Search Results for: environment

Toxic workplace culture impacting the mental health of almost half of UK’s workforce

Toxic workplace culture impacting the mental health of almost half of UK’s workforce

cultureTwo in five employees across the UK have experienced problematic behaviour, such as bullying, harassment or discrimination at work; with 42 percent confirming toxic workplace culture has impacted their mental health, according to recent research from Culture Shift. More →

So what’s happening to all the plexiglass we thought was a solution last year?

So what’s happening to all the plexiglass we thought was a solution last year?

hyperobjects plexiglass styrofoamIn 2008, the philosopher and ecologist Timothy Morton coined the term hyperobject to describe things that can’t be seen directly or experienced at a point in time or space but which are nevertheless vast and important.  The example he gives is Styrofoam. We might be able to see a small number of cups or fast-food trays, but what we can’t see is all the Styrofoam ever produced. It is a hyperobject and one that will last for at least 500 years, even if we stopped producing it today.  More →

Organisations prioritise technologies for the year ahead

Organisations prioritise technologies for the year ahead

technologiesA new report by Softcat, offers a snapshot of the enterprise IT landscape. It claims the technologies businesses are prioritising over the next 12 months to bounce back from COVID-19, become smarter, and realise their long-term ambitions. More →

Managers can be blind to some of the stresses of home workers

Managers can be blind to some of the stresses of home workers

Are managers blind to the needs of home workers?Managers in the increasingly digital, knowledge-fuelled and hybrid working environment may not be able to see the “invisible” strains on workers juggling home life and their workloads, a report by Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) claims. The challenge of managing mental workload is rapidly becoming critical and employers need to be more aware of factors that could impact the effect on home workers and do more to understand and mitigate the factors, AWA says in the report (registration). More →

London ranks as top smart city in the ‘Cities of the Future Index’

London ranks as top smart city in the ‘Cities of the Future Index’

LondonThrough analysis of mobility, technology, business and environmental data, London ranks as the number one most intelligent and future-proof city for cities with a population of over three million people, with New York and San Francisco taking second and third place respectively, according to a new index from EasyPark, the parent company of RingGo. More →

Hybrid working will define the future of work, but firms are unprepared

Hybrid working will define the future of work, but firms are unprepared

While the move to flexible and hybrid working is widely accepted by businesses, their preparedness to implement such a strategy is not yet fully realised. That is the key finding of a new report from Siemens subsidiaries Comfy and Enlighted. Commissioned by Siemens from analyst firm Verdantix, the study polled 75 corporate real estate (CRE) executives from global companies with annual revenues of over $1 billion on the strategic considerations of redefining workforce models due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More →

To hit net zero, sustainable tech investments need to increase tenfold

To hit net zero, sustainable tech investments need to increase tenfold

Net zero reportA large increase in investment in breakthrough technologies such as hydrogen-based fuels, bioenergy and carbon-capture storage solutions is needed to hit the global goal of net zero emissions by 2050. To scale these technologies and take them to market, at least a tenfold increase in investment is needed, according to the How to Finance Industry Net-Zero report. Released by the World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyman, the report outlines how to address the supply-and-demand-side gap and take these technologies to the next level. More →

Green building council publishes new guidance for UK local authorities

Green building council publishes new guidance for UK local authorities

green buildingThe UK Green Building Council has published new guidance for local authorities on the environmental performance of their new buildings. The organisation has published its latest Commercial Playbook to “fill the gap left by national policy, which is not currently delivering change at the pace that is required to meet the UK’s environmental commitments”. More →

Wellbeing, mental health and loneliness become major business concerns

Wellbeing, mental health and loneliness become major business concerns

wellbeingBusinesses across all sectors are having to re-think their employee experience and wellbeing strategies to provide support to staff in the wake of the pandemic. According to new research from Benefex, employees have become far more open about their own wellbeing during the pandemic. More →

Shift to hybrid working highlights the value of weak ties

Shift to hybrid working highlights the value of weak ties

hybrid workingSomething we can expect to hear a lot about in the near future is the power of weak ties. It’s a well-established idea in sociology, anthropology, and social network analysis theory. But it’s about to be invigorated as a way of thinking about workplaces in the wake of two major peer-reviewed studies into the effects of remote work and hybrid working on people and the way they work with each other. According to the most widely cited paper on the subject of relationships, Mark Granovetter’s The Power of Weak Ties, The relationships between people can be categorised as strong, weak or absent. The latter is self-explanatory. Strong ties exist between people who are related, friend or who interact on a day to day basis. More →

Time for businesses to step up and deliver flexibility and wellbeing for workers

Time for businesses to step up and deliver flexibility and wellbeing for workers

wellbeing and flexibility matterAt this time of year, with events such as Happiness at Work Week and Mental Health Awareness Day, mental health and wellbeing have been brought into sharp focus. Businesses are starting to look forward with a small degree of optimism. This optimism is not necessarily derived from the current state of their business or even their sector, but rather from being able to make proactive plans rather than in reactive mode which has been the default setting for the past 18 months.  This is a challenge, but one which can be met with a degree of excitement and anticipation as the business has a chance to make an impact both within its business surroundings, but also for the people who work within the business. More →

Workers feel more trusted and motivated thanks to hybrid working

Workers feel more trusted and motivated thanks to hybrid working

workersNew research from Kadence (formerly Chargifi) claims that after a year of flexible working, almost two-thirds of US and UK office workers (62 percent) now feel more trusted to do their job effectively. Of those workers, half also feel more motivated to do a better quality job (51 percent) and go the extra mile (48 percent) thanks to their new working arrangements. More →