September 25, 2019

Firms shift to contingent work to stay agile, report claims

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Around a quarter of firms worldwide and mid-sized companies are shifting permanent roles to contingent work positions this year to remain agile, according to a report from Randstad Sourceright. The quarterly Talent Trends study (registration), based on responses from executives, HR managers and other professionals across 17 markets worldwide, claims that businesses are using gig and freelance workers to fill formerly permanent positions. More →

September 24, 2019

Skills gap driven by changing structure of labour market

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace

Recent years have seen a widespread drop in global unemployment rates but what continues to puzzle economists has been the subsequent failure of wage inflation to follow suit. This has created an unusual phenomenon of wage stagnation across global markets, according to the eighth edition of the Hays Global Skills Index, a report into skills and the skills gap published by recruitment firm Hays in collaboration with Oxford Economics. More →

September 23, 2019

Flexible working continues to thrive in the public sector

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

More than two in five public sector workers were able to enjoy flexible working in the last quarter of 2018, official figures from the Office for National Statistics show. According to the data, around 42 percent of public sector workers said they had worked flexibly in the period from October to December 2018. The proportion of people offered flexible working patters was double that of private sector workers, 21 percent of which reported arrangements such as flexitime, compressed hours and term-time only work. More →

September 20, 2019

Flexible working now routine for two thirds of US workers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology, Wellbeing

A new report from Owl Labs claims that although two-thirds of US workers now work away from their main place of work some of the time, there are still many people and organisations that are unaware of the benefits, processes and challenges involved in flexible working. The new report explores the effect flexible working has on personal happiness, recruitment, retention and skills as well as exploring the attitudes of people who are based in a fixed place of work.

September 20, 2019

Climate change demands we shift our focus from productivity

by Simon Mair • Comment, Environment

Climate action is often about sacrifice: eat less meat, don’t fly, and buy less stuff. These things are essential. But climate action can also be about gain. Many causes of climate change make our lives worse. So transforming our societies to stop climate change offers us the chance to make our lives better. More →

September 20, 2019

Managers lack confidence in their ability to develop employee skills

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Despite acknowledging the importance of new skills, 45 percent of managers don’t feel confident in their ability to develop the skills employees need today, according to a poll by Gartner. In addition to a lack of confidence, Gartner research also claims that managers lack time to coach their direct reports, with managers spending on average 9 percent of their time on developing their direct reports. More →

September 19, 2019

Flexible working becoming preserve of the well paid

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The number of highly paid workers offered some form of flexible working has trebled in the past four years, according to the latest Flexible Jobs Index from flexible work consultancy Timewise. It found that the proportion of jobs with salaries of more than £80,000 advertised with flexible working options is up to 16 percent, compared to 9 percent last year and 5 percent in 2016. More →

September 18, 2019

Automation will boost productivity, but risks leaving people behind

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace

Unless the Government steps up efforts to manage the transition to automation, many people and entire regions of the UK face being left behind and British businesses could find themselves becoming less competitive, says the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee in a report published today.
More →

September 18, 2019

More than half of female professionals have never negotiated a pay rise

by Neil Franklin • News

More than half of all female professionals – 57 percent – have never attempted to negotiate a pay rise, according to a new report from professional recruitment firm Robert Walters. Its findings suggest that men are 23 percent more likely to negotiate a pay rise across all stages of their career, even though the amount that negotiators pitch for is not far removed from their female counterparts. More →

September 17, 2019

Workers prepared to accept automation but need training

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

Research from Gallup suggests that people feel unprepared for the introduction of new technologies, despite being optimistic about their job prospects. The Gallup Real Future of Work report of 4,000 employees has found that people around the world are generally upbeat about the impact of technology and automation on their careers, despite some analysts predicting that AI-enabled machines would take over 50 percent of human jobs within the decade. More →

September 17, 2019

US firms dominate most desirable workplaces for tech workers

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace design

The BBC, Monzo and Skyscanner are the companies UK top tech talent wants to work for the most according to new research from Hired which has today released its annual Brand Health Report. However, despite the UK’s flourishing tech landscape, British business are not featured on the global list of the top 15 private or public companies indicating that UK brands are losing popularity. This is especially worrying at a time when 60 percent of London firms apparently anticipate a ‘Brexit Brain Drain’. More →

September 17, 2019

Workers uncomfortable talking about mental health

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A new survey from Babylon Health claims that nearly 80 percent of UK adults would be uncomfortable discussing their mental health with their employer. Workplace pressures were listed as the second-largest cause of anxiety among the 2000 participants, behind personal relationships. 45 percent of adults said they felt stressed by issues at work. More →