Search Results for: pandemic

Winter is coming: don’t be in the dark about blackouts

Winter is coming: don’t be in the dark about blackouts

by • Environment, Features, Wellbeing

a lit candle to illustrate the idea of blackoutsThe National Grid has warned that the UK could face blackouts this winter. The worst-case scenario is that homes and businesses could lose power for pre-defined periods of up to three hours if gas power plants are not able to keep running due to the energy crisis that keeps on giving – or rather, taking. While the British government has dropped its energy rationing campaign, which once formed a crucial part of its plan to prepare for potential energy shortages and blackouts, countries across Europe are drawing up winter contingency plans, as are forward-thinking businesses. More →

Remote workers can find it hard to switch off. There’s now an app for that

Remote workers can find it hard to switch off. There’s now an app for that

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

flexible working and remote workersThe last few years have seen our approach to work change dramatically. Technology has helped to unlock whole new ways of communicating and interacting, providing the flexibility for employees to work in a way that suits them best and creating a large number of remote workers for the first time. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, this switch was on the cards. From an employer perspective, digital tools can allow for communication across the world, opening up access to a whole host of talent and wider consumer exposure. More →

Flexible working may help to entice large numbers of older people back into work

Flexible working may help to entice large numbers of older people back into work

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

A middle aged man in a suit to portray flexible working for older workersThere are 712,000 additional people aged over 50 who are economically inactive compared with the same period three years ago (pre-covid pandemic), according to new analysis from Rest Less, a digital community and advocate group for people in their 50s, 60s and beyond. The organisation is now calling on firms to ensure their flexible working practices and in-house training schemes are suitable for all age groups and not just targeted at younger people. More →

Leading UK employers call for flexible working recruitment by default 

Leading UK employers call for flexible working recruitment by default 

by • Flexible working, News

flexible workingA joint letter from 21 leading employers – including several in the FTSE 100 – is calling on employers across the UK to advertise all vacant roles with flexible options by default. The full text is: More →

Wellbeing and business success are directly connected, study claims

Wellbeing and business success are directly connected, study claims

by • News, Wellbeing

A smiling woman to depict wellbeingA new report from Gallup, sponsored by Workhuman, claims that a set of wellbeing measures can help mitigate a $322 billion cost of employee turnover and lost productivity worldwide. The report- Amplifying Wellbeing at Work and Beyond Through the Power of Recognition, claims to identify connections between employee wellbeing and overall company growth and success. The study of more than 12,000 employees across 12 countries claims that when employees are recognised at work, they are up to 10 times as likely to strongly agree that they ‘belong’ at the organisation. Employees who lack a strong sense of belonging are up to twelve times as likely to be disengaged and five times as likely to be looking for another job. More →

Three quarters of people admit to turning off webcam to hide what they’re doing

Three quarters of people admit to turning off webcam to hide what they’re doing

by • Flexible working, News, Technology

An owl camouflaged against a tree as a metaphor for hiding on webcam meetingsA new poll from Showpad, claims that three quarters of ‘office workers’ in the UK (76 percent) admit to turning off their webcam on video calls to hide what they are doing. The figure for workers under 24 rises to 85 percent. According to the State of Selling study, concentration on video calls when working from home appears to be one of the main issues with 80 percent saying they are more easily distracted in virtual meetings compared to real-world ones, with over half (52 percent) saying they have an attention span of less than half an hour in virtual meetings. More →

Reliance on hero leaders holds back progress on the environment

Reliance on hero leaders holds back progress on the environment

by • Environment, News

Reliance on a wise ‘guru’ leader or ‘hero CEO’ endangers progress in tackling the environmental crisis by shifting responsibility, according to a new report from CEMS. Instead, all leaders need to adopt a corporate culture of ‘collective’ responsibility, empowering all employees to make decisions with a generational outlook if real change is to take place.  The new report – Leading for the Future of Our Planet – builds on findings from a CEMS survey of 4,206 professionals across 75 countries revealing that the environment is the single greatest concern facing modern-day business leaders, overtaking technological advancement. More →

Public transport makes commuting easier and boosts the labour market

Public transport makes commuting easier and boosts the labour market

by • Cities, Features, Flexible working

commuters and public transportFollowing losses of £1.5bn in annual fare revenues incurred during the pandemic, Transport for London recently signed a deal with the UK government for emergency funding. The agreement ensures that new train orders, bridge repairs and tube upgrades will continue as planned. It also will lead to public transport fares rising and bus services being cut. While the Elizabeth Line, a £19 billion east-west addition to the London Underground, opened to great fanfare in May 2022, this year has also seen some of the oldest bus routes in the UK axed: including route 144 between Worcester and Birmingham, route 477 between Dartford and Orpington, and route 84 between north London and Hertfordshire. At least 135 bus routes countrywide currently face cutbacks or permanent cancellation. More →

Skills shortages won’t be solved by offering people more money

Skills shortages won’t be solved by offering people more money

by • News, Workplace

skills shortagesAs businesses across the country face rising costs, new research from the CIPD and Omni warns that using pay to attract talent simply isn’t enough to tackle on-going skills shortages. While an increasing number of organisations (54 percent) are inflating pay to retain talent, this approach is not sustainable for most employers in the face of rising costs. To tackle the skills shortage, organisations need to highlight other components of good working practices when recruiting, such as offering flexible working and promoting career development opportunities. For instance, the latest Resourcing and Talent Planning survey shows that 68 percent of employers that offer hybrid/ remote working say it has allowed their organisation to attract and retain more talent.  More →

Vitra opens new showroom at London Design Festival

Vitra opens new showroom at London Design Festival

by • Company news, Workplace design, Works Magazine

Vitra showroomVitra, the Swiss design company, has opened a new flagship UK showroom at the historical Tramshed building in Shoreditch to coincide with the London Design Festival 2022. Vitra is known for its furniture classics by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Alexander Girard, Verner Panton and Jean Prouvé as well as for contemporary works by designers such as Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Antonio Citterio, Konstantin Grcic, Hella Jongerius, Alberto Meda and Jasper Morrison. More →

Getting working culture right is essential to hiring, supporting and retaining workers

Getting working culture right is essential to hiring, supporting and retaining workers

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design

working cultureAs workers continue to adjust workstyles to fit with their new priorities, a PwC survey reveals nearly two-thirds of workers are on the hunt for a new job. Many employers are scrambling for strategies to attract top talent and retain their employees. But actively developing working culture and designing new ways to secure the best talent and look after it requires first listening and reacting to the impact the changing work landscape is having on employees’ mental and physical health, as well as understanding and prioritising new and sought-after benefits. More →

Working culture a major draw for younger job seekers

Working culture a major draw for younger job seekers

by • News, Workplace

working cultureAccording to a new poll from Breathe HR, a large majority of younger workers now prioritise working culture in their job searches. The study of around 1,300 people claims that workers aged 18-34 are more likely to consider company culture (86 percent) when applying for jobs, compared to those working aged 55 and over (66 percent). In addition, 81 percent of 18–34-year-olds are more likely to ask about company culture in an interview than over 55-year-olds (57 percent) and four-fifths of UK workers say they would not apply for a role that had “unrealistic expectations”. More →

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