September 6, 2019

Escaping the hell of hot desking

by Tim Oldman • Comment, Workplace design

Hot-desking is a scourge on modern work. That’s the only conclusion you will draw by reading ‘The hidden hell of hot-desking is much worse than you think’ (published in the FT on 28 July 2019) and dozens more like it that continue to appear in national media and top business titles. The piece contends that organisations are using the guise of agile working to excuse their cost-saving prerogative. In reality it is a penny-pinching ploy that “strips people of their own desk and casts them out to the noisy, chaotic wasteland of shared work spots,” or so we’re told. (more…)

August 30, 2019

More than a third of UK workers actively looking for job with flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

New research among more than 2,000 UK adults, all in full-time or part-time work, commissioned by Nerd Wallet claims to have uncovered the importance of flexible working practices to employees today. Its main finding is that more than a third of full-time workers in the UK are currently looking for a new job because they would like a role with greater flexibility. It also claims that 71 percent of people consider flexible working – in terms of both the hours and location they work – as important to their job satisfaction. However, half (50 percent) cannot work remotely when they want or need to, and 46 percent have no flexibility in the hours they work. (more…)

August 15, 2019

Reasons to be agile, part three

by Sarah Booth • Comment, Workplace design

The Agile Manife st o, published in 2001, signalled a shift in approach to workplace design as well as technology. Though the document was conceived as a guide to speeding up software development, its contents have gone on to inform how organisations think and operate in ways that extend far beyond IT. “Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.” That’s the fifth of 12 ‘principles’ in the manifesto. (more…)

August 15, 2019

Firms with a balance of men and women outperform male dominated rivals

by Neil Franklin • News

The share performance and other metrics of listed companies with a balance of men and women tend to be better than those of male-dominated rivals, according to a new report from Morgan Stanley. The report is based on Morgan Stanley’s HERS ranking, a new measurement the investment bank has developed to evaluate gender diversity at companies and its impact on performance. It determines the gender diversity of a company by factoring in the percentage of women on boards, in the executive and management team, and in the workforce generally. (more…)

July 26, 2019

Self-employment might be good for mental health

by Mark Stabile • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

The general picture of self-employment, the gig economy work and mental wellbeing is not a pretty one. Around the world, Uber drivers face wage and security worries. Deliveroo workers have too much competition. Airbnb owners face legal problems in Paris and other cities. But while these headlines suggest a dark cloud over the heads of gig economy workers, recent data I’ve looked at unexpectedly shows that they are about 33 percent more likely to self-report positive mental health traits.
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July 22, 2019

Problems with noise at work? A lot of it is in our heads ⁰

by Anna King • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

When it comes to working in an office, hell really can be other people. Many staff can have enormous difficulties coming to terms with the sounds that form the backdrop to their working day, especially if they work in open plan areas. The problem of noise at work is particularly acute right now because most UK employees now work in open plan offices and at workstations that are on average about 20 percent smaller than they were ten years or so ago. Yet, on the face of it, the business case for working in open plan offices is pretty clear cut.

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July 19, 2019

The Age of Blorp, a dead tulip, no muggles allowed and some other stuff

by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

First the good news. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has rejected the proposals for Foster+Partners’ godawful 300 metre tall ‘Tulip’ viewing tower in London. The reasons given for the refusal from the Mayor’s office include the fact that the thing didn’t represent the sort of “world class architecture that would be required to justify its prominence”. A nicely dressed up way of saying it’s a terrible idea, a terrible piece of architecture and has absolutely no place in London. (more…)

July 16, 2019

Impostor syndrome may have serious impact on mental health

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

According to a new study from researchers at the University of Houston, impostor syndrome can have serious consequences for mental wellbeing and can affect people’s personal relationships and home life. Those affected by impostor syndrome – the persistent feeling somebody has that they are not qualified or able to be in a work role – are more likely to report problems in their home lives, experience burnout and to have conflict between work and family roles. Additionally, although work-life balance problems weren’t necessarily linked to lower job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion was. (more…)

July 15, 2019

The importance of self care for mental health

by Christine Husbands • Comment, Wellbeing

Nobody can fail to notice that mental health is high on the agenda for companies, employers have increasing expectations of their employers as well as increasing momentum from organisations such as the Health & Safety Executive to treat mental health risks in the same way as physical health risks. There are many excellent solutions available for employers such as mental health first aid training, employee assistance programs (EAPs), mental health nurses and increasing range of mobile technology tools. However rather than ‘locking the stable door after the horse has bolted’, it makes sense to look at how employers can support their employees to stay mentally well in the first place. (more…)

July 10, 2019

The growing problem of work separation anxiety

by Jenni Wilson • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

While it’s stated full-time working hours in the UK should be around 38-40 hours per week, today’s hyperconnected world means it’s easier than ever to be ‘on the clock’ outside this timeframe. Constant access to emails and the corresponding ‘telepressure’ to respond quickly to customers and colleagues means the line between ‘work time’ and ‘me time’ is blurred. This has led to the coining of a new term for the rising epidemic of stress linked to this need to be connected to work. It’s called work separation anxiety.

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June 20, 2019

The case for a shorter working week

by Shainaz Firfiray • Comment, Wellbeing

UK employees have the longest working week compared to other workers in the European Union. But, despite the long hours, recent studies have shown this does not make the UK a more productive nation. An analysis by the Trade Union Congress on working hours and productivity found that, while UK full-time staff worked almost two hours more than the EU average, they were not as productive as staff in Denmark who worked fewer hours in the average week. (more…)

June 20, 2019

Technology driving calls for four day week

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Wellbeing

A majority of European workers (57 percent) believe that technology will help to bring about a four day week in the near future as it improves their productivity and efficiency, according to new research from Ricoh Europe (registration) which looks at employee attitudes towards the continent’s ongoing productivity challenge. (more…)