October 13, 2021

Shift to hybrid working highlights the value of weak ties

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

Something we can expect to hear a lot about in the near future is the power of weak ties. It’s a well-established idea in sociology, anthropology, and social network analysis theory. But it’s about to be invigorated as a way of thinking about workplaces in the wake of two major peer-reviewed studies into the effects of remote work and hybrid working on people and the way they work with each other. According to the most widely cited paper on the subject of relationships, Mark Granovetter’s The Power of Weak Ties, The relationships between people can be categorised as strong, weak or absent. The latter is self-explanatory. Strong ties exist between people who are related, friend or who interact on a day to day basis. (more…)

October 12, 2021

Time for businesses to step up and deliver flexibility and wellbeing for workers

by Nick Gold • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

At this time of year, with events such as Happiness at Work Week and Mental Health Awareness Day, mental health and wellbeing have been brought into sharp focus. Businesses are starting to look forward with a small degree of optimism. This optimism is not necessarily derived from the current state of their business or even their sector, but rather from being able to make proactive plans rather than in reactive mode which has been the default setting for the past 18 months. This is a challenge, but one which can be met with a degree of excitement and anticipation as the business has a chance to make an impact both within its business surroundings, but also for the people who work within the business. (more…)

October 12, 2021

Workers feel more trusted and motivated thanks to hybrid working

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

New research from Kadence (formerly Chargifi) claims that after a year of flexible working, almost two-thirds of US and UK office workers (62 percent) now feel more trusted to do their job effectively. Of those workers, half also feel more motivated to do a better quality job (51 percent) and go the extra mile (48 percent) thanks to their new working arrangements. (more…)

October 6, 2021

Hybrid workers retain concerns of discrimination, career and always on culture

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

Poly has released a new report outlining the evolution of the workplace and changing employee attitudes to the 9-5. The Poly Evolution of the Workplace report provides analysis on the findings of a survey of 7,261 hybrid workers from the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Poland and the United Arab Emirates. It examines how attitudes and behaviours have evolved – looking at everything from working patterns and culture, to frustration and noise, right down to what we wear. (more…)

September 30, 2021

The truth about the workplace comes out of the well

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Property, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The debate about the workplace and the future of work gets more interesting by the week. In the last few days alone, I’ve listened in on three great speakers talking about the opportunities, challenges, nuances and complexities of it all in a way that has been all but impossible in the past 18 months. In addition, Nigel Oseland has published his new book on people-centred work. Jo Owen’s new book on hybrid working is similarly a breath of fresh air on that particular subject. (more…)

September 30, 2021

‘Great Resignation’ means companies must adapt to needs of workers

by Neil Franklin • News

Workers are leaving jobs like never before, and it’s causing a shortage of talent that has companies around the globe reeling, according to a survey conducted by Citrix Systems. Based on a poll of 1,000 US based knowledge workers, 40 percent have left at least one job in the past year or are considering doing so. The report from the firm sets out the factors behind the so-called Great Resignation and what firms may have to do in response. (more…)

September 24, 2021

Three quarters of firms planning to change work culture

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working culture

Socio-economic fault lines exposed by COVID-19 are creating an unforgiving marketplace, with companies under scrutiny from governments and the public and little room to avoid disputes and investigations into business practices and behavior, according to a new report from FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN). (more…)

September 22, 2021

Flexible working rights consultation welcomed by CIPD

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The CIPD has welcomed a new consultation from the UK Government on making flexible working requests a day one right. The CIPD launched its #FlexFrom1st campaign in February, calling for all employees to have the immediate right to request flexible working. Under the proposed legislation, companies would be obliged to explain their reasons if it is then refused. The plan would also oblige employers to respond to such requests more quickly, and is being billed as a major reshaping of the way people work in a post-pandemic world, making flexible work the default. (more…)

September 22, 2021

Employers worry about remote work productivity, but majority fail to invest in solutions

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Technology

New research released by Ricoh Europe claims that employers are failing to invest in technology to maintain productivity across their remote workforce, despite concerns about their output. More than 18 months since the Coronavirus pandemic took hold across Europe, forcing businesses to adopt remote working practices, just over a third (36 percent) of employers say their organisation has provided the tools and technology to maintain employee productivity while working from any location. (more…)

September 22, 2021

More hybrid working to bring 3.8 million Brits into employment

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

Hybrid working could bring nearly four million people “locked out” from work such as parents, carers and disabled people into the workforce and enable part-time workers to work more hours adding £48.3bn to the UK economy each year, according to a new study by Virgin Media O2 Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). (more…)

September 16, 2021

Satisfaction in the workspace linked to increased productivity

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

Fellowes Brands, has announced the results of its survey of over 6,000 employees across Europe, 1,000 of which are from the UK, claiming nine in ten (91 percent) of all European employees and 89 percent of UK employees say satisfaction is important to them in their workspace, regardless of whether working location is at the corporate office or the home office. Moreover, 88 percent of UK employees say satisfaction improves their productivity by more than 25 percent. (more…)

September 10, 2021

The Great Workplace Conversation gets quieter and more interesting

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design

I recently stumbled upon the phrase epistemic trespass, which describes the phenomenon of people making judgements in fields in which they have no expertise. I came across it as it was used to explain the sudden explosion of opinions about Afghanistan from a hitherto unknown horde of experts. Which may or may not be the same horde that has been so very certain about immunology and public health during the pandemic. It’s an old idea and one that needs to be treated with care, for reasons set out by Noah Smith here. But it is useful in some ways because we all recognise the phenomenon and how social media amplifies it. (more…)