May 24, 2023

Three quarters of firms have now mandated some form of ‘return to office’

A new poll from Unispace claims that around 72 percent of companies globally have now mandated a return to office based work. However, many respondents also report losing key employees due to mandates, with recruitment also being impacted by enforced returns. The report concludes that companies are failing to recognise the drivers of workers’ reluctance to return to the workplace, and likewise, the opportunities and value that the physical workplace provides. (more…)

May 17, 2023

APAC region leads the world in return to office bookings, report claims

by Jayne Smith • Facilities management, News, Property, Technology

A new report from Eptura [registration] claims that there has been a global wave of return to office bookings led by the Asia Pacific market, including a worldwide 338 percent increase in collaborative room bookings, 76 percent room booking check-in rate, 35 percent increase in visitor check-ins, and 3 percent increase in site inspections. (more…)

May 11, 2023

Hybrid working is a potential deal breaker for two thirds of tech workers

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

A new report claims that 7 in 10 UK tech workers now consider hybrid working a key factor when considering a future employer. That is according to The Scaleup Culture Report [registration] from Techspace, based on a YouGov survey of 1,000 tech workers. The report claims that a flexible working policy is considered a high priority by 78 percent of tech employees and a hybrid working policy by 67 percent of tech employees. Other important factors include flexible working policies and opportunities for career development. These statistics have exposed a new factor that will determine startups’ competitiveness in the job market. (more…)

March 30, 2023

Every workplace innovation contains the seeds of its opposite

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

The announcement by Apple that it wanted its employees to work in an office for three days a week sparked the usual, tedious pile-on about how many days people should spend in a physical workplace each week. This included the columnist at Grazia who joins the tens of millions of people around the world who not only know where Apple is going wrong, but also how to run every other organisation in the world and what’s best for everybody who works for them. (more…)

March 22, 2023

Half of people in the UK say they feel ‘overworked’

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

More than half (53 percent) of employees in the UK ay they feel overworked, citing factors like reaching their maximum capacity, being spread too thin, or stressing over the threat of additional work – according to a poll from Censuswide, commissioned by Visier. The survey of around 1,000 people claims that young professionals aged 25-34 say they feel most overworked, followed closely by those aged 55+. Four in ten (40 percent) employees polled would look for a new job with a better work-life balance if they felt overworked. (more…)

March 10, 2023

Hybrid workers exercise more, sleep longer and eat better

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A new study claims that hybrid working is leading to a healthier workforce, with more time being dedicated to exercise, sleep and healthy eating. Research among more than 2,000 hybrid workers by IWG suggests that the time saved by reduced commuting has led to multiple health and wellbeing benefits including weight loss, better cooking habits, improved mental health and a longer night’s sleep. (more…)

March 8, 2023

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

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Businesses 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…)

February 13, 2023

Childhood’s end for work and the need for a grown-up conversation about it

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing

Arthur C Clarke’s finest novel Childhood’s End is the story of an Earth that is invaded by a force of alien Overlords. This is not a destructive colonial invasion, which is why there’s no Hollywood blockbuster in the tale, but a seemingly benevolent intervention which ushers in a golden age for humanity. Although humankind initially does not get to meet the Overlords in person (for reasons I won’t give away here), the aliens unite the world’s governments, eradicate crime, conflict and the nation state and do away with the need for creativity and hard work. It is the literal end of history.

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February 10, 2023

Working parents are resilient, and a resilient team is good for business

by Erin Eatough • Comment, Wellbeing

Last week, Parent Mental Health Day renewed our focus on working parents and their resilience, the ability to adapt to change, deal with stress, and foster optimism despite difficulty. From a business perspective, resilience is the way that employees recognise and respond to challenges as opportunities to develop rather than as a threat or setback. Resilience is an important skill for us all as we manoeuvre through life’s daily trials and it is particularly important for working parents as we often juggle more responsibilities outside of the workplace. (more…)

December 22, 2022

How businesses can support employee wellbeing over a difficult festive period

by Louise Aston • Comment, Wellbeing

When we think about the festive period, the financial pressures that Christmas brings, amid rising energy bills and not having enough to eat shouldn’t be first and foremost on our minds. With thirty million people employed by businesses in the UK, that is a huge number of employees who could benefit if employers acted now to support them and their wellbeing. This winter has been extremely challenging for many people across the UK. And for the first time since 2009, the UK is in recession. (more…)

December 14, 2022

How different European countries tax working from home

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

When it comes to the tax implications of working from home, Belgium seems to be the most attractive European country. Those regularly working from home in Belgium can claim over €1,700. No other of the eleven nations examined by The Mobile Bank N26 manages to match the Belgians in this regard. In addition to Germany’s neighbour, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Poland and France were also analysed. As the data suggests, regulations and tax relief opportunities differ between nations, sometimes significantly. (more…)

December 5, 2022

Women far more likely to have disadvantageous flexible working arrangements

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Women are much more likely than men to be in flexible working arrangements that mean they lose hours, and therefore pay, according to new TUC analysis of official statistics. The findings have been published, a year after the government closed its consultation on flexible work, and ahead of the next committee stage of Yasmin Qureshi MP’s private members bill on flexible work. (more…)