Search Results for: workplace

December 3, 2019

British workers are amongst the unhappiest in the world, report claims

Coworking provider Mindspace has announced the UK findings of its global work culture survey, which polled 5000 employees across Europe and the US. On the UK side, the survey covered 1000 employees from across the country. In what the report claims is a dramatic wake-up call for UK employers, the survey revealed that around one-quarter of British workers are unhappy in the workplace and looking to change their situations. This places the UK at the end of the line up in workplace happiness among the other countries surveyed. UK workers rated only 73 percent on the report’s happiness index, compared to 81 percent in Germany and 93 percent in the US. More →

December 3, 2019

Manifesto calls for action on disability inclusion as pay gap for disabled people widens

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A leading non-profit disability and business organisation is calling on the future Government to commit to a series of actions to support businesses to deliver on disability inclusion. Business Disability Forum published its ‘Manifesto for Inclusive Change’ today (3 December) to mark the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The manifesto calls for action in seven areas to ensure that the role businesses play in disabled people’s lives is enhanced, not inhibited, by government policy. To read Business Disability Forum’s ‘Manifesto for Inclusive Change’ go to www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk . Follow the debate at #DisabilitySmart. More →

December 2, 2019

What you need to know about paying wages in cryptocurrency

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Promotion

Not all of your employees will prefer to have their hard work rewarded with often volatile cryptocurrencies. However, for those already investing in it, having some or all of their salary given as a digital currency may be more appealing and convenient. Below you can find the details of what you will need, some examples of people already doing it and the obstacles you will face.

To make paying your employees a reality, both you and your workers will need to have some additional things. The first is everyone will need a secure wallet to pay the cryptocurrency in. Making sure the best wallets are chosen is vital because there is no backup to the funds stored in them like there is at a conventional bank. Anyone considering their options should not forget to check out the Luno Bitcoin wallet with exceptional safety and stellar reviews.

The other help you will need as a business is a dedicated team of bookkeepers who know how to track payments in Bitcoin – more on that shortly.

Companies already paying in Bitcoin

There are some firms already making the leap to paying employees in cryptocurrency. Notably, a Japanese firm has started using Bitcoin to pay staff. At the moment, this is rare as most firms find the process difficult due to some legalities and taxation issues.

Another way people have been getting paid in cryptocurrency is through freelancing work via apps. There are many apps on the market that will pay freelance workers to complete projects in exchange for Bitcoin and alike. Earn.com is one of the most established, but many similar apps are available.

Legalities and tax

One of the reasons that some of the most trendy fintech startups are not paying in crypto as of yet is because it is an overly complex procedure. For some, it is just not possible as it is against the law to do so, including in many South American and Asian countries. Even in those that do not make it illegal, the taxation and invoicing practicalities of doing so put them off.

For example, in the USA you can legally pay in crypto, but all forms need to show values in US dollars and sophisticated and specialist accountants and bookkeepers would be required, which adds to business expenses.

Will the rules change?

It is possible that as cryptocurrencies become even more mainstream and accepted – as well as regulations are implemented upon them – the idea of paying in crypto will become not only legal, but more feasible. That day may come, but the wait until it is easy to do may be long.

For now, employees may be better swapping their fiat salaries for crypto with a trusted exchange platform and a reliable wallet.

Image by Icons8_team

December 2, 2019

Wellbeing risks remain for majority of inactive workers

by Neil Franklin • News

The vast majority (84 percent) of British workers are failing to achieve the necessary amount of physical activity recommended by the NHS to maintain their health and wellbeing. That is according to the third Wellbeing Index Report from health and wellbeing provider, Westfield Health. The quarterly analysis focuses on the negative impact of desk jobs: over a quarter (26 per cent) spend a dangerous nine hours or more sat down; 65 per cent say they quite or very often sit continuously for one hour or more, clocking up an average of seven hours and two minutes every day. More →

December 2, 2019

Knight Frank and Work.Life launch flexible office platform

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Property

Knight Frank is the latest established property business to launch a flexible office offering. In partnership with flexible office provider Work.Life announce the launch of new flexible managed workspace solution, Yours. A joint venture between Knight Frank and Work.Life, Yours claims to “partner with landlords to provide a comprehensive offer, incorporating a sales strategy that addresses both flexible and traditional market demand. The platform streamlines the design and delivery of resalable workspaces, and offers a suite of ongoing services and extras to businesses, including access to Work.Life’s network of coworking spaces and amenities.” More →

December 2, 2019

Planning permission granted for new 13 storey London offices

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Planning permission has been granted for a new 13-storey riverside office building at the Embassy Gardens development on London’s South Bank. Named EG:HQ, the development will provide 217,000 sq. ft. of flexible space in zone 1 Nine Elms, in addition to 18,000 sq. ft. of outdoor amenity space which will include a 9,000 sq. ft. communal terrace and several private open-air terraces. More →

November 29, 2019

Seeing red about the only home we will ever know

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Somewhere in the Utah desert, there is a small living pod designed to emulate conditions on Mars for a group of scientists keen to explore how we might colonise that red planet after messing this blue one up. This came as a surprise to me as did the news that Ikea has been on site recently installing some of its furniture for the occupants. Next up perhaps, an installation of Billy bookcases on the International Space Station as scientists explore the effects on people of a lost screw in zero gravity. I am Jack’s unconstrained rage. More →

November 29, 2019

HR profession needs to modernise if it is to stay relevant

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Following the recent Gartner study describing the unpreparedness of the HR function for the future of work, another report is exhorting managers to step things up. According to the KPMG International global Future of HR survey, close to 3 in 5 (57 percent) Human Resources executives believe that if their function doesn’t modernise its approach to understanding and planning for the future needs of the workforce, it will rapidly become irrelevant within the modern organisation. More →

November 29, 2019

People need to feel comfortable about being themselves at work

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Over a quarter of people (28 percent) in the workplace suffer bullying and/or discrimination on issues such as gender, age or sexual orientation, according to a new study. The Workplace Wellbeing Census, conducted by leading healthcare provider Bupa, found that such actions are the most harmful factors influencing workplace wellbeing at work. Women in the workplace face significant challenges with over a third (34 percent) experiencing bullying or discrimination, compared to 22 per cent of men. Women are also more than four times as likely to suffer negatively from workplace gender discrimination than men (13 percent vs 3 percent). More →

November 28, 2019

The four day week will make management support more important than ever

by Adrian Moorhouse • Business, Comment, Wellbeing

With work collaboration tools like Facebook Workplace growing more common and constant out of hours access to work emails, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between work and leisure. This lack of separation between the office and home risks creating a situation where we have less time to unwind. So it’s not surprising that the World Health Organisation officially classified burnout as an occupational phenomenon. Rising workloads, limited staff and resources, and consistently long hours are all contributing to half a million people in the UK suffering from work related stress, with 15.4 million working days lost as a result. Business and politics are hoping to buck this negative trend by finding ways of improving people’s work-life balance – most recently by experimenting with a four day week. More →

November 28, 2019

Surface Design Show 2020 to focus on sustainability and regional differences

by Freddie Steele • Company news

The Surface Design Show, which runs from 11-13 February, has announced its theme for 2020: Close to Home. Held at the Business Design Centre in Islington and celebrating its fifteenth edition, the show’s theme addresses the current climate emergency debate in the context of the surface and materials sector, for both the UK and international markets.

Close to Home will look at a wholly sustainable approach to design. Innovative and thought- provoking products will be highlighted at Surface Spotlight Live, a section of the show curated by trend expert Sally Angharad and forecasters Colour Hive. The theme will look beyond aesthetics and into manufacturers’ impact on the environment, from the processes used in mining or manufacture, through to the carbon footprint sustained during sales and distribution. Designing with a conscience will also be examined, from reusing waste materials to looking at what happens at the end of a product’s life cycle.

There will be a number of home-grown products on display including textiles from the North of England from exhibitors such as New Talent’s The Monkey Puzzle Tree and porcelain in the Midlands from H+E Smith. Several areas worldwide which are renowned for specific materials, will also be represented, from Italian marble to Spanish tiles from Tile of Spain and ceramics from Portugal’s Viúva Lamego. Other issues examined through the theme include why these areas have become market-leaders in their respective material markets, what benefits a project brings to the local area in terms of employment, preserving skills and sustaining the local community, and what challenges there are in continuing to serve the global marketplace.

Further questions to consider include can we ever return to buying locally, with particular reference to the UK post-Brexit, given the fact that we’re so used to being global consumers? Should manufacturers use local designers, as opposed to those based hundreds or even thousands of miles away?

Over the 2½ days, Surface Design Show will host approximately 30 presentations from 50 speakers, including panel discussions and talks centred around this highly topical theme, including Jo Roan, associate strategy director at PriestmanGoode talking sustainability through ‘Get Onboard: Reduce. Reuse. Rethink’ on the Main Stage on from 1:45pm – 2:30pm on Thursday 13 February. Also featured on the Main Stage on Wednesday 12 February is ‘Close to Home: Consciously Creating Spaces from Concept to Completion’ with Nicola Keenan from Boxx Creative ( 3:15pm – 3:45pm) and Hotel

Designs’ editor Hamish Kilburn who highlights the importance of close to home in his presentation entitled ‘Biophilic Materials in Surface Design’ from 12:30pm – 1:00pm on Thursday 13 February.

Tickets are free to professional and trade visitors. Register at https://www.surfacedesignshow.com/register

November 28, 2019

Two thirds of bosses say workers don’t like change. Workers disagree.

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

New research by HR solutions provider People First, part of MHR International, claims that nearly three-quarters of bosses think that their employees do not like change. However, the same research suggests that 1 in 4 employees say that it is in fact their bosses who do not like change and who are holding the business back. Surveying the attitudes of 250 bosses and 250 employees from firms across the UK, the research highlights an interesting disconnect between bosses and their staff when asked about the other’s shortcomings. More →