February 1, 2021

Burnt out remote workers need more help than they are getting

by Karen Plum • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

There’s no question that many people now, feeling the weight of lockdown 3 and with no clear view on the timing of any sort of ‘return to normal’, are finding it tough to stay motivated. Many are burnt out. We can gain some insight into what is going on for many individuals by way of neuroscience, specifically how the brain works and how it copes with changing situations. More →

December 10, 2020

Remote working blocks path to success for mid-size businesses

by Jayne Smith • Business, Flexible working, News

Productivity, morale and the ability to serve customers are being hamstrung by technology issues at European mid-size businesses, accordingly to research commissioned by Ricoh Europe. The research explores the remote working experience of 632 European office workers during the Coronavirus pandemic, at firms with between 250 and 999 employees. It claims that these companies are failing to adapt to the challenges of remote working, setting them up poorly for future success. More →

December 4, 2020

Half of people say working from home has improved their relationships

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A new study from Perkbox claims that the increased amount of time spent at home together under lockdown has actually strengthened many people’s personal relationships. Just under half (45 percent) of employees claim that their relationship with the people they live with has become stronger during their time working from home together. 51 percent say that their relationship is the same as before, with just 4 percent feeling that their relationship is now not as strong. More →

October 21, 2020

Future of work has arrived sooner than expected, WEF report claims

by Neil Franklin • Automation, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

The Future of Jobs 2020 report from the World Economic Forum claims that COVID-19 has caused the labour market to change faster than expected. The research suggests that what was recently considered the future of work has now arrived. By 2025, automation and a new division of labour between humans and machines will disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies. More →

October 19, 2020

Frontline leaders blocked from strategic decision making

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working lives

New research commissioned by Workplace from Facebook claims frontline managers are being shut out from making strategic decisions, due to a prevailing disconnect with leaders in HQ. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting the importance of the frontline and its leaders, managers in this environment have not been empowered to make decisions. More →

October 15, 2020

The wellbeing needs of men and women can be very different

by Alaana Woods • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

There are currently 15.6 million women in work in the UK, and each of these women is likely to have differing wellbeing needs which must be supported to help retain talent and enable them to meet their full potential in the workplace. In short, business leaders need to do more to recognise and address women’s health. This will have both short-term and long-term positive effects on their business and employees. A McKinsey study found that gender diverse businesses are 25 percent more likely to financially outperform their counter parts. A separate report published in the Harvard Business Review found that such an approach can also increase innovation revenues by 19 percent. More →

October 15, 2020

Working women face new challenges in the era of Covid

by Jayne Smith • News, Working culture

The latest edition of the Women in the Workplace survey from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) claims working women across the green building industry are facing historic challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Of nearly 500 women surveyed, 86 percent are feeling supported by employers, yet nearly 90 percent note they are still facing challenges when it comes to financial, familial and professional responsibilities. More →

September 2, 2020

Video call fatigue amounts to millions of unproductive businesses hours

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Wellbeing

A recent study, which was commissioned by Bayfields Opticians & Audiologists and questioned 2000 people, claims people spent an average of three hours and 12 minutes each week on video calls – an increase of 120 percent compared to before lockdown. Connected Brits admit to spending hours getting ready for work-related video calls during lockdown and struggling to get back into the zone once the call is over, leading to millions of hours of ‘wasted’ work time since lockdown.

August 14, 2020

People increasingly confident about return to offices

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Half (49 percent) of employed British adults feel positive about the prospect of returning to their place of work after lockdown, with less than one in five (18 percent) feeling negative, an Aviva study claims. The findings paint a relatively positive picture for businesses that have supported their people through lockdown, such as regularly communicating with workers and taking necessary steps to manage the risk of infection in the workplace. However, where businesses have not embraced risk management and prevention strategies, employees may decide not to return to work at all. More →

July 22, 2020

Employee anxiety and stress levels massively up on last year

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Anxiety in employees has rocketed over the last year, according to a new report from Inpulse. The research, which includes the views of over 3,000 UK employees, claims that anxiety is the most dominant negative emotion at work and has risen 240 percent over the same period as last year – up from 5 percent to 17 percent. Stress is another high negative emotion for employees, at 11 percent, while Isolation rates stands at 7 percent. More →

July 2, 2020

Leaders need to develop a high care quotient for the new challenges they face

by Chris Parke • Comment, Wellbeing, Working lives

Everything has taken a hit in 2020. Nothing has gone unscathed or unchanged – and the same goes for leadership. From boardrooms to living rooms, meeting rooms to spare rooms, leadership has moved away from face-to-face interactions to digital communications. Meanwhile, forward-thinking initiatives, spurred on by continuing diversity imbalances and widening gender pay gaps, have been put on hold. Following government guidance, only half of businesses published their 2018-19 gender pay gap report – which could reportedly push gender equality back a whole generation. We are risking losing sight of what’s important to us – and unless we’re intentional about how we make systemic, much-needed organisational changes, they’re not going to happen if we only focus on more ‘critical’ things, or keeping the lights on. More →

June 15, 2020

Wellbeing for remote workers should not be lost in translation

by Brendan Street • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the world of work – seeing many businesses remote working – employers are learning more about the importance of effective communication. Diminished in-person contact can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness among employees. And managers are also facing new challenges in providing the level of social interaction and support that is crucial in maintaining the mental health wellbeing of employees while away from the office. More →