Search Results for: employers

Workers’ attitudes to data theft at odds with employers’

data theft

Half of employees who left or lost their jobs in the last 12 months kept confidential corporate data, according to a global survey from Symantec and 40 percent plan to use it in their new jobs. The results show that employees’ attitudes and beliefs about intellectual property (IP) theft are at odds with the vast majority of company policies. Employees not only think it is acceptable to take and use IP when they leave, but also that companies don’t care. The survey reveals 62 percent believe it is acceptable to transfer documents to PCs, tablets, smartphones or file sharing applications and the majority never delete the data they’ve moved because they do not see any harm in keeping it.
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Work-life balance proposals could cause employers to wobble

flexible work

Employment experts have raised concerns on the impact on employers of the Children and Families Bill, announced by the government this week, which introduces shared parental leave and extends the right to request flexible working to all employees. The idea behind the reforms is to give parents greater flexibility about how they ‘mix and match’ care of their child but Jonathan Exten-Wright, Partner from DLA Piper said: “Employers would no doubt welcome further guidance on how the new shared leave should operate in practice.”

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Employers overlook flexible working alternative to redundancy

Flexible

Only 22 per cent of UK managers believe their companies are very effective at redeploying employees rather than making redundancies. And according to new global research it’s a worldwide problem, with almost three in ten employers believing their organisations are “not effective”. Mark Hodgson, practice leader of Talent Management in Right Management UK & Ireland said: “The results suggest that businesses aren’t seeing redeployment as a feasible way of making savings and keeping staff. Businesses can’t afford to underestimate the importance of a flexible workforce in this tough economic climate.” (more…)

People think office presence is still rewarded

People think office presence is still rewarded

Nearly a third of UK workers believe being present in the office is rewarded when employers make promotion decisions, despite the continuing shift towards hybrid and remote workingNearly a third of UK workers believe being present in the office is rewarded when employers make promotion decisions, despite the continuing shift towards hybrid and remote working, according to new research from HR technology firm HiBob. The research found that 30 percent of workers believe office presence is rewarded in promotion decisions, the same proportion who cited revenue delivery. Visibility to senior leadership was cited by 34 percent of respondents, while 33 percent said constant availability was rewarded, suggesting employees continue to see physical and organisational visibility as important factors in career progression. (more…)

Workplace design can improve focus for people with ADHD, research suggests

Workplace design can improve focus for people with ADHD, research suggests

Workplace lighting, visual distractions and opportunities for movement can have a measurable impact on attention among people with inattentive-type ADHD, according to new researchWorkplace lighting, visual distractions and opportunities for movement can have a measurable impact on attention among people with inattentive-type ADHD, according to new research from architecture and design firm Corgan and the University of Arkansas. The study examined how environmental factors including light, sound, movement and visual activity affect people with inattentive-type ADHD, with researchers using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology to monitor participants’ brain activity in open workstations and private offices. (more…)

The office furniture price on the page has always been an opening bid

The office furniture price on the page has always been an opening bid

The published prices of office furniture are there to start a conversation, they don't mean anythingAsk anyone who has worked in office furniture what the list price is for and they will pause before answering, because the honest answer is embarrassing. The list price is the number the trade agrees not to charge. It exists so there is something to discount from. The mechanism is simple. A manufacturer publishes a recommended price. A dealer buys at a trade price a long way below it. The dealer then sells to the end customer at whatever point between the two the conversation lands. Where it lands depends on the customer: how large they are, how many desks they sound as though they might need one day, whether they have a competing quote in their hand, whether they mention a framework, and, more than anything, whether they know the game is on. The buyer who asks for a discount gets one. The buyer who does not ask pays the number on the page. (more…)

Europe’s large firms want better offices, but are less keen on paying extra for them

Europe’s large firms want better offices, but are less keen on paying extra for them

Nearly two-thirds of large European office occupiers expect to relocate some of their operations over the next three years, as organisations seek better quality workplaces while becoming increasingly reluctant to pay a premium for them. According to CBRE’s 2026 European Office Occupier Sentiment Survey, 65 percent of respondents are planning relocations. Nine in ten say they would reject offices that do not provide the amenities they require, yet the proportion willing to pay extra for those amenities has fallen from 54 percent last year to 48 percent. (more…)

The best easy-to-use HR software for small businesses in 2026

The best easy-to-use HR software for small businesses in 2026

Running a small business means your time is always in demand, so every tool you invest in needs to make life easier. Human resources can quickly become one of the biggest administrative challenges as your team grows, with hiring, onboarding, leave requests, employee records, compliance, performance reviews and document management all competing for your attention.  Typically, a well-designed HR platform brings those tasks together in one place, helping you spend less time on administration and more time supporting your people and growing your business. The strongest platforms in 2026 combine simple navigation with practical automation, giving you professional HR tools without the steep learning curve that often comes with enterprise software. (more…)

The Workspace Design Show London to emphasise the design of human-centered workplaces

The Workspace Design Show London to emphasise the design of human-centered workplaces

The Workspace Design Show returns to the Business Design Centre, London on 24–25 February 2027, unveiling its new theme: “The Human Experience of Work”The Workspace Design Show returns to the Business Design Centre, London on 24–25 February 2027, unveiling its new theme: “The Human Experience of Work”, a direction placing wellbeing, inclusion, sensory comfort, belonging, neurodiversity and emotional experience at the centre of workplace design. As organisations continue to rethink what makes people want to come together in person, the 2027 edition will explore how workplaces can move beyond functionality to become environments that genuinely support people. Spaces designed around human connection, comfort, mood, acoustics, hospitality, inclusivity and how work environments make us feel. (more…)

Why the organisations seeing real returns from agentic AI are empowering employees, not cutting jobs

Why the organisations seeing real returns from agentic AI are empowering employees, not cutting jobs

The launch of the UK Government’s AI Skills Compact reflects an important shift in how policymakers and businesses are thinking about artificial intelligence. Rather than viewing AI simply as a route to greater efficiency or reduced headcount, leaders are starting to recognise that long-term competitiveness will depend just as much on equipping people with the skills to work alongside AI as investing in the technology itself. (more…)

Productivity gains from workplace AI mean little if they erase professional judgment

Productivity gains from workplace AI mean little if they erase professional judgment

Speed can become a dangerous proxy for the value of workplace AI when leaders stop asking what happened to the judgment behind the work.The strongest case for workplace AI rarely begins with a dramatic breakthrough. It begins with ordinary time savings: a report drafted faster, a plan assembled in minutes or a first pass produced without the usual blank-page delay. Those gains matter. Yet speed can become a dangerous proxy for value when leaders stop asking what happened to the judgment behind the work. (more…)

London named world’s most intelligent city in new AI benchmark report from BCG

London named world’s most intelligent city in new AI benchmark report from BCG

London has been ranked as the world's most intelligent city in the inaugural Intelligent Cities Index from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), reflecting the capital's ability to translate AI, digital technology and innovation into economic opportunity and improved public services.London has been ranked as the world’s most intelligent city in the inaugural Intelligent Cities Index from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), reflecting the capital’s ability to translate AI, digital technology and innovation into economic opportunity and improved public services. The study assessed 61 major cities across 39 countries against five measures of “intelligent city” maturity: resident outcomes, strategy, technology adoption, ways of working in government and enabling factors such as infrastructure, talent and investment. London topped the overall ranking ahead of Dubai, New York City, Washington DC and Amsterdam. (more…)