Search Results for: productivity

Third of firms believe hybrid working improves productivity, but at a cost

Third of firms believe hybrid working improves productivity, but at a cost

A poll from the latest Bupa Global Executive Wellbeing Index suggests that over a third (35 percent) of UK business leaders feel implementing hybrid working has brought greater productivity to their organisations. Over a quarter (29  percent) of UK executives said they had now embraced the benefits of hybrid working despite being previously dubious about the practice, with more than two-fifths (44 percent) saying they personally enjoy the flexibility of a hybrid workplace. Overall, over a third of UK business leaders (35 percent) agreed that working from home increases productivity. More →

Over half of offices not set up to optimise creativity and productivity

Over half of offices not set up to optimise creativity and productivity

An image of a gorilla applying lipstick to symbolise shallow attempts at creativityA study from Unispace claims that the majority of workplaces are not set up to enable staff to work to their best ability. The results of the poll of 3,000 office workers and 2,750 employers across Europe, found that despite 78 percent of businesses stating that their office has been set up to enable staff to be creative and productive, over half (52 percent) of employers noted that creativity and innovation among their employees increased while work from home guidance was in place. Full findings can be found in Promoting workplace creativity and productivity [registration]. More →

WELL certification may boost occupant satisfaction, perceived wellbeing and productivity

WELL certification may boost occupant satisfaction, perceived wellbeing and productivity

An illustration of three people celebrating to illustrate their wellbeing A new study claims that WELL certification appears to boost levels of satisfaction and perceptions of health, wellbeing and productivity in people. The study claims to show an increase in occupant satisfaction by nearly 30 percent, as well as occupant perceived well-being scores by 26 percent, mental health by 10 percent and productivity by 10 median points in WELL Certified buildings. More →

Poor acoustics hamper productivity and deter people from spending more time in the office

Poor acoustics hamper productivity and deter people from spending more time in the office

acousticsNoisy offices are lowering productivity, with 60 percent of office workers unable to concentrate and delivering poor quality work due to loud workspaces, is deterring people from returning to offices more often, and can even lead to violence. Those are the key findings of a new poll of 2,000 workers from Oscar Acoustics. The survey [registration] suggests that just 8 percent of people feel they work in a quiet office, with only a quarter of office workers working in a space that has well designed acoustics for their job. More →

Four day week should be about people, not productivity

Four day week should be about people, not productivity

four day weekYou may well have seen the announcement that more than 3,300 workers at 70 UK companies, ranging from a chippy and a distillery to leading financial institutions, have started working a four day week, with no loss of pay, in what is described as ‘the world’s biggest trial of the new working pattern’. The pilot – which will run for six months – is being organised by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with the think tank, Autonomy, and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College. More →

Loneliness might hold back hybrid working productivity gains

Loneliness might hold back hybrid working productivity gains

lonelinessLoneliness is defined as the difficult emotion we experience when our need for meaningful social contact and relationships is not met, and it’s something we’ve all had experience of. Nearly half of the UK population have reported feeling lonely at times, with other research showing that 39 percent say their wellbeing was negatively impacted because they were lonely too. Why people feel lonely can be attributed to many reasons. Humans have a deep need for attention, warmth, and attachment to others. When such relationships end, or if someone finds themselves in an abusive or emotionally non-existent relationship, this can lead to elevated levels of loneliness. More →

Despite low productivity, UK firms still don’t look for ways to improve on past performance

Despite low productivity, UK firms still don’t look for ways to improve on past performance

low productivity

Despite the UK’s persistent low productivity, less than a fifth of business owners are actively looking back at projects to identify areas for improvement. A large proportion of business owners (65 per cent) and senior managers (82 per cent) have increased their use of project-based methods on everyday tasks, such as introducing measures to identify and manage risk. Despite this, many are still failing to assign enough dedicated project managers to the work. New research from the Association for Project Management (APM)  claims that only 35 per cent of senior managers who participated in the survey regularly assign dedicated project managers to tasks, and only a quarter for business owners. More →

Growing number of firms link increased productivity to home and flexible working

Growing number of firms link increased productivity to home and flexible working

flexible workingThe number of employers who believe that an increase in homeworking and flexible working has increased their organisation’s productivity or efficiency has jumped significantly over the last year, according to new research from the CIPD. When asked in December 2020, a third (33 percent) of employers said homeworking had increased their organisation’s productivity or efficiency. However, when asked about increased home/hybrid working in October/November 2021, over two-fifths (41 percent) said these new ways of working had increased this. More →

Small business focussed more on measuring productivity in new era of work

Small business focussed more on measuring productivity in new era of work

measuring productivityA new report from Be the Business, tracking business performance and management capabilities has found business leaders are positioning themselves to improve productivity levels, including increased adoption of e-commerce, and greater emphasis on measuring business performance and strategic planning. The Productive Business Index (PBI) is derived from a survey of over 1,000 directors of companies with 2-249 employees. The PBI features a headline number, indicating the overall health of businesses, and sub-indices which provide insight on key productivity drivers such as management skills; technology adoption; training and HR; operating efficiency; and innovation. More →

Office still valued by UK employees, providing space for productivity and collaboration

Office still valued by UK employees, providing space for productivity and collaboration

employeesNew research from Nespresso Professional claims that the office space is still highly valued by employees, with office workers naming seeing their colleagues (39 percent) as the thing they like most about being in the office. While a proper desk setup (31 percent) comes in second, office camaraderie (30 percent) took the third spot, showing the importance of the office environment for team building and relationships. More →

Productivity concerns remain as more people tentatively return to office

Productivity concerns remain as more people tentatively return to office

productivity concerns remainAs footfall in the city of London reaches 39 percent of pre-pandemic levels, its highest rate since early 2020, new findings reveal widespread concern about productivity from leading business decision makers with hybrid working models setting in post pandemic. The findings show that over half (51 percent) of UK business decision makers are worried about productivity in the workplace, with 74 percent showing at least some concern as we move into the next stages of the Covid crisis. More →

Employers worry about remote work productivity, but majority fail to invest in solutions

Employers worry about remote work productivity, but majority fail to invest in solutions

productivityNew research released by Ricoh Europe claims that employers are failing to invest in technology to maintain productivity across their remote workforce, despite concerns about their output. More than 18 months since the Coronavirus pandemic took hold across Europe, forcing businesses to adopt remote working practices, just over a third (36 percent) of employers say their organisation has provided the tools and technology to maintain employee productivity while working from any location. More →