Search Results for: employers

Most people convinced they can do their job in four day week

Most people convinced they can do their job in four day week

An image of clocks to illustrate the idea of the four day weekA new report from job site Indeed explores what work means to people in the UK today. The Meaning of Work report analyses trends from the last five years, generated by more than 40 million monthly visitors to the firm’s website alongside the results of a YouGov survey of over 2,000 full-time employees. The report’s headline finding is that around three-quarters of people (74 per cent) already believe they could do their full time job to the same standard over the course of a four day week. More →

Culture fit essential for personal productivity

Culture fit essential for personal productivity

cultural fit as depicted by a missing jigsaw pieceEmployees who feel they are a good fit for their role and the culture of their company are 36 percent more productive, claims a new report from ThriveMap (registration). The paper claims to reveal what a difference feeling like a natural fit for a job and organisational culture makes to employees. The survey of 1,000 people used in the report claims that employees who felt they fit their role and the culture of their employer rated their productivity at 7.2 out of 10. This compares to just 5.3 out of 10 for those employees who felt they were a poor fit for both these factors.

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Jobs and pay on the rise, despite economic uncertainty

Jobs and pay on the rise, despite economic uncertainty

Jobs and pay on the rise, despite economic uncertainty

The last three months have seen steady growth in the number of advertised jobs on offer, despite Brexit uncertainty, according to the latest UK Job Market Report from Adzuna. Pay rates are also on the rise, as average UK advertised salaries have outpaced inflation rates of 2 percent. Compared to the average salary on offer in April 2017 (£32,678), wages have been boosted 9.3 percent. Competition for jobs has also fallen to a record low, with a ratio of 0.21 jobseekers per vacancy in April. This means there are around five times more jobs being advertised than workers looking for new roles, the highest rate recorded since Adzuna began collecting the data seven years ago. Competition for jobs is now significantly lower than the ratio of 0.43 jobseekers per vacancy recorded a year ago, with the talent war showing no signs of letting up.

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Previous work experience poor predictor of future performance

Previous work experience poor predictor of future performance

work experience and recruitmentOne of the most commonly used and longstanding recruitment practices should be reconsidered according to new research from academics at Florida State University. Screening job applicants based on their prior work experience is often a mistake for employers because there appears to be little or no correlation between previous experience and future performance, according to a paper from Chad Van Iddekinge, FSU’s Bank of America Professor of Management and an expert on human resources management. More →

Brits work longer hours but still struggle to make ends meet

Brits work longer hours but still struggle to make ends meet

Underpaid workersBrand new research from CV-Library, an independent job board, suggests that despite 64 percent of Brits working more hours than they’re contracted to, over half (55.1 percent) struggle to make ends meet at the end of each month.  The study surveyed 1,200 working professionals and found that over a third (36.7 percent) work 1-3 hours extra per week, amounting to 96 hours per year and meaning Brits are missing out on £1,606.08 unpaid overtime. In addition to this, 11.3 percent work more than 15 hours extra per week, totalling a staggering £12,045.60 unpaid overtime. More →

Tech workers making plans to leave UK

Although London still ranks as the most attractive city in the world for people working in the global tech industry, three out of four UK tech workers (75 percent) are willing to leave for the UK for better opportunities elsewhere. Digital experts are among the most in-demand workers but due to their talent and transferable nature of tech skills, they are also among those most prepared to relocate, compared to only 61 percent of non-tech workers who would be willing to make the move overseas. More →

Majority of workers think their workplace is unpleasant

Majority of workers think their workplace is unpleasant

A still from Ikiru showing an unpleasant workplace environmentMany of the UK’s workplaces are unpleasant, uncomfortable and at risk of driving down productivity, according to a new survey from Aspect.co.uk. The poll of 2,000 people claims that 83 percent of UK adults consider their workplace to be an “unpleasant” environment, with many citing uncomfortable temperatures, lack of natural light, unpleasant smells, damp and mould, poor ventilation and even vermin and insects among their complaints. The study set out to identify the most common causes of employee discomfort at work. On the whole, issues related to physical comfort were the most common complaints. 46 percent complained of workplaces that were “too hot”, 43 percent complained of workplaces being “too cold” and 28 percent complained of workplaces having poor ventilation.

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Number of over-70s in work doubles

Number of over-70s in work doubles

Record numbers of over-70s are choosing work over retirement, according to new analysis from Rest Less, a membership community site in the UK to offer work and volunteering opportunities specifically targeted at the over 50s. Using bespoke data provided to Rest Less by the Office for National Statistics, Rest Less’s analysis claims that the number of over-70s in full or part-time employment has been steadily rising year on year over the past 10 years, reaching a peak of 497,946 in the first quarter of this year – an increase of 286,000 or 135 per cent since 2009. Today, nearly 1 in 12 (8.1 percent) of those in their 70s are working, a significant increase from the 1 in 22 (4.5 percent) there were 10 years ago.

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SMEs are driving job growth but lack skills says OECD

SMEs are driving job growth but lack skills says OECD

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been a significant driver of employment growth in recent years, mainly through the creation of new firms, including in high-growth sectors such as information and communication technologies (ICT). But the new OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook claims to highlight how most SME job creation has been in sectors with below average productivity levels, with SMEs typically paying employees around 20 percent less than large firms. While SMEs are more engaged in new organisational or marketing practices than large firms, and sometimes more innovative in developing new products and processes, many continue to struggle disproportionately with developing the skills and resources needed to navigate the increasing complexity in technologies and markets.

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The workplace revolution is already here

The workplace revolution is already here

We should all count ourselves privileged to witness first-hand the most dramatic changes in working practices in over two hundred years. This workplace revolution has been brought about mainly by technology which has allowed freedom of movement through Wi-Fi and cloud technology. This freedom has been embraced by the smart companies, allowing their people to thrive by creating workspaces that take advantage of this opportunity to unshackle themselves from fixed desk positions. They have given them great spaces in which to work, to go out and enjoy their environment and to have the ideal place in which to perform each task they are working on throughout their day. More →

Workplace happiness levels plummeting

Workplace happiness levels plummeting

According to a survey of employees, most people are unhappy and dissatisfied in our jobs and almost half struggle to get out of bed in the morning to go to work. The survey by Personal Group, a provider of human resources services, claims that there has been a 20 percent drop in workplace happiness over the past three years. Today, only 41 percent of the workforce are happy most of the time at work, down from 43 percent in 2018 and 51 percent in 2017. More →

Wellbeing rather than growth should be focus of government policy

Wellbeing rather than growth should be focus of government policy

An illustration of a person's head with a heart to illustrate their wellbeingPersonal wellbeing rather than economic growth should be the primary aim of government spending, according to a new report from the from the all-party parliamentary group on wellbeing economics which urges a complete change in thinking from ministers,.Gus O’Donnell, who served as cabinet secretary, said Britain could lead the world by making the issue the primary goal of government policy. More →