December 17, 2019

Gig workers like the work-life balance but would prefer permanent roles

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

More than one in ten (12 percent) so-called gig workers in the UK are working multiple roles and consider temporary work as their main role, taking advantage of improved work-life balance, greater variety of work and the ability to see more of their families, according to a new report. The research, carried out by Reed Specialist Recruitment, for its Temporary isn’t Temporary campaign, surveyed 5,000 workers and looked at their experience of, and attitude to, temporary and multiple career roles.

December 16, 2019

Avoiding the minefield of WhatsApp communications

by Louise Lawrence • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

Whether to keep colleagues updated or to share a new idea, WhatsApp groups are increasingly becoming a go-to communication tool in the workplace. There are benefits to having such informal communication channels – they can be less hierarchical and improve cohesion within the team, as well as being a fast and easy way to communicate and share images. On the flip side, the lack of formality means that there are risks associated with them. More →

December 12, 2019

Are these the best places to work in the UK?

by Neil Franklin • News

Glassdoor has announced the winners of its 12th annual Employees’ Choice Awards – its sixth in the UK – honouring the Best Places to Work in 2020 across the UK and eight other countries. Unlike other workplace awards, the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards are based on the input of employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback, by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer over the past year. Common themes among the Top 50 UK Best Places to Work in 2020 include work-life balance, a great culture, smart people and respect for and from leadership and senior management. More →

December 12, 2019

Occupier priorities are shifting, according to new facilities management trends report

by Neil Franklin • Facilities management, News

CBRE Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) has published the 2019 edition of their Top Trends in Facilities Management report. The latest version of this annual report claims to highlight how changes in occupier needs are impacting FM strategies. The latest trends are broken down into four broad categories: client relationships; contracts; an increasing focus on people and technology. More →

December 11, 2019

No financial incentive to tackle climate change for 90 percent of CEOs, study claims

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News

Fewer than 10 percent of UK CEOs have financial incentives in place to be environmentally friendly in their business practices and thus tackle the climate change emergency, according to new research from Vlerick Business School. In fact, the researchers found that only 6 per cent of UK CEOs have in their bonus a KPI focusing on the environment, and less than one per cent have long-term incentives focused on this area. More →

December 11, 2019

Over half of firms believe their staff are ready to work with AI

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace

More than half (57 percent) of UK companies are confident their staff are prepared for an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled workspace according to a new report from Genesys. This is broadly in line with the attitudes of workers themselves, according to another report from the company which claims that 46 percent of people say they are ready to work with the technology. The latest survey claims that over half of employers (55 percent) think their employees are anxious that their jobs will be eliminated by AI. However, employers believe this fear is unfounded with only 11 percent saying AI will actually put jobs at risk. In fact, 51 percent of UK based companies don’t anticipate any major staffing changes as a result of AI, despite recent headlines that portraying it as a threat to jobs. More →

December 10, 2019

Wellbeing is increasingly in the hands of HR and the future looks bright as a result

by Chris Pinner • Comment, Wellbeing

The future of workplace wellbeing is in HR’s hands; hence, the discipline is even more pivotal to organisational success. As admin and payroll become increasingly digitised and automated, time can be spent more effectively, supporting good people to do good work. Influential people are now catching on to the importance of wellbeing. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told More than GDP, “We need to address the societal wellbeing of our nation, not just the economic wellbeing”. Her government will set a budget to measure wellbeing and the long-term impact of policy on the quality of people’s lives. More →

December 10, 2019

Third of workers at small businesses are not happy with their jobs

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Over a third of employees (39 percent) at small-to-medium sized (SMB) businesses in the UK are unhappy with their jobs and 36 percent believe their employer does too little to retain them, according to new research from People First, the HR solutions provider. Exploring the attitudes of 250 bosses and 250 employees across the UK, the research found a major difference in outlook as more than eight-in-ten (86 percent) SMB bosses believe they have happy workforces. When asked to rate out of ten the scale of engagement among employees at their companies, 77 percent of these bosses said it was between eight and ten, with ten being the most content and engaged. More →

December 10, 2019

Always on working culture in financial services sector driving staff to burnout

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

More than nine in ten banking and financial services professionals in the UK work beyond their contracted hours every week, according to a new survey — laying bare the extent of the City’s always on working culture. Almost half, or 47 percent, said that they do not leave the office or take a break at lunchtime, according to the survey by Morgan McKinley. The recruitment firm canvassed the views of around 480 finance workers in an informal poll to come to its conclusions. More →

December 9, 2019

Do emails outside of work hours breach employment law?

by Darius Whelan • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing

It is common for many employees to send, read and reply to work emails at all hours of the day and night, including weekends. This change in work culture developed in recent decades and has accelerated with the advent of smartphones. But is this a breach of employment law? The short answer is that “it depends” and we need some test cases to clarify the situation, not least in the UK. Some workplaces have a culture of long working hours and it can be difficult for an individual employee to go against it. The contract may refer to a 40-hour week but the reality may be very different. Smartphones and other digital devices have contributed to a culture of “digital presenteeism”. More →

December 6, 2019

Age discrimination now begins for tech workers at 29

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

A new study from tech recruiter CWJobs claims to identify what it calls the ‘staggering level’ of ageism that IT and tech workers face at work. From seemingly innocuous comments to being overlooked for promotion in favour of younger colleagues, a worrying number of the UK’s tech-sector employees are facing daily hurdles to prove they’re not yet a career ‘dinosaur’. Well over a third (41 percent) of IT and tech-sector workers said they have observed age discrimination in the workplace, compared to 27 percent average across other UK industries. It’s no surprise then that 61 percent of workers in the sector answered ‘yes’ when asked if, in the tech industry employees experience prejudice when considered to be older, the highest of any UK sector. More →

December 6, 2019

Employers still not fully embracing flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Employers aren’t doing enough to help their employees to work flexibly, according to a survey by Tiger Recruitment, which has found that a third of UK workers questioned (32 percent) aren’t happy with the flexible working options available to them. The study of over 2,000 employees claims that only a third have the option of home or remote working – a seven percentage point drop since last year – while only one in five (22 percent) are offered the option of flexi-time, and even fewer have access to informal flexibility (19 percent) or the opportunity to go part-time (18 percent). More →