August 23, 2021

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

by Neil Franklin • Comment, Flexible working

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 chan ged 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…)

August 20, 2021

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

by John Colley • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace

The 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…)

August 20, 2021

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

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

A 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…)

August 18, 2021

Workplace technology helped meet short term lockdown challenges, but its real impact is yet to come

by Simon Haighton-Williams • Comment, Technology

Thinking back to the fast pace of life 18 months ago, the working day looked very different. COVID-19 forced a significant adjustment in how many workforces operate, including the enforced use of multiple workplace technology tools to collaborate. How will our use of collaboration tools change as we go through pandemic recovery? How can businesses ensure they continue to transform their workflows in a way that gives them maximum efficiency and productivity? (more…)

August 18, 2021

Majority of UK firms do not believe their mental health support is fit for modern-day needs

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

New research from Aon plc (NYSE: AON), claims that fewer than four in ten UK firms (39 percent) believe their employee mental health support is fit for modern-day purposes. (more…)

August 17, 2021

Security careers come in many forms, but all are rewarding and challenging

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Jobs, Workplace

Are you considering a change in career paths? One sector that you may wish to strongly consider is the security industry. Whether a retail store, office block, or nightlife venue, most businesses will usually require security personnel. Therefore, this is an industry where there is always demand for new staff. Working in security careers can be thrilling, challenging and rewarding. There should be no doubting the fact that every day offers something completely different. Choosing a job that suits you is no simple decision with several different security career paths that you can go down.
(more…)

August 17, 2021

Return to office doesn’t mean occupiers have lost sight of flexibility, claims report

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Property

Offices will repopulate over the remainder of this year, led by small companies – those with fewer than 100 employees, according to the EMEA Occupier Survey of 130 companies from real estate advisor CBRE. The survey found that small companies are further advanced in their return to office. Over 80 percent of small companies report all locations are now open. This compares with only a third of the largest companies, although a majority of them have opened more than half of their sites. (more…)

August 17, 2021

Right to disconnect should be enshrined in law, says report

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

An overtime “epidemic” driven by the rise in home working during the pandemic must be curtailed with new right to disconnect laws, according to a report from think-tank Autonomy. The authors claim that unpaid labour is a growing problem in the UK, exacerbated by home working during the pandemic. They say employees are frequently contacted by their employers after the working day has finished officially to complete tasks, which impacts their mental health. The report proposes draft legislation to implement a ‘right to disconnect’ based on French law, which ensures respect for employee rest periods and allows them to ignore work calls and emails outside of working hours. (more…)

August 17, 2021

Working culture for half of employees has deteriorated during the pandemic

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Working culture

Nearly half (42 percent) of employees think the working culture of their organisation has deteriorated during the pandemic. That’s according to research by StaffCircle, which surveyed employees and HR leaders to determine the impact of the pandemic on company culture, engagement and communication. The survey identified the three Cs of COVID – culture, communication and churn – as the key challenges for businesses, with 42 percent of HR leaders saying that churn has increased since the ease of restrictions, and 30 percent of employees more likely to leave jobs post-pandemic. (more…)

August 16, 2021

Labour market confidence surges to nine year high, claims CIPD

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Employers are indicating strong employment intentions for the third quarter of 2021, with confidence surpassing pre-pandemic levels to hit a nine year high. This is the key finding of the latest quarterly CIPD Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey, involving more than 2,000 employers and covering all sectors of the economy. The survey claims that its net employment intentions figure, which measures the difference between the proportion of employers expecting to add jobs and those planning to cut them, has risen for the fourth consecutive quarter. The figure now sits at +32, up from +27 last quarter, marking the strongest employer intentions seen since tracking began in Winter 2012/13. (more…)

August 13, 2021

The future of work will be shaped by the needs of workers

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace design

As the UK government has withdrawn its advice for employees to work from home, more organisations than ever will be instituting what have become known as hybrid working models: 68 percent globally, according to research from Steelcase. Definitions of “hybrid work”, however, are often contradicting and unclear – leaving business leaders without definitive guidance about how to approach the future of work. To provide businesses with a more concrete view of what hybrid working looks like in reality, and provide tangible actions to help streamline productivity and collaboration, Steelcase have researched the experiences and needs of workers worldwide in their report: Changing Expectations and the Future of Work. (more…)

August 12, 2021

Almost half of UK firms have decreased their research and development since covid-19

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Technology

Almost half (45 percent) of UK firms have decreased their research and development initiatives during the covid-19 pandemic, with even 18 percent of firms halting theirs altogether, according to new research from Durham University Business School. (more…)