Search Results for: employees

October 21, 2013

Job satisfaction keeps employees motivated more than bonuses

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The reported levels of stress felt by banking employees already suggests that generous bonuses do not necessarily equate loving the job. Now a new study published today by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) confirms that across the business sector, the single most effective motivator is job satisfaction (59%), with just 13 per cent saying the prospect of receiving a bonus or other financial incentive motivates them to work harder in their role. The survey of over 1,000 employees found that a competitive salary and a good pension are highly effective motivators (49%) but getting on with colleagues (42%) is nearly as important. The report also highlights how important good managers are to ensuring happy and motivated staff. (more…)

October 8, 2013

Nearly two thirds of SMEs now trust employees to work flexibly

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

One of the main arguments against flexible working amongst blue chip organisations – which was well documented following the Yahoo furore earlier this year, is that it is detrimental to fostering a collaborative working culture. Amongst small and medium sized companies, the reasons against are more straightforward, in that it demands a level of trust small business managers can ill afford to bestow unwisely. Now a new survey, carried out among over 200 UK-based SME decision-makers, highlights a growing acceptance of flexible working within these businesses. Well over half (63%) of senior executives say they trust their employees to remain productive when working away from the office, the Citrix-commissioned YouGov survey has shown. (more…)

September 10, 2013

UK employees not getting enough sleep due to workplace stress

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

The death last month of an intern at a major City bank drew attention to the ridiculously long hours worked by those attempting to carve out a career within the banking sector. Now a new report has confirmed that workers within the banking profession have the least amount of sleep across the UK, coping on average with just five hours and 50 minutes every night. But the annual sleep and professions report conducted by Travelodge reveals that British workers are surviving on just six hours and 27 minutes sleep every night – one hour and thirty three minutes below the recommend sleep quota of eight hours of sleep per night. Three out of ten workers have reported that they get less sleep now in comparison to a year ago, whilst a fifth of employees regard sleep a luxury. (more…)

June 7, 2013

Are Japanese firms using banishment rooms to get rid of unwanted employees?

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, Home, Legal news

Earlier in the year, it was reported that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare was investigating a number of the country’s most prominent companies including Panasonic, NEC, Sony and Sharp for the morally dubious practice of setting up euphemistic business units with the primary purpose of creating an office where they could send unwanted or poorly performing employees to demoralise them and drive them ultimately to resign. Last week the Japan Daily Press blog published more information about these so-called banishment rooms or oidashi-beya, claiming that workers are forced to spend ten hours a day performing tedious and menial tasks until they decide to leave.

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May 22, 2013

Fearful UK employees benefit from engagement policies finds survey

by Sara Bean • Knowledge, News, Public Sector, Workplace

A new study provides some proof that the employee engagement lobby has some validity. According to a new national survey, job stress has gone up and job-related well-being has gone down since the start of the recession, with Britain’s employees feeling more insecure and pressured at work than at any time in the past 20 years. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) report the biggest concern was about pay reductions, followed by loss of say over their job. However, the survey found that where employers pursued employee engagement practices, giving employees more involvement in decision making at work, staff were less anxious about their jobs. (more…)

March 15, 2013

Where flexible working employees really want to work? Starbucks.

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace

Leaving aside the fact that most surveys are designed to further the commercial interests of the firms that commission them, most offer a deal of insight into what drives people and organisations, some of it unwitting. Most telling are often the specific details that lift the veil on the motivations and attitudes of individuals. So it was with a recent survey from Overbury that headlined on the idea that poorly designed offices hamper creativity, but also contained a question that was answered in a way which suggested that the place most staff would like to work would be something akin to their local Starbucks.

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March 9, 2013

Disabled employees twice as likely to be abused at work

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Workplace

Employees with disabilities are twice as likely to be abused or mistreated at work by managers, colleagues and customers, according to research from Cardiff School of Social Sciences. The survey of 4,000 people found that around one in ten employees with a disability or a long-term illness suffered physical violence, verbal abuse or intimidation while at work, compared to just 4.5 per cent of other staff. The research found that managers were responsible for 45 per cent of serious incidents of abuse, customers were responsible for 28 per cent and colleagues for 18 per cent of cases. Workers with a learning disability or mental health issue suffered more than those with a physical disability.

February 27, 2013

Generation Y employees see themselves as risk averse

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Workplace

The Generation that put the Y in N-E-E-D-Y is the subject of yet another survey, this time one reporting that its members view themselves as less entrepreneurial and more risk averse than either Generation X (30-49 year olds) and the baby boomer generation (50-69). The survey of nearly 3,000 people by monster.com and Millennial Branding found that just under a third (32%) of Gen Y workers consider themselves to be entrepreneurial, compared to 41% of Gen X staff and 45% of baby boomers. Similarly 28% of Millennial respondents identified themselves as not being averse to risk compared to 40% of Gen X and 43% of boomers.

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September 11, 2025

Return to office policies now more common, but raise people’s expectation of better workplaces

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Property, Workplace

The news that Microsoft has introduced a formal hybrid working policy has sparked the usual pointless to and fro on social media about return to office policies, but it would seem for a growing number of firms and their employees, the debate is over. According to new global research from JLL, 72 percent of employees now view attendance requirements in a positive light, but this shift comes with heightened expectations for workplace quality, flexibility and wellbeing. (more…)

September 9, 2025

Large companies see slowdown in adoption of AI tools

by Neil Franklin • AI, News

New analysis from Apollo Academy suggests that large organisations may be losing momentum in their use of artificial intelligence tools. Drawing on the US Census Bureau’s fortnightly survey of more than one million firms, the research shows a downward trend in reported adoption among businesses with 250 or more employees. The survey asks firms whether they have used AI tools in the previous two weeks, including machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents and voice recognition. While overall use of AI across the economy has grown steadily in recent years, the latest figures indicate that the largest companies are no longer leading the charge. Instead, their adoption rates appear to have stalled or declined slightly. (more…)

September 9, 2025

People want performance over quirky features in their offices

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

A new report claims that employees are less interested in quirky office features and more concerned about how well their workplaces support performance. Mitie’s latest Productivity Reset Report [registration requires you to receive marketing – you can’t opt out] highlights that while games areas and other recreational facilities may generate headlines, only 14 percent of employees believe such features contribute meaningfully to workplace satisfaction or productivity. In contrast, almost nine in ten (88 percent) said that a safe, well-maintained office is a critical factor in their day-to-day working experience. (more…)

September 5, 2025

In spite of some headlines, hybrid working is not in decline in the US

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Gallup’s latest research on working patterns among remote-capable employees in the United States suggests that hybrid working is proving far more resilient than some headlines about a wholesale return to the office would imply. The data shows that hybrid work remains the dominant arrangement and has not significantly declined, even as political and organisational pressure grows to increase in-person attendance. The survey finds that just over half of employees who can work remotely are now in hybrid arrangements. This represents a slight decline from the previous two quarters, falling from 55 percent to 51 percent. (more…)