February 19, 2021
Search Results for: government
February 18, 2021
The return to buildings will now focus attention on ventilation
by Hywel Davies • Facilities management, Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design
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
by Neil Franklin • News, Working culture, Workplace design
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 16, 2021
Investment in digital technology set to deliver £232bn boost to UK economy by 2040
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Technology
Investment in digital technology is set to increase UK GDP by £232bn (6.9 percent) in 2040, according to a new study by Virgin Media Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The research, which examines how more digital ways of working can support the UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19, claims investment in technology could boost the economy by £74bn in 2025. (more…)
February 11, 2021
Nearly half of young people put their career plans on hold due to pandemic
by Jayne Smith • Business, News
More than 40 percent of young people aged 16-24 surveyed in the UK say they are putting their career or education plans on hold until the pandemic is over. The research, commissioned by BAE Systems to mark National Apprenticeship Week (8-12 February), looks at the impact the pandemic has had on the ‘lost generation’ and their career aspirations. (more…)
February 2, 2021
Staff mental health identified as key challenge in 2021
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture
As a new year comes into view, many SMEs in the UK are concerned about the mental health of their staff as much as their ability to drive revenue, new research claims. The new survey conducted by Hiscox, asked 1,000 SME business decision-makers from across the UK about their experiences during 2020 and their subsequent outlook into 2021. (more…)
February 2, 2021
Stress-related absence soars as COVID-19 exacerbates the UK’s mental health crisis
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace
‘Stress by Sector’ data released by e-days claims concerning statistics that stress-related appointments are up generally in business by 64 percent over 2019. The data claims that the sectors struggling most with stress-related sickness are unsurprisingly healthcare (0.64 days of stress related absence on average per employee), followed by Government and International Affairs (0.57 days on average per employee) and Human Resources and staffing (0.39 days on average per employee). (more…)
January 29, 2021
People crave a return to “normality”, and some even miss commuting
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
While workers in the UK have been working from home, if they can, for almost a year, a third say they miss commuting, claims research from recruiter Randstad UK. The HR services company asked workers, having worked remotely for almost a year due to the pandemic, how they viewed commuting and physical meetings in retrospect. (more…)
January 28, 2021
Philanthrocapitalism: a century-old concept for the modern age
by Richard Glynn • Comment, Wellbeing
Philanthrocapitalism is a term that’s only 15 years old. A modern concept for the modern age. Or is it? In the late 1800s, George Cadbury bought a plot of land five miles south of Birmingham to relocate his factory and expand his chocolate empire. But greater levels of chocolate production weren’t his only concern; he also built an entire village to accommodate the new factory’s workforce. The plan was for this village – called Bournville, which now shares its name with the brand’s famous dark chocolate – to “alleviate the evils of modern, more cramped living conditions”. Port Sunlight, built on the Wirral Peninsula by the Lever Brothers, whose manufacturing company is now part of Unilever, offers up a similar story. (more…)
January 28, 2021
Half of employees ‘just going through the motions’ as redundancies hit morale
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
Mass redundancies across the UK are having a huge impact on the discretionary effort employees are willing to undertake on behalf of their employer, according to research from career transition firm Randstad Risesmart UK. (more…)
January 26, 2021
Call for employers to do more to safeguard the health of their employees
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Working culture
In April 2020, 47 percent of UK employees worked from home and for many, they still haven’t returned to the office. The events of 2020 have been unprecedented, as rules and advice from the government have changed at rapid rates in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. But one thing that remained relatively consistent is the encouragement for those who can, to work from home. (more…)






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February 10, 2021
Ten point green plan needs to be embraced by organisations
by Paul Scriven • Comment, Environment