November 19, 2020

Rising job insecurity during pandemic linked to mental distress

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Employees facing increased job and financial insecurity at the onset of the pandemic suffered a wave of mental distress, according to research published by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). Rates of mental distress among employees were 60 percent higher in April than before the pandemic, and 50 percent higher in May, with significant increases both for employees who were furloughed and those who continued at work. More →

November 16, 2020

Millions will struggle to access the Government’s new Lifetime Skills Guarantee

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working lives

New analysis published by the Work Foundation and Totaljobs claims that millions of low paid workers will struggle to access the Government’s new Lifetime Skills Guarantee (LSG) when it is launched next year amidst a growing jobs challenge. More →

November 16, 2020

Designing your employee financial wellness program

by Freddie Steele • Company news

For a lot of employers, the idea of an employee financial wellness program can be something of an afterthought. That is, beyond providing fair pay and a clear policy regarding taxation and benefits, it can seem unnecessary to take any other action regarding employee finances. What’s becoming more and more apparent, however, is that employers do need to take a more active approach toward implementing employee financial wellness programs. More →

November 12, 2020

New to working from home? Here is how you should set up

by Freddie Steele • Company news

The past year has been something of a game-changer in many ways and perhaps one of the most unexpected has been how people have had to embrace the idea of working from home. More →

November 11, 2020

Businesses prioritise environmental impact in post-COVID-19 strategies

by Jayne Smith • Business, Environment, News

Three-quarters (75 percent) of business decision makers say their organisation’s environmental and social impact has become more important due to COVID-19, according to new research from Epson. The research claims that business decision makers are taking action too, with more than half (55 percent) confirming they are now paying more attention to these targets compared to six months ago. More →

November 6, 2020

IT decision-makers back transition to hybrid workforce

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture, Working lives

New research conducted on behalf of eFax by independent research organisation Vanson Bourne, claims that the majority, more than three quarters (76 percent) of UK IT decision-makers believe their organisations could have made the transition to a hybrid workforce sooner, if they were aware of the pros and cons of moving to a hybrid working model, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic began. More →

November 5, 2020

Leadership in a new age of virtuality

by Andrew Mawson • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Technology, Workplace design

We are living through a fundamental transformation in the way we work. The pandemic has forced organisations to go virtual. New government guidelines, including a tiered alert system, suggest that this will be the norm for the foreseeable future. But step back from the noise and it is easy to see how the current crisis is simply accelerating the inevitable. A confluence of forces, including advancements in technology and infrastructure, increasing globalisation, shifting demographics and COVID-19, has enabled greater connectivity and mobility, making obvious to organisations, their leadership and individuals the wisdom of adopting flexible work models. More →

November 4, 2020

Upskilling opportunities during lockdown: UK employers miss the mark

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Working lives

According to new research from Pluralsight, Inc. (NASDAQ: PS), the technology skills and engineering management platform, 43 percent of UK office workers are worried they will be left behind as companies seek new skills to cope with the rapid pace of change. Yet, despite these upskilling concerns, 47 percent have neglected learning any new skills since the lockdown began in the UK on March 23rd. More →

November 4, 2020

UK tech skills gap set to narrow as half of UK workers consider a career change

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Technology

New research from CWJobs claims the UK tech skills gap is set to narrow. Surveying over 2,000 professionals, comprising of 1,120 tech workers and 1,026 non-tech workers, the report suggests that over half (55 percent) of non-tech workers contemplating a career change have considered or have begun the process of moving into a tech-based role, with almost one in 10 (8 percent) having already made the move. More →

October 30, 2020

Bisley launches their new MultiRange

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Bisley’s award-winning MultiDrawer has firmly established itself as a much-loved piece of furniture since it was designed by Freddie Brown in 1958 and is found in many forms within the traditional office or the home. Now, as part of their new Belong collection, Bisley has launched the MultiRange, a reinvention of the iconic MultiDrawer to reflect the more flexible working patterns we’ve all adapted to in 2020. Accompanied by an accessory range that can be also incorporated into the original MultiDrawer, the MultiRange makes the design classic work even harder in your space. More →

October 29, 2020

Workplace culture is not something to be changed with hashtags

by Kirsty Ritchie • Comment, Wellbeing

The state of the nation’s mental health and subsequent pressure on organisations to do ‘something’ has resulted in a PR opportunity for those who see it and take it. While mental health is high on the agenda of workplace culture improvements, several organisations, including Barclays, Eon and Unilever to name a few, have signed an open letter to The Times pledging to prioritise mental health as employees return to work, after research showed that more than a third of workers were struggling. More →

October 29, 2020

Oslo tops list of cities with the best work-life balance

by Jayne Smith • Business, Flexible working, News, Working lives

Cloud-based access control company Kisi has released their 2020 work-life balance city index, highlighting how major cities from the 2019 edition have since been impacted by the global pandemic. While every city in the index suffered economic, social and structural consequences, the results of this year’s edition claim that having a safety net in place for workers made a large difference in how a city navigated the crisis. More →