April 10, 2024

MIPIM has changed, and mostly for the better

by Anna King • Environment, Features, Property

With an estimated 27,000 delegates from 90 countries, MIPIM is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to opportunities to network and learn as delegates, with organisations using the week to deliver news, insights and thinking. The theme for MIPIM this year was The Global Urban Community; and it really did feel more international than previous years, the majority of attendees are still from France, Germany and the UK, but there were significant delegations from the United States, Canada, Oman, Egypt and Hong Kong, more from Asia generally and a show stopper from Saudi Arabia, more of which later. More →

April 8, 2024

Prioritising your phone over your partner affects women’s creativity at work

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology, Wellbeing

Focusing attention on your mobile phone instead of your partner doesn’t just strain your relationship – it also affects creativity at work, according to researchers from the Universities of Bath, Aston, and IESE Business School. The study claims to shed light on the negative effects of ‘phubbing’, the idea of snubbing someone in favour of your phone, which is known for its detrimental impact on relationships and mental wellbeing. Now the study of working couples in the US points to repercussions in the workplace as well, but only for female partners. More →

April 5, 2024

A just in time lesson about office design

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design

The nascent years of new ways of working in the late 80s and early 90s coincided with a widely held but soon to be discarded belief that the Japanese had cracked management practices. So it was perhaps inevitable that the principles of a process called just in time manufacturing – most famously applied in the factories of Toyota – should migrate to new forms of office design and the rapidly developing practice of flexible working.

April 5, 2024

People who work from home are less likely to get pay rises and promotions

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

People who work from home all or part of the time are less likely to get pay rises and promotions, a new study of outcomes from hybrid working suggests. The survey of 937 UK managers found that they were 11 percent less likely to give a promotion to staff who worked entirely from home than to those who were completely office-based. Hybrid workers – those working partly in the office and partly at home – were on average 7 percent less likely to be promoted. More →

April 3, 2024

London Mayor sets out ambitious plans for Capital’s growth and reinvention

by Marvin Gort • Cities, News, Property

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is today launching an ambitious plan aimed at creating 150,000 high-quality, well-paid jobs by 2028. This initiative will be unveiled alongside the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves. Reeves will say that a Labour administration intends to reset the relationship between the national government and London, while Khan thinks what is good for London is good for the UK. More →

April 2, 2024

All you need to know about the changes in employment law from 6 April 2024

by Jonathan Lord • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

There are a number of employment law changes coming into effect on 6 April 2024 that will impact SMEs the most. These modifications to employment law will profoundly influence the daily functions of businesses, especially during a period when SMEs face substantial economic challenges. It is essential for managers to revise their policies, engage with employees, and adapt their procedures in alignment with the updated regulations prior to their implementation. This proactive stance is vital to maintain compliance and mitigate potential claims. More →

April 1, 2024

British workers now entirely unproductive, claims report

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The overwhelming majority of UK workers don’t do anything productive at all, according to a new report published today. The study of available research into the illnesses, injuries, distractions, wastes of time, procrastinations, productivity drains and paralyses that afflict British workers found that the annual cost to the British economy is around £1.8 trillion, equivalent to 98.9 percent of GDP.

March 21, 2024

People want to work in an office some of the time, but don’t like mandates and lack of flexibility

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

More than half (51 percent) of UK workers are in favour of some form of so-called return to office (RTO) policy, but flexibility is key to any office mandated approach, according to a new poll from Owl Labs. The survey suggest that while UK workers recognise some benefits when it comes to mandates – where employees are required to be in the office for a set number of days – they want the flexibility to choose when they work from the office. While the majority of UK managers champion RTO mandates in some capacity, they don’t necessarily expect their teams to be in the office full-time. Flexible RTO mandates driven by task-based working are, therefore, key to maintaining an engaged and motivated team, according to the report. More →

March 14, 2024

Our false memory of work in 2019 is stopping us from having better conversations

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace

We have taken the editorial decision to ignore the tedious, endless toing and froing between so-called return to office mandates and remote work. As much as we can, anyway. It doesn’t appear to be going anywhere and it is driven by two noisily motivated factions who seem unable or unwilling to shift their position by the smallest amount. It is a very 21st Century conversation. More →

March 7, 2024

Three-quarters of women experience health problems at work, but line managers aren’t trained to support them

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

The majority of women in the workplace have experienced health problems at work (74 percent) yet there is a lack of support available to help them, according to new data from Simplyhealth. In the new research, women reported generally higher rates of being affected by health issues than men in the workplace, with around four-in-ten (37 percent) reporting experiencing anxiety last year compared to just 26 percent of men. Women were also twice as likely to report having migraines (20 percent, compared to just 10 percent of men) and more women reported experiencing back pain (29 percent vs 25 percent) and muscle pain (18 percent vs 14 percent) than men.? More →

March 4, 2024

Insight Weekly: the bosses tracking workers and the only way is ethics

by Neil Franklin • News

Insight Weekly includes a round up of the best stories and commentary from the past seven days. It includes free premium content including features, podcasts, supplements and a link to the digital edition of IN Magazine. In this week’s issue: the rapid growth in the practical use of AI; … and remote work trackers; what we can learn from elite sports; what we’ve always known about flexible working; and David Sharp joins us for the Workplace Cocktail Hour.

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February 20, 2024

One in five neurodivergent employees say they have experienced harassment or discrimination at work

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

One in five neurodivergent employees have experienced harassment or discrimination at work because of their neurodivergence, according to new research from the CIPD, working with corporate neuroinclusion training specialists Uptimize. Neurodiversity refers to natural differences in human brain function and behavioural traits. It’s estimated that as many as 20 percent of people may be neurodivergent in some way, an umbrella term that can include those with autism, dyslexia, or ADHD. However, despite this potential figure, support and awareness of neurodiversity is lacking in many UK workplaces. More →