Search Results for: anxiety

Can corporate culture help reduce workforce burnout?

Can corporate culture help reduce workforce burnout?

burnoutIt may not always be evident to those working in logistics, but burnout doesn’t exist solely in supply chain recruitment – it’s a recognised condition which is having an impact across all industries and sectors.  According to the Labour Force Survey, the UK lost 15.4 million working days in 2017/18 to work-related stress, depression or anxiety, with 239,000 new cases reported. Increasingly, severe cases are being recognised as ‘burnout’. More →

Workplace bullying is being swept under the carpet

Workplace bullying is being swept under the carpet

BullyingA quarter of employees think challenging issues like workplace bullying and harassment are swept under the carpet in their organisation, a new report from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, claims. More →

The vaguery of workplace serendipity

The vaguery of workplace serendipity

It has become vogue to refer to the workplace as being ‘all about people’. It points in all directions at once. Organisations need fit, healthy, happy, skilled, motivated, engaged and purposeful people being (and feeling) productive and doing their best work every day. They want their people working closely together – they’ve spent a lot of time and money drawing in those they feel can contribute to a whole that is other than the sum of the parts. More →

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and we`re not ready for it

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and we`re not ready for it

fourth industrial revolution Cast your mind back a decade or so and consider how the future looked then. A public horizon of Obama-imbued “yes we can” and a high tide of hope and tolerance expressed in the London Olympics provides one narrative theme; underlying austerity-induced pressure another. Neither speaks directly to our current world of divisive partisan politics, toxic social media use, competing facts and readily believed fictions. More →

The menopause and other female health issues should be addressed in better ways

The menopause and other female health issues should be addressed in better ways

the menopause affects women at workFrom menstruation to menopause, the challenges that come with being a woman at work is causing reoccurring career breaks, which are costing UK businesses, according to a new report from Bupa. As many as 11 million women have had to take a long-term leave of absence at some point during their working life, from their late teens to their early seventies. More →

Businesses fear that a failure to embrace automation will make them irrelevant

Businesses fear that a failure to embrace automation will make them irrelevant

Automation The majority of UK businesses fear becoming ‘irrelevant’ within the next five years through failing to make a successful transition to an automated workplace. To avoid this risk, organisations need to collaborate with their workforces to embrace automation and artificial intelligence, a new report from Capita warns. The report Robot wars or automation alliances? People, technology and the future of work calls for an honest dialogue between business leaders and employees – and urgent, multi-stakeholder action to support employees in the transition to a more automated world. More →

Freelancer confidence is “lowest on record”

Freelancer confidence is “lowest on record”

A freelancer using a laptop

Freelancers’ confidence in the economy is the lowest on record because of their concerns about the economy, Brexit and IR35. They are, however, working more and charging higher day rates – seemingly to prepare for hard times ahead.  According to the freelancer Confidence Index by IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed), confidence in the economy has fallen to historic lows both for the coming three months and the coming 12 months. Freelancers’ confidence in their own businesses has also dipped to a record low. More →

Office design can be a vehicle for equality and change

Office design can be a vehicle for equality and change

workplace design for inclusionThe way companies design physical environments is a direct reflection of their values and beliefs. Inequality is hardwired into the “standard” office layout, with perimeter offices and fixed desks offering limited settings for unstructured collaboration and recreation, further perpetuating the issue. Modern office design often favours extroversion and emphasises a hierarchy with values that benefit only a small portion of the overall workforce, contributing to organisation-wide imbalance. So how do we create more inclusive workplaces that can be leveraged as vehicles for change? More →

The agile workplace: try to catch the wind

The agile workplace: try to catch the wind

Wheatfield with Crows depicts the pointlessness of trying to capture agile workIn the chilly hours and minutes, of uncertainty sang Donovan in ‘Catch the Wind’. That’s us, arriving at the agile workplace. We are all Donovan. The comment was recently made on Twitter that agile is “as natural as the wind”. Seemingly however, the anxiety and frustration generated by our experiences are proving as impossible as catching it. Change programmes issue us with a metaphorical bag to catch it in. Where the problem seems bigger we get given a proportionally bigger bag, forgetting the problem of mass.

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One in five businesses plan to drop contractors because of IR35

One in five businesses plan to drop contractors because of IR35

Companies are in danger of losing top talent due to lack of flexible working and IR35A fifth of of UK businesses say they are planning to axe contractors completely to ensure they are fully tax compliant ahead of the IR35 changes planned for next year, according to a survey from recruitment firm Harvey Nash. The 2019 Harvey Nash IR35 Sentiment Survey (registration) of 1,200 businesses and contractors claims to reveal the confusion that still reigns around IR35 legislation among both contractors and the businesses that rely on them. The findings suggest that 83 percent) of businesses believe IR35 will impact negatively on their industry. Meanwhile 60 percent of contractors say they have experienced increased anxiety, stressing or worrying about how the new rules will affect them. More →

The future of public services will be built on engagement with AI

The future of public services will be built on engagement with AI

RSA AI reportA new report from the RSA, Democratising Decisions About Technology, considers how citizens can have agency over new technologies, such as AI, which are entering their workplaces, homes and lives. This report reveals  the desire and capability of ordinary citizens to engage with sometimes complex technology-related questions, and presents a toolkit for organisations looking to engage ordinary people on AI. The NHS, criminal justice system and employers will face a backlash against ‘tech creep’ unless they commit to ensure a role for citizens in designing and deploying tech, the report warns.  More →

Four-fifths of British employees continue to work when sick

A new study conducted by Love Energy Savings claims that more than 80 percent of British employees still continue to work when they are ill or sick. Love Energy Savings investigated which groups were most likely to continue to work when ill, with less than one-fifth of British workers (17 percent) admitting to taking sick days when they’re ill. And there is a widening margin when it comes to age groups.

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