June 30, 2022

Supply chain disruption sees costs and complexity ramp up

by Freddie Steele • News, Works Magazine

Two-thirds (66 percent) of large enterprises globally say they are keeping more stock on hand now compared to the pre-pandemic period, with nearly one in five in total (18 percent) retaining ‘significantly more’ stock. This growing focus on taking innovative measures to address supply chain disruption is highlighted in new research commissioned by IFS, polling over 1,450 senior decision-makers at large enterprises across France, Germany, Nordics, USA, the UK and the UAE. More →

June 30, 2022

The fifteen minute city will transform the way we think about workplaces

by Wybo Wijnbergen • Cities, Features, Flexible working, Property

For most of history, there have been a small number of immovable truisms that formed the nature of what work is, and how communities form around it. While individuals have long held some agency around the structure and pattern of their work, being present in a communal workplace has been a non-negotiable reality. This need to work from an office comes wed with parallel requirements to help facilitate it. Employees have been willing to strike a compromise between where they wish to live and where they want to work through commutes, with the financial and time cost and associated stress that comes along with it. More →

June 29, 2022

Hard up workers look to second jobs, side hustles and help from current employers

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

Nine in ten UK employees have, or would be interested in a second job, as the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis sees hard up workers keen to increase incomes and turn hobbies into enterprises according to a poll in Benenden Health’s ‘Workforce of the Future’ report. It claims that almost one in three employees in the UK currently have a second occupation (29 percent), with half of these taking up their additional role during the pandemic. Meanwhile, another survey, from Culture Amp claims that six out of ten employees in the UK believe that their employers should help with the rising cost of living. More →

June 29, 2022

The perfect storm shouldn’t force us to jump aboard the wrong ship

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

For all the millions of words written and gabbed about work and its future over the past couple of years, one of the few things we can say with any certainty is that we still don’t know which parts of it all are short-term responses to events, and which are permanent long-term shifts.

June 29, 2022

Workplace green flags to look out for

by Samantha Losey • Comment, Wellbeing

Culturally, and most definitely post-lock down, I think we have all moved to a different level of understanding and involvement when it comes to the value and meaning of workplace wellbeing. We’ve all worked in those organisations that pay lip service to a great culture, amazing benefits, a fun working environment (was that a bean bag I saw?) and then fall so wide of the mark once the HR shine has worn off you that you are left spinning, then stressed, then burnt out. More →

June 28, 2022

Is change your friend or your enemy?

by Jennifer Bryan • Comment, JB, Workplace

Is change your friend or your enemy? If you are a young person leaving home for the first time and are excited about the prospects of striking out on your own – change is most likely your friend. But if you are the parent, watching your child leave the nest, and your close protection, then change could very possibly be your enemy. The same is true when it comes to introducing new ways of working in an organisation. Some people will like the ‘old ways’ because they are familiar and comfortable – they are like second nature and hence don’t take any real thinking. Whereas for others, the ‘new way’ may be quite faster, easier or simply exciting because it is different. More →

June 27, 2022

The raging truth about burnout

by Stephanie Fitzgerald • Comment, SF, Wellbeing, Workplace

We’re probably all familiar with an image of burnout. People sitting head in hands, or lying in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to get up and get going in the morning. Burnout is once again a topic of the moment as workplaces are left reeling by the “Great Resignation”, and those that are left behind are struggling to cover the resulting gap in knowledge and resource. More →

June 27, 2022

Four in ten people would take unpaid leave to get more time off

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

New research shows British workers are increasingly willing to take measures to achieve better work-life balance, as over 4 in 10 (43 percent) of UK employees would take unpaid leave to get more time off – the second highest amount of all European countries surveyed. The poll from SD Worx, claims that while people want to prioritise taking time off, the struggle is how to disconnect from the working world. Findings show that almost a third (32 percent) of UK employees check their work while they should be offline, and 34 percent say that it’s difficult to let go of workload when on holiday. More →

June 24, 2022

Hybrid working now part of life at majority of organisations, but will it last?

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A new poll from the CIPD suggests that more than three-quarters of organisations have now embraced hybrid working through a mix of formal and informal arrangements. However, employers are split over whether the move to new ways of working will last or if organisations will go back to pre-pandemic ways of working. In response, the CIPD is urging employers to seize the moment to develop and embed new ways of working that will ultimately benefit organisations and their people. More →

June 24, 2022

People become chameleons to fit in with strong workplace culture

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

People struggle to express themselves authentically at work because they feel a need to conform to the tenets of the workplace culture, Dame Inga Beale, the former and first female CEO of Lloyd’s of London, told ESCP Business School. Speaking on the school’s ‘We All Make Mistakes’ podcast to the host and Professor of Entrepreneurship Ben Voyer, Dame Beale said that companies with a strong traditional culture can be resistant to modernisation as new employees are either absorbed into the current culture, or decide to leave. More →

June 24, 2022

Physical activity could boost UK economy by up to £17 billion

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

The fitness and leisure sector holds the key to encouraging physical activity which could save the UK economy up to £17bn a year, according to a new report from ukactive. The report’s authors have called on the Government and its partners to work with the fitness and leisure sector to get the nation’s workforce physically active, as new research from Deloitte shows it could benefit the UK economy by up to £17bn a year. The landmark report was commissioned by IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) on behalf of the Global Health and Fitness Alliance. More →

June 23, 2022

BCO Conference challenges the office sector to up its game

by Jo Sutherland • Features, Property

Regarded as one of the property sector’s leading events, the BCO Annual Conference saw key players from all parts of the office industry flock to Manchester – the vibrant, modern cosmopolitan powerhouse that is celebrated around the world for being the UK’s most competitive, economically productive, liveable and vibrant region. In her keynote, Joanne Roney, chief executive of Manchester City Council, said that the most demanding, challenging and important priority is climate change, closely followed by making a positive difference to the lives of the people who live and work in the city. More →