Search Results for: remote work

‘Return to office’ remains a divisive issue

‘Return to office’ remains a divisive issue

return to officeAccording to a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Citrix Systems, employees remain divided on how they want to work going forward. Based on the poll: the majority enjoy the flexibility they’ve been given to work from anywhere and are willing to leave jobs to maintain it. Of the 6,500 workers polled in ten countries, 57 percent prefer hybrid work, and 69 percent will ditch their current positions if it isn’t an option and they are asked to return to office based working. More →

ESG ambitions should top organisational agendas

ESG ambitions should top organisational agendas

ESGWhen the idea of ESG (environmental, social and governance credentials) first surfaced nearly two decades ago in a 2005 United Nations report, it was just an acronym businesses were trying to understand and get to grips with. But in the last few years, ESG strategies have gathered steam – it has become integral to C-Suite strategy and business purpose, and is a deal-breaker not just for investors but also for those considering new roles. In fact, a recent report revealed that job-seekers are turning down job offers by companies showcasing weak ESG credentials, a sure sign of the importance of substantive ESG policies for potential talent. Most of the larger conglomerates (if not all) have set targets to reach net-zero by a set date – ranging from as early as 2025 to anywhere within the next two decades. But is this going far enough for employees, stakeholders, future talent, and more broadly, for society? More →

Two thirds of US employees resist calls for a ‘return to the office’

Two thirds of US employees resist calls for a ‘return to the office’

return to the officeNearly two thirds of American employees are resisting the calls for a ‘return to the office’, according to a poll published in The Hybrid Performance Review from Poly. The firm surveyed 5,000 US employees and employers to uncover how workspaces, technology, and personality traits impact performance; and how employers are responding. More →

We need to seize the chance to make our buildings far more intelligent

We need to seize the chance to make our buildings far more intelligent

Even before the pandemic, statistics were making the case for workplaces to be made up of more intelligent buildings. This includes the fact that offices generally operate at around 55-60 percent utilisation, and as we return to the office are currently at 45 percent utilisation. From presenteeism to absenteeism and many other factors in between, workplaces have seldom been utilised by entire workforces at the same time. However, the prevailing approach has been for firms to drive an office setup with one-to-one desking – a seat for every employee, even though five in 10 would not be in at any one time. More →

Experimentation is the name of the game

Experimentation is the name of the game

Uncertain times call for different measures and approaches, the old rules and playbooks are no longer applicable – so what are you going to do? Sit around, stagnate, hanker after old solutions trying to manipulate and squeeze them into new, unknowable, untried paradigms? No! One thing human beings are fairly good at is evolving and adapting to new and unknown situations and as we all know, being flexible and  accepting change creates resilience and ensures survival. More →

Technology and talent should be main focus for business leaders now

Technology and talent should be main focus for business leaders now

Technology and talentBusinesses are investing in technology to expand online operations and facilitate remote work during the pandemic. But many of those same businesses are also eager to see their employees return to the workplace in greater numbers over the long term. Those are among the findings of a new survey of small and midsized business leaders conducted by The Harris Poll and sponsored by CIT, a division of First Citizens Bank.  More →

Retrofit offers the greatest opportunity for a commercial property market beset by uncertainty

Retrofit offers the greatest opportunity for a commercial property market beset by uncertainty

Retrofit an opportunity for commercial propertyIn the context of a second major economic shock from war in Ukraine and continuing inflationary concerns, the PWC / ULI report Emerging Trends in Real Estate Global Outlook 2022 focuses on the global outlook for the real estate industry increasing pressure for finance to support the decarbonisation of real estate. The industry challenges lenders and their regulators to provide debt for the retrofit of existing buildings and the scale-up of the ‘climate tech’ needed. More →

Four day week now more attractive thanks to pandemic

Four day week now more attractive thanks to pandemic

four day weekThe COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns and shift to remote working has had a significant impact on organisations’ attitudes towards a shorter working week, new research from Henley Business School has revealed. The longitudinal study found that 65 percent of UK businesses surveyed are now implementing a four-day working week for some, or all, of their staff, compared with 50 percent who answered a similar survey carried out by Henley in 2019. More →

Half of employees say their job is main source of mental health challenges

Half of employees say their job is main source of mental health challenges

mental healthMore than half of employed people in the UK (58 percent) say their job is the main source of their mental health challenges according to new research from Qualtrics which also claims that more employees in the UK would prioritise the ability to choose which hours of the day they work (55 percent) and what days of the week they work (22 percent) over the ability to work remotely from any location (14 percent). More →

Location pay doubts are now rife amongst organisations

Location pay doubts are now rife amongst organisations

location payThe latest data from XpertHR suggests that 44 percent of UK organisations are ‘unsure’ about the future of their location pay arrangements following the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shift to hybrid working. Location pay is currently offered by more than half of UK organisations (55 percent). Its most common form is a London allowance on top of basic pay (offered by 40 percent of organisations),with inner London employees receiving a median location payment of £3,775 (£3,250 in outer London). More →

Office still important for nurturing friendships and inclusivity, report claims

Office still important for nurturing friendships and inclusivity, report claims

office friendshipsThe physical office remains vital for nurturing friendships, and supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce, according to O.C. Tanner’s 2022 Global Culture Report which analysed the perspectives of over 38,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners and executives from 21 countries around the world, including over 2,500 from the U.K. Around two thirds (63 percent) of U.K. workers admit that it’s more challenging to form new friendships with colleagues when working remotely, and 58 percent of workers state that the office is where most of their new friendships are formed. More →

The Great Resignation will cast a long spell

The Great Resignation will cast a long spell

the spell of the great resignationThe writer Alan Moore believes in magic. Not hocus-pocus magic, double double toil and trouble, but in the power of words and art to change reality and bring things into existence. It’s a compelling idea, one that Moore shares with Picasso amongst others, and the evidence for it in its metaphorical sense is all around. More →