Search Results for: environment

Societal change is driving businesses to focus on purpose

Societal change is driving businesses to focus on purpose

focusIncreasing pressure from investors, customers and employees are causing CEOs to focus their businesses on purpose, resilience and long-term sustainability, according to a new report from the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) and Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB). The report, ‘People risk – why the need for change is urgent‘ claims a shift in business focus away from short term gains in favour of emphasising long term value creation as one way of managing people risk. More →

New guidance to increase natural settings into urban spaces

New guidance to increase natural settings into urban spaces

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published its ‘Principles for delivering urban Nature-based Solutions’ (NBS), to help developers and owners increase the incorporation of NBS within the construction and operation of built assets. The report claims that the development and function of the built environment has significant impacts upon both climate and biodiversity, locally and globally, and the pressure for our industry to be part of the solution is accelerating. The recommendations of the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) have led to a growing requirement to measure and mitigate the physical risks to built assets from climate change, such as flooding and overheating. More →

Businesses prioritise tech and outsourcing to overcome front of house challenge

Businesses prioritise tech and outsourcing to overcome front of house challenge

front of houseSwiss Post Solutions (SPS), has released new research that claims how the pandemic has impacted front of house strategies for UK businesses. Half (50 percent) of UK companies plan to introduce interactive technologies to help overcome new ‘front of house’ (FOH) challenges that have been imposed by COVID19. A further 41 percent of businesses plan to outsource FOH services altogether. More →

Apple commits to new campus as part of huge investment plan

Apple commits to new campus as part of huge investment plan

Apple campus in RaleighApple has announced an acceleration of its US investments, with plans to make new contributions of more than $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs across the country over the next five years. The plans include the creation of a new campus in the Research Triangle in Raleigh, North Carolina. Apple will spend over $1 billion on the campus, where it will employ around 3,000 people working on technology including software engineering and machine learning. Employees are expected to start work at the campus next year. More →

UK businesses improve their work culture to focus on wellbeing and flexibility

UK businesses improve their work culture to focus on wellbeing and flexibility

flexibilitySlack, a messaging app for business, has released new research looking into how UK businesses can change their approach to employee experience as lockdown eases, in order to help uphold culture, create flexibility, and maintain productivity. More →

Employee wellbeing and business results directly linked, research claims

Employee wellbeing and business results directly linked, research claims

employeeA survey released by Aon plc (NYSE: AON) in partnership with IPSOS, suggests there is a link between wellbeing and company performance. More →

Majority of employees feel optimistic about returning to the office as UK opens up

Majority of employees feel optimistic about returning to the office as UK opens up

employeesAs pubs, shops and other workplaces re-open this week, the success of the vaccine rollout has helped employees feel much more optimistic about their return to work than they were following November’s lockdown, according to Aviva’s research of more than 2,000 employed adults across the UK. More →

UK businesses prepare to shed suppliers that do not live up to their social values

UK businesses prepare to shed suppliers that do not live up to their social values

social valuesUK business leaders are increasingly turning their backs on suppliers who fail to align with their social values, according to new research by Sodexo. The survey highlights the effect the pandemic has had on procurement decisions, with the majority of respondents agreeing that the events of the last year had made it more important to consider environmental and diversity policies when selecting suppliers. More →

What are the limits of an employer’s duty of care to employees?

What are the limits of an employer’s duty of care to employees?

Earlier this month the ONS (Office for National Statistics) released a rather dismal map of the UK charting our population’s soaring levels of loneliness. Perhaps surprisingly, it is young people and those living in urban areas reporting the highest levels of aloneness. It really does go to show that the ‘social’ in social media doesn’t mean very much, and that you can indeed be surrounded by others and still feel lonely. So what does this new study mean for employers, if anything? More →

Pandemic drives shift in attitudes to sustainability

Pandemic drives shift in attitudes to sustainability

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated consumers focus on sustainability and willingness to pay out of their own pockets – or even take a pay cut – for a sustainable future, according to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) survey of over 14,000 consumers in nine countries. More →

WiredScore launches SmartScore – global certification for smart buildings

WiredScore launches SmartScore – global certification for smart buildings

WiredScore, is announcing the launch of a new certification for smart buildings aimed at providing clarity, definition and measurement for the growing smart building industry. SmartScore certification was developed in response to increasing demand for guidance around what ‘smart’ really means in relation to commercial buildings, and how it can and should be implemented. More →

Relationships with colleagues are harder to build while remote working

Relationships with colleagues are harder to build while remote working

relationshipsNew research by employee engagement and culture app, Totem, claims that 54 percent of workers feel it has been harder to build relationships with colleagues while working from home. The results demonstrate the difficulty many have faced over the past year, with 58 percent also saying that remote working has made joining a new company harder. More →