Search Results for: commuting

Majority of working parents say they would look for a new job if they were required to travel

Majority of working parents say they would look for a new job if they were required to travel

New research among working parents claims that three quarters (74 percent) would look for a new job if they were asked to travel to a central office five days a week.New research among working parents claims that three quarters (74 percent) would look for a new job if they were asked to travel to a central office five days a week. The study, undertaken by International Workplace Group among more than 1,000 parents in hybrid working roles, highlights that 83 percent said they were better parents as a result of the flexibility offered by hybrid working. 89 percent say they are closer to their children and are more present (92 percent), while 86 percent say their family’s quality of life has improved. More →

Rise of remote work leading to longer commutes in US, study claims

Rise of remote work leading to longer commutes in US, study claims

The time and distance Americans spend commuting appears to be increasingly markedly thanks to the increase in remote work, say researchers.The time and distance Americans spend commuting appears to be increasingly markedly thanks to the increase in remote work, say researchers. According to the new study from Stanford University, the share of “super-commutes,” those 75 miles or longer, is up by nearly a third since the start of the pandemic. Employees who no longer have to trek into the office each day appear to be more willing to tolerate a longer commute once or twice a week if it means a higher standard of living further away, the report concludes. More →

What happens to work when the machine stops?

What happens to work when the machine stops?

Newton at work

In 1909, E M Forster – not exactly known for a body of work replete with dystopian fiction – published a novella called The Machine Stops. You can read it here but the story describes a future in which people live below ground, in isolation but with all their needs met by an omnipresent Machine (you can see where this is going). More →

A brief history of the future of work

A brief history of the future of work

The future of work has always existed but never arrives. It is best seen as a way of thinking about current and emerging issues The past few years and our current predicaments should serves as a reminder of that tragic, unchangeable feature of the human condition, best expressed by Kierkegaard, that we are doomed to live our lives forwards but only understand them backwards. Retrospect is particularly important when we look back on sudden, large changes that knock us off our normal path. It’s important to remember this as we continue to grapple with the nature of the present and future of work in the wake of the pandemic. More →

Remote work boom creates risk of professional isolation, study finds

Remote work boom creates risk of professional isolation, study finds

Researchers from the US have concluded that remote work can make people feel isolated and at risk of burnoutWhile the pandemic ushered in a wave of remote work with benefits for both employers and employees, a new study warns of a hidden risk: professional isolation. Researchers from Colorado State University found that remote employees experiencing isolation reported feeling less engaged and more depleted at work, potentially leading to burnout. The study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, surveyed 445 participants across two points in time. It measured professional isolation, schedule flexibility, and the level of support supervisors provided for work-life balance.

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We can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives with simple, small and cost-free changes

We can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives with simple, small and cost-free changes

London, the crouching monster, like every other monster has to breathe, and breathe it does in its own obscure, malignant way. Its vital oxygen is composed of suburban working men and women of all kinds, who every morning are sucked up through an infinitely complicated respiratory apparatus of trains and termini into the mighty congested lungs, held there for a number of hours, and then, in the evening, exhaled violently through the same channels. More →

A definitive new book on the madness of hybrid working goes one step beyond

A definitive new book on the madness of hybrid working goes one step beyond

Andy Lake's new book is called Beyond Hybrid Working but he could have called it “Way Before, and Way Beyond the fuss about Hybrid WorkingIn any crisis, there are people who spot an opportunity. One such opportunity, in early 2020, was to seize the term “hybrid” and apply it to the world of work and place. And for the past four years, we have seen the emergence of polarised commentators, arguing over two extremes; work from home, and ‘back to the office’ and the nominally new construct ‘hybrid working’. Mostly, entirely missing the spectrum of work and workstyles which can co-exist. More →

It now costs more to commute by train than by car in the UK

It now costs more to commute by train than by car in the UK

Problems at London Euston went viral on social media several times this week, challenging the idea that we should let the train take the strain. Now the assumption that public transport is cheaper than driving is also being called into question for the UK’s commuters. With rail fares increasing by 4.9 percent from the beginning of March, Good Travel Management has look into the cost of commuting into the UK’s major cities to find out how much it’s really costing people to get to work. More →

Nine in ten employers of knowledge workers offer hybrid working. Nearly all would like them in the office more

Nine in ten employers of knowledge workers offer hybrid working. Nearly all would like them in the office more

91% of companies have employees hybrid working and nearly all have tried to encourage them to come to the office moreAround 91 percent of companies with a workforce that can work from home currently offer some form of hybrid working, according to a new poll of 500 HR professionals from Towergate Health & Protection. On average 39 percent of the workforce are hybrid working and 27 percent of employers have more than half their workforce hybrid working. The poll also suggests that 30 percent of employees work from home for at least three days a week. Employers stated that 31- 40-year-olds are the age group most likely to want to work from home, and over 60s and under 25s are least likely to want to work from home. More →

British workers now entirely unproductive, claims report

British workers now entirely unproductive, claims report

The overwhelming majority of UK workers don’t do anything productive at all, according to a new report published today. The study of available research into the illnesses, injuries, distractions, wastes of time, procrastinations, productivity drains and paralyses that afflict British workers found that the annual cost to the British economy is around £1.8 trillion, equivalent to 98.9 percent of GDP.

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Half of people ‘struggle’ with the idea of more face to face meetings

Half of people ‘struggle’ with the idea of more face to face meetings

A new poll claims that half of office workers in the UK, who have experienced an increase in face to face meetings, are struggling to copeA new poll claims that over half (52 percent) of office workers in the UK, who have experienced an increase in face to face meetings, are struggling to cope with the increased demand, as business travel and in person time is on the rise. For many this has resulted in an increase in business travel, with 35 percent admitting the frequency of work related travel has steadily increased over the last two years – in fact 66 percent of office workers have travelled up to 50 times for business in the last 12 months. More →

Hybrid working helps women into senior management roles

Hybrid working helps women into senior management roles

The widespread adoption of hybrid working has opened the door for women to apply for senior positions within their companiesThe widespread adoption of hybrid working has opened the door for women to apply for senior positions within their companies, according to a new report released ahead of International Women’s Day. IWG’s 2024 report Advancing Equality: Women in the Hybrid Workplace, based on research among more than 1,000 female hybrid workers, found that flexible working had allowed over half (53 percent) to pursue promotions or apply for more senior roles  – which, in an encouraging move for advancing equality, rises to more than three in five (61 percent) of women from minority backgrounds. For almost three quarters (73 percent) of women in minority groups, flexible working has opened up new opportunities that they would not have had otherwise. More →