March 2, 2021
Search Results for: government
Progress for women in work could be back at 2017 levels by the end of this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to analysis conducted for 
March 2, 2021
Two thirds of small businesses predict return to business as usual in 2021
There is real optimism amongst small businesses owners that their businesses will return to pre-COVID normality by the end of the year, claims Tide. In a study conducted amongst small business leaders (of up to 50 employees), over two thirds (64 percent) agreed it was likely that with the successful vaccine roll-out their businesses could get back to normal before the end of 2021. (more…)
March 1, 2021
Zoom fatigue is real and has four basic causes
The much discussed idea of Zoom fatigue turns out to be a real phenomenon according to new peer reviewed research from Stanford academics. The study published in the American Psychological Association’s journal Technology, Mind, and Behaviour found that meetings conducted via video calls leave participants feeling more exhausted and emotionally drained than those held face to face. The study found the four most important factors that make video calls so exhausting; the constant need for eye contact, the ability to see one’s own face constantly during meetings, the need to sit still for long periods and difficulties in interpreting or communicating via body language. (more…)
February 26, 2021
UKGBC launches framework for defining social value
The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published a Framework for Defining Social Value in the Built Environment, designed to help built environment practitioners define and deliver social value on their projects. Social value is often considered especially hard to define for built environment projects, as each project serves a different community with their own unique set of requirements. (more…)
February 26, 2021
Workers hatred of Mondays and Fridays threatens post Covid-19 environmental dividend
With the Government setting out its roadmap for the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, workers are set to return to offices later this year. However, new working practices mean they will still split their time between the office and home. (more…)
February 26, 2021
UK workers put in £24 billion worth of unpaid overtime during the pandemic
UK employers claimed £24 billion of free labour last year because of workers doing unpaid overtime, according to new analysis published by the TUC. More than three million people did unpaid overtime in 2020, putting in an average of 7.7 unpaid hours a week. On average, that’s equivalent to £7,300 a year of wages going unpaid for work done. (more…)
February 22, 2021
Employment intentions at their strongest in a year
UK employers are reporting their strongest employment intentions in a year, the latest CIPD/Adecco Labour Market Outlook claims. The survey’s net employment intentions figure, which measures the difference between the proportion of employers expecting to add jobs and those planning to cut positions, rose to +11 this quarter – its highest in a year. This compares to -1 in the previous quarter. (more…)
February 19, 2021
A new mindset on climate change is emerging from the pandemic
Of all the opportunities for positive change driven by the pandemic, the most important may be the least talked about. And that’s in spite of the fact that both workers and organisations as well as governments and other bodies around the world are aware and in favour of it and its consequences are most far reaching, affecting us all. It is, of course, the chance to do something significant about climate change and the environment. (more…)
February 19, 2021
‘Zoom rooms’ and breakout space top of the agenda for post-COVID offices
New data from real estate consultancy 
February 18, 2021
The return to buildings will now focus attention on ventilation
The UK COVID-19 vaccination programme is well underway. Once the over 50s, younger people with health conditions, NHS and care workers have received the vaccine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been clear that current lockdown restrictions could be lifted in stages with schools and business a top priority. The situation is under review, but there is an expectation that business premises could reopen as early as Easter, when a large proportion of the working age population may not have been vaccinated. That means the focus in workplaces and other multi-occupant spaces, especially those open to the public, must remain on limiting transmission to prevent the spread of coronavirus to un-vaccinated people, and especially on factors such as ventilation. (more…)
February 17, 2021
Learning by observation reduces cognitive bias, research suggests
Research from the Business School (formerly Cass) suggests that observing others’ decision-making can teach people to make better decisions themselves. The study, co-authored by Professor Irene Scopelliti, Professor of Marketing and Behavioural Science, tested the effectiveness of a new debiasing learning strategy and claims the first evidence that watching others make decisions can improve our own decision making. (more…)
February 25, 2021
False positives and the dangers of unrealistic positivity at work
by Jeff Miller • Comment, Wellbeing, Working culture