October 15, 2020
Search Results for: remote
October 12, 2020
Flexible working is here to stay as organisations recognise effect on productivity
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News
To mark the start of National Work Life Week, work-life balance charity Working Families has launched the results of a survey of employers who have invested in creating family-friendly workplaces with flexible working. Reflecting the views of 26 Working Families employer members, the survey gives a snapshot of employer best practice during the pandemic, showing how organisations have risen to the challenge of supporting their staff. More →
October 9, 2020
Home workers in America spend four percent of their week resolving tech issues
by Jayne Smith • News, Technology
There are some good things about working in an office. Constant supplies of tea and coffee (if you’re lucky), gossip with your co-workers, and paper clips in every colour. But one of the best things has to be that when something goes wrong with your computer, the in-house IT helpdesk will have it sorted out quicker than you can say ‘so which buttons do you want me to press?!’ However, home workers don’t have this luxury. More →
October 8, 2020
The workplace has reached an inflection point as it adjusts to new realities
by Robin Davies • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace design
We can confidently say this is a new era for the workplace. Covid-19 has forced a radical rethink about the purpose of the office and its role in reaffirming company culture. Enlightened property directors are resisting knee-jerk responses to predictions that Covid spells the demise of the office including the wholesale migration to home-working. Instead, they are challenging plans to dramatically downsize the workplace and corporate real estate. They are also acutely aware that distancing, transmission and sanitisation are here for the long-haul. This will continue to have a profound impact on occupancy levels and the interactions that are necessary for business success. More →
October 8, 2020
Most people with mental health issues would prefer a robot therapist to a human
by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Wellbeing
2020 has been the most stressful year in history for the global workforce and people want robots to help, according to a new study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm. The study of more than 12,000 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives across 11 countries claims that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased workplace stress, anxiety, burnout and other mental health issues for people all around the world, and would prefer a robot instead of other people to help. More →
October 7, 2020
An unexpected partnership: How tech and business leaders can learn from each other
by Alexia Pedersen • Comment, Technology
One of the biggest issues across technology industries over the last few years has been the failure of business teams, who design and manage processes, to partner effectively with their tech teams to deliver and understand the technology needed to support the business’ vision. More →
October 7, 2020
Mental health widely seen as a barrier to career progression
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing
New research from recruitment agency Hays claims that nearly a quarter (24 percent) of those who have or have experienced a mental health condition feel they do not have equal access to the same career progression opportunities as other colleagues. Similarly, 12 percent of those who have had or experienced mental ill health said they felt this had led to their chances of being selected for a job being lowered. More →
October 6, 2020
Majority of office workers plan to split their week between the office and home
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives
New independent polling commissioned by the British Council for Offices (BCO), suggests that, once Government measures allow, Britain is set to move to a ‘mixed’ working style, with time in the office balanced with time at home. The survey, which polled over 2,000 office workers nationwide, took place prior to new Government measures and found an appetite to get back to the office. More →
October 5, 2020
Coronavirus will lead to a permanent change in the way we work
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News
Coronavirus will have a lasting impact on office use and levels of remote and flexible working, new figures from the Institute of Directors suggest. That is the unsurprising findings of a survey of close to a thousand company directors conducted in September. The poll claims nearly three quarters (74 percent) of respondents said their firms would maintain increased levels of remote and flexible after the pandemic ends. More →
October 2, 2020
Time for businesses to establish more meaningful wellbeing initiatives
by Jolawn Victor • Comment, Wellbeing
Over the years, mental health has become a prominent feature of wellbeing initiatives in many businesses, but especially in the wake of the pandemic. However, our research has found that more than half of the UK workforce (54 percent) do not feel that mental health benefits are a priority in their organisation. This is despite half of workers believing that mental health benefits are essential post-COVID-19. More →
October 2, 2020
What (nearly) everybody gets wrong about work and the coronavirus
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design
You’ve probably read and heard dozens, or even hundreds, of different viewpoints about the effect of the pandemic on the world of work. Most of them (until recently perhaps) have dished up one of the two binary options as part of a zero-sum game. Many are based on hackneyed ideas and expressed as clichés. More →
October 14, 2020
The world may be going mad, but we don`t have to
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Working culture
If you want to determine the nature of anything, entrust it to time: when the sea is stormy, you can see nothing clearly. Seneca’s advice from nearly 2,000 years ago still rings true. More →