October 22, 2020

The enduring appeal of the office to global employees

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

Tarkett, a provider of innovative flooring and sports surface solutions, has released the findings of the first of three Rethinking Workplace Surveys, which it is undertaking in collaboration with WKSpace. Questioning global office workers on their perceptions and experience of work and the office, the Rethinking Workplace Surveys will provide valuable insights into how best practice workplace design must adapt to the dramatic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. More →

October 20, 2020

Remote work and the risks of employee surveillance

by Joe Aiston and Alexander Barnett • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

There has been a gradual shift towards increased flexible and remote work patterns in the last few years. The COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect storm to force organisations to further consider their working practices, with all but essential physical roles usually involving an element of homeworking – nearly half of people in employment in the UK did some work at home in April 2020, according to the ONS. Many businesses are expecting to operate a largely remote workforce for the foreseeable future. The fear of declining productivity and concerns for people wellbeing has encouraged many employers to increase their employee monitoring arrangements. More →

October 19, 2020

Change fatigue among employees has doubled this year

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

The amount of change that the average employee can absorb without suffering fatigue in 2020 has been cut in half compared to 2019, according to Gartner, Inc. Amid worries about the economy, job security, their health and the health of their loved ones, employees’ capacity to take on change in the workplace has plunged significantly. More →

October 14, 2020

Majority of U.S. employees fear returning to the workplace amid COVID-19

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Envoy has released results from its Protecting the Workplace study, which claims that 73 percent of U.S. employees fear a return to the workplace could pose a risk to their personal health and safety. While a majority of employees say they do want to return to the workplace once COVID restrictions are lifted, 75 percent said they would consider quitting their job if they felt their employers’ actions to prevent COVID-19 were inadequate or inappropriate. More →

September 25, 2020

Furloughed employees feel less valued

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

A new survey published by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) claims that while 78 percent of those who experienced a change in workplace felt that they had experienced positive impacts, furloughed employees have had a significantly different experience. More →

September 24, 2020

Employees grow increasingly concerned about prospect of burnout

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

In a survey of employees and business leaders across 11 nations, The Workforce Institute at UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) claims only a fraction of employees (20 percent) felt their organisation met their needs during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is a silver lining: a third of employees globally (33 percent) say they trust their employer more now than before the pandemic began because of how organisations reacted. More →

September 16, 2020

Get used to the idea of work as an experience rather than a place

by Tim Oldman • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Workplace design

Suck it up. The role of property in supporting organisational performance has changed forever. The obsession with bricks and mortar has to shift to the employee-as-consumer experience. If we understand that user experience, then organisations can make the right decisions. The problem is, experience is now scattered across millions of homes worldwide. More →

September 8, 2020

Frontline and front of mind; communicating with employees away from HQ

by Julien Lesaicherre • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

It has been a rough year for business. Many organisations have had to evolve their operating models overnight, go to great lengths to keep their people safe and build entirely new ways of working to ensure they can stay afloat. A lot have had to fast forward five years into the future in a few months – and that’s no mean feat. More →

September 2, 2020

Are employees more productive since lockdown?

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

With many companies announcing that they will not force employees back to the office until next year, 34 percent of UK workers have admitted to feeling more productive since working from home. That’s according to new ‘Work Different’ research from Qualtrics.

The research, which surveyed 2,000 UK workers, also claims that a third (31 percent) of workers have felt creative since working outside of the office, while over a quarter (27 percent) believe it’s been easier to collaborate with their colleagues since the coronavirus lockdown began. More →

August 28, 2020

A new social contract can improve the everyday experience of work

by Mark Spratt • Comment, Workplace

It’s not happening quickly enough for some and too slowly for others, but most companies are in the midst of managing a return to work and grappling with a very different post COVID-19 world and what it means for employees. HR professionals are paying close attention to how well employees are faring and are looking to build new forms of employee care into company cultures and values. But maybe there is something more they can do to foster employee trust and safety? More →

August 3, 2020

Working from home experience proves value of workplace counselling

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an upsurge of workplace stresses and concerns, with many employees experiencing significant changes to work and life. Finding the best forms of support for employees will be an essential concern for employers, especially as they begin to manage future workplace adjustments and the possible return to the office That is the main finding of a new report which looks at the effects of various interventions on people’s mental health during lockdown. More →

July 22, 2020

Employee anxiety and stress levels massively up on last year

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Anxiety in employees has rocketed over the last year, according to a new report from Inpulse. The research, which includes the views of over 3,000 UK employees, claims that anxiety is the most dominant negative emotion at work and has risen 240 percent over the same period as last year – up from 5 percent to 17 percent. Stress is another high negative emotion for employees, at 11 percent, while Isolation rates stands at 7 percent. More →