Search Results for: confidence

Job satisfaction keeps employees motivated more than bonuses

Job satisfaction keeps employees motivated more than bonusesThe reported levels of stress felt by banking employees already suggests that generous bonuses do not necessarily equate loving the job. Now a new study published today by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) confirms that across the business sector, the single most effective motivator is job satisfaction (59%), with just 13 per cent saying the prospect of receiving a bonus or other financial incentive motivates them to work harder in their role. The survey of over 1,000 employees found that a competitive salary and a good pension are highly effective motivators (49%) but getting on with colleagues (42%) is nearly as important. The report also highlights how important good managers are to ensuring happy and motivated staff. More →

Labour demand growing, but many employers prefer to increase hours not people

Employment experts give cautious welcome to job increase figuresThere was a fall in unemployment of 18,000 to 2.49 million from March to May of this year according to the latest figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Between June and August 2013 the unemployment rate dropped from 7.8 per cent to 7.7 per cent, with a slight rise in total pay of 0.7 per cent. Although the news was welcomed by employment experts, Nigel Meager, Director of the Institute for Employment Studies pointed out that while employment increased by 0.9 per cent in the last year, the number of hours worked in the economy grew faster; and CIPD Chief Economist Mark Beatson commented that there is no sign yet that increased demand for staff were leading to higher wages. More →

Demand in UK regional office markets beginning to outstrip supply

GlasgowThe latest report from property consultancy Savill’s looking at trends in the UK’s commercial property market paints a now very familiar picture of an increasingly healthy market driven by a number of sectors in general and the tech and media industries in particular, but also of growing confidence outside of London. It also highlights a marked shift away from public sector to private sector employment. Although the upsurge in demand is putting pressure on the supply of appropriate office space in certain parts of the country, a new report published today by KPMG also highlights the growing order books of UK construction firms and an increase in confidence amongst builders.

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Latest Insight newsletter is now available to view online

2.Insight_twitter_logo smIn the latest issue of the Insight newsletter, available to view online; the mammoth problem for facilities managers in focusing on all of the facets that go into defining the workplace; details on the Workplace Week event taking place on 5 November at PricewaterhouseCoopers More London building, including a discounted ticket offer for Insight readers; how the design of an office can encourage people to enjoy their working day; and outmoded Display Screen Equipment regulations do not take into account the habits of BYOD users. In other news; corruption in the construction sector is widespread finds the CIOB; increasing occupier confidence leads to the highest take up of regional office space for five years and leading European employers launch a new initiative to combat mental ill health at work.

Highest take up of regional office space for five years

Leeds Central Sqaure plans

Increasing occupier confidence is leading to the highest take up of regional office space for five years. According to property consultants GVA’s latest quarterly review of the “big nine” regional office occupier markets, total take-up in the third quarter of 2013 was 7 per cent above the five-year quarterly average at 1,737,000 sq ft. Particularly encouraging, say the analysts, has been a recovery in markets that have been subdued for some years. Carl Potter, GVA’S National Head of Offices commented: “In general many are now gearing up for the next phase of activity, although there still remains a real prospect that a lack of appetite for new speculative development will lead in some markets very quickly to a shortage in Grade A supply.” More →

Growth forecast for the commercial architecture sector in RIBA survey

RIBA

The commercial architecture sector is forecast for steady growth throughout 2013 according to the latest Future Trends Survey by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The survey, which uses an index to gauge workloads, reports that all sector forecasts remained in positive territory, with the workload balance figure for the commercial sector moving further into positive territory, (to +9). All categories of practices by size, and all the nations and regions in the UK, returned positive workload forecast balance figures in August 2013, suggesting that the sustained improvement in confidence levels is widespread and no longer confined to particular sectors and geographical locations. More →

Latest issue of Insight newsletter is now available to view online

2.Insight_twitter_logo smThe latest issue of our weekly newsletter, Insight, is now available to view online. This week:  with more over 50s in the workforce than ever before, forget Gen Y, the workplace is and will remain multigenerational; the challenge for larger organisations in creating a productive “buzz” in the office; why we propose a version of the Darwin Awards for health and safety; advice on improving the performance of low energy designed buildings; the BIFM bows out of negotiations to merge with fellow trade associations; investor confidence in commercial property reaches the highest level in five years; and we list the seven ways in which flexible working has actually made our lives more rigid.

More than half of UK firms expecting to increase capital spending over next year


Investment

The latest good news for the UK economy comes from a poll conducted by Edison Investment Research of 200 medium sized companies which shows that over half (56 percent) claim they will increase capital expenditure over the next year. In the same poll in January, only a quarter made the same claim, reflecting the sharp upturn in optimism in UK businesses. In the latest EIR poll, 69 percent said they felt positive about the coming year. In the Eurozone things aren’t quite so rosy as confidence has dropped over the course of the year with 17 percent expecting growth, down from 26 percent six months ago.

CBI raises growth forecasts, but cautious on sustainable recovery

CBI raises growth forecasts but cautious on sustainable recovery

A pick-up in confidence across a broad range of sectors, including services and construction and a better than expected second quarter has led the CBI to raise its growth forecasts, with GDP growth of 1.2 per cent predicted in 2013, up from 1.0 per cent in the May forecast. In 2014, the business group expects the economy to gather pace, forecasting 2.3 per cent GDP growth, up from 2.0 per cent in May. However, unemployment rates look set to stick at around 7.8 per cent. John Cridland, CBI Director-General said: “The economy has started to gain momentum and confidence is picking up, but it’s still early days. We need to see a full-blown rebalancing of our economy, with stronger business investment and trade before we can call a sustainable recovery.” More →

CBI survey gives suppliers chance to have say on UK public sector procurement

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is offering private sector firms the chance to take part in a survey detailing their experience of working with UK public sector. It follows a largely damning 2012 report from the same organisation which found that only 7 per cent of firms believed the public sector procurement function was effective. However the same report did find that around 80 percent of respondents were in favour of the UK Government reform programme and so the latest survey is a chance to see whether recent initiatives such as the recent Public Administration Committee report into procurement failings  and the setting up of the Crown Commercial Service have had any impact on private sector confidence in the way the UK public sector goes about its business.

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Pressure to fill roles as employers struggle to persuade cautious workers to switch jobs

Challenge to fill roles as employers struggle to persuade cautious workers to switch jobs

More good news on the economy today with the Summer 2013 CIPD/Success Factors Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey report showing that for the sixth quarter in a row, employers expect jobs growth. However, while this means more opportunities for job seekers the pressure is mounting for employers to attract the right talent. It seems that despite employment confidence being at its highest level since the 2008 recession, this isn’t shared by those already in work, who are showing a marked reluctance to change jobs, leading to a struggle for employers to find the right candidates. More →

Sharp increase in UK commercial property activity during July

commercial-propertyThe signs that the UK’s economic recovery is now underway are given credibility with news that the UK’s commercial property sector is at its most buoyant for six years. According to a report from Savills which looked at new build and refurbishment activity during July, a fifth (20.1percent) of UK developers reported an increase in activity compared to 18.9 percent in June. Savills claims this is the greatest rate of growth since May 2007. The rise was driven primarily by an increase in private sector work as reported by nearly a third (31.4 percent) of developers, with only 1.4 percent reporting a rise in public sector activity. Developers are also optimistic about their prospects in the near future, with a quarter (25.1 percent) saying they were positive about what would happen over the next three months, up from 14 percent in June. The Savills report links this positivity to greater occupier confidence and more finance from banks.