Search Results for: employee engagement

The qualities that get managers promoted are the reasons people don’t like them

The qualities that get managers promoted are the reasons people don’t like them

A new report from Hogan Assessments suggests that the qualities helping managers rise through organisations may be very different from those employees believe make effective leaders. The study, The Leadership Divide: Global Insights on Who Leads vs. Who Should [registration], found no overlap between the characteristics most commonly associated with senior executives and the qualities employees say they value in managers. Hogan analysed personality assessment data from more than 21,000 executives and surveyed 9,794 employees across 25 countries. The findings indicate that executives are often distinguished by confidence, competitiveness, visibility and self-promotion, while employees place greater importance on communication, integrity, accountability and decision-making. (more…)

Motivation shifts rather than declines during periods of uncertainty, according to new poll

Motivation shifts rather than declines during periods of uncertainty, according to new poll

The results of a a new survey suggest that employee motivation does not collapse in uncertain conditions but instead changes shapeThe results of a a new survey suggest that employee motivation does not collapse in uncertain conditions but instead changes shape, with leadership behaviour emerging as the decisive factor. The findings, based on polling conducted by Wiley Workplace Intelligence, indicate that the most significant risk to engagement is not ambiguity itself but a perceived disconnect between leaders and their teams. The data suggests that employees continue to seek direction and purpose even when clarity is limited. Rather than becoming disengaged, many respondents reported adapting their focus, placing greater emphasis on trust, communication and visible leadership. (more…)

Re-humanising the workplace: why prevention, support and standards matter more than ever

Re-humanising the workplace: why prevention, support and standards matter more than ever

There is growing recognition that the workplace needs to become more human again, not less.There is growing recognition that the workplace needs to become more human again, not less. For all the talk of performance, productivity and retention, too many organisations still treat stress, ill health and emotional wellbeing as secondary matters. They are not. They sit at the heart of business success. The figures from the Keep Britain Working report, an independent review commissioned by the UK government and led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former chair of John Lewis, are a wake-up call. The value at stake is enormous. Employers face an estimated £85 billion a year in lost output and costs linked to ill health. For government, the additional burden in welfare payments and NHS demand is around £47 billion annually. On top of this lies the wider cost to the economy through lower participation, and the human and social costs of lost opportunity, stalled careers and reduced life chances. (more…)

Creativity, thinking and expertise in the workplace should be safeguarded from AI

Creativity, thinking and expertise in the workplace should be safeguarded from AI

Workplace professionals and general managers should proceed with caution if they want to use AI to improve efficiency and human capital in the workplace, and should take steps to ensure creativity and critical thinking are preserved, new research from the University of Bath School of Management suggests. The research team identified two types of knowledge which appeared partially compatible with AI – encoded knowledge, which encompasses rules, procedures, policies, and datasets; and embedded knowledge – essentially digitalised processes and routines. (more…)

British workers now entirely unproductive, claims report

British workers now entirely unproductive, claims report

The overwhelming majority of UK workers don’t do anything productive at all, according to a new report published today. The study of available research into the illnesses, injuries, distractions, wastes of time, procrastinations, productivity drains and paralyses that afflict British workers found that the annual cost to the British economy is around £1.8 trillion, equivalent to 98.9 percent of GDP.

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British workers happier and more productive than US and German contemporaries. Hey. We just report this stuff

British workers happier and more productive than US and German contemporaries. Hey. We just report this stuff

A major international study claims that team enjoyment is the strongest perceived driver of productivity, challenging long-standing assumptions about how organisations improve performance and that British workers claim to be happy and productive A major international study claims that team enjoyment is the strongest perceived driver of productivity, challenging long-standing assumptions about how organisations improve performance. The Global Workplace Happiness Report, published by The Happiness Index in partnership with employee benefits provider Pluxee, draws on responses from 80,000 employees across 115 countries. It suggests that social and emotional factors play a more significant role in productivity than operational systems such as workload management or process design. The poll also found that British workers are more likely to say they are happy and productive than their US and German contemporaries.  (more…)

Parliamentary group warns misuse of NDAs undermines workplace trust

Parliamentary group warns misuse of NDAs undermines workplace trust

While NDAs can serve a legitimate purpose, their use to mask harassment or discrimination risks undermining accountability and eroding trust within organisations.A cross-party group of parliamentarians, business leaders and experts has warned that non-disclosure agreements are “good for no-one” when used to conceal harmful behaviour in the workplace rather than address it. The warning followed a roundtable held in Parliament on 18 March, hosted by the Policy Liaison Group on Workplace Wellbeing. Participants agreed that while NDAs can serve a legitimate purpose, their use to mask harassment or discrimination risks undermining accountability and eroding trust within organisations. (more…)

AI users report stronger workplace connections, according to Gensler survey

AI users report stronger workplace connections, according to Gensler survey

New research from Gensler suggests that employees who make the greatest use of artificial intelligence tools are also among the most connected to their colleagues, challenging assumptions that increased use of technology leads to more isolated ways of working.New research from Gensler suggests that employees who make the greatest use of artificial intelligence tools are also among the most connected to their colleagues, challenging assumptions that increased use of technology leads to more isolated ways of working. The firm’s 2026 Global Workplace Survey gathered responses from more than 16,400 office workers across 16 countries. Around 30 percent of respondents were identified as “AI power users”, defined as people who regularly use AI tools in both their work and personal lives. (more…)

New white paper offers actions for managing trauma in the workplace

New white paper offers actions for managing trauma in the workplace

A new white paper offering practical guidance for employers on how to recognise, understand and respond to trauma in the workplace has been published by Nottingham Business SchoolA new white paper offering practical guidance for employers on how to recognise, understand and respond to trauma in the workplace has been published by Nottingham Business School (NBS), part of Nottingham Trent University. Recent national figures show that more than 8.5 million adults in England and Wales are survivors of childhood abuse, underlining the scale of trauma?related experiences within the UK workforce. Managing Trauma in the Workplace: Strategies for Wellbeing and Organisational Resilience brings together research, survivor perspectives, and evidence?based recommendations to help HR professionals and managers create psychologically safe working environments. (more…)

Faking positivity at work is causing leaders to burn out

Faking positivity at work is causing leaders to burn out

Being forced to fake their emotions in the workplace is causing leaders to burn out, according to new research by emlyon business school. The researchers say that this ‘surface acting’ creates a scientifically proven exhaustion loop that drains the very resources necessary to function well in interpersonal environments. As a result, cognitive capacity declines, authenticity erodes, and team trust suffers in ways that makes engaging in leadership more difficult in the future. (more…)

Hobbies have the power to improve creativity and personal lives

Hobbies have the power to improve creativity and personal lives

Hobbies could do more than improve your personal life, they could make you more creative and better at work, according to new research published today. Hobbies could do more than improve your personal life, they could make you more creative and better at work, according to new research published today.  The study by researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Erasmus University Rotterdam explored how ‘leisure crafting’ – intentionally shaping your free time through goal setting, learning and connection – does not just boost well-being outside the office but can spill over into creativity, engagement, and meaning at work, especially for older employees. Published in the journal Human Relationsthe findings show that giving people simple, doable advice about how to grow through their hobbies can make a real difference in their daily lives. (more…)

People want their jobs to provide them with security and steady pay

People want their jobs to provide them with security and steady pay

Workers are placing greater emphasis on job security, fair pay and employer support for adaptability, according to new global research from the Adecco GroupWorkers are placing greater emphasis on job security, fair pay and employer support for flexibility, according to new global research from the Adecco Group, which suggests the so called Great Resignation has given way to a more cautious approach to how ambitious people would like to seem. The Workforce Trends 2025 report [registration] is based on responses from 37,500 workers and 2,000 senior executives across 31 countries. It finds that while employees continue to value growth, flexibility and meaningful work, these priorities are increasingly secondary to stable income and employment certainty as economic and social uncertainty persists. (more…)