Search Results for: engage

October 15, 2016

Insight weekly: Obsession with data + People subvert design + Engaged workplace ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

In this week’s Newsletter; Jess Brook says beware of the latest data dressed up as pseudo-science; Serena Borghero on ways workplace design can boost engagement levels; and Mark Eltringham says how workplaces are utilised are subject to the vagaries of human behaviour. Staff allegedly spend just 38 percent of their time performing their primary job duties; collaborative spaces are replacing the traditional office boardroom; and 30 percent of corporate real estate portfolios will incorporate flexible workspaces by 2030. Research suggests office design makes the most significant difference to employee happiness levels; over a quarter (28 percent) of employees are reluctant to ask for flexible work; digital tech within many workplaces is not up to spec; and extension announced of the One Public Sector Estate scheme. Download our new Briefing, produced in partnership with Boss Design on the link between culture and workplace strategy and design; visit our new events page, follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.

September 23, 2016

Mass media job promotion spells global staff engagement challenge ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

As the global labour market warms up and active job seeking increases, employees’ plans to stay with their current employers are declining. This is due to a shift in attitudes by employees who’ve long believed that the job opportunities they were seeking did not exist in the labour market; but are being convinced otherwise as companies increasingly turn to mass media to promote appealing employment brands and job opportunities. While this is good news for companies looking to attract new talent, employers looking to retain their best people must also take notice. This is according to data from CEB’s Global Talent Monitor, which claims that employees are also putting in less effort at work in all regions except North America and suggests that to keep top talent in place, companies will need to better promote internal job opportunities and benefits, rather than letting employees think they must go elsewhere to find the jobs they want. The research did find though that UK employees are feeling generally less confident due to Brexit uncertainty.

August 31, 2016

Open and honest communication boosts staff engagement levels ⁰

by Sara Bean • Knowledge, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Employees who feel communication within their organisation is open and honest are nearly 15 times more likely to be engaged, and those who are encouraged to share ideas and opinions are 11 times more likely, claims a survey which suggests that staff want a more human experience, grounded in loyalty, recognition, respect, and honesty. Areas viewed as the best opportunities to differentiate in terms of staff engagement include above-average pay and benefits, a fun place to work, workplace flexibility, a strong fit with individual values, stimulating work, and a spirit of innovation. But according to results of the survey from Aon Hewitt what employees want in a workplace is not what they experience. And these gaps are having an impact on employees’ intent to stay. Of the 52 percent who would leave their current company for another job, 44 percent are actively looking. Opinions about what makes an employer stand out from other companies are similar across generations.

July 22, 2016

Employees in high performing organisations four times more engaged ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Whether or not you raise an eyebrow every time you hear about the need for employee engagement, there is a growing body of research which links engagement to performance. A new report claims that 80 percent of UK employees who say they work for high performing organisations are engaged compared to only 20 percent of those working for low performing organisations. And 80 percent of employees who think their organisation is customer-centric are engaged. This is five times more than employees who don’t think their organisation is customer-centric (17 percent). The highest performing employees are twice as engaged as the lowest, the survey by ORC International suggests. The survey found that overall employee engagement in the UK remained steady at 58 percent his year but the trends show that personal and organisational performance make a difference to engagement.

July 22, 2016

The people centric urge to personalise space helps firms to engage employees ⁰

by Paul Goodchild • Case studies, Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

In America at least, the great symbol of corporate conformity is the office cubicle. Satirised in the Dilbert cartoons and a staple in any movie about the degrading aspects of modern working life, the cubicle provides a perfect shorthand way of portraying an individual crushed by the corporate jackboot. Yet what these things miss is the propensity of people to personalise their surroundings and claim a space as their own, even if only for the short time they may be there. This seems to be particularly the case when it comes to office design and so we were much taken with this blog which lists the most far out and quirky ways people in the US have found to personalise their cubicles. Of course the need and urge to personalise space are not limited to the US. We often find in the course of our own installations that the first thing people do when they occupy an office for the first time is to personalise their space.

July 19, 2016

Millennials will stay engaged in the workplace if they feel they are valued ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The “ability to make an impact on the business” matters notably more to millennial employees than their salary and other benefits. According to a new survey from recruitment firm Korn Ferry, income comes in last on their list. The Second Annual Korn Ferry Futurestep Millennial Survey highlights the younger generation’s workplace preferences, including a need for feedback and a willingness to work long hours. In the survey, which asks what will make a millennial choose one job over another, 38 percent said “visibility and buy-in to the mission and vision of the organisation.” The survey also found that consistent feedback is key to managing millennials, with three quarters of respondents saying this generation needs more feedback than other generations. However, only 13 percent of respondents said they offered more feedback sessions to this group, and less than half offered mentorship opportunities.

July 5, 2016

Managers responsible for promoting engagement distrust employers ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

They may be responsible for upholding their company’s corporate values and ensuring employee engagement, but HR and line managers lack confidence and faith in their employers. According to a survey by Cornerstone OnDemand almost a third (29 percent) of HR and line managers are not proud of their workplace nor do they recommend it. Managers in the Nordics (88 percent), Austria (84 percent), and Spain (81 percent) are the most satisfied with their places of work, whereas Italy (59 percent) and Switzerland (64 percent) are the least proud of their companies and the least willing to recommend it to others. Meanwhile, managers in the UK are struggling with this lack of positivity towards their own company, with only 37 percent agreeing that their company is an attractive employer. The survey also found that the greatest influences on ‘happiness’ in the workplace were revealed to involve career flexibility and technology.

June 9, 2016

Employers urged to use sporting events to help engage employees ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

With the European Championships about to begin, employers are preparing themselves for the consequences. A new report from Robert Half reveals that three quarters (73 percent) of UK Human Resources (HR) directors believe their employees will call in sick or make an excuse for skipping work, the day after a major sporting event such as the UEFA EURO 2016, and more than a fifth (21 percent) considering it ‘very likely’. With England’s and Wales’ first midweek European Championship fixture on the 16th June, companies are likely to be anticipating a significant increase in the number of employees missing work on Friday 17th June as a result of ‘sporting sickies’. A large majority (88 percent) of HR executives believe there are benefits of using sporting events to engage employees. Many companies are seeing the cohesive benefits of coming together to enjoy a sporting spectacle and emotionally invest in the event.

April 22, 2016

Recognition as well as reward is key to employee engagement ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Recognition and appreciation may play a major part in driving employee engagement, but money continues to be a driving force in people feeling appreciated at work; according to a new survey of more than 1,000 US-based employees conducted by BambooHR. However, money isn’t everything as 1 in 5 employees would prefer to receive a promotion to a higher title without a 3 percent raise in salary, instead of a 3 percent raise in salary without a promotion to a higher title. The research also found that employees who consistently contribute to successful teams and have the most responsibility are looked at as being more successful (in the eyes of their peers) than those who make the most money. Yet many employees never get that recognition, as just 40 percent only getting positive recognition a few times a year (or less). Unsurprisingly, one out of four of those employees are unsatisfied with their job.

March 31, 2016

Treating workers like people really does improve engagement levels ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Ever since the role of personnel management evolved to human resources, employers have struggled to ensure that the people they employ are treated as humans and not resources. Although it may be logical to assume that staff don’t like to be treated as numbers on a data sheet, it’s good to know that there’s evidence that companies that focus on creating a human-focused workplace do reap significant rewards in terms of wellbeing, engagement, and retention. This is according to a report released by Globoforce that found that when employers create a culture of employee recognition at work; levels of happiness and trust dramatically improve. According to the research receiving recognition at work makes people feel more appreciated (92 percent); prouder of their work (86 percent); more satisfied with their job (85 percent); happier (86 percent); more engaged (83 percent); and more committed to the company (81 percent).

March 25, 2016

Career development most important driver for employee engagement ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

With a lack of career development opportunities being the number one reason why employees leave organizations; employers are increasingly recognizing alternative rewards as an essential component of a competitive total employee rewards strategy. In fact, companies prioritise career development more than other alternative rewards, benefits and bonuses, according to new research by the Hay Group division of Korn Ferry (KFY). Nine in ten organizations (90 percent) surveyed employ four or more alternative methods of rewarding employees (including career development programmes, health and welfare benefits, additional paid time off and other benefits) as part of their HR strategy. More than 8 out of ten organizations surveyed said that alternative rewards are key to being an employer of choice (89 percent), remaining competitive (87 percent) and engaging employees (81 percent). Eighty-seven percent of respondents also agreed that alternative rewards are an important tool in retaining the organization’s existing talent.

March 21, 2016

Staff value engagement and culture but many feel let down by employers ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Real estate consultancy JLL has issued a survey to explore the results of its January 2016 report into workplace engagement. The new study reveals – perhaps unsurprisingly – that there is a mismatch between employee’s positive attitudes towards the issues of engagement and culture and their negative experience of them in their current roles. So, while 87 percent of respondents agree that engagement and culture are key drivers of organisational performance, 42 percent don’t believe that their employer effectively capitalises on the workplace to enhance employee engagement, 46 percent do not think that their workplace is used as a key competitive differentiator to attract and retain talent and 41 percent do not agree that their workplace is used as a tool to generate a positive company culture. The study highlights the issues associated with lack of engagement and suggests a number of solutions to help employers engage with staff.