overcome if businesses are to get ahead

by Rob Smedley • AI, Comment, Technology, Workplace

With many AI firms increasingly pivoting towards developing specialised tools for easier integration into the workplace, it may come as a surprise that half of the companies Freeths recently surveyed have no plans at all to implement them, with only 15 percent reporting that investing in artificial intelligence tools for human resources was a strategic priority. More →

April 22, 2024

AI is not coming for your job. But it will make it better

by Barry Murphy • AI, Comment, Technology, Workplace

“Artificial intelligence will outsmart humans, resolve all IT and business problems, and humans will not be needed in the workforce!” These are some of the most common misconceptions that too many companies and workforces currently have around AI and automation. To date, workforces have been inclined to broach AI with apprehension due to concerns that it will negatively affect or eliminate their jobs. Conversations have skewed towards the technology as a disruptive force, here to steal jobs and ultimately leave people redundant. A study found that 60 percent of workers are concerned about job loss in regards to working with Gen AI. Additionally, a further third worried that, despite AI being unable to completely replace them, it could make them less useful in the workplace. More →

April 18, 2024

A lot of young people don’t think their employers give a fig about sustainability

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News

Ahead of World Earth Day, a new poll from Zest, claims that workers across the UK are increasingly focused on sustainability and expect their employers to do more – particularly younger generations. Half (51 percent) of employees are keen to see their company invest more in sustainability, rising to 61 percent of younger workers aged 18-34. The survey from Zest also reveals that over half (53 percent) would like to see their company investing in more sustainable benefits such as electric vehicles, similarly rising to two-thirds (66 percent) of 18–34 year olds – and these demands are not going unnoticed. More →

April 9, 2024

Being furloughed affected people’s sense of time and relationship with work

by Victoria J E Jones • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace

Between March 2020 and September 2021, millions of workers furloughed under the UK government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme lived what for many of us is a dream: being paid not to work. Through interviews, I’ve researched the impact of this time on 35 people who were furloughed under the scheme. I found that for some, furlough created opportunities for reflection and growth, but for most of my interviewees it was a time of uncertainty and disorientation. More →

April 9, 2024

The significance of women’s health is increasingly acknowledged in the modern workplace

by Olga Kokshagina • Comment, Wellbeing

Women, on average, outlive men but, as reported by the World Economic Forum (WEF, 2024), spend approximately 25 percent of their lives in poor health. According to the WEF, addressing the disparities in women’s health could dramatically reduce this statistic, enhancing the lives of billions globally. Notably, strategic improvements in women’s healthcare could add an average of seven days of healthy living per year for each woman, cumulatively offering more than 500 additional healthy days over a lifetime. This progression not only promises to elevate the quality of life for women but also holds the potential to boost the global economy by at least $1 trillion annually by 2040. More →

April 8, 2024

Prioritising your phone over your partner affects women’s creativity at work

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology, Wellbeing

Focusing attention on your mobile phone instead of your partner doesn’t just strain your relationship – it also affects creativity at work, according to researchers from the Universities of Bath, Aston, and IESE Business School. The study claims to shed light on the negative effects of ‘phubbing’, the idea of snubbing someone in favour of your phone, which is known for its detrimental impact on relationships and mental wellbeing. Now the study of working couples in the US points to repercussions in the workplace as well, but only for female partners. More →

April 8, 2024

It’s vital employers understand the new EHRC guidelines on menopause

by Cecily Donoghue • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace

Recent guidelines issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) aim to simplify employers’ legal obligations to support workers going through menopause. A growing topic of conversation in the workplace and beyond, menopause has become increasingly recognised in employment guidance. More →

April 5, 2024

A just in time lesson about office design

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design

The nascent years of new ways of working in the late 80s and early 90s coincided with a widely held but soon to be discarded belief that the Japanese had cracked management practices. So it was perhaps inevitable that the principles of a process called just in time manufacturing – most famously applied in the factories of Toyota – should migrate to new forms of office design and the rapidly developing practice of flexible working.

April 4, 2024

Half of workers say they are ready to take advantage of new flexible working laws

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Businesses are being advised to brace themselves as a new poll claims more than half (55 percent) of respondents are planning to make a new request for flexible working when new rules come into UK law this weekend. The changes introduced by the Flexible Working Bill on April 6 – allowing workers to ask for flexible forms of work from day one of their employment (previously six months) – look set to lead to a sharp increase in flexible working requests even though 74 percent of employees report already having some degree of flexibility. More →