Search Results for: flexibility

Office occupiers should invest in neurodiversity, report argues

Office occupiers should invest in neurodiversity, report argues

office occupiers neurodiversityA new report from the British Council for Offices urges landlords and office occupiers to invest in design for neurodiversity, as disabling workspaces continue to hinder wellbeing. The report examines how the neurodiverse community remains underserved and often unsupported in the current employment ecosystem, and in turn, outlines the considerations that built environment practitioners can take to make offices enabling environments, and the crucial role of more inclusive designs. (more…)

Only a quarter of remote workers feel connected to company culture

Only a quarter of remote workers feel connected to company culture

remote workersThree quarters of HR leaders feel that hybrid work challenges employees’ connection to organisational culture, according to a survey from Gartner. The poll of more than 200 HR leaders claims the most challenging aspect of setting their hybrid strategy is adjusting the current organisational culture to support a hybrid workforce. While 40 percent of HR leaders reported they have increased their culture budget since the beginning of the pandemic, the survey of more than 3,900 hybrid / remote workers in December 2021 suggests only one in four are connected to their organisation’s culture. (more…)

Bisley introduces new colours for 2022

Bisley introduces new colours for 2022

Bisley introduce new coloursSpring has finally sprung, and now is the time to give your surroundings – whether it be at home or in the office – the well-earned refresh it deserves. Adding colour is a simple yet effective way to revitalise and inject freshness into a space. Expanding its colour palette, British office specialist Bisley has introduced two new hues, Bisley Lilac and Bisley Coral, to a whole host of furniture and desktop accessories from its Belong collection – as well as selected products for the contract market. (more…)

‘Return to office’ remains a divisive issue

‘Return to office’ remains a divisive issue

return to officeAccording to a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Citrix Systems, employees remain divided on how they want to work going forward. Based on the poll: the majority enjoy the flexibility they’ve been given to work from anywhere and are willing to leave jobs to maintain it. Of the 6,500 workers polled in ten countries, 57 percent prefer hybrid work, and 69 percent will ditch their current positions if it isn’t an option and they are asked to return to office based working. (more…)

Lack of flexible working could drive half of women out of current roles

Lack of flexible working could drive half of women out of current roles

women flexible workingNew research from LinkedIn claims to highlight a potential impending ‘flexidus’ amongst women in the UK workforce, with 52 percent saying they’ve considered leaving, or have left, their role due to a lack of flexibility. According to the research, a perceived lack of flexibility at work is having a significant impact on women’s careers. Of the women who have left a job because of a lack of flexible working, more than one in five (21 percent) say their career progression has been hindered, and 25 percent decided to take a career break as a result. (more…)

Competition for talent is fierce, but employers edge away from pay to attract people

Competition for talent is fierce, but employers edge away from pay to attract people

competition for talentNew CIPD research claims that almost half (45 percent) of UK employers report having vacancies that are hard-to-fill, and almost two thirds (65 percent) anticipate problems filling vacancies in the next six months. The most common response made in the past six months by employers with hard-to-fill vacancies has been to increase pay (44 percent). However, only a quarter (27 percent) of organisations plan to raise wages in response to the competition for talent in the future. This suggests that organisations may be approaching their limit on this ‘quick win’ strategy and are exploring alternative options, such as upskilling people and flexible working, to attract and retain people. (more…)

Flexible working now arriving at aisle three

Flexible working now arriving at aisle three

flexible working tescoRemote workers might soon be able to do their jobs and shop for groceries at the same time, under a new “Spaces” project between Tesco and flexible office operator IWG. A trial at a branch of Tesco in New Malden that will start later in this month and will accommodate 12 private desks, 30 co-working spaces and a meeting room. The 3,800 sq ft space within the store would normally have been used for electrical goods, music, and other forms of entertainment, most of which are now mainly purchased online. The aim is to make better use of floor space and, if successful, Tesco stores across the country could become flexible working hubs. (more…)

Flexible working is the new hybrid working, apparently

Flexible working is the new hybrid working, apparently

flexible workingFlexible working is the new hybrid working as a third of European workers would decline a job if flexible hours were not offered. That is the key claim of a new report from Owl Labs, a collaborative technology company. The annual State of Hybrid Work study polled 10,000 full-time employees across UK, Germany, France, Netherlands and Scandinavia – which suggests that flexibility is key to retaining top talent in 2022 and beyond. Over a third (37 percent) of European employees are prepared to decline a job if flexible hours are not offered and just over two thirds (69 percent) would accept a pay cut to have flexible hours. (more…)

Half of workers worried about the financial cost of the return to the office

Half of workers worried about the financial cost of the return to the office

commuters return to the officeSlack has released the results of a new poll which the firm claims reveals the current state of mental wellbeing among UK workers. Commissioned in partnership with NHS GP and TV Doctor, Dr Sara Kayat, and to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, the survey sets out to examines the impact of the office on wellbeing, the effects of the return to the office after the pandemic and indicates how businesses can build healthier workplaces. (more…)

BCO honours the best workplaces in South of England and South Wales

BCO honours the best workplaces in South of England and South Wales

BCO South West AwardsSix South of England and South Wales workplaces have been recognised at the annual British Council for Offices’ (BCO) Regional Awards. The South of England and South Wales Awards Dinner returned in-person at We the Curious at Bristol Harbourside, recognising the highest quality developments in the South of England and South Wales and setting the standard for excellence in the office sector across the UK. (more…)

Codelocks facilitates future of flexible working

Codelocks facilitates future of flexible working

codelocks flexible workingWith organisations adopting a hybrid working model and moving towards flexible working also comes a need for flexible office solutions. International office and workplace solutions provider Kinnarps, approached Codelocks as it was looking to furnish a UK county council with an access control solution suitable for its hybrid working needs. Codelocks designs and distributes a wide portfolio of innovative, standalone keyless door locks and access products for a range of growing markets.

The UK county council has adopted a hybrid working model to best suit the needs and lifestyles of its employees. The council has multiple working hubs across the country, allowing its teams to choose the office space that is convenient and accessible to them on their chosen office days. However, despite not being tied to a specific location, the need for employees to store possessions in the workplace remains.

The council sought a storage solution that:

  • can be used on temporary basis
  • is easy to manage
  • is within its constrained budget
  • accessed by different people on different days, for varying time periods

 

Perfect partnership

Due to its longstanding relationship with Codelocks, Kinnarps is familiar with the wide range of KitLocks by Codelocks cabinet and locker locks.

Steve Newman, KitLock Sales Manager at Codelocks explains, “We understood the council wanted to avoid the need to cut keys or have lockers allocated to specific employees. And with the ongoing concern of Covid-19 and the transfer of germs, it was also important to give easy access to personal belongings whilst minimising touch. The KL1100 RFID offers the flexibility the council needs.”

The KL1100 RFID is a smart card operated lock designed for both public and private lockers. It is perfect for building and facilities managers that oversee large quantities of lockers, as they can benefit from managing cards remotely.

Kinnarps found a locker company that the KL1100 RFID could be installed on and combined the two products to create ‘hot lockers’, similar to hot desks for all of the county council offices. County council employees simply collect a card from the reception at the start of their day, use a dedicated locker to store their personal belongings, and then return the card so it can be used by someone else the next day.

Simon Cotter, Account Manager at Kinnarps said, “We needed to provide over 1000 lockers for the council, so we sought a supplier that had an innovative and stylish lock solution with enough available stock. Due to the volume of lockers we needed to provide, we were glad that the KL1100 RFID was straightforward to install.”

 

Convenient Contactless Access

The KL100 RFID is perfect for the council’s hybrid-working approach. “The council office manager has expressed the importance of being able to manage card access remotely, as their employees are all working on different days and at different times. It also removes the cost and hassle of having to cut and hand out keys.” explains Simon. “Council employees have found the lockers easy to operate and appreciate the fact the council has put a storage solution in place that is secure and requires minimal contact.”

Council employees can now be sure that whichever office they choose to work from, they have convenient access to lockers to store their belongings.

Two thirds would take a pay cut in exchange for a four day week

Two thirds would take a pay cut in exchange for a four day week

four day weekA poll of 2,000 people published in the new edition of the State of Hybrid Work study from Owl Labs claims that flexibility is now key to retaining top talent in 2022 and beyond. 65 percent of British employees would rather be paid less in exchange for a four day week and over a third (37 percent) would choose to decline a job if flexible hours are not offered. The report claims that offering greater flexibility will prove key to preventing employees from driving the ‘Great Resignation’ – with nearly one in three (31 percent) employees changing jobs in the past two years and a quarter (25 percent) of employees actively seeking a new opportunity in 2022. (more…)