Search Results for: business

Maternity leave causes women to lose out on £3.2 billion

Maternity leave causes women to lose out on £3.2 billion

Maternity leaveWomen taking maternity leave collectively lose out on £3.2bn worth on earnings, a fall of nearly half their average annual salary, claims new research from Direct Line Life Insurance. (more…)

Third of people working from home worry about mental health

Third of people working from home worry about mental health

mental healthIn a recent survey of 4,000 office-based employees and 1,000 employers in the UK, U.S, Singapore and the UAE, a third of employees expressed concern for their mental health whilst working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, conducted by health benefits provider, Aetna International, examines the perceptions of both employers and employees when it comes to corporate health and well-being. (more…)

Several factors impact wellbeing of people working from home

Several factors impact wellbeing of people working from home

wellbeingA new study on work-life balance claims that the COVID-19 crisis is a crucial factor – but not the only one – behind low levels of wellbeing among employees working from home. A research team including Professor Ilke Inceoglu, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and HR Management at the University of Exeter Business School, analysed data from 835 university employees, who completed a baseline questionnaire on wellbeing and took a weekly survey. (more…)

Work really has become much harder during the pandemic

Work really has become much harder during the pandemic

The burden of work, Sisyphus by TitianThe pandemic has seriously altered how we work. According to statistics published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in September 2020, US$35 trillion (£26 trillion) has been lost globally in labour income. There has also been an estimated loss of 17 percent of working hours worldwide since 2019, with young people and women being hit hardest. And many of those still in jobs are working under very different conditions. (more…)

Digital skills gap poses major economic threat, Microsoft study claims

Digital skills gap poses major economic threat, Microsoft study claims

The UK’s digital skills gap could pose a risk to economic recovery, new research from Microsoft claims, with over three-quarters of UK leaders citing a large digital talent pool as essential to driving UK competitiveness. The study, Unlocking the UK’s potential with digital skills, was conducted in partnership with Dr Chris Brauer at Goldsmiths, University of London to assess the UK’s skills gap and provide practical guidance for organisations on how to tackle it. It predicts the rise of a “Next Gen Worker” that is empowered by low-code and no-code technology, but also finds that a failure to embrace technological skills could leave companies struggling to compete on the global stage. (more…)

Supplier codes of conduct can be ineffective in practice

Supplier codes of conduct can be ineffective in practice

A new white paper claims that while supplier codes of conduct are important, they are ineffective if their requirements are not met with actions to bring about transparency. To be effective, codes of conduct should support an authentic determination to embed company values and to foster strong business relationships that encourage honest communication and transparency that include monitoring the effectiveness. (more…)

Bisley offers poised response to home and office space

Bisley offers poised response to home and office space

Poise by Bisley is part of the new Belong collection, which has been developed to transcend both the traditional office and homeworking environments. The Poise range consists of a variety of desking and table options, which can either be used as stand-alone pieces of furniture or sit together to form a cohesive office setting. Calling on Bisley’s heritage in workplace innovation, all have been designed in response to the events of 2020, seamlessly adapting to fit either the home or a commercial office environment. (more…)

Area becomes founder membership of Studio Alliance network

Area becomes founder membership of Studio Alliance network

Workplace design and fit out company Area has become a founding member of Studio Alliance, a formal group of workplace experts who share common values, ethics and goals when delivering projects across Europe. Studio Alliance has been formed in response to accelerating globalisation and offers corporate occupiers and landlords local market knowledge combined with the experience of designing and delivering projects in over 5,000 buildings throughout 24 countries. (more…)

Focus shifts to refurbishment as new office building in London falls by half

Focus shifts to refurbishment as new office building in London falls by half

office building and constructionThe construction of new offices in central London has declined by half (50 percent) in six months as developers and occupiers shift their focus to refurbishment, according to Deloitte Real Estate’s latest London Office Crane Survey. The crane survey analysed office building data over the six months to 30 September, and included a poll of London’s biggest developers conducted at the end of September. The total office space under construction in central London is now 15.1 million sq ft. This is similar to the level recorded in the previous survey (15.3 million sq ft, the highest since 2002) as developments are now taking longer to complete. (more…)

The workplace to become more human-centric than ever, as priorities change

The workplace to become more human-centric than ever, as priorities change

HumanCompanies are facing complex performance challenges as the COVID-19 resurgence heightens the need to reinvigorate employee engagement. JLL’s new “Human Experience” report explores these changing workforce dynamics and expectations in a post-pandemic world and offers insights for how forward-thinking companies can reimagine their approach to managing their people and workplaces to stay ahead in 2021. (more…)

HR professionals must seek a new connection with the IT team

HR professionals must seek a new connection with the IT team

HR and ITIt has now been more than eight months since the government first advised people to work from home if possible, due to COVID-19. The shift to remote working happened suddenly in March and quickly became part of everyday life; in April 2020 alone, 47 percent of people in employment did some work at home, compared to just 16 percent in the whole of 2019. IT teams were extremely successful in getting staff up-and-running with the right technology, but there was little time for organisations to fully train users before driving adoption, or personalise the approach based on individual need. This places a new onus on HR teams. (more…)

Hybrid working model is the preferred choice of workers now

Hybrid working model is the preferred choice of workers now

HybridA survey issued by architecture, design, and planning firm Gensler suggests that rumours of the demise of the office may be greatly exaggerated. However, over two-thirds of UK workers don’t want to go back to their old working lives either, preferring a hybrid working model, spending between 1 and 4 days in the office each week. (more…)