Search Results for: benefits

New occupational health taskforce will ‘tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivity’

New occupational health taskforce will ‘tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivity’

New Occupational Health Taskforce to tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivityBusinesses will be urged to tackle in-work sickness and stop people falling out the workforce, following the appointment of Dame Carol Black as the Government’s new Occupational Health Tsar. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, she will lead a new Taskforce to improve employer awareness of the benefits of Occupational Health in the workplace. (more…)

Fear of judgement prevents working parents from using beneficial workplace policies and support

Fear of judgement prevents working parents from using beneficial workplace policies and support

Although many organisations say they recognise the value in supporting working parents many are still failing to see significant or lasting changeAlthough many organisations say they recognise the value in supporting working parents many are still failing to see significant or lasting change, according to a report published by working WOMBA (Work, Me and the Baby), in partnership with Hult International Business School (Ashridge). According to the report,  The priority actions for boards to drive equal opportunities for working parents, many working parents do not use the policies, support and benefits available to them because they fear being judged negatively by colleagues and managers, and worry about the consequences of doing so on career progression. (more…)

One in five neurodivergent employees say they have experienced harassment or discrimination at work

One in five neurodivergent employees say they have experienced harassment or discrimination at work

One in five neurodivergent employees surveyed (20 percent) have experienced harassment or discrimination at work because of their neurodivergence, according to new research from the CIPDOne in five neurodivergent employees have experienced harassment or discrimination at work because of their neurodivergence, according to new research from the CIPD, working with corporate neuroinclusion training specialists Uptimize. Neurodiversity refers to natural differences in human brain function and behavioural traits. It’s estimated that as many as 20 percent of people may be neurodivergent in some way, an umbrella term that can include those with autism, dyslexia, or ADHD. However, despite this potential figure, support and awareness of neurodiversity is lacking in many UK workplaces. (more…)

Home Sweet … Ergonomic Workspace. Why wellbeing and comfort matters when you work from home

Home Sweet … Ergonomic Workspace. Why wellbeing and comfort matters when you work from home

Just because you work from home, doesn't mean things are different when it comes to your wellbeing.Working from home offers a host of benefits: flexible hours, avoiding the commute, and the comfort of your own pyjamas (within reason, of course). But amidst the perks, it’s easy to overlook an often-forgotten aspect: ergonomics. That fancy term simply means designing your workspace to fit you, preventing discomfort and injuries. While ergonomics might seem less crucial in your home office, it’s just as important as in a traditional office setting. Just because you work from home, doesn’t mean things are different when it comes to your wellbeing. (more…)

Employers ‘toughen’ remote working rules 

Employers ‘toughen’ remote working rules 

Employers are toughening up remote working rules according to a new poll Randstad UK. Three in every five workers in the UK say that, in the past few months, their employer has become stricterEmployers are ‘toughening’ up remote working rules according to a new poll from Randstad UK. Three in every five workers in the UK say that, in the past few months, their employer has become stricter about making staff come into the office. In a survey of 2,000 workers across the UK, 60 per cent agreed with the statement: “In the past few months, my employer has become stricter about making sure staff come into the office.” But the research claims that cutting remote working options may prove counterproductive for organisations. (more…)

Hefty fine for Amazon has implications for employee surveillance policy

Hefty fine for Amazon has implications for employee surveillance policy

Recent advancements in employee surveillance technology and the rise in remote working have led to employers now having both the ability and the excuse to look over employees’ shouldersThe French data protection watchdog CNIL has fined Amazon France Logistique €32m, equivalent to 3 percent of the entity’s annual turnover, approaching the maximum permitted level of 4 percent. Describing Amazon’s employee surveillance as “excessive”, the regulator also cited instances where the monitoring of staff was found to be outright illegal, by breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). (more…)

Life at the coalface: How the agile workplace first appeared in the mid 20th Century

Life at the coalface: How the agile workplace first appeared in the mid 20th Century

agile working began in the coal fields of NottinghamshireThe idea of diffusion of innovation has become so embedded in our culture, and most recently so associated with the adoption of new technology, that we might assume it happens in predictable ways. The steps between innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards seem intuitive and certain even when their peaks might be unsure. And yet history teaches us that sometimes new ideas can take years or even decades to take hold, even when they are potentially world-changing and relevant for the era in which they were formulated. (more…)

New RIBA guidance sets out to demystify smart building technology 

New RIBA guidance sets out to demystify smart building technology 

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published its Smart Building Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published its Smart Building Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work. Developed with ScanTech Digital, Glider Technology, Kier and Hoare Lea, RIBA says this free resource will support anyone involved in the design of newbuild, retrofit or refurbishment projects to implement smart building technology. The Smart Building Overlay introduces smart building terminology and outlines the benefits of embedding smart building technology from the outset. Its principles can be applied to projects of all scales and scopes. (more…)

Firms want to embrace AI, but bewildered by range of options

Firms want to embrace AI, but bewildered by range of options

The vast majority of Chief Information Officers plan to increase AI tool spending in 2024, but say their teams are overwhelmed by the number of apps on the marketThe vast majority of Chief Information Officers plan to increase AI tool spending in 2024, but say their teams are overwhelmed by the number of apps on the market. As a result, 77 percent are concerned about application sprawl adding to their complexity and security risks. That is according to a new report from Canva which includes insights from more than 1,360 CIOs on their priorities, opportunities and the challenges of managing their IT amid the AI boom. The company commissioned Harris Poll to survey CIOs from the UK, US, France, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Australia to understand how they’re managing application sprawl and making decisions about workplace tools in the AI era. (more…)

The final word on workplace wellbeing

The final word on workplace wellbeing

The final word? Of course not. Five years ago this month, we published an article that described how the quest for productivity had been supplanted almost entirely by a new emphasis on workplace wellbeingThe final word? Of course not. Nearly six years ago, we published an article that described how the quest for productivity had been supplanted almost entirely by a new emphasis on workplace wellbeing. It was the final nail in the coffin of scientific management and its central notion of the office as a factory, subject to rigid times and places of work and manufacturing’s culture of process, efficiency and productivity. The office a splice of factory and panopticon. (more…)

Salford’s record breaking sustainable office building reaches completion

Salford’s record breaking sustainable office building reaches completion

The City of Salford is now home to Eden, one of the UK’s most sustainable office buildings, containing Europe’s largest living wall. From the site of a derelict surface car park with no benefits to the people of Salford, English Cities Fund (ECF) has created a 115,000 sq ft development that will transform this neglected urban area into a diverse mixed-use destination and form a key part of ECF’s £1bn regeneration of the Salford Central area. (more…)

London’s office market is reshaping the city and the way people experience the workplace

London’s office market is reshaping the city and the way people experience the workplace

2024: The year of connectivity, collaboration, and culture for workplace trends and changes in London's office marketLondon’s office market continues to adapt to evolving workforce demands. The normalisation of hybrid and flexible working since the pandemic remains the biggest cultural shift that the office sector has witnessed in decades. In addition to the rise in demand for quality-as-a-must in 2023, collaboration, culture, and connectivity will lead the charge for office space trends in the year ahead. (more…)