Search Results for: employees

July 5, 2016

LBGT inclusion in the workplace relies on FM and HR best practice ⁰

by Peter Holmes • Comment, Facilities management, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design

Much has been written about the business case for diversity and inclusion with one overarching theme; people perform better when they can be themselves. This is especially true for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans employees. Have you ever hesitated before talking about your partner to a colleague at work? Anticipated how they will react when they find out the person’s gender? Have you ever thought twice about going to the toilet in the office? Spent more time worrying about which facilities you’ll use than the looming deadline you have coming up? These are just a few examples of the thoughts that can consume the mental power of an LGBT person when you create a working environment which isn’t inclusive. According to last year’s Open For Business report, LGBT diversity and inclusion in the workplace impacts two key areas of productivity – business and individual performance, which rely on a focus on sound management and an inclusive workplace design.

July 5, 2016

Managers responsible for promoting engagement distrust employers ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

They may be responsible for upholding their company’s corporate values and ensuring employee engagement, but HR and line managers lack confidence and faith in their employers. According to a survey by Cornerstone OnDemand almost a third (29 percent) of HR and line managers are not proud of their workplace nor do they recommend it. Managers in the Nordics (88 percent), Austria (84 percent), and Spain (81 percent) are the most satisfied with their places of work, whereas Italy (59 percent) and Switzerland (64 percent) are the least proud of their companies and the least willing to recommend it to others. Meanwhile, managers in the UK are struggling with this lack of positivity towards their own company, with only 37 percent agreeing that their company is an attractive employer. The survey also found that the greatest influences on ‘happiness’ in the workplace were revealed to involve career flexibility and technology.

July 5, 2016

This Friday will be the UK’s least productive for the whole Summer ⁰

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, Legal news, Workplace

This Friday will be the UK’s least productive day for the whole Summer, according to a study by HR and payroll firm Moorepay. The study is based on the plans UK workers say they have to watch the various sports events on that day, which include Wimbledon, the British Formula 1 Grand Prix practice and Tour de France. The previous evening sees the semi final between Germany and France at Euro 2016. The report claims that one-third of the staff are planning on watching events while at work, with one in six (17 percent) admitting their productivity will drop as a result. The authors suggest that firms are underestimating the impact, with 79 percent believing productivity in their company will be unaffected. With, on average, 10 per cent of staff on leave any given week and another one in ten planning on calling in sick to watch sport, businesses face staff shortages and prolonged dips in productivity, claims the report.

July 1, 2016

Workers say increased recruitment would cut workplace stress ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The tumultuous events of this week won’t have helped, as nearly half of all employees already say recruitment freezes have left them feeling under-resourced and under-staffed at work, leading to increased workplace stress. Research by MetLife Employee Benefits claims that 46 percent of employees believe their organisation has not recruited enough since the economic downturn with 40 percent saying workplace stress would be reduced if employers took on more people. This is despite the fact that around 42 percent of employees say their company helps staff to deal with work pressure and stress and nearly one in three (31 percent) say employers help new recruits to understand the pressure involved in their job. And while companies are investing in workplace benefits – with around 50 percent of employees having access to a range of wellbeing benefits including medical care, gym memberships, counselling services and flexible working hours, they are not always seeing the benefits.

June 29, 2016

Higher productivity levels reported by staff with flexible hours ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Measuring productivity is hardly an exact science, but there are ways that individuals can analyse their working habits and come up with ways of improving their performance. According to research by Conference Genie we all have times where we’re very productive and others where we struggle to get any work done. The data gathered in the study of 2,000 UK employees who work from home or in an office, can be split into age, gender, region and industry sector and shows that over half of UK office/home workers say they sometimes waste time at work, and a further 15 percent say they often waste time at work. It seems that the older generation is most productive. Eighteen to 24 year old’s gave themselves the lowest productivity rating and 55+ the highest. And in a further indication of the benefits of agile working a third of those who gave themselves a productivity rating of 4/5 say that their employer offers them flexible hours.

June 28, 2016

Workers can’t improve productivity when they don’t know what it means ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

There’s been a lot of debate surrounding the productivity gap over the past few years, but there’s still much confusion on how best to measure it. Now a new study claims that around half of UK office workers don’t fully understand what ‘productivity’ actually means. The survey, by PageGroup highlights a clear disconnect between employers’ continued push for increased productivity and employees’ understanding of what this really entails. Only 55 per cent of the 1,000 office workers surveyed completely understand what productivity means. For instance, the most popular definitions chosen by respondents were finishing all tasks within their deadlines (37 percent), and getting all their work done within working hours (26 percent). With the vast majority (86 percent) saying that they work out of contracted hours – and around four in ten (39 percent) doing so often or always – it is clear why they might think that they are falling down in that second regard.

June 27, 2016

Millennials not as keen on the gig economy as you might think, claims study ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The supposed confluence of two of the most currently talked about workplace phenomena may not be all it seems, according to a new report from PwC. It appears that Millennials may not be all that keen on the gig economy after all, and might prefer some of the things that previous generations enjoyed such as stability, security and an ability to plan their lives with at least some degree of certainty. They are realists however, and understand that the use of freelance work will continue to grow over the next few years. Indeed, the report suggests that it is older workers who – perhaps unsurprisingly – are more keen on freelance work. According to the study based on 1,385 respondents in the US, overall 41 percent of employees expect to be employed on a contract basis within the next year, even though over a third (39 percent) don’t like the income uncertainty, and over half (53 percent) expect to be fully self employed within the next five years.

June 27, 2016

The key to boosting productivity may be the offer of flexible working ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, Wellbeing

Over 82 percent of people say they feel more productive when working from home according to a survey of 2,000 employers and employees conducted by remote conferencing provider Powwownow. The report also claims that over 60 percent of employers say that flexible working is the key to staying competitive and 77 percent saying it leads to better work-life balance. Conversely, 44 percent of workers said that being able to get work done with no distractions was the biggest appeal of flexible working, however, less traffic was a close second with over 40 percent citing that as a benefit. Over 50 percent of workers In the UK said that they would work the same hours (9-5) if they were able to work from home. However they also admit that they would take fewer breaks. Women tend to ask for flexible working more than men, as they would like to spend more time with their families. Interestingly, the report also claims that women bosses tend to be less trusting when an employee asks for flexible working.

June 24, 2016

Procrastination + Transparent office design + That Brexit thing ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, Legal news, Newsletter, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design

In this week’s Newsletter; Sathesh Alagappan outlines the impact on UK employment law following the Brexit vote; Mark Eltringham looks at taking transparent office design to new extremes; and why, according to Dr Piers Steel, this is the golden age of procrastination. Over a third of jobs in the tech and creative sector found within the Capital; a lack of trust precludes employees from donning wearables in the workplace; and new liability rules for the automated workforce of sophisticated ‘smart’ robots. News that 15 percent of organisations in the UK don’t place any focus on the mental health and wellbeing of employees; small firms more likely to adopt virtual working and both UK and US staff routinely work beyond their contracted hours. You can download our Insight Briefing, produced in partnership with Connection, on the boundless office; visit our new events page, follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.

June 24, 2016

Property and workplace experts have their say on the Brexit outcome ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Comment, Facilities management, Property, Workplace, Workplace design

Well, the results are in and the UK’s electorate has voted by a narrow margin for the country to leave the EU. There are likely to be other developments but whatever you make of the UK’s decision to vote to leave the EU – and I think it’s fair to say most independent people think it’s inexplicable – there’s no doubt that it will have a profound impact on the UK’s economy, relationship with the world, culture, working conditions and markets. What it will mean in practice won’t be apparent for months or years, of course, but that hasn’t stopped experts who work in the property, workplace, design, legal, HR and architecture sectors having their say on its potential implications. We’ll look at these specific issues in more detail going forward but for now, here’s a round-up of those we have so far, which we’ll keep updated throughout the day as the dust settles on what will prove to be a momentous decision for the UK, Europe and rest of the world.

June 24, 2016

Small businesses outpace larger firms in adoption of virtual working ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

${9f354208-5623-47fc-9edf-1efb90f919df}_V9_launch_LP_lrg_1$ Around two thirds (60 percent) of knowledge workers in small and medium sized businesses in the US, UK and Germany now use virtual working technology that is internet or cloud-based in their professional roles. This figure is higher than in companies with 500 or more employees (53 percent). These are the findings claimed by the Way We Work Study commissioned by unified comms firm Unify. Surveying 5,000 British, American and German knowledge workers, it explores people’s attitudes and expectations about their workplace. Knowledge workers at SMBs expect to see large changes in their jobs over the next five years. More than a third (38 percent) believe their roles will not exist after this period, and almost two-thirds (64 percent) thinking they will be substantially different. On the subject of trust, 76 percent of SMB knowledge workers feel they are listened to in their organisation, compared to 71 percent in larger companies.

June 24, 2016

UK and US staff skip holidays and work beyond contracted hours ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Flexible working doesn’t necessarily translate to spending less time at work, as the prediction that technology will enable workers to enjoy more leisure time fails to materialise. A new survey has revealed that nearly nine out of ten British workers failed to take all of their holiday allowance last year, with almost one in 200 missing out on more than ten days of paid leave. In some cases, that meant workers missing out on as much as £675 of annual leave, according to Voucherbox. Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by The Workforce Institute at Kronos has revealed that the practice of working outside standard contracted hours is so ingrained in American culture that a majority of full-time salaried employees in the US would work off-the-clock even if it was against company policy. As the line between work and life continues to blur, 81 percent of US salaried employees report that they conduct work outside of their standard hours.