Search Results for: business

Uncertainty remains, but many people looking forward to meeting colleagues again

Uncertainty remains, but many people looking forward to meeting colleagues again

As businesses in the UK prepare to open their office doors en masse in the first week of September, new research reveals that office workers have got that back-to-school excitement and are feeling largely positive about the transition. Recruitment firm Michael Page questioned over 2,000 UK office workers on their attitudes to returning to the office and found that after eighteen months at home, around half claim to be ‘excited’ or ‘happy’ to spend more time in the office with their colleagues. Reminiscent of the first day back at school, almost three in ten (28 percent) said that they had picked out their outfit and packed their bag ahead of their first day back in the office. (more…)

Security and productivity main challenges for hybrid working

Security and productivity main challenges for hybrid working

hybrid working at homeWith a large number of firms now prepared to embrace a ‘hybrid working’ model, business leaders remain uncertain about how this may play out in practice according to a new report from Entrust called Securing the New Hybrid Workplace (registration). Respondents suggest that the most important challenges relate to the ongoing uncertainty about new Covid variants and the effect of hybrid working on security and productivity. As a result, while many are committed to changing their work culture, they are prepared to adapt their plans in response to any changing needs. (more…)

Toxicity in the workplace experienced by seventy percent of UK employees

Toxicity in the workplace experienced by seventy percent of UK employees

ToxicityCulture in UK workplaces has come under scrutiny after a recent study claims that seven in ten (70 percent) Brits shared they’ve experienced toxicity in a working environment at some stage of their career. (more…)

Proportion of over 50s in work set to hit record high

Proportion of over 50s in work set to hit record high

The proportion of people over 50 in employment is set to hit 47 percent by 2030, following a 36 percent increase in the absolute number the last two decades, according to a new report from Legal & General Retail Retirement (LGRR) and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). (more…)

I’m a Luddite. You should be one too

I’m a Luddite. You should be one too

The leader of the Luddite movementI’m a Luddite. This is not a hesitant confession, but a proud proclamation. I’m also a social scientist who studies how new technologies affect politics, economics and society. For me, Luddism is not a naïve feeling, but a considered position. And once you know what Luddism actually stands for, I’m willing to bet you will be one too — or at least much more sympathetic to the Luddite cause than you think. (more…)

Growing health concerns and preference for hybrid work among US employees

Growing health concerns and preference for hybrid work among US employees

employeesEnvoy has released the results from its latest Return to Work report that gauges sentiment among 1,000 US employees who have returned to the workplace within the past year. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, many companies are wrestling with the decision to postpone reopenings, even as scores of office workers are already back in the workplace. (more…)

Working from home: how far we’ve come and where we might be headed

Working from home: how far we’ve come and where we might be headed

working from home furnitureWe’ve all learnt a great deal about working from home over the past eighteen months. We’ve seen how for some, it can be incredibly beneficial to employees, enabling them to better balance their work and personal lives and can also benefit the company, enabling business as usual during the Covid-19 pandemic, even improving efficiency. It’s also prompted some important conversations about mental health that simply hadn’t been had, normalising the challenges that we all face, especially during lockdowns. (more…)

Over half of UK employers say their staff work additional unpaid hours every day

Over half of UK employers say their staff work additional unpaid hours every day

unpaid hoursIn its latest whitepaper, Cendex, part of XpertHR, claims that staff at over half (53 percent) of UK organisations are working additional unpaid hours every day. A quarter (24 percent) of employers put this down to the pandemic and its resultant uptick in remote working, as they believe working from home blurs the line between work life and home life. (more…)

Changing workplace means a changing role for finance heads

Changing workplace means a changing role for finance heads

pwc workplaceThe CFO and Finance Director role is undergoing rapid change. Not only are they required to manage the traditional priorities of the job, but they must now also juggle a wide array of operational, transactional and commercial responsibilities. With added pressure from clients because of Covid-19 and a rapidly evolving workplace, the role is increasingly hard to navigate. To gain a deeper insight into this and the evolution and future planning of a department that is central to the success of modern businesses, Totum recently surveyed CFOs and Finance Directors from among UK headquartered legal firms with annual revenue of £20m or more. (more…)

Executives think work should be split 70:30 between office and home

Executives think work should be split 70:30 between office and home

A new survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit backs up the most commonly cited form of ‘hybrid working’ by claiming that business executives on average think work should be split 70 percent / 30 percent between the office and home respectively.  In A changed workplace after covid-19, published  by The Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Kyocera Document Solutions, the authors argue that Covid-19 was a watershed moment in the way we work. (more…)

Gig economy could lead to a labour shortage…but better off workers

Gig economy could lead to a labour shortage…but better off workers

gig economy workerThe long-term impact of COVID-19 on the economy (and the gig economy) will not be clear for some time. But in the UK, the easing of pandemic related restrictions has coincided with significant labour shortages and the driving up of wages. Statistics show that wages have risen 7.4 percent in the past year, and the number of job vacancies has continued to rise (up to 953,000 in July 2021). Those vacancies have appeared amid continued travel restrictions from abroad, and the prolonged furlough scheme, which is keeping over 1 million people tied to employers that don’t have work available for them. (more…)

Over two-thirds of employers are considering pay cuts for remote workers

Over two-thirds of employers are considering pay cuts for remote workers

pay cutsA new survey by CIPHR claims that over two-thirds (68 percent) of British businesses are contemplating pay cuts for staff who opt to work from home, despite many (53 percent) saying they’ve actually saved money by having more remote workers. (more…)