Search Results for: culture

Simple fact: less complex workplaces increase levels of employee engagement

Simple fact: less complex workplaces increase levels of employee engagement

workplace

Organisations that invest in simplifying their workplace benefit from greater trust, advocacy, innovation and retention among employees. Yet despite this, 30 percent of employees find their workplace complex and difficult to navigate, claims a recent study conducted by Siegel+Gale. According to the study, organisations that communicate clearly from the top their purpose, values and business goals tend to be simpler. These workplaces convey how employees’ roles impact relationships with clients and ultimately, drive business results.

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Low unemployment means new recruits will quit if the job doesn’t measure up

Low unemployment means new recruits will quit if the job doesn’t measure up

Low unemployment means new recruits will not stay if the role doesn't measure up

Alongside the challenge of finding the right people to fill roles is keeping them there, according to a survey from Korn Ferry which claims that the majority (93 percent) of employers agreed that the retention of new hires in their organisation is becoming an issue.  New recruits individuals agree, with 26 percent admitting they’d leave a job if it wasn’t a good fit, even if they didn’t have another position lined up. The top reasons new hires leave, according to the survey, is their specific role isn’t what they expected and working for the company was different than they thought it would be. Respondents said a desire for more money was not a primary reason a new hire would leave. More than half of the respondents (55 percent) said that offering more money to a new hire who wanted to leave would not make them stay and more than three quarters, (82 percent) said that if they personally accepted a job that they ended up not liking, even though it paid well, they would leave as soon as they found a new job.

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More than three quarters of British workers have worked whilst genuinely ill in the last year

More than three quarters of British workers have worked whilst genuinely ill in the last year

Employee services business Personal Group and online doctor service videoDoc have published the findings of a survey of 2,496 UK employees on their attitudes and behaviours around work presenteeism and illness in the workplace. The results indicated some worrying trends with regards to the prioritisation of work over health, with the average British worker having worked more than four days whilst genuinely ill in the last year, and over half of UK employees (52 percent) admitting to delaying seeking medical advice because they didn’t want to take time off work. Of those who did take time off work to see a doctor in the last 12 months, 15.7 percent took unpaid leave to do so, 17.5 percent used their annual leave entitlement and 22.4 percent left work early or arrived late – each of which arguably negatively affect both employee wellbeing and organisational productivity.

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New study reveals industries most likely to be subject to digital disruption this year

New study reveals industries most likely to be subject to digital disruption this year

A new survey of British and American IT decision makers claims to reveal which industries are most and least likely to be subject to digital disruption in 2018. The study, Digital Disruption: Disrupt or Be Disrupted (registration required), also claims to identify the qualities of companies most likely to be disruptors, and concludes that cloud technology is the new key to digital transformation. The report, based on interviews with more than 300 respondents in the United States and the United Kingdom found that 50 percent of IT stakeholders think they are leaders and will disrupt, while 50 percent feel they are behind and will be disrupted by the competition in 2018. By industry, more telcos (65 percent) and technology (65 percent) companies predict they will be disruptors, while 17 percent of IT stakeholders working for government and non-profit organisations worry they will be disrupted.

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Employers needs to do more to support working families

Employers needs to do more to support working families

Tackling unsupportive workplace cultures is crucial in helping parents achieve a better work life balance, according to a new study from lobby groups Working Families and Bright Horizons. The 2018 Modern Families Index: how employers can support the UK’s working families, published by work life balance charity Working Families and Bright Horizons, claims to expose the limitations of policies like flexible working, whilst unsupportive workplace cultures remain in place.  Many parents feel compelled to work far beyond their contracted hours to meet managers’ expectations and to progress in their careers, according to the report. When parents were asked how they felt about their employer in terms of work-life balance, over a third (34 percent) of parents said they felt resentful, with more fathers than mothers agreeing (37 percent vs. 32 percent). Millennials were the most resentful; 46 percent of millennial fathers felt resentful, the highest proportion of any group of parents.

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New report aims to increase use of modern flexible working practices to improve lives of employees

New report aims to increase use of modern flexible working practices to improve lives of employees

flexible working

Businesses are being urged to increase their use flexible working practices in a bid to improve the lives of staff and end gender discrimination in the workplace. According to the report, A Manifesto for Change: A Modern Workplace for a Flexible Workforce, one of the main barriers to gender equality is employers’ reluctance to adoptnon-traditional working practices. The report calls on employers to embrace flexible working. The report from Timewise and Deloitte sets out a five point action plan, which it claims will enable UK businesses to bring about the change needed to address ‘outdated’ working practices. The plan is based on findings from a a survey of almost 2,000 professional workers, 92 percent of whom are women, as well as interviews with UK business leaders.

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What exactly is driving the global workplace conversation?

What exactly is driving the global workplace conversation?

There is a growing body of research and understanding on the impact that working environments, workplace habits and culture have on people and broader business performance. The very best workplaces in the world – some of which will be on show at Workplace Week in New York next month – are changing our expectations around the look, function and purpose of office space. These workplaces are designed much like ecosystems – every inch designed with the comfort, wellbeing and productivity of the people who occupy them in mind. The new world of ‘workplace management’ is about designing and delivering multi-faceted, minute-by-minute, multi-sensory experiences that create an emotional response. It is about designing workplace experiences to deliver a specific mission. It encompasses thinking about journeys and destinations, the fusion of space, information, and services – and how these reflect organisational personality, support human effectiveness, and lure in talent. But, as those in the industry will be all too aware, this hasn’t always been the case. So, what’s to thank for this fresh approach to workplace design and management?

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Workplace aggression can lead to vicious circle of misconduct

Workplace aggression can lead to vicious circle of misconduct

New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) claims that frequently being the target of workplace aggression not only affects the victim’s health but can also cause them to behave badly towards others. Workplace aggression is a significant issue particularly in the healthcare sector, where nurses can be targeted by both their colleagues and co-workers through bullying, and by patients and their relatives through ‘third-party’ aggression. While workplace aggression has been examined in relation to the health-related consequences for victims, less is known about the possible negative impact it may have on their own behaviour at work. The findings of this study suggest that the experience of anger and fear associated with being the target of aggression at work could lead some nurses to translate the emotions that are triggered into misconduct, possibly disregarding professional and ethical codes. (more…)

Workers fake physical sickness to mask mental health issues due to stigma worries

Workers fake physical sickness to mask mental health issues due to stigma worries

Workers fake physical sickness to mask mental health issues due to stigma worries

Two fifths (42 percent) of UK employees are calling in sick claiming a physical illness, when in reality it’s a mental health issue, new research from BHSF has claimed. The research was commissioned to raise awareness of employee wellbeing during  Mental Health Awareness Week, a campaign hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, which has stress as its focus this year.  The survey found that 24 percent of employees worry that if they did need to take a sick day, they wouldn’t be taken seriously. Over half (56 percent) of employees admitted to suffering from stress, a third from anxiety (36 percent) and a quarter from depression (25 percent). Despite 46 percent admitting that work is the main cause of their health problems, just 15 percent would tell their boss if they were struggling with an issue of this nature.

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Seven stories to get your week off to a flying start

Seven stories to get your week off to a flying start

Why great employees leave great cultures

Are flexible short term leases the new future?

Four mega-trends for the future of work

The revolution will not be transactionalised

Bjarke Ingels joins WeWork as Chief Architect

The road to automation, the joy of work, and the ‘Jen problem’

How Soho House transformed BBC Television Centre (registration required)

Manchester incubator aims to develop region’s strength in tech and research

Manchester incubator aims to develop region’s strength in tech and research

Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) has opened its new £2m tech incubator which it hopes will help create up to 2,000 jobs in data science and technology innovation companies over the next decade. Reflecting the ambitions of the updated Greater Manchester strategy to build on the city region’s strengths in technology and digital innovation, the incubator will provide start-ups with a wide package of business support services including: access to finance, talent and markets advice. Manchester is already a European top 20 digital city and this new incubator is designed play a role in strengthening the city’s status as a location for technology businesses over the coming years.

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Optimal workplace productivity gains could add £39.8 billion to British and Irish economies

Optimal workplace productivity gains could add £39.8 billion to British and Irish economies

The United Kingdom could reshape its economic future and unlock its share of £39.8 billion in untapped GDP if organisations were to ‘optimise their workplaces’, according to a new study by Ricoh and Oxford Economics, titled The Economy of People (registration required). The UK could achieve a 1.8 percent increase in GDP, equal to £36.8 billion, which could pay for the cost of Brexit twice with change to spare. Similarly, the Irish economy could expand by 1.0 percent, or £3 billion, if businesses commit to creating the optimal office. The findings from The Economy of People are based on forecasts of how productivity in various industries will improve, if investment in workplaces makes them optimal for those that work there and their employers. Surveys and interviews were conducted with employees and executives to uncover how workplace elements, such as culture, physical workspace and technology affect performance and productivity.

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