March 12, 2020

Workers and employers differ on progress towards workplace equality

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.

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March 4, 2020

New smart building suite for a people centric workplace experience

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Siemens Smart Infrastructure has launched a smart building suite designed to create more efficient and flexible workplaces where people are at the core. The suite of IoT (Internet of Things) enabled devices, applications and services turn offices into a competitive advantage for companies. (more…)

March 2, 2020

Workers are as important as external stakeholders

by Bianca West • Comment

At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, workers around the globe could be forgiven for remaining sceptical at the news that the corporate world now regards them as stakeholders, and as important to their organisations as shareholders and customers. The traditional employee/employer relationship is slowly changing. Where the relationship was once exclusively hierarchical, it is now evolving into more of a partnership. Employees want to be more involved in processes and decisions. Subsequently, teams need to be more collaborative and communicative to drive innovation and creativity. To encourage optimum performance, leaders must learn to coach and encourage, rather than simply direct. (more…)

February 28, 2020

Average worker does nearly £7,000 worth of unpaid overtime a year

by Jackie Le Poidevin • News, Working culture

UK employers claimed £35 billion of free labour last year because of workers doing unpaid overtime, according to an analysis of official statistics published today by the TUC. More than 5 million people put in an average of 7.6 hours a week in unpaid overtime during 2019, it claims. On average, that equates to having £6,828 taken out of individual pay packets. (more…)

February 27, 2020

The integration of people, place and policy will define the new workplace era

by Frances Gain • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

With a new decade comes a renewed focus on talent for workplace designers. Employers are beginning to better understand the value in hiring neurodiverse employees for creative and strategic thinking. They also understand that creating physical and digital workspaces, which blend the principles of universal design (making spaces accessible for the broadest possible range of individuals), and encouraging wellness are essential for attracting top talent and giving their business a competitive edge. (more…)

February 26, 2020

UK squandering workers’ potential through lack of training

by Jackie Le Poidevin • Knowledge, News

The UK is ignoring the value of millions of workers by overlooking workplace training and opportunities to upskill, a new survey has suggested. According to the Missing Millions report from City & Guilds Group, a third of employees have either not received workplace training in the last five years or have never had any such training – equating to 17.8 million people in the UK with outdated skills. The result, the report claims, is declining productivity and problems remaining competitive. (more…)

February 12, 2020

Workplace leaders must adapt to a new technological reality

by Brian Kropp • Comment, Technology, Workplace

I speak with senior workplace leaders daily and those conversations, coupled with our research and that of other people, offer us a striking perspective on the trends and changing nature of the workplace and in particular the impact of technology. Some themes are cropping up time and time again in these conversations and research and point to a new technology-led reality that we must all address. (more…)

February 7, 2020

‘Alternative workers’ unhappy with pay but value flexibility

by Jackie Le Poidevin • Flexible working, News

The UK’s ‘alternative workers’, comprising gig economy workers, freelancers and contractors, have cited lack of pay, benefits and job security as their most significant concerns in new research. Yet according to The 2020 Pulse of Talent report released by Ceridian, plenty of the 536 respondents praised the flexible and ‘interesting’ nature of the work on offer. (more…)

January 30, 2020

Can corporate culture help reduce workforce burnout?

by Leigh Anderson • Company news

It may not always be evident to those working in logistics, but burnout doesn’t exist solely in supply chain recruitment – it’s a recognised condition which is having an impact across all industries and sectors. According to the Labour Force Survey, the UK lost 15.4 million working days in 2017/18 to work-related stress, depression or anxiety, with 239,000 new cases reported. Increasingly, severe cases are being recognised as ‘burnout’. (more…)

January 30, 2020

Gig economy is a “trap” for vulnerable workers

by Jackie Le Poidevin • Flexible working, News

The promised flexibility of the gig economy is an illusion for many workers, who need to put in long hours to make ends meet, a new report has claimed. The report by Doteveryone, a think tank set up by businesswoman Martha Lane Fox, calls on the government to create a ‘minimum gig wage’ to ensure workers have enough to live on after expenses such as petrol. It also urges employers to be clearer with workers about their true pay and to inform customers where their money goes. (more…)

January 24, 2020

Changing world of work yet to reshape expectations of young people

by Neil Franklin • News

Huge changes to the world of work over the past two decades have made little impact on teenagers’ career expectations, which have become more concentrated in fewer occupations, according to a new OECD report. Dream jobs: Teenagers’ career aspirations and the future of wor k says 47 percent of boys and 53 percent of girls surveyed in 41 countries expect to work in one of just 10 popular jobs by age of 30. The figures, based on the latest PISA survey of 15-year-olds released last month, reveal a narrowing of expectations as these shares increased by eight percentage points for boys and four percentage points for girls since the 2000 PISA survey. (more…)