Search Results for: financial

Demand for London office space plummets, but will bounce back (to an extent)

Demand for London office space plummets, but will bounce back (to an extent)

London office spaceThe impact of the measures taken to curtail the spread of COVID-19 have dramatically changed the working landscape, not least of all for the commercial property market, claims a new report from property consultancy DeVono Cresa. Commercial occupier demand for London office space fell by 30 percent across Q1 of 2020, according to the report. However, it also suggests that the market fundamentals at the end of March remain relevant and will dictate heavily on future real estate decisions. (more…)

Corporate wellbeing is too focused on sick workers

Corporate wellbeing is too focused on sick workers

corporate wellbeingCorporate wellbeing initiatives are often too focused on sick individuals, and firms should be addressing the root causes of physical and mental health by building healthy organisations instead. That is the main claim of a new report from the Corporate Research Forum (CRF) report, supported by Lane 4 and Mercer.  The report is based on interviews with 150 HR leaders from FTSE 100 and similar sized businesses. (more…)

Getting beyond the hype of technological innovation and productivity

Getting beyond the hype of technological innovation and productivity

Not long ago, innovation was a largely internal affair. The journey from the laboratory to the marketplace took place largely within the four walls of the firm. Think of Bell Labs, IBM Research, or Xerox PARC. Each of them created important technological breakthroughs. And each breakthrough was commercialized through the company’s own businesses.    (more…)

Majority of UK businesses now automating key processes

Majority of UK businesses now automating key processes

The UK is making great strides in adopting process automation technologies like robotic process automation (RPA) and process mining, according to new research from digital intelligence company ABBYY. The research report, The State of Process Mining and RPA (registration), claims that 64 percent of UK businesses are already using process mining technologies, with almost 3 in 10 (28 percent) currently using RPA and a further 34 percent intending to start in the next year. This comes as no surprise, since a vast majority believe that process mining (91 percent) and RPA (87 percent) are, or would be, useful to their business. (more…)

Organisations think empowering people is the route to success (but only a few act)

Organisations think empowering people is the route to success (but only a few act)

Nearly 90 percent of organisations say their success depends on empowering frontline employees to make decisions in real, but only 7 percent offer people the tools they need, according to a new report from  Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, sponsored by ThoughtSpot. The report, The New Decision Makers: Equipping Frontline Workers For Success, analyses the sentiments of 464 business executives from 16 industry sectors in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.  Only one-fifth of organisations say they currently have a truly empowered and digitally equipped workforce while 86 percent agree their frontline workers need better technology and more insight to be able to make good decisions in the moment. (more…)

Immunity certificates could lead to a two-tier workplace

Immunity certificates could lead to a two-tier workplace

Proposed “immunity certificates” allowing individuals to move freely in society could lead to discrimination, claims Edgar Whitley, Associate Professor from London School of Economics’ Department of Management, and other contributing experts in a new report. (more…)

We should be addressing the why of the return to work as much as the how

We should be addressing the why of the return to work as much as the how

As we anticipate a return to relative normality post lockdown (whenever that may be), workplace strategy is a hot topic. In considering how we respond to new challenges let’s make sure we keep sight of the big picture. We need to address immediate issues whilst exploiting new opportunities to reinforce and expedite our established strategic direction. Choice and flexibility are central to the wider business reform agenda and should remain our touchstones. (more…)

Four in ten fathers cannot afford to take shared parental leave

Four in ten fathers cannot afford to take shared parental leave

New research commissioned by PowWowNow claims that four in ten fathers cannot afford to take Shared Parental Leave (SPL), suggesting there is a need for policy change to ensure it does not compromise families financially for a father to be equally involved in parenting. (more…)

An optimistic take on the future of work

An optimistic take on the future of work

Setting aside the drastic personal tragedies, the financial devastation and the strain the virus has placed on government infrastructure, business, finance, and healthcare systems worldwide, the coronavirus has been able to achieve what legions of workplace strategists and change managers have been unable to do: encourage middle managers to give remote working a try. (more…)

Half of self-employed fear they cannot cover basic living costs

Half of self-employed fear they cannot cover basic living costs

self-employedNew research by IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) claims that almost half (45 percent) of the self-employed fear they will not have enough money to cover basic costs like rent and bills during the Coronavirus crisis, despite the government support on offer. Overall, two thirds (66 percent) also say they are worried they will burn through all their savings in the next three months. (more…)

Sleeping habits improve under lockdown, but conspiracy theories abound

Sleeping habits improve under lockdown, but conspiracy theories abound

One of the surprising consequences of the current lockdown for many people is that they are sleeping more soundly. A new study claims that nearly two thirds of people are getting the same amount or more sleep than they were before the UK went into lockdown on March 23rd. However the report also uncovered some troubling attitudes amongst groups of people, even though the majority are informed and behaving as advised. (more…)

Working from home creates significant physical and mental challenges

Working from home creates significant physical and mental challenges

flexible workingThe Institute for Employment Studies (IES) has published a series of interim findings from the first COVID-19 homeworker wellbeing study, looking at how working from home for an extended period is affecting the UK workforce. These initial findings depict a worrying snapshot of the declining mental and physical health of many homeworkers. (more…)