March 29, 2023

Work-related stress costing UK economy £28bn a year

New data and economic modelling from AXA UK and Centre for Business and Economic Research (Cebr) claims that people are struggling with burnout and work-related stress, with an estimated £28bn lost last year due to poor mental health at work. The majority of this cost is due to loss of working days because of stress, burnout and general poor mental health, with businesses losing 23.3m working days as a result of these issues. More →

March 1, 2023

Nearly all senior managers say stress is a characteristic of their job

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

The cost-of-living crisis is the top cause of stress at work for people working in leadership and senior management roles, according to the findings of a new survey by HR software provider Ciphr. Around 98 percent of the 265 leaders and senior managers polled found at least one aspect of their work stressful, while two-fifths (83 percent) are affected by three or more work-related stressors (the average, per person, is eight). Yet, despite the obvious stress their work causes them, just 4 percent claim not to like their jobs. More →

February 21, 2023

Four day week pilot results are very encouraging indeed, say researchers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Businesses that adopted a four day working week as part of a pilot programme say they are more profitable and their staff are fitter, happier and more productive, researchers have told MPs. A large majority of companies that took part in the pilot now plan to carry on. The programme, led in the UK by non-profit 4 Day Week Global, the UK’s 4 Day Week Campaign and think-tank Autonomy, involved around 3,000 workers through a six-month trial of a four day week, with no loss of pay. This brings the global campaign’s total number of completed pilot participants to 91 companies and approximately 3,500 employees. More →

February 16, 2023

Flexible working drives productivity and stronger company culture

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

Future Forum, a consortium launched by Slack with founding partners Boston Consulting Group, MillerKnoll, and MLT has published the latest findings from its global Pulse survey, which suggest that flexible working plays a key role in fostering organisational culture and has a significant positive impact on productivity. According to the poll, flexible workers were 57 percent more likely to say that their company culture has improved over the past two years compared with those required to be on-site five days a week—and they cited flexible working policies as the primary reason their culture is changing for the better. More →

February 10, 2023

Working parents are resilient, and a resilient team is good for business

by Erin Eatough • Comment, Wellbeing

Last week, Parent Mental Health Day renewed our focus on working parents and their resilience, the ability to adapt to change, deal with stress, and foster optimism despite difficulty. From a business perspective, resilience is the way that employees recognise and respond to challenges as opportunities to develop rather than as a threat or setback. Resilience is an important skill for us all as we manoeuvre through life’s daily trials and it is particularly important for working parents as we often juggle more responsibilities outside of the workplace. More →

January 25, 2023

Cost of living driving employees to seek new jobs or more help from employers

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A large majority (84 percent) of employees are experiencing stress and anxiety due to the cost-of-living crisis, yet two-thirds of employers aren’t offering any financial or emotional support. This is the key claim in a new report from Workhuman which suggests that employees across the UK are struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, with 62.5 percent considering leaving their current job if their employer doesn’t recognise their financial struggles or does nothing to support them. The survey of 1,000 full-time employees across the UK also claims that 77 percent of employees said their employer could be doing more to support them financially and emotionally through the current crisis. More →

January 12, 2023

Wellbeing and organisational agility will dominate workplace conversations in 2023

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Mental health and wellbeing will dominate conversations about the role of work in people’s lives this year, due in part to the effects of the global pandemic, as well as social and economic instability around the world, according to the latest megatrends report from UKG. The report claims that many people are feeling overwhelmed in the face of negative news cycles headlining economic uncertainty, climate change, violence, and political unrest have contributed to a spike in mental wellbeing issues. More →

January 10, 2023

People prefer flexible to hybrid working according to new poll

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

A new poll from MHR claims that people appear to prefer flexible to hybrid working. It suggests that a greater proportion of employees would prefer to work in the office with flexible hours (51 percent) than work from home with structured hours (41 percent). The survey [registration] of over 1,200 full time office workers across the UK and Ireland set out to find how their experience working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic compared to their usual work practices. More →

December 12, 2022

Third of employees won’t switch off over Christmas, even though the boss wants them to

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

A poll of over 2,000 UK office workers by Slack and YouGov claims there is a ‘worrying disconnect’ between bosses and employees on work expectations during the Christmas period. The majority (83 percent) of UK bosses, with leadership responsibilities, say they will encourage people to switch off during the holiday season. But, despite this, a third (32 percent) plan to be online and available to work during the holiday season—even when they have time off. More →

November 25, 2022

Business owners lose sleep over impact of mental health on their business, but don’t act

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A new poll claims that the majority of business leaders say that mental health support isn’t available for their employees or isn’t utilised enough, despite acknowledging how poor mental health impacts business performance. The survey was conducted by GoProposal and is based on 750 small business owners in the UK. It claims that over half of businesses (55 percent) either have no mental health support in place for their employees or have support processes that aren’t used enough. More →

November 3, 2022

Are digital skills the key to a happier, more productive workforce?

by Katy Liddell • Comment, Technology, Workplace

The rising cost-of-living is impacting life and work in all four corners of the UK. Research from BCC has found that businesses feel compelled to increase their own prices. With costs rising, businesses are facing growing pressures. Not least the need to attract and retain the talent they can depend on to deliver. Research has shown that taking time to upskill current employees, especially in terms of their digital skills, benefits both productivity and engagement at all levels of an organisation. Our own Tech and Battle for Talent report recognises that 42 percent of employees in organisations across the UK would be more likely to stay in their current role if employers provided regular and intensive training, while 47 percent would be happier. More →

October 18, 2022

Monitoring remote workers is a good idea according to half of bosses

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Technology

A new poll from the CIPD and HiBob claims that more than half of bosses (55 percent) agree with collecting information on regular home workers, including the amount of time spent on laptops each day and email sending behaviours to identify risk of burnout. However, only three in ten (28 percent) leaders say their organisations are using software for monitoring remote workers and their productivity, according to the study. Where workplace monitoring is in place, the CIPD and HiBob urge employers to consider its purpose, and to be clear to staff about what is being monitored and why. More →