October 28, 2020
Search Results for: future of work
October 23, 2020
FUTURE Designs launches revolutionary air and surface purifier
by Freddie Steele • Company news, Lighting
Lighting innovator FUTURE Designs has introduced FUZONE500, a unique lighting solution that harnesses all the anti-viral and anti-bacterial elimination qualities of ultraviolet light without any of the harmful effects to humans or physical surfaces. With over 38 million confirmed cases worldwide and over 600,000 in the UK alone, Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the way we live and interact with our surroundings. Cases are increasing at an astronomical rate and finding effective solutions to control its spread has become paramount. More →
October 22, 2020
Everybody needs to be prepared for a new digital workplace
by Simon Hayward • Comment, Flexible working, Technology
Graduates today are largely considered to be the ‘net generation’. Growing up whilst social media accelerated, their years in higher education have been synonymous with digital literacy, even before COVID-19 turned their studies entirely virtual. This monumental move into a digital workplace also echoed throughout the job market. As offices closed in Spring and millions were furloughed across hospitality, retail and travel, demand spiked by 36 percent for roles advertised in the digital tech sector. More →
October 20, 2020
Remote work and the risks of employee surveillance
by Joe Aiston and Alexander Barnett • Comment, Flexible working, Technology
There has been a gradual shift towards increased flexible and remote work patterns in the last few years. The COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect storm to force organisations to further consider their working practices, with all but essential physical roles usually involving an element of homeworking – nearly half of people in employment in the UK did some work at home in April 2020, according to the ONS. Many businesses are expecting to operate a largely remote workforce for the foreseeable future. The fear of declining productivity and concerns for people wellbeing has encouraged many employers to increase their employee monitoring arrangements. More →
October 20, 2020
Radical reskilling needed to ensure future of economy
by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace
Research carried out by the CBI prior to the pandemic suggests there is an urgent need for the UK to embark on a radical programme of reskilling that goes further and faster than current plans. According to the CBI, the UK faces a stark choice: invest more in lifetime learning and upskilling of millions of employees, or stick to business as usual, and risk sustained higher rates of unemployment and skills shortages. More →
October 20, 2020
The changing office landscape: what tenants want from their workspace
by Jayne Smith • Environment, News, Workplace design
A new report, released by workplace design consultancy, Peldon Rose, takes a look at the changing needs of office users as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The Office of the Future” report, commissioned in conjunction with workplace strategy and employee engagement specialists, WKspace, examines the impact on the pandemic has had on the changing needs of tenants. More →
October 16, 2020
Employees want greater ownership in the new world of work
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture, Working lives
Working from home may have been an adjustment at the start of the pandemic lockdown, but according to Cisco’s Workforce of the Future survey, UK employees want to keep hold of many positives that emerged in our new way of working. Increased autonomy (66 percent) and working well as a dispersed team (65 percent) are two main benefits; plus 60 percent want to keep hold of faster decision-making. More →
October 16, 2020
Younger people most affected by disconnect of remote work
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace design
Over a third of younger office workers forced to work from home feel remote, unfocused and less committed to their employers, posing a real threat to businesses in the medium and long term, new research from Oktra claims. Of 1,500 people surveyed, who used to work in an office full time but have been working at home for the last six months, the experience has changed the way that 71 percent of them feel about their employer; 85 percent have struggled with the experience of remote work. More →
October 15, 2020
Working women face new challenges in the era of Covid
by Jayne Smith • News, Working culture
The latest edition of the Women in the Workplace survey from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) claims working women across the green building industry are facing historic challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Of nearly 500 women surveyed, 86 percent are feeling supported by employers, yet nearly 90 percent note they are still facing challenges when it comes to financial, familial and professional responsibilities. More →
October 14, 2020
Uncompetitive companies pose threat to future prosperity
by Jayne Smith • Business, News
A new model of competitiveness devised by academics at Goldsmiths, University of London in partnership with Microsoft scores almost half (46 percent) of UK firms in the lowest quadrant, posing a threat to Britain’s prosperity as organisations rally from the impact of COVID-19, and prepare for Brexit as UK-EU negotiations reach their conclusion that such uncompetitive companies pose a serious threat to the country’s future prosperity . More →
October 13, 2020
Matrix of pain threatens new era of hybrid working life
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, Working lives
Organisations could be caught up in a matrix of pain if they do not carefully manage the new realities of hybrid working, claims Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA). The management consultancy has identified at least five different classes of workers and failure to create strategies to manage them could lead to a potential loss of momentum and productivity for employers. More →
October 28, 2020
It`s not just businesses that need to wake up to changes in the way we work. Governments do too
by Jeremy Stein • Comment, Workplace design