October 19, 2020
New research commissioned by Workplace from Facebook claims frontline managers are being shut out from making strategic decisions, due to a prevailing disconnect with leaders in HQ. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting the importance of the frontline and its leaders, managers in this environment have not been empowered to make decisions. (more…)
October 16, 2020
At a time when working from home looks set to continue for many in both the short and long term, ‘hidden fractures’ are forming in the workforce which risk causing irreparable damage to cultures and productivity. That’s according to new research from Totem which is urging employers to take action now to better manage remote working and prevent employee engagement and retention levels falling to an all-time low. (more…)
October 16, 2020
Working from home may have been an adjustment at the start of the pandemic lockdown, but according to Cisco’s Workforce of the Future survey, UK employees want to keep hold of many positives that emerged in our new way of working. Increased autonomy (66 percent) and working well as a dispersed team (65 percent) are two main benefits; plus 60 percent want to keep hold of faster decision-making. (more…)
October 16, 2020
New research by Applaud, claims that 45 percent of HR Directors (HRDs) think the biggest challenge of delivering a good employee experience in the next six months will be making sure that all employees are receiving a consistent experience, regardless of whether they’re remote or office based. (more…)
October 16, 2020
Over a third of younger office workers forced to work from home feel remote, unfocused and less committed to their employers, posing a real threat to businesses in the medium and long term, new research from Oktra claims. Of 1,500 people surveyed, who used to work in an office full time but have been working at home for the last six months, the experience has changed the way that 71 percent of them feel about their employer; 85 percent have struggled with the experience of remote work. (more…)
October 14, 2020
A new model of competitiveness devised by academics at Goldsmiths, University of London in partnership with Microsoft scores almost half (46 percent) of UK firms in the lowest quadrant, posing a threat to Britain’s prosperity as organisations rally from the impact of COVID-19, and prepare for Brexit as UK-EU negotiations reach their conclusion that such uncompetitive companies pose a serious threat to the country’s future prosperity . (more…)
October 8, 2020
We can confidently say this is a new era for the workplace. Covid-19 has forced a radical rethink about the purpose of the office and its role in reaffirming company culture. Enlightened property directors are resisting knee-jerk responses to predictions that Covid spells the demise of the office including the wholesale migration to home-working. Instead, they are challenging plans to dramatically downsize the workplace and corporate real estate. They are also acutely aware that distancing, transmission and sanitisation are here for the long-haul. This will continue to have a profound impact on occupancy levels and the interactions that are necessary for business success. (more…)
October 6, 2020
New independent polling commissioned by the British Council for Offices (BCO), suggests that, once Government measures allow, Britain is set to move to a ‘mixed’ working style, with time in the office balanced with time at home. The survey, which polled over 2,000 office workers nationwide, took place prior to new Government measures and found an appetite to get back to the office. (more…)
October 2, 2020
Over the years, mental health has become a prominent feature of wellbeing initiatives in many businesses, but especially in the wake of the pandemic. However, our research has found that more than half of the UK workforce (54 percent) do not feel that mental health benefits are a priority in their organisation. This is despite half of workers believing that mental health benefits are essential post-COVID-19. (more…)
October 2, 2020
You’ve probably read and heard dozens, or even hundreds, of different viewpoints about the effect of the pandemic on the world of work. Most of them (until recently perhaps) have dished up one of the two binary options as part of a zero-sum game. Many are based on hackneyed ideas and expressed as clichés. (more…)
October 2, 2020
Employees are proving keen to return to the office, reporting that they miss the human and social interaction that the office facilitates. At the same time, while employees show a strong affinity for the office, they also desire the ability to have the option to work from home 1-2 days per week on average according to a recent JLL global study of 3,000 workers. The trend towards workplace mobility was not created as a result of the pandemic, but it was certainly accelerated by it. As a result, agile work strategies are expected to increase in a post-pandemic world, reinvigorating demand for flexible space. (more…)
October 14, 2020
Many people are demoralised, disconnected and worried. We need to talk about that.
by Steven Buck • Comment, Wellbeing, Working lives