February 4, 2021

Older executives are coping with WFH challenges better than younger leaders

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working lives

Senior executives aged 55+ have fared better than ‘millennial’ leaders (aged under 35) during the global pandemic. ABBYY’s COVID-19 Technology and Business Process Report claims that since the pandemic, executives of all ages have experienced huge challenges – in the UK alone, 81 percent of senior decision-makers struggled, particularly with collaborating with colleagues remotely (37 percent), motivation to work (29 percent) and productivity (26 percent). More →

February 4, 2021

Working from home wellbeing outcomes vary enormously across groups

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

With working from home set to continue for millions of UK workers, research by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) claims that there are key health and wellbeing disparities between different groups of people who made the move to home working as a result of Covid-19. More →

February 2, 2021

Working from home spells trouble for the careers of younger workers

by Helen Jamieson • Comment, Flexible working

Lockdown meant that the choice to work from home was made for us. However, for many the decision to continue to do so post-lockdown will be a personal choice. The question we should all ask ourselves is, whether when we are outside of any lockdown restrictions, is working from home really a workplace revolution or simply an act of selfishness? For thousands of workers who’ve spent years of their lives commuting to offices that feel more like soul-less factories than inspiring and engaging workplaces, it’s no wonder that enforced work from home has proven popular. More →

January 28, 2021

Disconnected leadership hinders effective employee engagement

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working culture

New research from Opinion Matters, commissioned by SocialChorus, the digital employee experience platform, claims that the digital employee experience (DEX) and employee engagement efforts by businesses across the US, UK and Nordics are hampered by the lack of collaboration between IT, HR and Internal Communications (IC) departments. More →

January 26, 2021

SLL publish specialist lighting guide for FMS

by Jayne Smith • Lighting, News, Workplace design

The Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) has published its first guidance document designed specifically to address the key lighting tasks required of facilities managers. Lighting is absolutely critical to providing a safe and productive working environment and much of the management required to procure, maintain and optimise lighting systems falls to facilities managers. More →

January 15, 2021

Staff in small companies need less employer support than those in larger firms

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

According to a recent Kaspersky survey, people who work in companies with fewer than 50 employees, on average, need less employer support when working remotely, compared to staff in larger businesses. Emotional or psychological support is an exception. More →

January 14, 2021

Over two-thirds of British office workers currently suffer from imposter syndrome

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

Asana, the work management platform, has launched a new research study, which highlights the increased levels of imposter syndrome, anxiety and burnout now being felt by British office workers. At a time when many workers are now facing the reality of a new national lockdown, over two-thirds (69 percent) claim they are currently suffering from imposter syndrome, and nearly half (45 percent) say this has increased while operating in a remote working environment. More →

January 8, 2021

Volunteering boosts employees during lockdown, research claims

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

As companies struggle to motivate teams working remotely, new research by the charity Education and Employers and the CIPD, claims that employers who support their staff with volunteering in schools and colleges has found employees to be more motivated, more productive and have a better sense of well-being. More →

December 18, 2020

Mental wellbeing needs of employees should be a greater priority for businesses

by Freddie Steele • News, Wellbeing

Data from thousands of employees across the country has been aggregated in a new report, detailing the mental wellbeing of the workforce over the course of the year. The research from 87 percent, a digital platform that provides mental health assessment and support to businesses and their employees, shows how the workforce has struggled with the mental pressures of Covid-19. Since March, circumstances at work and pressures in our personal lives have badly affected our mental wellbeing. More →

December 16, 2020

The weakness of purpose and the shift to problem-solving

by Steven van Belleghem • Business, Comment

BlackRock is one of the largest asset management companies on the planet. Each year, at the start of January, the CEO Larry Fink writes a letter addressed to the other CEOs of the world. In his New Year’s letter for 2020, Fink appealed in particular to his fellow CEOs’ sense of social responsibility. In particular, he focused in on the risks faced by the climate. “Climate risk is an investment risk,” and he called on all companies, both public and private, to create greater societal added value. “Society is looking increasingly to companies to solve social and economic problems,” he concludes, so asset managers should be encouraged to invest in companies with a ‘purpose’. More →

December 15, 2020

The majority of employees admit to boozing while working from home

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

To say that 2020 has been a tough year is an understatement, and it appears that there has been an increase in the amount of alcohol being consumed whilst working from home since the pandemic began, according to Health and Safety software company Protecting.co.uk. More →

December 15, 2020

The FM industry is held back by short-term thinking, research claims

by Jayne Smith • Business, Facilities management, News, Working culture

Research published by VINCI Facilities claims that there is a lack of long-term strategic thinking amongst FM service providers and their customers that is limiting an opportunity to yield substantial business and social benefits. More →