Search Results for: health

How limiting non-work related web use affects security and productivity

How limiting non-work related web use affects security and productivity

by • News, Technology

Spiceworks has announced the results of a new survey examining the use of web filtering in the workplace and the implications of restricting certain online behaviours. The results indicate among organisations that don’t restrict non-work related web use, most employees (58 percent) spend at least four hours per week, the equivalent of 26 workdays per year, on websites unrelated to their job. In other words, based on the median U.S. salary of $45,812, these organisations are paying full-time employees approximately $4,500 per year to spend 10 percent of their time consuming non-work-related web content.

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Bento by Dataflex ready to be the first complete ergonomic toolbox

Bento by Dataflex ready to be the first complete ergonomic toolbox

by • Company news, Furniture, Insight promotion

Dataflex has launched Bento®, the all-new, proven solution to make your work more comfortable in the most stylish manner. A patent pending product with unique practicality and design. The family of ergonomic desktop accessories that is designed for the way people work today. With an elegant design inspired by the Japanese lunchbox, Bento by Dataflex turns any on-the-go work environment into a stylish, well-organised, comfortable workstation.

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The hype surrounding wellbeing concepts can blind us to their true value

The hype surrounding wellbeing concepts can blind us to their true value

by • Comment, Wellbeing

Digital detox. Does the phrase make you roll your eyes or grab your attention? Lately, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the idea of switching off from technology, particularly your smart phone (if people still call them that as they are so ubiquitous) has become a media fad. A litmus test for this might be how much air time BBC R2 give the subject. Over the past few weeks it has figured a lot, particularly Chris Evans referencing it in a Japanese themed week and a Friday morning interview with the neuroscientist Dr Jack Lewis who shared his tops tips for a digital detox. No doubt the Daily mail is jumping on the bandwagon as well.

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Three quarters of employees now expect to work beyond age of 65

Three quarters of employees now expect to work beyond age of 65

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

The proportion of UK employees who say they will work beyond the age of 65 has remained at three-quarters (72 percent) for the second year running, significantly higher than in 2016 (67 percent) and 2015 (61 percent), according to research from Canada Life. Nearly half (47 percent) of those who say they expect to work beyond 65 will be older than 70 before they retire, up from 37 percent in 2017, while almost a fifth (17 percent) expect to be older than 75. Workers aged 35-44 are most likely to say they expect to retire after their 75th birthday (27 percent).

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We should not be quite so quick to demonise the open plan office

We should not be quite so quick to demonise the open plan office

by • Facilities management, Features, Furniture, Workplace design

There is a witch hunt on in the workplace. “Open plan” has become a dirty word and the national press are leading the mob in vilifying this so-called scourge. The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and Business Week have all reported that “we can’t get anything done in an open-plan office” as it affects our concentration, our performance and our health. These news items are all damning, but perhaps not as damming as the Wikipedia entry on open plan which states: “A systematic survey of research upon the effects of open plan offices found frequent negative effects in some traditional workplaces: high levels of noise, stress, conflict, high blood pressure and a high staff turnover… Most people prefer closed offices… there is a dearth of studies confirming positive impacts on productivity from open plan office designs”.

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Capability is a common cause for dismissal, but many organisations lack the right policy

Capability is a common cause for dismissal, but many organisations lack the right policy

by • Features, Workplace

‘Capability’ is one of the five fair reasons for dismissal. However, it can be split into two distinct parts; inability to perform the job as a result of incompetence, and inability to perform the job through sickness absence. Some companies blur the two and have one policy to cover both, but I’ve always found that to be confusing. A disciplinary policy should cover poor performance or misconduct. A capability policy describes the process that needs to be followed when someone is either on repetitive short-term leave, or long-term sick leave, to assist with their return to work, or eventual fair dismissal.

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British employees less confident and more stressed over last three years

British employees less confident and more stressed over last three years

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

UK employees could be heading for crisis, according to a three-year study by ADP, which has found that three key measures of employee wellbeing – optimism, stress and skills confidence – have taken a hit since 2015. The exact reason for the changes is unclear, however the timings suggest that Brexit may have played a part, along with the rise in new technologies entering the workplace.

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BCO to provide definitive guidance on enabling wellbeing in the office

BCO to provide definitive guidance on enabling wellbeing in the office

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

BCO to provide definitive guidance on enabling wellbeing across the office A major research study “Wellness Matters: Health and Wellbeing in offices and what to do about it” by The British Council for Offices (BCO) is being launched today. The study critiques existing Health and Wellbeing measurement and certification, identifies the most recent and relevant medical evidence justifying a proactive approach to Health and Wellbeing in the built environment, and articulates the business case for investment in this space beyond simply improving productivity. (more…)

Women and younger people are transforming the UK’s freelance economy

Women and younger people are transforming the UK’s freelance economy

by • Flexible working, News

The workforce is changing as more people swap the security of a 9-to-5 job for the flexibility of freelancing, with key demographics and industries leading the self-employed sector, according to a new study from Instant Offices. ‘Millennials’ and UK workers facing significant lifestyle changes, such as motherhood, or nearing retirement, and are looking for more flexible ways to work. According to the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE), the self-employed sector now includes approximately 4.8 million people, with freelancers comprising 42 percent of that population and 6 percent of the UK workforce as a whole. The IPSE reports that in 2016, freelancers contributed £119 billion to the national economy. This was up from £109 billion in 2015 and experts are predicting that this number will only continue to grow in the years to come.

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Not funny. Women twice as likely to be negatively affected by workplace banter as men

Not funny. Women twice as likely to be negatively affected by workplace banter as men

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Not funny. Women twice as likely to be negatively affected by workplace banter as menOne in 10 women blame workplace banter for causing mental health issues and are twice as likely as men to have been negatively affected by workplace banter, according to a new report by The Institute of Leadership & Management. Banter: Just a bit of fun or crossing the line? found that more women (twice as many at 20 percent) were made to feel less confident than their male colleagues due to the negative banter they experienced and 10 percent of women said banter has had a negative impact on their mental health, compared to just three percent of men. The survey also revealed that those at the mid-way point in their careers (31-40 years) are most affected by banter. This age group reported loss in confidence, drops in performance and poor mental health due to experiencing negative banter. They also said they avoided work situations and skipped work socials. The findings showed that over a third of graduate trainees have been left embarrassed by banter and people (over 1 in 4) in their first job are more likely to avoid work socials than any other group as a result of banter.

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Your happiness at work is not just down to your employer

Your happiness at work is not just down to your employer

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

When Google promoted a software engineer named Chade-Meng Tan to the role of “Jolly Good Fellow”, his career – and the entire culture of Silicon Valley – took a sharp turn. Meng, a cheerful employee valued for his motivational qualities, went from developing mobile search tools to spreading happiness across the organisation. Happiness became his job. Google wasn’t the first to hire someone with the sole remit of enforcing employee contentment. In 1999, when Google was still a start-up, French fashion brand Kiabi hired Christine Jutard as its chief happiness officer. She was one of the first to perform the role. But once Google did it, happiness at work became a key metric and other organisations quickly adopted their approach. Three years after Meng’s appointment, fast food giant McDonald’s even promoted Ronald McDonald from brand mascot to CHO.

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Drones could add £42 billion to UK GDP by 2030

Drones could add £42 billion to UK GDP by 2030

by • News, Technology

Drone technology has the potential to increase UK GDP by £42 billion (or 2 percent) by 2030, according to new research from PwC. The research estimates there will be more than 76,000 drones in use across UK skies by 2030. More than a third of these (36 percent) could be utilised by the public sector (including in areas such as defence, health and education).  The report claims that drone technology could help the UK achieve up to £16bn in net cost savings by 2030 through increased productivity. The technology, media and telecoms (TMT) sector stands to save the most by using drones, with a potential net saving of £4.8bn by 2030.

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