December 17, 2020

Organisations weigh up options to make workplace fit for the future

Avison Young, realestateworks and HLM Architects have launched a new report that assesses the impact of this year’s pandemic on workplace and corporate real estate strategies in the longer-term. Over 100 private and public sector companies were asked about their evolving approach to working culture, office design and portfolio strategies in the context of multiple forces of change, including greater resilience, the decarbonisation agenda, personalisation, remote working and the integration of the physical and virtual workspaces. (more…)

December 11, 2020

COVID-19 causes cultural shift in UK organisations approach to employee health and wellbeing

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

Research by employee benefits provider Unum, claims 86 percent of UK employers surveyed are changing their approach to employee health and wellbeing in light of the current pandemic. Almost all employers surveyed (95 percent) say it has impacted their need to make people feel more protected, with many focusing their health and wellbeing strategies on preventative measures, like mental health advice and support. (more…)

November 19, 2020

Six key factors of productivity for organisations disrupted by lockdown

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

With a new national lockdown, the situation in the UK remains unpredictable and complicated, and renewed pressure to work from home has forced many organisations to reverse their back-to-work plans, according to a new study from Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA). The study has detailed the matrix of pain that employees may be suffering due to this challenging situation – from those who didn’t want to return to the office when restrictions were eased but had to, to those who are unhappy about working from home. In creating unhappy, disengaged employees, these pain points undermine the six key factors of productivity, defined by the AWA as: social cohesion, trust, perceived supervisory support, information sharing, vision and goal clarity, and external communication. (more…)

October 30, 2020

Organisations shift attitudes on meeting costs of home office setup

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace design

Eighty-two percent of US based employers now believe the organisation should absorb the cost of a home office setup for employees that work from home full-time. This is a dramatic increase over those who did so before COVID-19. These and other findings from The Future of Home Office Cost Sharing survey from Global Workplace Analytics and Design Public Group, will lead to profound changes in how companies procure and distribute technology and furniture, budget for workplaces, attract and retain talent, and manage safety risk, according to the report’s authors. (more…)

October 12, 2020

Flexible working is here to stay as organisations recognise effect on productivity

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

To mark the start of National Work Life Week, work-life balance charity Working Families has launched the results of a survey of employers who have invested in creating family-friendly workplaces with flexible working. Reflecting the views of 26 Working Families employer members, the survey gives a snapshot of employer best practice during the pandemic, showing how organisations have risen to the challenge of supporting their staff. (more…)

September 11, 2020

Jobseekers still looking to work for organisations that share their values

by Jayne Smith • News, Working lives

Covid-19 has changed the profile of today’s jobseekers and as such, an organisation’s purpose is valued more than ever suggests new research from the recruitment agency Hays. Of the 13,500 surveyed, four in five (81 percent) professionals say working at an organisation that has a strong and positive purpose aligned to their motivations is important when considering a new role. Close to half (42 percent) say this has grown in importance since the outbreak of Covid-19. (more…)

September 8, 2020

Artificial Intelligence is critical to organisations, but many unprepared

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology

A new report from information technology company Wipro Limited claims that enterprises of the future will be built on a foundation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Analytics, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Automation. According to the ‘State of Intelligent Enterprises’ report, these technologies are central to solving business problems and driving innovation. Most businesses consider AI to be critical to improve operational efficiency, reduce employee time on manual tasks, and enhance the employee and customer experience. (more…)

May 29, 2020

Organisations still adjusting to reality of `gig economy`

by Neil Franklin • News

A new report from Aon claims that the so-called gig economy will continue to flourish but many employers are still adjusting to its realities. Using research from HR and gig workers across Europe, the report, Gig Economy: Financial Security or Greater Control, claims that 26 percent of European HR directors believe their workforces will have 51-75 percent of gig workers in five years’ time, while 18 percent of UK HRDs believe 75 percent or more of their workforce will be made up of contractors in 5 years’ time. Nearly all HRDs believe providing health and benefits packages would improve gig worker recruitment (94 percent), engagement (93 percent), productivity (88 percent) and retention (95 percent). (more…)

May 6, 2020

Organisations think empowering people is the route to success (but only a few act)

by Neil Franklin • News

Nearly 90 percent of organisations say their success depends on empowering frontline employees to make decisions in real, but only 7 percent offer people the tools they need, according to a new report from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, sponsored by ThoughtSpot. The report, The New Decision Makers: Equipping Frontline Workers For Success, analyses the sentiments of 464 business executives from 16 industry sectors in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Only one-fifth of organisations say they currently have a truly empowered and digitally equipped workforce while 86 percent agree their frontline workers need better technology and more insight to be able to make good decisions in the moment. (more…)

May 1, 2020

Organisations should seize this opportunity to look at their values

by James Morley • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Not since 911 has one event triggered such global impact and uncertainty across all businesses and industries. The unprecedented speed and scale of organisational change has challenged even the prepared leadership team. (more…)

March 11, 2020

Half of strategic decision making in organisations fails

by Jayne Smith • News

More than half of all strategic decisions made by directors turn out to be wrong according to new research, conducted by PHD student Joep Steffes at Nyenrode Business University. This is due to time constraints, not having all of the information, and bias which often causes directors to make important decisions that are not based on reason but ‘gut’. These decisions, which could be deciding not to enter a new market or to pursue a merger, require more thought than your average decision – a director can’t simply rely on automatic actions, speed, and intuition. (more…)

January 8, 2020

Majority of organisations remain unprepared for executive pay gap reporting

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Three-fifths of UK organisations are still not ready to report their executive pay gap almost twelve months after the legislation came into force, claims a new poll by HR services provider MHR. This year UK listed companies with more than 250 employees are, for the first time, obliged to publish the pay ratio between their CEO and “average” employees in early 2020 and explain the reason for their executive pay ratios. (more…)