September 21, 2022

Four-day week pilot met with overwhelming approval at halfway point

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

At the halfway point of a six-month pilot programme of a four-day week in the United Kingdom, results so far indicate that the idea has been backed by an overwhelming majority of those companies taking part, with many already saying the move will be permanent. A poll found that 88 percent believed the trial was working ‘well’ for their business. Just under half (46 percent) of respondents said their business productivity had ‘maintained around the same level’, while 34 percent said that it had ‘improved slightly’, and 15 percent said it had ‘improved significantly’. More →

September 21, 2022

Poor acoustics hamper productivity and deter people from spending more time in the office

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Noisy offices are lowering productivity, with 60 percent of office workers unable to concentrate and delivering poor quality work due to loud workspaces, is deterring people from returning to offices more often, and can even lead to violence. Those are the key findings of a new poll of 2,000 workers from Oscar Acoustics. The survey [registration] suggests that just 8 percent of people feel they work in a quiet office, with only a quarter of office workers working in a space that has well designed acoustics for their job. More →

September 20, 2022

Lack of training in communication is setting up line managers to fail

by Neil Franklin • News

A new report from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ (CIPR) Inside Group claims that while the successful running of any organisation relies on effective line manager communication, and this is a high HR priority, designated line managers are ultimately being “set up to fail” through a lack of specific communications training. The report – ‘Effective line manager communications’ – surveyed line managers, HR professionals, and internal communicators, and it showed a clear mismatch between the expectations of line managers and the support provided. More →

September 14, 2022

The new micro café bringing coffee culture to life in the workplace – Moments by Lavazza Professional

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Lavazza Professional has unveiled its 24/7 self-service micro café for businesses across the UK: Moments by Lavazza Professional. Placing premium Lavazza coffee at its heart, this new modular micro market is designed to be a hassle-free alternative to canteens and provides organisations with a vibrant hub to fuel workplace productivity and drive staff engagement. More →

September 12, 2022

The wellbeing of parents should be a greater concern for employers

by Gosia Bowling • Comment, Wellbeing

A recent Oxford University study revealed that levels of stress, anxiety and depression unsurprisingly rose in parents and carers during the pandemic lockdowns. Although social restrictions have now lifted, the recovery from the significant mental impact will continue to take parents some time. Now, more than ever, organisations have a key role in remedying stress and burnout and supporting working parents’ wellbeing. More →

September 9, 2022

Right to disconnect laws are a turn-off for a third of employers

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Over a third of business leaders admit they don’t agree with the introduction of a law in the UK that would protect an employee’s right to disconnect, similar to the law in place in France, a new poll from iCompario claims. One in seven remain unsure (14 percent). The legislation, which was introduced in France in 2017, forbids employers from expecting their employees to engage in communications, such as emails outside of working hours. The data suggests that substantial two thirds (66 percent) of UK workers would support a similar law being introduced in the UK. More →

September 9, 2022

Hybrid work may be ‘here to stay’, but the office remains essential for many businesses

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

As businesses continue to evolve their workplaces to best meet the needs of their employees, JLL’s global Future of Work Survey claims that 72 percent of decision makers believe the office is critical to doing business. The research shows that over the next several years companies anticipate hybrid work to become the dominant model and will be looking across their real estate portfolios to re-think their office spaces, invest in new technology, including virtual offices, and prioritise sustainability. More →

September 8, 2022

Nearly half of people feel disconnected from colleagues

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Around 42 percent of UK employees don’t feel a sense of connection to co-workers and a quarter say they don’t think they have one friend at work, according to a new poll from BetterUp [registration]. UK employees with a lower sense of belonging have an 80 per cent stronger intention to quit their jobs than those who feel comfortable at work, according to the survey. It also claims that the findings come as UK workplaces are struggling with new trends such as ‘quiet quitting’, whereby employees are setting boundaries when it comes to working late and working on projects that aren’t in their job description, as well as issues around recruitment and talent retention. More →

September 7, 2022

Remote work and the things we have learned about it

by Sara Whitman and Isabel Conrad • Comment, Flexible working

Two plus years after the onset of the pandemic and many employees are continuing to work remotely, either full or part-time. We know that the ability to work remotely increases employee happiness by as much as 20 percent, but employees will tend to work longer hours and are more likely to experience burnout. The debate over whether remote work is “better” than being in an office is reductive and misses critical nuances around hybrid work models. More →

September 7, 2022

Understanding employee wellbeing in the fight for talent

by Simon Daly • Comment, Wellbeing

The pivot to remote work over the past few years has undoubtedly had its benefits, with many of us finding new ways to be productive and collaborate with our peers. This includes taking advantage of new workplace trends such as ‘workcations’, where people can work from another country, flexible working, and four-day work weeks where possible. Yet, this preference to work flexibly blurs the distinction between life and work, which will ultimately take its toll on the mental health and wellbeing of employees. More →

September 6, 2022

Two-thirds of European SMEs are unprepared for hybrid working

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Flexible working, Technology

A new poll from Dynabook Europe claims that many European small and medium sized enterprises are still grappling with the challenges of hybrid working, with two-thirds (67 percent) yet to fully optimise their IT solutions for this. The study, commissioned by Dynabook in partnership with Walnut Unlimited, surveyed 1,202 IT decision-makers at SMEs across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. More →

September 5, 2022

Hybrid working tax consultation announced by government adviser

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS), an independent advisor to the UK government, has launched a review looking for evidence of trends in relation to hybrid working. The review will also consider whether the tax and social security rules are flexible enough to cope, and what businesses, advisors and other bodies are experiencing as new ways of working become business as usual. The review will also consider the implications of any developments on cross border workers.