Search Results for: people management

Firms struggle to get a grip on people data despite workplace challenges

Firms struggle to get a grip on people data despite workplace challenges

A new CIPD survey of business leaders claims there is a significant mismatch between the scale of the challenge that workplace issues currently pose to businesses and how often workforce issues and people data are discussed by senior leaders.A new CIPD survey of business leaders claims there is a significant mismatch between the scale of the challenge that workplace issues currently pose to businesses and how often workforce issues and people data are discussed by senior leaders. In response, the CIPD is warning that organisations are unlikely to perform well in the long term unless decisions taken at a board and executive management level are informed by an in-depth and evidence-based understanding of the value and risk their workforce poses. More →

People prefer flexible to hybrid working according to new poll

People prefer flexible to hybrid working according to new poll

A new poll from MHR claims that people appear to prefer flexible to hybrid working. It suggests that a greater proportion of employees would prefer to work in the office with flexible hours (51 percent) than work from home with structured hours (41 percent)A new poll from MHR claims that people appear to prefer flexible to hybrid working. It suggests that a greater proportion of employees would prefer to work in the office with flexible hours (51 percent) than work from home with structured hours (41 percent). The survey [registration] of over 1,200 full time office workers across the UK and Ireland set out to find how their experience working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic compared to their usual work practices. More →

People in the West continue to express ambivalence about the metaverse

People in the West continue to express ambivalence about the metaverse

An illustration of a suited man using a headset to access the metaverseA new poll from law firm Gowling WLG claims to reveal a stark difference in attitudes in Western and Eastern nations when it comes to the metaverse. It claims that the technology is set to change how we work and socialise forever, and that early adopters like China and the United Arab Emirates are already reaping the economic benefits. The firm’s Immaterial World report compared attitudes towards the metaverse in six international markets. The research found that four-in-five (83 percent) Chinese consumers would consider taking part in virtual experiences, more than twice as many as in the UK (37 percent). More →

Firms should focus on people in the drive for long term growth

Firms should focus on people in the drive for long term growth

A new report by Economist Impact, sponsored by Kyocera Document Solutions, claims that human-centric strategies are needed for businesses to drive sustainable business growth, focusing on three pillars: productivity and infrastructure, employee engagement and culture. The Magnetic Workplace Barometer claims to gauge confidence both today and in five years’ time across  what the report terms the three main pillars of productivity and infrastructure; employee engagement; and culture. The barometer scores are scaled from 1 to 7, 7 being the most confident. More →

The networks people build often hold them back rather than help them

The networks people build often hold them back rather than help them

Laurel and Hardy to illustrate the problems we have with the networks we createThe networks of ties we build in the workplace are key to our success and performance. Yet, researchers at ESMT Berlin claim in a paper published in the Academy of Management Journal that we often build networks that hamper our performance. Professors Gianluca Carnabuci and Eric Quintane, both from ESMT Berlin, investigated how and when people build networks that allow them to perform at their best. To this end, they conducted a longitudinal field experiment within a business unit of a large semiconductor company, tracing the network and performance of each employee over two and a half years. More →

Who’s driving this bus, anyway? A critical review of Leading People in Change by Jennifer Bryan

Who’s driving this bus, anyway? A critical review of Leading People in Change by Jennifer Bryan

A caterpillar sits on a dew dropped leaf to serve as a metaphor for changeWriting about change isn’t easy, but too many people try it. I tried it with Elemental Change (LID, 2020). Jennifer Bryan succeeded where I didn’t, and managed a short book about change. Her book Leading People in Change also succeeds where I didn’t by focussing on one aspect of change, leadership. So far so good, despite my initial uncomfortable reaction to the title suspecting it might be a handbook for ensuring people did what we wanted them to do, regardless. Fortunately, not so. More →

People feel too busy to move around enough during the working day

People feel too busy to move around enough during the working day

A large proportion of workers (86 percent) feel they have too much work to be able to move during the working day, with chronic stress and anxiety becoming increasingly prevalent, according to a new report [registration] by Magic Mountain, supported by CIMSPA (The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity).  Despite growing health issues linked with consistently spending too much time seated, the report claims that over half of workers remain sedentary for eight hours or more during the working day alone. More →

Benefits of zero-hours contracts outweigh downsides for most people

Benefits of zero-hours contracts outweigh downsides for most people

zero hours contractsNew research from the CIPD suggests there needs to be a more balanced and nuanced debate about their place in the labour market, that recognises both the positives and downsides to zero-hours work. The CIPD’s new research ‘Zero-hours contracts – Evolution and current status’– claims that this kind of arrangement – where there’s no guaranteed minimum number of hours that must be worked – is an established part of the UK labour market. It finds that the number of people on ZHCs has changed little since 2015, making up just 3 percent of employment. Fewer than a fifth of employers (18 percent) use ZHCs, and they’re most often used in the hospitality and entertainment industries, in the voluntary sector, and typically in roles such as bar staff, waiters/waitresses, and care workers. More →

People try to claim shared desks by leaving personal stuff on them

People try to claim shared desks by leaving personal stuff on them

shared desksWorkers place personal items such as photographs on their desks in order to resist a change to a shared workstations or hot desking, according to new research from emlyon business school. The research found that employees believed is the most effective approach to show their dissatisfaction and halt the change to a new way of working involving shared desks is by passively utilising their personal items to claim space. These are the findings of research by David Courpasson, Professor of Sociology at emlyon business school, alongside colleagues from Universite Catholique de Louvain and published in Human Relations Journal. More →

People are searching for better work, not just more pay

People are searching for better work, not just more pay

better workNew research from the CIPD claims that more than 6.5 million people in the UK expect to quit their job in the next 12 months, with those reporting the poorest job quality the most likely to have itchy feet. Better pay and benefits are the main motivator to leave, but people are also looking for increased job satisfaction and better work life balance.   In response, the CIPD is calling for employers to not treat pay increases as a ‘silver bullet’ for attracting and retaining staff, but instead look at overall job quality by being more creative with job design and people management practices. More →

Young people should optimise the time they spend in the office

Young people should optimise the time they spend in the office

young people in the officeDuring the pandemic, around 100 million people in Europe switched to working from home – nearly half of them for the first time. This shift was rapid, with employees quickly noticing the benefits of remote work. These can include freedom from commuting, more time for personal wellbeing and increased productivity. As we move on from pandemic restrictions, we’ve seen a strong, global demand for more flexible forms of working, particularly to retain an element of remote work. While some employees want to work from home permanently, most want what’s coming to be regarded as the best of both worlds: hybrid working. Only a minority of workers now want to return to the office full time. More →

Work-life balance more important than pay for two thirds of people

Work-life balance more important than pay for two thirds of people

work-life balanceRising inflation and the UK’s cost-of-living crisis have put a lot of pressure on employers to increase wages and starting salaries this year, but a new survey suggests that there’s something that employees value more than pay – work-life balance. HR and payroll software provider CIPHR polled over 1,000 UK workers to find out which job aspects matter most to them. Based on the results, over two-thirds (70 percent of women and 65 percent of men) see work-life balance – albeit a term that can mean different things to different people – as being more important than their pay and employee benefits combined (selected by 60 percent of women and 57 percent of men). More →