Search Results for: business

The scale of the problem for the workplace

The scale of the problem for the workplace

by • Comment, Workplace design

There is a typically telling and intelligent Pixar moment in the film A Bug’s Life in which an already well-lubricated mosquito goes up to a bar and orders a ‘Bloody Mary, O Positive’. The barman plonks a droplet of blood down on the bar. The mosquito sinks his proboscis into it, sucks it down in one go and promptly falls over. The mosquito doesn’t need a glass because that is for animals who have a problem with gravity. For insects, the major force in their lives isn’t gravity, but surface tension. More →

Flexible working rights stand to benefit millions of people

Flexible working rights stand to benefit millions of people

by • Flexible working, News

From today (April 6th 2024), UK employees will have the legal right to request flexible working from their first day in a new job.From today (April 6th 2024), UK employees will have the legal right to request flexible working from their first day in a new job. Under the updated regulations, employers must engage in discussions with employees and consider alternative solutions before declining a flexible working request. Decisions on applications must now be made within two months, reducing the previous timeframe of three months, which includes any appeals. Additionally, employees will be entitled to submit two flexible working requests within a 12-month period, rather than the previous allowance of one. More →

It now costs more to commute by train than by car in the UK

It now costs more to commute by train than by car in the UK

by • Business, News

Problems at London Euston went viral on social media several times this week, challenging the idea that we should let the train take the strain. Now the assumption that public transport is cheaper than driving is also being called into question for the UK’s commuters. With rail fares increasing by 4.9 percent from the beginning of March, Good Travel Management has look into the cost of commuting into the UK’s major cities to find out how much it’s really costing people to get to work. More →

People who work from home are less likely to get pay rises and promotions

People who work from home are less likely to get pay rises and promotions

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

People who work from home all or part of the time are less likely to get pay rises and promotions, a new study of outcomes from hybrid working suggestsPeople who work from home all or part of the time are less likely to get pay rises and promotions, a new study of outcomes from hybrid working suggests. The survey of 937 UK managers found that they were 11 percent less likely to give a promotion to staff who worked entirely from home than to those who were completely office-based. Hybrid workers – those working partly in the office and partly at home – were on average 7 percent less likely to be promoted. More →

AI can help people deal with burnout, say HR managers

AI can help people deal with burnout, say HR managers

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new report from Sage claims that HR professionals now welcome AI to ease the burden of admin jobs, take away time consuming tasks, and, ultimately, ease burnoutA new report from Sage claims that HR professionals now welcome AI to ease the burden of admin jobs, take away time consuming tasks, and, ultimately, ease burnout. The annual report, titled ‘The Changing Face of HR’ [registration], surveyed over 1,000 HR leaders across a range of sectors and countries, finding that 77 percent believe AI has the potential to revolutionise ways of working within their company. With 95 percent of respondents reporting an increase in their workload over the past year and 91 percent seeing an increase in more responsibilities in their role. HR leaders in the UK are particularly strained with workloads, with respondents twice as likely to work over 45 hours per week compared to before the pandemic, the report claims. More →

When it comes to the carbon conundrum, real change will come from collaboration

When it comes to the carbon conundrum, real change will come from collaboration

by • Comment, Environment, Facilities management, Property, Wellbeing

Last week we launched our first white paper: Carbon Conundrum to Carbon Control and we were so delighted to be joined by a panel of experts across development, , engineering, design and consultancy. Through their discussion and with excellent engagement from our audience of developers, designers, contractors, agents, engineers and end users, there were a number of very pertinent industry topics raised. The mood was upbeat and collaborative, but the emphasis was certainly on action and innovation, with a commitment to collective responsibility, education and being bolder. More →

Half of workers say they are ready to take advantage of new flexible working laws

Half of workers say they are ready to take advantage of new flexible working laws

by • Flexible working, News

more than half (55 percent) of respondents to a poll are planning to make a new request for flexible working when new rules come into UK law this weekendBusinesses are being advised to brace themselves as a new poll claims more than half (55 percent) of respondents are planning to make a new request for flexible working when new rules come into UK law this weekend. The changes introduced by the Flexible Working Bill on April 6 – allowing workers to ask for flexible forms of work from day one of their employment (previously six months)  – look set to lead to a sharp increase in flexible working requests even though 74 percent of employees report already having some degree of flexibility.  More →

London Mayor sets out ambitious plans for Capital’s growth and reinvention

London Mayor sets out ambitious plans for Capital’s growth and reinvention

by • Cities, News, Property

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is today launching an ambitious plan aimed at creating 150,000 high-quality, well-paid jobs by 2028. This initiative will be unveiled alongside the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves. Reeves will say that a Labour administration intends to reset the relationship between the national government and London, while Khan thinks what is good for London is good for the UK. More →

Virtual meetings can boost wellbeing and performance

Virtual meetings can boost wellbeing and performance

by • News, Technology, Wellbeing

Virtual meetings – often derided as impersonal and prone to technical glitches – can improve employee wellbeing and performanceVirtual meetings – often derided as impersonal and prone to technical glitches – can improve employee wellbeing and performance, a new study led by a Trinity Business School researcher has found. The research, conducted alongside Karin S. Moser (UniDistance Suisse, University of Queensland), Stefan Diestel (University of Wuppertal) and Isaac Alshaikh (South East Technological University Waterford), conducted during the ongoing shift to hybrid work environments and just published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, concludes that virtual meetings, a staple of the COVID-19 pandemic, are not just a necessity but can also be beneficial. More →

Policy response will determine if opportunities of AI in the workplace outweigh the risks

Policy response will determine if opportunities of AI in the workplace outweigh the risks

by • AI, News, Technology, Workplace

A new OECD report Using AI in the Workplace sets out to sheds light on the multifaceted impact of AI adoption, emphasising both its benefits and potential risksA new OECD report Using AI in the Workplace sets out to sheds light on the multifaceted impact of AI adoption, emphasising both its benefits and potential risks. According to the report, AI can bring significant benefits to the workplace. In the OECD AI surveys of employers and workers, four in five workers say that AI improved their performance at work and three in five say that it increased their enjoyment of work. But the benefits of AI depend on addressing the associated risks. Taking the effect of AI into account, occupations at highest risk of automation account for about 27 percent of employment in OECD countries. More →

What do people really want from an office design? Some peace and quiet

What do people really want from an office design? Some peace and quiet

by • News, Workplace design

poor quality office design is now thoroughly out of favour, as one in three people (33 percent) have an issue with a lack of privacy in the workplaceNew research from a survey of 2,000 UK office workers by BW: Workplace Experts suggests that poor quality office design is now thoroughly out of favour, as one in three people (33 percent) have an issue with a lack of privacy in the workplace. In fact, over a third (34 percent) ranked the most valuable spaces in the office as available meeting rooms, adequate amounts of breakout spaces, and social spaces, reflecting a desire to have more varied private and collaborative spaces. 27 percent said that they also value wellness spaces (e.g., exercise room, meditation room) and roughly one in 10 (11 percent) said access to outdoor space would influence them to go into the office more often. More →

Is working from home creating an epidemic of burnout and loneliness? Spacemade has an answer

Is working from home creating an epidemic of burnout and loneliness? Spacemade has an answer

by • Company news, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Many people working from home complain of feeling isolated and burnt out. So could a serviced office be the answerSince the pandemic, 69 percent of UK businesses have adopted a hybrid working model offering employees greater autonomy in their working lives. While this flexibility sounds ideal, it has unexpectedly created a work wellness issue, with employers reporting they have seen a 77 percent surge in mental health issues in 2023, vs 44 percent in 2022.  In a recent survey by Statista, 21 percent of workers said that their biggest struggle with working from home was that they had no reason to leave it. More →

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