November 15, 2022

Two thirds of young professionals now have a ‘side hustle’ to make ends meet

Two thirds of professionals under the age of 24 claim to have a ‘side hustle’ – with 74 percent stating it is ‘too risky’ to focus on just having one job as they may have done pre-pandemic. In a poll – of 6,000 white-collar professionals – undertaken by recruitment consultancy Robert Walters; 54 percent of young professionals expressed a desire for a ‘portfolio career’ – the concept of monetising your skills in several ways and having multiple income sources, rather than a single job at one company. More →

November 14, 2022

Major new report offers snapshot of hybrid and remote work debate in the US

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics have just released their sixth annual State of Remote Work report. Based on a survey of over 2,300 full-time workers across the United States, the report reveals the latest trends and perspectives on a range of issues from remote work and hybrid work, trust, intent to move, training offered, workplace redesign, intent and reasons for quitting, technology needs, employee surveillance, the 4-day workweek, and more.

October 17, 2022

Working habits are changing in response to cost of living increases

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The so-called cost of living crisis is having a fundamental impact on people’s working habits, according to Beamery’s latest Talent Index – Sixth Edition. Almost a third (29 percent) of workers polled for the report are now avoiding the office because of the increasing cost of travel whilst another third cited (31 percent) they were considering leaving their jobs completely due to lack of salary increases. More →

October 5, 2022

Younger workers tend to rely on the office more

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A new poll claims that people belonging to “Gen Z” rely heavily on the professional and social structure of the office, with 78 percent finding it easier to bond with colleagues in the workplace and 81 percent feeling disconnected from their peers when working from home. The survey of 3,000 people, from Unispace, claims that the majority (79 percent) of younger workers felt more active when working in the office, while among older workers this figure is 66 percent. More →

September 28, 2022

Work is more visible to managers when people are in the physical workplace

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Although workers think that their work location doesn’t matter, a new poll suggests that their bosses don’t agree. In the poll of US employees from workplace platform Envoy, 96 percent of respondents described as leaders say they take more notice of people’s work contributions when they are in the office. Just 42 percent of respondents described as employees agree. Gen Z employees, more than any other generation, value workplace visibility, with 73 percent believing their contributions are noticed more in-office than at home. Only 64 percent of Millennials, 53 percent of Gen X, and 45 percent of Boomers feel the same. Among executives, women are more likely than men to recognise work and contributions accomplished from home. More →

September 21, 2022

Poor acoustics hamper productivity and deter people from spending more time in the office

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Noisy offices are lowering productivity, with 60 percent of office workers unable to concentrate and delivering poor quality work due to loud workspaces, is deterring people from returning to offices more often, and can even lead to violence. Those are the key findings of a new poll of 2,000 workers from Oscar Acoustics. The survey [registration] suggests that just 8 percent of people feel they work in a quiet office, with only a quarter of office workers working in a space that has well designed acoustics for their job. More →

August 25, 2022

How Microsoft’s social listening research highlighted changing attitudes to work

by Camila Angio • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing

The current state of the talent market is putting significant pressure on business. Employers are experiencing an acute skills gap, with average vacancies across industries per 100 jobs ranging between 5 and 8, according to data compiled by the Office for National Statistics in June 2022 – the highest average since records began. As more and more roles require digital skills, businesses are looking to younger generations whose upbringing may have been organically framed by digital tools, platforms and devices. More →

June 22, 2022

Poor mental health twice as likely to affect underappreciated workers

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Unappreciated employees are ‘twice as likely’ to experience poor mental health, a study into workplace recognition claims. The Employee Recognition Survey conducted by Wildgoose, surveyed employees from 133 different UK companies. It asked them whether they receive enough praise and appreciation, how they would react to a lack of recognition and how companies could better meet their ‘recognition needs’. More →

June 20, 2022

Birmingham BT HQ shows road ahead for its offices and the city

by Mike Hills • Cities, Features, Property, Workplace design

In January of 2020, shortly before that thing happened and before we knew much about the UK Government’s ‘levelling up’ programme, Birmingham was already a city on the rise. It had recently been announced that it was to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and was riding the crest of a number of high-profile developments and regeneration projects, not least those that arrived on the back of the controversial high speed rail station. More →

May 23, 2022

Younger workers want flexible working, but are sceptical of remote

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

While remote and flexible working roles continue to grow in almost all countries, 20-24 year olds are the age group making the fewest applications to fully remote roles, claims a new poll from LinkedIn. LinkedIn analysed the labour market for career starters in the U.S., U.K, France and Germany – including job applications and hiring data – to understand which sectors offer the most opportunity for Gen Z job-seekers and employers looking to attract them. More →

April 28, 2022

The ability to choose where they work makes people happier

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Employees with full autonomy to choose where they work are happier in their job, yet only one in five are currently able to do so. And though 60 percent of all employees prefer hybrid working, only 39 percent are able to flexibly split their time between the home and office. This is according to Jabra’s 2022 edition of the Hybrid Ways of Working Global Report. Carried out amongst 2,800 knowledge workers across six countries worldwide, the report analyses employee sentiments and motivations around the physical workspace in this hybrid working era. More →

April 6, 2022

Structural and cultural change are what we need to escape the wellbeing rut

by Simon O'Kane • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Wellbeing has been one of the largest challenges to the UK workforce over the last several years. A recent study by the Mental Health Foundation and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), states that mental health problems cost the UK economy at least £117.9 billion every year – around 5 percent of the UK’s GDP. Companies recognise the urgency to help: British employers planned to increase spending on employee mental health and wellbeing by 18 percent from 2021 to 2022. But the long and short of the issue is that this progress is being outpaced by accelerating burnout rates among workers. More →