February 2, 2021

Stress-related absence soars as COVID-19 exacerbates the UK’s mental health crisis

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

‘Stress by Sector’ data released by e-days claims concerning statistics that stress-related appointments are up generally in business by 64 percent over 2019. The data claims that the sectors struggling most with stress-related sickness are unsurprisingly healthcare (0.64 days of stress related absence on average per employee), followed by Government and International Affairs (0.57 days on average per employee) and Human Resources and staffing (0.39 days on average per employee). More →

December 10, 2020

Corporate inclusivity efforts must include disability

by Silke Muenster • Comment, Wellbeing

When we think about inclusivity and diversity in the corporate world, we often think of racial and cultural diversity, gender, or LGBTQ+ inclusion—but one aspect that has been too long forgotten or ignored is the topic of disability inclusion. Caroline Casey, disability activist, CEO and founder of the Valuable 500 initiative, notes that though 90 percent of companies say they prioritize inclusivity in the workplace, just 4 percent of them include disability inclusion as a consideration. More →

November 23, 2020

Focus shifts to refurbishment as new office building in London falls by half

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

The construction of new offices in central London has declined by half (50 percent) in six months as developers and occupiers shift their focus to refurbishment, according to Deloitte Real Estate’s latest London Office Crane Survey. The crane survey analysed office building data over the six months to 30 September, and included a poll of London’s biggest developers conducted at the end of September. The total office space under construction in central London is now 15.1 million sq ft. This is similar to the level recorded in the previous survey (15.3 million sq ft, the highest since 2002) as developments are now taking longer to complete. More →

November 20, 2020

HR professionals must seek a new connection with the IT team

by Joseph Morley • Comment, Technology

It has now been more than eight months since the government first advised people to work from home if possible, due to COVID-19. The shift to remote working happened suddenly in March and quickly became part of everyday life; in April 2020 alone, 47 percent of people in employment did some work at home, compared to just 16 percent in the whole of 2019. IT teams were extremely successful in getting staff up-and-running with the right technology, but there was little time for organisations to fully train users before driving adoption, or personalise the approach based on individual need. This places a new onus on HR teams. More →

November 20, 2020

Hybrid working model is the preferred choice of workers now

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture, Working lives

A survey issued by architecture, design, and planning firm Gensler suggests that rumours of the demise of the office may be greatly exaggerated. However, over two-thirds of UK workers don’t want to go back to their old working lives either, preferring a hybrid working model, spending between 1 and 4 days in the office each week. More →

November 17, 2020

Top priority for HR leaders in 2021: building critical skills

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working culture

Gartner, Inc.’s 2021 HR Priorities Survey of more than 750 HR leaders claims that 68 percent of respondents cited building critical skills and competencies as their number one priority in 2021. The survey, conducted from June through August 2020, claims the other top HR priorities for 2021 are: organisational design and change management (46 percent), current and future leadership bench (44 percent), the future of work (32 percent) and employee experience (28 percent). More →

October 28, 2020

It`s not just businesses that need to wake up to changes in the way we work. Governments do too

by Jeremy Stein • Comment, Workplace design

We have come a long way since the government began encouraging home working in March, ahead of the national lockdown. It seems wildly naïve now to assume that we would all be back in the office two or three weeks later as if nothing had ever happened. After many months of mixed messages regarding ‘stay at home’ versus ‘go back to work’, many business owners and employees quite rightly feel that the whole process seems like one step forward, two steps back. And yet, one thing that has become clear for all office-based businesses is that working life has changed forever. More →

October 27, 2020

Worker burnout has increased by a third, research claims

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

According to new data from people success platform Glint, employee burnout is reaching new highs — with no signs of abating. People worldwide have been coping with a range of hardships this year, including a pandemic, social isolation, enforced working from home, school disruptions and major layoffs. More →

October 19, 2020

Ten pandemic related responses with highest business impact

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

The Josh Bersin Academy, a development academy for HR professionals, has announced the release of its newest research-based report, Business Resilience: The Global COVID-19 Pandemic Response Study. The 38-page complimentary report is based on a survey conducted in August 2020 of 1,349 HR leaders and professionals across the globe and all industry segments. More →

October 15, 2020

Project management firm Bruceshaw London rebrands to Concert

by Freddie Steele • Company news

As of today, 15 October 2020, project management firm Bruceshaw London has changed its name to Concert. The company says the change reflects the increasingly vital role of the Project Manager and Cost Consultant in the construction sector. The rebrand is the result of an extensive engagement programme with clients and employees, as well as an investigation of the wider market in which it operates. The firm says new brand capitalises on over 46 years of industry experience and knowledge, whilst focusing the lens firmly on excellence and future growth. More →

October 14, 2020

Many people are demoralised, disconnected and worried. We need to talk about that.

by Steven Buck • Comment, Wellbeing, Working lives

Since March, Glint has been creating a dataset which now consists of 7 million survey responses from employees around the world and across a broad range of industries. Our aim is to take the pulse of the global workforce to see how it’s faring with our ongoing global health crisis and to understand its effects on work. More →

October 12, 2020

Flexible working is here to stay as organisations recognise effect on productivity

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

To mark the start of National Work Life Week, work-life balance charity Working Families has launched the results of a survey of employers who have invested in creating family-friendly workplaces with flexible working. Reflecting the views of 26 Working Families employer members, the survey gives a snapshot of employer best practice during the pandemic, showing how organisations have risen to the challenge of supporting their staff. More →