Search Results for: employee

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.

June 23, 2016

How could UK employment laws be affected by the outcome of the Brexit vote? ⁰

by Sathesh Alagappan • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

The result of yesterday’s EU referendum vote will dominate the UK’s political scene for months now and the outcomes will be followed with particular interest by business owners, who currently have to adhere to a range of employment laws that either originate from the EU itself or have been developed within the context of our membership of the organisation. Therefore, a vote for Brexit today could fundamentally change the way businesses operate in the UK. This is particularly true given that a large amount of the UK’s employment law has its roots in Brussels. Article 153 of The Lisbon Treaty set the precedent for this. It allowed the EU to create a base level of legislation that applies to all facets of the workplace. This includes working hours, workers’ rights, and health and safety. Individual nations are free to supplement this with their own legislation. For example, the minimum wage is an example of employment legislation that is independent of the EU.

June 22, 2016

One in six business leaders don’t link staff wellbeing with organisational success ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

You can take this story however you like, but a new YouGov survey of attitudes amongst British business leaders claims that just one in six (17 percent) believe that fostering a healthy work-life balance for employees is not important for their organisation. The research also found that 15 percent of organisations in the UK don’t place any focus on the mental health and wellbeing of employees. Furthermore, three in ten (31 percent) say that their company does not do anything to actively promote mental well-being in the workplace. However, there is a clear difference in approach based on size of the organisation involved. Small businesses (44 percent) surveyed are far more likely to admit they don’t do anything, compared to medium (29 percent) and large (15 percent) businesses. This all still means that the majority of firms are actively interested in their employees’ wellbeing, but the proportion of those who aren’t may raise an eyebrow.

June 22, 2016

Brexit uncertainty leads to drop in cost of living rankings for UK cities ⁰

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property

UK cities have dropped down the ranking in Mercer’s annual Cost of Living Survey this year as Brexit fears weaken the value of the Pound, whilst the Euro stays strong against the Dollar. Although the UK’s capital remains in the top 20 costliest cities worldwide, London (17) has dropped five places, whereas Aberdeen (85) and Birmingham (96) have fallen seven and 16 places respectively. Further down the list, (119) has dropped 10 places and Belfast (134) three. The survey finds that factors including currency fluctuations, cost inflation for goods and services, and instability of accommodation prices, have all contributed to the cost of expatriate packages for employees on international assignments. Mercer’s survey covers 209 cities across five continents with Hong Kong ranking highest, pushing Luanda to second place. Ranking 3rd, Zurich is the most expensive European city, followed by Singapore (4) and Tokyo (5).

June 21, 2016

Ageing workforce requires employers to better address skills gaps ⁰

by Sara Bean • Events, News, Workplace

The Government’s 2016 Working Futures report revealed that the total number of jobs in the UK is expected to rise by 1.8 million between 2014 and 2024, while the working age population (16-64) is expected to increase by half this amount. Now a policy event being held in London by the Westminster Employment Forum will draw attention to the growing challenge faced by business leaders as the UK workforce continues to age. According to figures from the CIPD, 9.4 million people in employment in the UK are over the age of 50, equivalent to over 30 per cent of the workforce. The Open University is advising that, with employees staying in work longer, business leaders need to ensure that workers have the right access to education and the skills to remain competitive and productive at all stages of their careers. Ageing Workforce in the UK, will explore what steps need to be taken in order to adapt to this demographic shift.