May 8, 2019

Some of the great ways progressive firms are increasing productivity in the workplace

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Productivity in the office is a big thing, as the more productive employees are, the more successful the business will be as a result. While most people go through peaks and troughs of productivity during their working life, it’s important for employers to give it their all when it comes to trying to keep the workforce as productive as possible. Therefore, many have come up with ways to make this happen.

May 1, 2019

The impact of technology, cyber-risk and the future of corporate real estate ⁰

by Kate Langan • Features, Property, Technology, Work&Place, Workplace design

It’s no surprise to say that technology is having a significant impact on the workplace and the use of corporate real estate. The fast pace of change has seen technology impact all aspects of business, government and culture, as well as personal life, with a constant flow of new innovations and solutions helping us to do things more quickly and efficiently. Equally, technology also provides a challenge to business and, more specifically, corporate operations, with a whole array of disruptive technologies.

April 30, 2019

Best workplaces in London honoured at BCO annual Regional Awards

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Workplace design

Six London businesses celebrated success at the BCO Annual Regional Awards earlier today, with Facebook, 2TVC, Deloitte, Boden, Project North and Fora Borough all recognised as the capital’s best workplaces. The prestigious BCO Awards programme recognises the highest quality developments in the UK and sets the standard for excellence in the regional and national office sector. Today’s ceremony marked the third of the BCO Regional Property Awards dedicated to London, celebrating the best office space in the country. London winners will compete with those from other regions at the BCO National Awards in October this year.

April 29, 2019

Majority of organisations fail to offer menopause support

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Forth With Life, a company that provides blood sample analysis and bio-marker tracking to promote and support health and wellbeing, recently undertook a survey exploring the existence and effectiveness of menopause support options available in the workplace. Their sample group consisted of 1000 women, all over 45 years of age and in either full time or part time employment, from all around the UK. Of those women, 77 percent had already been through the menopause, or were currently experiencing symptoms.

April 26, 2019

A third of accountancy professionals feel stressed at work

by George Eltringham • News, Wellbeing

Accountancy has joined the legal profession in a developing mental health epidemic within their respective workplaces. Recent studies found that just over a third (37 percent) of solicitors feel stressed by work, striking a worrying comparison between themselves and accountants. The accountancy profession is in the grip of a mental health crisis according to a new study which claims that a third (31 percent) of chartered accountants feel stressed on a daily basis. The research, conducted by CABA, a wellbeing charity, suggests that as few as 2 percent of respondents claim to be unaffected by stress. More →

April 26, 2019

Great expectations at work causing stress and rise in mental ill health

by Marie Hillen • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Employees feel expectations at work are playing an integral role in diminishing their mental health a new report suggests, which includes increasing pressures to work outside of office hours, through annual leave and even on sick days. Westfield Health’s inaugural Wellbeing Index, which claims to shine a spotlight on stress, found 61 percent of HR professionals identified mental health related issues as the main reasons for absences within their workforces, with over half (51 percent) noticing an overall increase in sick days. ‘Leavism’ – working outside of contracted hours and on annual leave days – is also prevalent throughout the British workforce, with 67 percent in HR saying it’s a very real issue for them.

April 25, 2019

Three quarters of workers want contact banned from the workplace

by George Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Research by jobs board Totaljobs claims that three quarters of British workers (76 percent) want the amount of physical contact in the workplace reduced, whilst 42 percent go further and call for an outright ban on some interactions, from the workplace kiss (27 percent) to wishing hugs were a thing of the past (15 percent). The research claims that one in three (30 percent) workers experience an awkward greeting at work at least once a month, with those in their twenties experiencing the most.

April 25, 2019

UK workplace happiness score has dropped below global average

by Marie Hillen • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The UK now ranks tenth globally when it comes to happiness in the workplace. Austria (690), Spain (682), United States (719), France (672) and Germany (675) are all above the UK in rating workplace happiness. To date, over 10,000 people globally have taken the free Workplace Happiness Survey by Engaging Works which aims to provide practical and personalised advice to help improve wellbeing at work and to increase productivity and overall happiness within the workplace. The Workplace Happiness Survey asks 26 questions and then delivers a score out of 1000.

April 23, 2019

The flexible solution to workplace loneliness

by Guzman de Yarza Blache • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design

For years, the word ‘office’ would doubtless conjure images of the traditional individual cubicle. However, times have changed, and where the cubicle once ruled the roost, a flexible working revolution is already disrupting the office market and reshaping the world of work.

April 18, 2019

Vast majority of stress not caused by work but home life

by George Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Stress can be caused by numerous factors, but work often isn’t the main culprit, according to a report from The Health Insurance Group. The company runs regular forums for their staff to discuss their mental wellbeing, and life outside work consistently ranks as the biggest cause of stress. As businesses look to support the mental wellbeing of their staff, it’s important they recognise that support needs to extend to home life too – not just work. More →

April 18, 2019

Stress in legal profession widely misunderstood, research paper claims

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

The latest Bellwether research paper titled, ‘Stress in the Legal Profession: Problematic or Inevitable’, published by LexisNexis UK claims that stress is an endemic issue in the legal profession with two thirds of respondents currently experiencing high levels of stress despite the confident ‘business as usual’ industry outlook. Almost 1 in 4 solicitors feel that more could be done to support them in the workplace although 4 in 5 report high levels of job satisfaction and 5 out of 10 consider they have a positive state of mind.

April 17, 2019

Uncertain times demand a new approach to strategic people management

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Is the management of people in organisations today really about growing the long-term value of an employers’ most important asset in an increasing uncertain and skills-short labour market? Or is it more to do with continuing to drive costs down and shareholder returns up; and meeting the bare minimum standards required by legislation? The Institute for Employment’s (IES) latest research, carried out in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), looks at the reality of people management and comes up with some generally positive findings and conclusions. More →