Search Results for: workforce

‘Beleaguered’ UK workforce is poorly motivated and unproductive

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

UK workers are lacking motivation and job satisfaction, with over half either feeling neutral or unhappy about going to work most days, only one in four very satisfied with their jobs and 20 per cent who dread going to work. According to a new report, ‘The Forgotten Workforce’ a series of blows to UK workers, including cuts to their working hours, increasingly inconsistent working patterns, pay freezes, and introduction of zero hours – coupled with little or no investment in technology to support employees – has led to a UK workforce lacking morale and disengaged from the business. An efficient business needs an efficient workforce. If this cycle continues, businesses will face increasingly poor productivity and the UK economic recovery will suffer warns the report. More →

Open source talent could rewrite the meaning of the term workforce

by • Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

Open source talent could rewrite the meaning of the term workforce

The digital revolution has changed the definition of the “workplace”, from a physical building where employees go to perform the tasks for which they get paid – to a more flexible model that allows staff to perform and deliver work from a variety of locations. But the employers’ role, i.e. managing the talent wherever they are based, has remained the same. Not for much longer – suggest analysts from Deloitte in a new paper, The Open Talent Economy, which describes the evolving workforce as a mixture of full-time employees, contractors and freelancers and – increasingly – people with no formal ties to a business at all. What’s more, in the future this “open source talent” will ultimately rewrite what the term “workforce” actually means. More →

What Jeremy Clarkson can’t teach us about workforce productivity

by • Comment, Workplace

In 2011, one of Top Gear’s regular bits of lazy casual racism caused a bit more fuss than the rolling of eyes it typically deserves. The presenters had mocked a Mexican sports car with Richard Hammond – who has never said anything interesting or funny in his life – claiming  that ‘cars reflect national characteristics. A Mexican car’s just going to be a lazy, feckless, flatulent oaf with a moustache, leaning against a fence asleep, looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat.’ There was a bit more of this kind of stuff with Jeremy Clarkson suggesting that the Mexican ambassador to Britain would be too lazy to make any kind of complaint. He was wrong about that (he did) and they were all wrong about Mexicans anyway because according to a new report into global productivity,  Mexico has the world’s most productive workforce.

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CIBSE creates diversity panel to reflect varied workforce

by • Facilities management, News, Property, Workplace

Diversity in the workplace

Efforts to encourage a more inclusive culture within the built environment appear to have moved up a gear. RIBA President Angela Brady has voiced concerns on the “gender inequality that continues to pervade the profession,” and now the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineering (CIBSE) has launched a Diversity Panel. Formed to encourage diversity in all its forms, whether race, gender, age, sexual orientation or disability, it is made up of CIBSE members who are keen to increase the routes to the profession through educational paths and by promoting a diverse workplace. Commented CIBSE: “The employment and retention of a varied workforce is integral to meet the building services engineering skills gap and to therefore improve building performance.” More →

Change of ways needed to tackle ailing UK workforce

by • News, Workplace

Staff ill health

The best way of tackling ill health is to stop workers from getting ill in the first place, suggests new guidance from the TUC. It may seem as if the union is stating the obvious, until you reflect on the news, reported exclusively by HR magazine earlier this week that the UK was among the 10 worst performing countries for employee wellbeing last year, according to the Workforce Quality of Life Index (WQLI) report  by Kenex, which measures wellbeing from the employee’s perspective. Now the TUC report, Work and well-being, provides evidence that employers who create healthy workplaces can reduce employee absence and boost productivity. More →

Ageless workforce welcomed, despite sickness absence increase

by • News, Workplace

GRiD age research

One third (33%) of UK employers have seen the average age of their workforce increase over the last year, with three in five (59%) believing that the removal of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) meant they were more likely to recruit employees aged 50 and over. Older workers are viewed positively, despite the fact that, according to new research by Group Risk Development (GRiD), over a quarter (27%) of employers report increased absence rates or an increase in age related health conditions since the removal of the DRA. More →

Hybrid working era means a boom time for workplace apps

Hybrid working era means a boom time for workplace apps

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

A new generation of workplace apps, coupled with a choice of settings, help people tailor their days and their experiencesDisseminating information about a building to the people who occupy it has come a long way from a basic, intranet desktop interface with warnings about wet floors or notices about charity fundraising. These days apps promise a much more sophisticated workplace experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your hand. Gartner has a useful definition of workplace apps’ capabilities, stating, “They are used to explore and reserve workspaces, navigate the workplace, find colleagues, plan the best days to attend the workplace, access services and ensure that employees could feel safe in a future post pandemic workplace.” More →

US employee engagement plummets to lowest level in over a decade

US employee engagement plummets to lowest level in over a decade

by • News, Workplace

A report by Gallup claims that employee engagement in the U.S. has sunk to its lowest point in more than a decadeAmerican workplaces are facing a crisis of disengagement. A report by Gallup claims that employee engagement in the U.S. has sunk to its lowest point in more than a decade, marking a concerning trend with significant implications for businesses across the country. The study, which began tracking employee sentiment in 2023, identified a growing disconnect between workers and their employers. Employees reported feeling a lack of clarity in their roles, lower overall satisfaction with their organizations, and a weaker connection to their companies’ missions. They were also less likely to feel valued and supported by their colleagues and superiors. More →

Wellbeing and flexibility are the keys to workplace success

Wellbeing and flexibility are the keys to workplace success

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new poll from BSI claims that employee health and employer flexibility are key elements to harness a future age-diverse workforce. Evolving Together: Flourishing in the age-diverse workforce considers how today’s business leaders think businesses and policymakers can respond to demographic changes to enable individuals to thrive and organizations to grow as greater numbers work beyond the age of 65. More →

Stress, anxiety and a beamish response to it all

Stress, anxiety and a beamish response to it all

by • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

Stress, uncertainty and the medicalisation of dissatisfactionWe now have a policy of not offering ourselves as an outlet for any of the deluge of comment pieces and surveys that are published each year to accompany the various days – and increasingly weeks and months – dedicated to certain conditions like stress and anxiety. They are a gift both to and from the PR industry. This is largely because we cover such issues year round so don’t feel the need to add to the PR feeding frenzy they generate. Whatever you make of the findings of the reports and others like them, even cynics would have to acknowledge they tap into an unmistakable feeling that work is not as enjoyable as it should be. More →

Event explores how the government is setting new office standards for civil servants

Event explores how the government is setting new office standards for civil servants

by • Company news, Facilities management, Property, Workplace design

At a recent event, the Government Property Agency brought together Civil Service leaders to exchange ideas, debate trends and inform how the GPA delivers its property services. The GPA is leading one of the country’s biggest and most ambitious workplace renewal programmes for its clients – delivering a smaller, better connected, better quality, and greener property estate to support the work of Civil Service teams and bring them closer to the communities they serve. More →

Working from home: how to look after your eyes

Working from home: how to look after your eyes

by • Company news

In an era where working from home has become the new norm, our eyes are more essential than ever for navigating the digital landscape that defines our daily livesIn an era where working from home has become the new norm, our eyes are more essential than ever for navigating the digital landscape that defines our daily lives.  The rise of remote work has been rapid, with a significant portion of the American workforce transitioning to home-based employment post-pandemic. According to a recent survey, approximately 10 percent of the British workforce reported working remotely full-time, and 29 percent were working remotely part-time. However, there is a trend towards returning to the workplace, and least in part, with several businesses mandating a return to the office. More →

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