October 29, 2020

Workplace culture is not something to be changed with hashtags

The state of the nation’s mental health and subsequent pressure on organisations to do ‘something’ has resulted in a PR opportunity for those who see it and take it. While mental health is high on the agenda of workplace culture improvements, several organisations, including Barclays, Eon and Unilever to name a few, have signed an open letter to The Times pledging to prioritise mental health as employees return to work, after research showed that more than a third of workers were struggling. (more…)

October 29, 2020

Oslo tops list of cities with the best work-life balance

by Jayne Smith • Business, Flexible working, News, Working lives

Cloud-based access control company Kisi has released their 2020 work-life balance city index, highlighting how major cities from the 2019 edition have since been impacted by the global pandemic. While every city in the index suffered economic, social and structural consequences, the results of this year’s edition claim that having a safety net in place for workers made a large difference in how a city navigated the crisis. (more…)

October 28, 2020

It`s not just businesses that need to wake up to changes in the way we work. Governments do too

by Jeremy Stein • Comment, Workplace design

We have come a long way since the government began encouraging home working in March, ahead of the national lockdown. It seems wildly naïve now to assume that we would all be back in the office two or three weeks later as if nothing had ever happened. After many months of mixed messages regarding ‘stay at home’ versus ‘go back to work’, many business owners and employees quite rightly feel that the whole process seems like one step forward, two steps back. And yet, one thing that has become clear for all office-based businesses is that working life has changed forever. (more…)

October 22, 2020

Everybody needs to be prepared for a new digital workplace

by Simon Hayward • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

Graduates today are largely considered to be the ‘net generation’. Growing up whilst social media accelerated, their years in higher education have been synonymous with digital literacy, even before COVID-19 turned their studies entirely virtual. This monumental move into a digital workplace also echoed throughout the job market. As offices closed in Spring and millions were furloughed across hospitality, retail and travel, demand spiked by 36 percent for roles advertised in the digital tech sector. (more…)

October 22, 2020

A quarter of UK workers do not feel valued by their organisation

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

With the British workforce being asked to return to working from home amid fears of a second spike in COVID-19 cases, new research from employee experience professionals Qualtrics, claims that a quarter (24 percent) of UK workers do not feel valued by their organisation.

The research, which surveyed 2,000 UK workers, also claims that 15 percent of people feel less valued by their employer since the outbreak began and a further fifth (19 percent) do not feel proud to work for their organisation. (more…)

October 20, 2020

Remote work and the risks of employee surveillance

by Joe Aiston and Alexander Barnett • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

There has been a gradual shift towards increased flexible and remote work patterns in the last few years. The COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect storm to force organisations to further consider their working practices, with all but essential physical roles usually involving an element of homeworking – nearly half of people in employment in the UK did some work at home in April 2020, according to the ONS. Many businesses are expecting to operate a largely remote workforce for the foreseeable future. The fear of declining productivity and concerns for people wellbeing has encouraged many employers to increase their employee monitoring arrangements. (more…)

October 19, 2020

Ten pandemic related responses with highest business impact

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

The Josh Bersin Academy, a development academy for HR professionals, has announced the release of its newest research-based report, Business Resilience: The Global COVID-19 Pandemic Response Study. The 38-page complimentary report is based on a survey conducted in August 2020 of 1,349 HR leaders and professionals across the globe and all industry segments. (more…)

October 16, 2020

Is remote working a ticking timebomb?

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

At a time when working from home looks set to continue for many in both the short and long term, ‘hidden fractures’ are forming in the workforce which risk causing irreparable damage to cultures and productivity. That’s according to new research from Totem which is urging employers to take action now to better manage remote working and prevent employee engagement and retention levels falling to an all-time low. (more…)

October 16, 2020

Employees want greater ownership in the new world of work

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture, Working lives

Working from home may have been an adjustment at the start of the pandemic lockdown, but according to Cisco’s Workforce of the Future survey, UK employees want to keep hold of many positives that emerged in our new way of working. Increased autonomy (66 percent) and working well as a dispersed team (65 percent) are two main benefits; plus 60 percent want to keep hold of faster decision-making. (more…)

October 15, 2020

Working women face new challenges in the era of Covid

by Jayne Smith • News, Working culture

The latest edition of the Women in the Workplace survey from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) claims working women across the green building industry are facing historic challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Of nearly 500 women surveyed, 86 percent are feeling supported by employers, yet nearly 90 percent note they are still facing challenges when it comes to financial, familial and professional responsibilities. (more…)

October 15, 2020

Half of Brits would resign if forced to return to the office during the pandemic

by Jayne Smith • News, Working lives

With current government advice encouraging all those who can work from home to do so, it’s no surprise that Britain’s businesses and employees are navigating a new normal. New research from Owl Labs, sheds light on Britain’s attitudes to work during, and after, a Global Pandemic. (more…)

October 15, 2020

The office has the potential to adapt to meet new needs

by Jayne Smith • News, Working lives

80 percent of us want to get back to the office, according to a new report from Dale Office Interiors, but only if they become more than just “places to work”. The research, which surveyed the opinions of UK employees and HR professionals, suggests a disconnect between what we believe offices should do, and the performance of our actual real-world offices – a problem HR heads feel is all the more stark now that we face a return to the office in a post-COVID world. (more…)