April 8, 2024
Recent guidelines issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) aim to simplify employers’ legal obligations to support workers going through menopause. A growing topic of conversation in the workplace and beyond, menopause has become increasingly recognised in employment guidance. More →
April 5, 2024
People who work from home all or part of the time are less likely to get pay rises and promotions, a new study of outcomes from hybrid working suggests. The survey of 937 UK managers found that they were 11 percent less likely to give a promotion to staff who worked entirely from home than to those who were completely office-based. Hybrid workers – those working partly in the office and partly at home – were on average 7 percent less likely to be promoted. More →
April 2, 2024
Virtual meetings – often derided as impersonal and prone to technical glitches – can improve employee wellbeing and performance, a new study led by a Trinity Business School researcher has found. The research, conducted alongside Karin S. Moser (UniDistance Suisse, University of Queensland), Stefan Diestel (University of Wuppertal) and Isaac Alshaikh (South East Technological University Waterford), conducted during the ongoing shift to hybrid work environments and just published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, concludes that virtual meetings, a staple of the COVID-19 pandemic, are not just a necessity but can also be beneficial. More →
April 2, 2024
Since the pandemic, 69 percent of UK businesses have adopted a hybrid working model offering employees greater autonomy in their working lives. While this flexibility sounds ideal, it has unexpectedly created a work wellness issue, with employers reporting they have seen a 77 percent surge in mental health issues in 2023, vs 44 percent in 2022. In a recent survey by Statista, 21 percent of workers said that their biggest struggle with working from home was that they had no reason to leave it. More →
March 26, 2024
A recent story involving Avanti West Coast, who provided a gift bag to staff experiencing menopause, is the latest in a series of misjudgements of menopause support by employers. The bag contained items such as a fan “for the hot sweats”, a jelly baby “in case you feel like biting someone’s head off” and a paper clip “to help you keep it all together”. The ASLEF Union suggested that rather than “insulting gimmicks” Avanti should focus their efforts on developing workplace policies and procedures that “value and support perimenopausal and menopausal women”. So what should employers be doing to provide adequate support and why are so many getting it wrong? More →
March 25, 2024
According to the Ministry of Social Policy in Ukraine, approximately 1/4 of the population belongs to groups with limited mobility, and unfortunately, this number is increasing due to the war. While the world has long been actively implementing the principles of inclusive design, it is particularly relevant in Ukraine now. Inclusive office design encompasses creating an environment that provides an attractive and inspiring experience for everyone. It’s about creating a space where all people, without exception, feel comfortable. Inclusion also contributes to expanding the market, improving reputation, and strengthening the company or brand’s authority through a focus on human-centric design. More →
March 25, 2024
There are plenty of definitions of the modish concept of biophilic design around right now. But perhaps nobody can top that of Erich Fromm, the sociologist and psychoanalyst who first described it in his 1973 book The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness as “The passionate love of life and all that is alive”. More →
March 22, 2024
A survey of 900 leaders in HR, real estate, IT, and product roles at US based firms suggests that most employers have not adapted their working culture and practices to support the shift to flexible working. In addition, according to The 2024 Workplace Flexibility Trends Report from TechSmith Corporation in partnership with workplace research firm Global Workplace Analytics and Caryatid Workplace Consultancy three quarters of workers have yet to receive any training for the rise of flexible working arrangements. More →
March 22, 2024
Ahead of an expected government review into UK whistleblowing frameworks, a new report claims that half (52 percent) of employees are now more aware of the importance of whistleblowing. However mistrust around possible retaliation and reliable process still holds many back from reporting workplace misconduct. The poll of 2,000 employees commissioned by Personio suggests that 43 percent of employees have seen or experienced some kind of workplace misconduct include inappropriate or illegal behaviour. More →
March 21, 2024
A new poll conducted by telephone answering provider, Face For Business, suggests that four in 10 employees have experienced an increase in feelings of ‘phone anxiety’ as a result of remote work. The survey also claims that those aged 18-34 bear the brunt of this heightened anxiety. The report claims that the driver of this surge in anxiety is alack of immediate support available to remote workers, which 12 percent of respondents cited as their primary concern when fielding calls from home. The authors suggest that the absence of colleagues just a desk away exacerbates feelings of isolation and uncertainty, leaving employees feeling adrift in the sea of incoming calls. More →
March 19, 2024
Workers under 40 are 80 per cent less likely to have trusted workplace relationships compared to workers over 50, impacting their mental health, physical wellbeing and productivity, according to a new report from TELUS Health. The TELUS Mental Health Index sets out to explore the mental health of employed people in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Europe, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. More →
April 9, 2024
The significance of women’s health is increasingly acknowledged in the modern workplace
by Olga Kokshagina • Comment, Wellbeing