April 20, 2020

The return from isolation presents us with an opportunity to rethink work

It all seems like it was years ago. The calm mornings, the deep breaths of fresh air, the din of a happy, productive office. In fact, it’s been just a few short months since the COVID-19 pandemic upended just about every aspect of life: our schedules, our roles as parents, our certainty about the future. Millions of workers are feeling this strain, if not on their physical health and bank accounts, then surely on their mental status and ability to focus on simple things like sending emails or making small talk. More →

April 14, 2020

Picking through the workplace chatter

by Mark Eltringham • Comment

The Universe is a noisy place. Countless bodies chatter to each other against the backdrop of distant echoes from the Big Bang. Because we are curious, we have developed the technology to listen in and record the din and convert it from the electromagnetic vibration it really is into something we can sense with our ears. NASA has even produced a playlist of the noises from our own solar system and some of the objects we have propelled into it, which you can listen to here. More →

April 13, 2020

Take part in global working from home experience survey

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A global survey to gather data about the impact of Covid-19 on how and where people are working has been launched by the Workplace Evolutionaries (WE), a Community of Practice within the International Facility Management Association (IFMA).
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April 2, 2020

What happens to the workplace after the pandemic?

by Mark Eltringham • Features

Tomorrow morning I’ll be taking part in a live webinar considering some of the most important workplace issues that have been raised by the global corona-virus pandemic. As always, we’ll try to take on the least helpful ideas about the “future of work”, the impact on people’s lives, their reactions to the crisis as well as those of their employers. Crucially, we will also talk about what happens after this ends and what longer term effect it will have on work and workplaces. More →

March 31, 2020

Most workers not productive while working from home, report claims

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

No more than 15 percent of healthy workers confined to their homes will work productively, argues new research from right leaning think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs. Government restrictions on social interaction designed to slow the spread of coronavirus have led to a rapid increase in the number of people working from home. But a new briefing paper from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) suggests this is unlikely to be maintained in the long term. More →

March 30, 2020

Home working initiative to tackle worldwide pandemic response

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) collaboration are to throw their weight behind an emergency initiative by Leesman, building a global pan-industry response group to the threat posed to the real estate and facilities management industries by Covid-19 and addressing the huge uptake in home working. More →

March 30, 2020

Employees struggle to adapt to new workplace technology

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Working culture

New research by Hays Talent Solutions claims workplace technology has had a significant impact on businesses and organisations when it comes to development, automation and growth; continuing to shake up the modern workplace and workforce in 2020. Paving the way for the change, younger workers are arguably redefining what workers want from their employers, while employees struggle to adapt to a technological workplace. More →

March 27, 2020

Third of workforce expect role to vanish within three years

by Jayne Smith • News, Working lives

A new study by Mercer claims the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent uncertainty are accelerating changes in the way organisations around the world are working and will continue to work into the future. Particularly in challenging times, employers are focusing on their workforce, specifically fostering healthy lifestyles, supporting financial wellness and providing skills and training as careers change due to AI and technology developments. More →

March 26, 2020

Pandemic will force companies to rethink how they work

by Jayne Smith • News

The Coronovirus outbreak and the worldwide reaction to the pandemic will force companies to radically rethink how they operate and embrace technological investment, claims global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research. In its new white paper, Taking Stock of COVID-19: The Short- and Long-Term Ramifications on Technology and End Markets (registration), ABI Research Analysts look at the current and future ramifications of COVID-19 across technologies and verticals. Analysts also offer recommendations to weather the storm and strategies to help companies rebound and prosper after the pandemic has slowed.

March 18, 2020

One million young workers set to leave London before turning 33

by Jayne Smith • News, Property

The number of young workers leaving London is on the rise, with net migration away from the capital growing, claims new research from Totaljobs and Professor of Economics at Lancaster University, Geraint Johnes. The new research, taken from analysis of ONS data as well as the views of 2,000 Londoners, suggests that since 2014, more than one million professionals have left London, with just 900,000 coming in. This is a net loss of 88 workers every day, with the biggest shortfall down to workers aged 25-34, the majority (54 percent) of them having given up hope of ever owning property in the capital. There has been a 49 percent increase in outbound migration of those in their 30s over the last five years. More →

March 12, 2020

Workers and employers differ on progress towards workplace equality

by Jayne Smith • News

A gap exists between the way leaders and employees view progress toward equality in their organisations, according to new research from Accenture. Closing the gap will yield benefits for companies and their employees. The report, “Getting to Equal 2020: The Hidden Value of Culture Makers,” which includes research across 28 countries, claims that organisations are at an inflection point. Today’s UK workforce cares increasingly about workplace culture and believes it is critical to helping them thrive in the workplace (reported by 80 percent of women and 66 percent of men), and a majority of leaders (62 percent) believe an inclusive workplace culture is vital to the success of their business. More →

March 10, 2020

Expectations at work are changing

by Jayne Smith • Environment, Flexible working, News, Working lives

New research from Aon, claims that 94 percent of employers believe their employees’ expectations of work experience are changing. In Aon’s Benefits and Trends Survey 2020, employers say their employees expect flexible working hours, the ability to work from home, better awareness and handling of mental health, better approaches to diversity and inclusion and better parental policies. A surprise in this year’s report is the strength of opinion on environmental and sustainability policies, coming in at the seventh most important expectation in its first year in the survey. Fifty-four percent of employers believe that employees want clarity and positivity on this subject.