Search Results for: flex

Office market continues to fail on environmental standards …. say landlords

Office market continues to fail on environmental standards …. say landlords

A new survey that explores the state of sustainability within the UK office market, jointly commissioned by infinitSpace and The Instant Group, claims that the office market is falling behind on environmental policiesA new survey that explores the state of sustainability within the UK office market, jointly commissioned by infinitSpace and The Instant Group, claims that the office market is falling behind on environmental policies. The poll of 250 landlords suggests that almost half (47 percent) of landlords believe the office market is lagging behind other areas of the property sector in implementing/adopting environmental policies.  The same number say they can’t ‘go it alone’ with 47 percent of landlords agreeing they need help in shaping environmental policies. At the same time, 84 percent of landlords report a vacancy rate of 30 percent and above as average among their office building portfolio. More →

Employers over-estimate the wellbeing benefits of hybrid working

Employers over-estimate the wellbeing benefits of hybrid working

Employers and employees have a differing opinion about the health and wellbeing impact of hybrid workingEmployers and employees have a differing opinion about the health and wellbeing impact of hybrid working, according to a new poll from GRiD. Two thirds of employers (64 percent) believe that hybrid working has had a positive impact on their employees’ health and wellbeing, but only 53 percent of employees agree. Where they do concur is on the number of people for whom hybrid working can have a negative impact, with 6 percent of employers, and 7 percent of employees, acknowledging that it is not a positive experience for everyone. More →

Progress depends on heterodox thought and difficult questions

Progress depends on heterodox thought and difficult questions

Between the 9th and 13th Centuries, the world’s intellectual centre and the source of much of its progress, discovery and achievement was Baghdad. This was the Muslim Golden Age and at its core was the House of Wisdom, established by the Caliph Harun al-Rashid. At one point, this library housed the largest collection of books on Earth and drew the greatest minds in the world to share ideas, innovate and explore ancient sources of science and wisdom from Greek and Persian texts. Muslim, Jewish, Christian and atheist scholars worked together to advance human understanding until a slow decline culminated with a later Caliph declaring that its diversity of thought should bow to a literal interpretation of the Quran and Hadith.

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Just call it ‘work’; Kate Lister in conversation with the Workplace Geeks

Just call it ‘work’; Kate Lister in conversation with the Workplace Geeks

In the latest episode of the Workplace Geeks podcast, one of the world’s leading experts on work and workplace, Kate Lister, focuses on a recent study in collaboration with Owl Labs, ‘State of Remote Work 2022’. The report, in its 6th year, provides a platform for a much broader conversation about hybrid and remote working (spoiler alert: terms which Kate hates by the way), Kate’s invitation to speak during the pandemic to United States Congress about home-working, and GWA’s long standing and freely available ROI and savings calculators. James returns following his blacksmithing course in the Peak District to a new discussion format – no more Pinder Ponder, get ready for the reflection section.

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Despite rise of hybrid working, people spend majority of time on pointless work and meetings

Despite rise of hybrid working, people spend majority of time on pointless work and meetings

Businesses and workers are still grappling with barriers to productivity despite the advent of more widespread flexible and hybrid working, claims a new reportBusinesses and workers are still grappling with barriers to productivity despite the advent of more widespread flexible and hybrid working, claims a new report from Asana. According to the fourth Anatomy of Work Global Index, “work about work” – time spent on work coordination rather than the skilled, strategic jobs they want to do – remains how workers spend the bulk of their day. Conducted by GlobalWebIndex (GWI) on behalf of Asana, the 2023 Anatomy of Work Global Index surveyed the behaviours and attitudes of more than 9,615 knowledge workers across the United States, U.K., Australia, France, Germany, and Japan to understand the impact of cross-functional collaboration. More →

Two thirds of US landlords don’t really understand how their buildings are used

Two thirds of US landlords don’t really understand how their buildings are used

62 percent of US landlords don’t have the tools they need to understand how their properties are used, in spite of the ongoing pressure on them to understand the experience of occupiersA new report from VTS claims that 62 percent of US landlords don’t have the tools they need to know how their properties are used, in spite of the ongoing pressure on them to understand the experience of occupiers and retain their business. More →

The six skills managers will need for the future of work

The six skills managers will need for the future of work

When it comes to the future of work, we need new guidelines for building change-ready and vulnerable leadership.Conversations around how work and leadership will change in the coming years have inevitably been accelerated by the pandemic. Companies all over the world have been urged to seek new digital tools, solutions and methods for communicating, making decisions, and activating projects remotely. The companies that emerged most successfully from the Covid era were those that, despite all the uncertainty at the time, decided to adapt and view the pandemic as an opportunity for change rather than an obstacle. When it comes to the future of work, we need new guidelines for building change-ready and vulnerable leadership. More →

Less than a third of businesses know how energy efficient their office is

Less than a third of businesses know how energy efficient their office is

A surprisingly high proportion of UK businesses are unaware of new environmental legislation concerning the energy efficiency of their buildings, or how even how energy efficient they are in the first placeA surprisingly high proportion of UK businesses are unaware of new environmental legislation concerning the energy efficiency of their buildings, or even how energy efficient they are in the first place, according to a new survey commissioned by Irwin Mitchell: Redefining the Office – A report on office occupier trends in 2023.  The new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation means that from 1st April 2023, property owners must not continue to let properties that have an EPC rating of F or G (unless they have an exemption) and all let properties will need to have a minimum EPC rating of E. More →

Most US employees don’t believe remote working colleagues are really working

Most US employees don’t believe remote working colleagues are really working

Only 24 percent of people trust their remote working colleagues to get work done from home, according to a new poll from EnvoyOnly 24 percent of people trust their remote working colleagues to get work done from home, according to a new poll from Envoy. However, the latest edition of its Return to the Workplace survey also suggests that 94 percent of workers believe their managers trust them to do their work from anywhere, home or the office. And the older the worker, the greater the confidence they have in expressing such a belief. Only 57 percent of ‘Gen Z’ feel strongly that they have their manager’s trust compared with 71 percent of ‘Millennials’ and 77 percent of ‘Boomers’. (Wot? No Gen X? – Ed) More →

Four day week pilot results are very encouraging indeed, say researchers

Four day week pilot results are very encouraging indeed, say researchers

Businesses that adopted a four day week as part of a pilot programme say they are more profitable and their staff are fitter, happier and more productiveBusinesses that adopted a four day working week as part of a pilot programme say they are more profitable and their staff are fitter, happier and more productive, researchers have told MPs. A large majority of companies that took part in the pilot now plan to carry on. The programme, led in the UK by non-profit 4 Day Week Global, the UK’s 4 Day Week Campaign and think-tank Autonomy,  involved around 3,000 workers through a six-month trial of a four day week, with no loss of pay. This brings the global campaign’s total number of completed pilot participants to 91 companies and approximately 3,500 employees. More →

Unlocking the digital frontier: hiring the next generation of tech talent

Unlocking the digital frontier: hiring the next generation of tech talent

Any business that is looking to grow its consumer base or expand into new markets is likely to be relying on digital technology to a greater extent than ever before both in their operations and management. This also means that the world of employment, both for workers and enterprises, is necessarily evolving too. An inevitable consequence of this evolution has been that those for whom technology has been an essential part of their life and education — so-called digital natives — are in growing demand. More →

UK businesses are out of touch with the real sources of employee stress

UK businesses are out of touch with the real sources of employee stress

96 percent of firms do not believe that employee salaries are a major stress factor for staff during the cost-of-living crisisThe cost-of-living crisis is driving a wedge between employers and their staff. In a recent research report, we surveyed 500 employers to discover what they believe causes their staff the most stress. Surprisingly, an overwhelming 96 percent did not believe that employee salaries are a major stress factor for staff during the cost-of-living crisis. Instead, they felt major contributors included heavy workloads, long hours, and tight deadlines. More →