August 6, 2021

Arrival of paperless office may have been accelerated by lockdowns

One of the least talked about potential casualties of the recent lockdowns is the printed page. In a sign that the arrival of the paperless office may have been accelerated, total worldwide page volumes printed from office and home devices plummeted nearly 14 percent year in 2020 after several years of stable but slow decline. According to the research from International Data Corporation (IDC), 2.8 trillion pages were printed in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and the dramatic shift from offices to work from home models are behind the sharp decline, even for those who can manage to get a printer to work in the first place. More →

August 6, 2021

Managers and workers have different perception of the future ‘employee experience’

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology, Working culture

A gap is emerging between executive and employee perceptions on the future of the ’employee experience’, according to a report from Gartner. The 2021 Gartner Hybrid Work Employee Survey of 4,000 employees in January 2021 claims that there are six perception gaps that employers must resolve. The Gartner survey claims that 75 percent of executive leaders believe they are already offering a flexible employee experience, yet only 57 percent of employees indicate that their organisational culture embraces flexible working. Further, nearly three-quarters of executives believe the business understands how flexible work patterns support employees, but only half of employees share this view. More →

August 5, 2021

Pleasanteeism plagues UK businesses as many mask mental health issues

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

‘Pleasanteeism’ – the pressure to put on a brave face – is undermining efforts to promote an open dialogue about mental health at work, according to new research by Lime, which is urging the UK’s businesses to take simple steps to help employees improve their mental health. More →

August 4, 2021

No rush to get back to the office despite easing of restrictions

by Alexandra Anders • Comment, Flexible working, Working culture

Restrictions may have been lifted but there is no major rush for everyone to head back to the office. Many firms are being cautious about bringing employees back and the official government guidance is for employers to plan a gradual, safe return to places of work. Official guidelines aside, this doesn’t even start to factor in employees’ own attitudes to being back in the office. Certainly, there are plenty of people itching to be in and amongst the buzz of an office, popping out somewhere different each day for lunch and having that commute to distance work and home life. More →

July 30, 2021

Technology is the great enabler for employee wellbeing programmes

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Wellbeing

Technology is now integral for short and long-term employee wellbeing following the dramatic changes to working life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Thomas Woods, Vice-President of Enterprise for Virtuagym, the global fitness technology provider. The argument was made during a keynote presentation at the Virtual Engage Employee Wellbeing Conference, a case study led solutions event addressing the important challenges and opportunities relating to the mental, financial and physical health of people in the workplace. More →

July 28, 2021

Firms continue to underestimate employee turnover threat, study claims

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

A new study from communications agency Zeno Group claims that businesses continue to underestimate the chances of an increase in employee turnover as a result of changing attitudes towards work. According to the survey, while companies often focus on addressing their disengaged or disgruntled groups, the study finds that 58 percent of satisfied employees in the UK now report being open to new opportunities, with many actively searching. In addition, those surveyed report their employers do not recognize this reality, with just 20 percent of respondents saying their employers think many workers are looking for new roles elsewhere. More →

July 23, 2021

The unshocking truth about work and workplaces

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design

I recently read an interesting little book called Office by Sheila Liming. It’s a small book, easy to read in a sitting and linked to a series of essays in The Atlantic. The author is a Professor of English so it’s no surprise to find that it’s beautifully written and draws on a range of sources to illustrate its points. It’s pretty sound on its own terms but also illustrates perfectly what is wrong with so many current narratives about work. The writing may not be clichéd but the thinking often is. More →

July 22, 2021

European workers positive about post pandemic partial move back to the office

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

With much of Europe having worked remotely for over a year and many continuing to do so for the foreseeable future, new insights from Sharp, claims that there is a significant appetite among European workers to return to the office for some of the working week. More →

July 21, 2021

UK workers hesitant to return to the office

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Working lives

New research commissioned by Kadence claims that despite restrictions being lifted, office workers in the UK are resistant to a full-time office return. The survey of 1,500 UK and US office workers claims that over half of British workers (55 percent) still expect to spend fewer days in the office per week, with more than a third wanting to come and go as they please (35 percent). More →

July 21, 2021

A digital presence saw some small businesses through Covid, but support now needed

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Technology

New research commissioned by Cisco claims the digital priorities and growth opportunities for small businesses in the UK, as they navigate a new hybrid world. More →

July 20, 2021

Employees urge workplaces to focus on mental health as world reopens

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

Access to workplace counsellors, mental health training and support groups are topping the charts on what workers want on their return to the office, according to new research by CERT Property. More →

July 19, 2021

Over two thirds of office workers dread speaking to their IT department

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Technology, Working lives

Research by Velocity Smart Technology, investigating how IT departments are coping with a move to remote working, claims that almost half (45 percent) of office workers have had to wait longer for an issue to be resolved whilst working from home – with 73 percent going on to say they have had to wait up to an extra five hours for an issue to be fixed. More →