Search Results for: health

October 7, 2016

Green buildings improve occupant’s cognitive function and health ⁰

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

New evidence which supports the argument for the Well building concept as new research suggests that compared to people in high-performing buildings without a green certification, occupants of high-performing, certified green buildings had nearly a third (30 percent) fewer sick building symptoms, a 6.4 percent higher sleep quality score and a 26.4 percent higher cognitive function score. The new study from Harvard University and SUNY Upstate Medical University, supported by United Technologies suggests that there may be an even greater benefit to working in green certified buildings than originally thought. “The Impact of Working in a Green Certified Building on Cognitive Function and Health,” demonstrates the importance of green-certified buildings to the health of occupants – particularly for office workers whose health, productivity, decision-making, and sleep could greatly benefit.

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October 5, 2016

Employees increasingly value health and wellbeing benefits ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Employee benefits that help promote a healthy workforce are increasingly important when you consider that (perhaps unsurprisingly) 69.8 percent of employees say they felt less productive if they come into work whilst ill. But these benefits are increasingly as important to employees as an aide to productivity. A range of employee benefits are still a crucial recruitment and retention tool, with almost three quarters (69 percent) of employees saying they are more likely to stay with an employer that offers a good employee package compared with 66 percent in 2015. New research from the fourth annual Capita Employee Benefits Insight Report also reveals that 44.8 percent of respondents would judge an employer based on the quality of the health and wellbeing packages they offer. This is particularly valued by higher earners where nearly half (48.8) percent of employees earning over £45,000 a year said they would evaluate their employer or potential employer on the strength of their commitment to employee wellbeing.

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October 4, 2016

Disconnect between employers and staff on attitudes to mental health ¹

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

There is a massive difference between employers’ perception of the way in which they address mental health in the workplace and those of their staff, according to a new report being published today. While the majority (97 percent) of senior managers believe that they are accessible if employees want to talk about mental health problems, almost half (49 percent) of employees would not talk to their manager about an issue. The findings from the Mental Health at Work report, by the charity Business in the Community are that more than three quarters (77 percent) of employees have experienced symptoms of poor mental health in their lives, and for 62 percent of employees work has been a contributing factor to their symptoms. Despite this, over half of employees (56 percent) who disclosed symptoms of said that their employer took no mitigating actions and only 22 percent of managers have had relevant mental health training at work.

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September 19, 2016

North America leading the way in adopting healthier buildings ⁰

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

While building owners, developers, managers and investors in North America are showing increasing interest in practices that prioritise the physical, mental and social well-being of tenants and occupants, European buildings have fewer spaces created with wellness in mind. The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings 2016, by Dodge Data & Analytics and the World Green Building Council, produced in partnership with the Canada Green Building Council and Delos, says the top five healthier building features currently in use include better lighting, products that enhance thermal comfort, spaces that enhance social interaction, enhanced air quality and products that enhance acoustical comfort. However, in an analysis of global trends in health and wellbeing, European respondents reported less frequent use of spaces that enhance tenant mood, spaces that enhance social interaction or spaces that create opportunities for physical activity than their North American or Asian counterparts.

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September 19, 2016

London firms promote health and wellbeing with Square Mile Relay ⁰

by Tim Playbook • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace

On the 22nd September, the biggest corporations in the City of London will compete in the iconic Bloomberg Square Mile Relay. The global race series, now in seven cities across the world, is celebrating its tenth anniversary in the capital with a record sell-out of 115 teams taking part in a unique relay in the heart of the square mile, as they attempt to prove themselves to be the fastest in the city. Each team consists of 10 runners, and each runner will be required to complete a one-mile course before passing the baton to the next competitor. While at the heart of this race is its charitable motives, it is also reflective of an ongoing rhetoric surrounding the importance of health and wellbeing in the workplace. The companies who have chosen to compete in this year’s global race series are communicating their desire for employees to embrace fitness as a lifestyle choice. It is a strategy in alignment with the ‘soft’ or ‘Harvard’ model of human resource management

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September 15, 2016

Call for work life balance to help preserve relationships and health ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

More than a third of UK workers (35 percent) say that their work schedule is detrimental to their relationship with their partner, nearly one in five (18 per cent) say their job has caused arguments, and eight per cent admit that work was a major factor in the breakdown of their relationship. This is according to research, commissioned by Coople that suggests the extent to which work is ruining relationships, causing arguments with partners and even taking a toll on sex lives. Nearly one in 10 (nine per cent) say the pressures faced at work has had a negative impact on their sex life and one in five (20 per cent) report their work has led to a decline in their health and wellbeing, citing stress and depression. Unsurprisingly, the survey also found that 54 per cent of people value a good work life balance in a job the most, above wages, career progression, doing something meaningful in their work or any employee benefits.

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August 24, 2016

Nearly three quarters of UK staff say their workplace is a health hazard ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Legal news, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Personal injury lawyers may have helped fuel the UK’s overzealous health and safety culture, but the truth is that their services are often called for to challenge negligent employers. Now a new piece of research by Hayward Baker claims that many employees are not only stuck in unsafe workplaces but with unsanitary working conditions, which is putting their health at risk. The research into over a thousand workers on the conditions of Britain’s offices, shops, factories, warehouses and building sites found that 69 percent believe their workplace to be a health hazard. The study revealed 35 percent of working Brits have picked up an illness from their place of work – with 18 percent claiming to have been struck down with food poisoning or caught a stomach bug because of dirty conditions. A further 39 percent have suffered an injury at work – with two in ten (20 percent) having been to hospital due to a work-related illness or injury.

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August 22, 2016

Two thirds of employers don’t understand impact of workplace health issues ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing

A new study from Aon Employee Benefits claims that UK employers are less likely than other employers in the EMEA region to have a defined workplace health strategy with just 37 percent understanding the impact of their employees’ health issues. The 2016 EMEA Health Survey suggests that UK employers are less likely than others in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region to have a defined health strategy (30 percent vs 40 percent). The survey also claims that UK employers’ actions are out of line with their actual concerns. 63 percent believe their top issue is managing stress and mental health issues, while 51 percent suggest that physical health is their second highest health and wellbeing priority. However, more employers have physical and social programmes to support employee wellbeing (57 percent and 55 percent respectively), while just 41 percent have an emotional or psychological programme in place.

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August 8, 2016

Small business owners are sacrificing their physical and mental health ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Small business owners are working thirteen hours a week more than the UK average, negatively impacting the health of nearly a third (28 percent) of them, according to a survey commissioned by business marketplace Bizdaq. According to the Small Business Wellbeing Report, owner /managers typically work an additional 13 hours per week above the national UK average of 37 hours. Mental health is a particular concern with the reports suggesting that 660,000 owners nationwide are currently experiencing a negative impact on their mental health due to the pressures of running their business. The report also suggests that 566,000 small business owners nationwide have not taken a holiday since they started their business. The report also reveals that there is both a regional and demographic split in attitudes. Perhaps most surprisingly, younger business owners tend to be more optimistic despite current challenges including Brexit.

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July 27, 2016

A third of people have experienced mental health issues while working ⁰

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

According to new research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the number of people saying that they have experienced mental health issues while in employment has climbed from a quarter to a third over the last five years. Despite this, the majority of employees still don’t feel that people experiencing mental health issues are supported well enough at work. In response, the CIPD is calling on organisations to take a more preventative approach to employees’ mental wellbeing, encouraging a culture of openness in their workplace, whilst at the same time, training line managers to provide and signpost support for employees, in order to create healthier, more engaged and more productive workplaces. The new research from the CIPD claims that in 2016, almost a third (31 percent) of the over 2,000 employees surveyed said they have experienced a mental health problem at some point during their working life, compared with a quarter (26 percent) in 2011.

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July 20, 2016

Public health body calls for vaping rooms and extra breaks for e-cigarette users ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Legal news, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design

For those who recall the endless arguments about the rights of smokers and non-smokers that took place both before and after the ban on smoking in public places, the news that Public Health England has advised employers to set up vaping rooms for e-cigarette users will have a familiar feel. The governmental body claims that employers should make it comparatively easier for people to vape in an effort to persuade more smokers to kick their tobacco habit in favour of vaping, which it claims is 95 percent safer. While it acknowledges that smokers are commonly obliged to huddle outside buildings to indulge their habit, the advice suggests that being forced to vape outdoors as well only serves to “undermine their ability to quit smoking”. The advice suggests that of the 2.8 million people who now vape in the UK, the overwhelming majority are former smokers. However, although their habit is less harmful than tobacco smoking, employers treat both groups in the same way.

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June 18, 2016

Productive workplaces + Long hours link to ill health + Coworking rise ⁰

by Sara Bean • Cities, Comment, Environment, Facilities management, Flexible working, Furniture, Newsletter, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace

In this week’s Newsletter; Mark Eltringham says we must question the idea that there is one ideal form of office; and argues events such as Clerkenwell Design Week wouldn’t function unless there was some consensus on what constitutes good and bad design. The supply of flexible workspace in London outstrips conventional office space; emerging technologies will create more organic workspace; and employees thrive in a workplace that is sensitive to their needs and well-being. Women who work long hours could be damaging their health; the UK remains in the grip of a digital skills crisis; people welcome the idea of robot help and the IEA says cities can contribute to a cut in carbon emissions. You can download our Insight Briefing, produced in partnership with Connection, on the boundless office; visit our new events page, follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.