November 23, 2023

Half of work related illness is down to stress, depression or anxiety

Nearly two million workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, according the latest annual statistical report from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive. The statistics reveal that 1.8 million workers reported they were suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, with approximately half of the cases down to stress, depression or anxiety. In the recent years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of self-reported work-related ill health had been broadly flat, but the current rate is higher than 2018/19. (more…)

November 20, 2023

Most women say menstruation symptoms have a negative impact on their work

by Neil Franklin • Wellbeing

The latest findings from the CIPD’s report Menstruation and support at work, which surveyed more than 2,000 women, found that more than two thirds (69 percent) of women have a negative experience at work because of their menstruation symptoms. In response, the CIPD is calling on organisations to create awareness, tackle the stigma associated with menstruation and train managers to be confident, comfortable and inclusive when talking to employees about menstrual health. (more…)

November 16, 2023

Anger is an energy when it comes to getting things done

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

Anger may have the public image of a negative emotion, but it can also be a powerful motivator when it comes to achieving important goals, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. To better understand the role of anger in achieving goals, researchers conducted a series of experiments involving more than 1,000 participants and analysed survey data from more than 1,400 respondents. In each experiment, researchers elicited either an emotional response (such as anger, amusement, desire or sadness) or a neutral emotional state, and then presented participants with a challenging goal. The research was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (more…)

November 15, 2023

‘Return-to-office’ rates vary widely across Europe

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

A new survey from JLL, Is hybrid really working? [registration] claims that the majority of international organisations (87 percent) are encouraging employees to work from the office at least some of the time. In fact, only 20 percent of employees who can work remotely all of the time or one-two days in the office now do so, down from 39 percent a year ago. However, the data demonstrates varying approaches to the so-called return to office across Europe, with France and Belgium leading, spending an average of 3.5 days working from the office. Germany, Netherlands, Spain and the UK are however lagging behind with an average of 2.5 days working from the office. (more…)

November 12, 2023

Want people to spend more time in the office? Give them a little piece of home

by Yaron Rosenblum • Comment, Workplace design

For many people, a large portion of the day is spent at the workplace. In fact, the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. The Covid-19 pandemic saw the typical ‘workplace’ setting change for many people, after businesses around the globe were forced to adjust to a ‘work-from-home’ model. Now, three years later, we are starting to see more employees return to the office, with large corporations including JPMorgan, Chase, Apple and Google all announcing plans to bring their workers back to base. (more…)

November 12, 2023

Financial uncertainty, wellbeing and supply chain disruption revealed as top risk factors

by Mark Eltringham • Business, News

According to new research by Marsh, an insurance broker and risk advisor, companies across the UK are most concerned about the impact of financial uncertainty (34 percent), employee health and wellbeing (31 percent) and supply chain disruption (23 percent) on their businesses over the next 12 months. The findings come from Marsh’s UK Business Risk Report 2023 [registration], which features data obtained in May and June 2023 from over 2,100 UK businesses with turnover of between £100,000 and £500 million + per year. Now in its third year, the report explores how circumstances over the last 12 months have impacted the business risk appetite and approach to risk management among UK companies, and identifies their priorities for the year ahead. (more…)

November 3, 2023

Reimagining the workplace: three keys to wellbeing, connection, and change

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Miller Knoll has introduced a new framework that helps organisations uncover the purpose of their workplace. The approach addresses the human needs of employees to improve their wellbeing, fosters a sense of community and connection, and helps organisations navigate, prepare, and design for change. The firm sets out its thinking here. (more…)

November 2, 2023

Working parents yearn for more flexibility in their jobs

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Research commissioned by the Department for Education’s Teach in Further Education campaign claims to set out the top three factors working parents consider when looking for a job. Work life balance came out on top (70 percent), while flexible working hours (43 percent) and a job where they can use their existing skills (26 percent) also ranked highly. (more…)

November 2, 2023

NeoCon calls for thought leaders to take part in its programme

by Freddie Steele • Company news

NeoCon, North America’s largest platform and event for the commercial interiors industry, which takes place from June 10-12, 2024 at THE MART in Chicago, is inviting thought-leaders to submit proposals for its onsite and virtual programming, as well as its year-round educational offerings. Now in its 55th edition, NeoCon’s annual conference boasts an impressive attendance of architects, designers, manufacturers, dealers, end-users, design organizations, and media––all eager to learn about the latest trends and innovations shaping the future of design. (more…)

October 31, 2023

The brain builds its sense of self from the people around us

by Sam Ereira • Features, Wellbeing

We are highly sensitive to people around us. As infants, we observe our parents and teachers, and from them we learn how to walk, talk, read – and use smartphones. There seems to be no limit to the complexity of behaviour we can acquire from observational learning. (more…)

October 30, 2023

Firms are throwing resources at AI knowing they are likely to fail

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

Despite a recent track record of failure when implementing digital strategies, more than three quarters of UK businesses are gearing up to invest in artificial intelligence over the next 12 months without really knowing what they are doing. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) admit to being ill-prepared for the integration of the technology into their operations, according to new survey. The report [registration] from tech consultancy Infinum suggests that over two-thirds of UK businesses that invested in digital products over the past five years have faced failure and are about to invest in AI knowing of their own poor track record. (more…)

October 26, 2023

Working while unwell doesn’t necessarily make it presenteeism, new report argues

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A new report from wellbeing consultancy Robertson Cooper claims to have debunked the accepted wisdom which classifies all instances of working whilst unwell as ‘presenteeism’. The authors argue that this paves the way for a change in how organisations manage employee ill health and its relationship with productivity and absence. The research, which included consultation of the existing research on presenteeism and analysis of new data collected by the firm, categorises three types of working whilst unwell, only one of which it says should be classed as presenteeism and eradicated from businesses. (more…)