Search Results for: economic

CIPD Festival of Work goes digital for 2020

CIPD Festival of Work goes digital for 2020

There’s just one month to go until CIPD hosts its Festival of Work, which has moved online for the first time. Extended to three days, it will provide even more access to expert masterclasses, discussions and skills sessions, and a taste of large-scale events of this kind for the future. It is following a well trodden path in the current climate as a number of other events have moved online. (For an up to date list of workplace events and their status visit our Events page). (more…)

Pandemic threatens the transition to clean energy

Pandemic threatens the transition to clean energy

The coronavirus pandemic risks cancelling out recent progress in transitioning to clean energy, with unprecedented falls in demand, price volatility and pressure to quickly mitigate socioeconomic costs placing the near-term trajectory of the transition in doubt. Policies, roadmaps and governance frameworks for energy transition at national, regional, and global levels need to be more robust and resilient against external shocks, according to the latest edition of World Economic Forum’s Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2020 report published today. (more…)

The language barrier to wellbeing in the workplace

The language barrier to wellbeing in the workplace

In a recent piece for the Architects Journal, incoming BCO President Paul Patenall extolled the virtues of a Danish idea called Arbejdsglaede, (almost) literally the joy of work. There is no equivalent word in English, of course, but it also taps into our assumption that we can learn a thing or two from our Scandinavian cousins about wellbeing and the ways in which we should find happiness in our daily lives and surroundings.

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Ridding ourselves of the productivity fetish will help us combat climate change

Ridding ourselves of the productivity fetish will help us combat climate change

Climate action is often about sacrifice: eat less meat, don’t fly, and buy less stuff. These things are essential. But climate action can also be about gain. Many causes of climate change make our lives worse. So transforming our societies to stop climate change offers us the chance to make our lives better. (more…)

Immunity certificates could lead to a two-tier workplace

Immunity certificates could lead to a two-tier workplace

Proposed “immunity certificates” allowing individuals to move freely in society could lead to discrimination, claims Edgar Whitley, Associate Professor from London School of Economics’ Department of Management, and other contributing experts in a new report. (more…)

The lockdown gives us a chance to reconsider business ethics

The lockdown gives us a chance to reconsider business ethics

The past few weeks have been a time of extreme disruption and tension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but there has been a sliver of good news – people around the world have been quick to notice the environmental benefits of people remaining in their homes. (more…)

Fewer meetings and fractured days – how people are adjusting to working from home

Fewer meetings and fractured days – how people are adjusting to working from home

Over half of UK employees are working different hours than they used to, with many spreading work out over a longer period as they adapt to working from home. Those are two of the findings from a new report from Asana, which looks at how British, American, Japanese, Australian and German employees have adapted to remote working. The UK findings are based on 1,016 respondents working full-time and, due to the pandemic, remotely. (more…)

A brief history of workplace disruption

A brief history of workplace disruption

Office work has existed in some form ever since people started writing on tablets and papyrus. Depictions of clerical staff are common in the Bible and on the walls of pyramids. In the mid 14th Century the Church of San Nicolò, commissioned the artist Tomaso da Modena to create the fresco in the chapter room of the church depicting forty monks of the order hard at it at their desks. The word office itself derives from the famous Uffizi in Florence, created in 1560. (more…)

One in three SMEs plan to increase flexible working after pandemic

One in three SMEs plan to increase flexible working after pandemic

The coronavirus crisis has already cost UK SMEs an average £277,893 each – and 64 percent expect their revenues to decrease by half in coming months, according to a nationwide survey released by Fiverr. The study of 1,000 SME owners and decision makers in 19 cities across the UK also claims that nearly one in three (29 percent) of UK SMEs plan to increase flexible working post-pandemic. (more…)

There are some behavioural insights you cannot afford to ignore

There are some behavioural insights you cannot afford to ignore

Behavioural insights combine psychology, neuroscience and behavioural economics with empirically tested results to understand and influence how people behave. These insights can be used to implement new policies more efficiently and successfully by nudging individual’s behaviour and shaping collective norms. (more…)

Working parents still not getting enough support to deal with pandemic

Working parents still not getting enough support to deal with pandemic

A new report from work-life balance charity Working Families claims that there remains a pressing need for increased support for working parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is informed by queries to the charity’s free legal advice helpline, which the charity says have quadrupled since the start of the pandemic. Since mid-March, over 36,000 people have accessed the charity’s coronavirus-focused legal advice web pages. (more…)

Most workers not productive while working from home, report claims

Most workers not productive while working from home, report claims

working from homeNo more than 15 percent of healthy workers confined to their homes will work productively, argues new research from right leaning think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs. Government restrictions on social interaction designed to slow the spread of coronavirus have led to a rapid increase in the number of people working from home. But a new briefing paper from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) suggests this is unlikely to be maintained in the long term. (more…)