June 22, 2021
Search Results for: health
June 18, 2021
Is it time to ban out-of-hours emails?
by Freddie Steele • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing
The global pandemic has blurred the lines between home and work for millions of people around the world. Where once there was a clear distinction between being on and off duty, the demands of remote working and ever-presence of smartphones has created an ‘always on’ culture in many organisations. The trend has led to a number organisations in the UK to now call for a ban on out-of-hours emails in order to alleviate pressures on employees mental health. But is this really necessary, or even logistically possible, for the new world of work? We asked four leading experts for their thoughts. (more…)
June 18, 2021
Cities could be more important post-pandemic, not less, suggests report
by Neil Franklin • Cities, Flexible working, News
Paradoxically, more in-person work environments and the concentration of jobs in cities could be a medium- to long-term impact of the pandemic’s shift to remote working, suggests Citi GPS Technology at Work: The Coming of the Post-Production Society, a report produced by Citi and the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford. The report cites the automation of manufacturing and clerical tasks alongside the potential for professional services jobs that can be done remotely to be done cheaper overseas as the start of a foundational shift in developed economies. The future of work in these countries, it suggests, could be based largely on innovation, exploration and creative thinking which require face-to-face interaction and geographic proximity. (more…)
June 18, 2021
Demand for Facilities Management professionals continues to rise
by Jayne Smith • Facilities management, News, Working lives
The latest RICS UK Facilities Management Survey results suggest a greater demand for services across all sectors, apart from retail, with FM employment opportunities therefore increasing. Furthermore, for the first time since the COVID-19 crisis swept the world last year, profit margins in the sector are expected to rise. (more…)
June 17, 2021
Women struggling with almost twice as much fatigue and anxiety as men
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
As COVID-19 continues to limit our daily lives, forcing the Government to extend social restrictions into July, restrictions of a different kind are taking their toll on working women, and may be even longer-lasting, according to research from 87 percent. (more…)
June 16, 2021
We need to rethink the role of technology in corporate wellbeing
by Brendan Street • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing
Employers nationwide are taking steps to improve employee wellbeing, reduce stress and improve mental health. For many, they are well-meaning, for example, banning work emails during certain hours of the day, encouraging employees to ‘switch off’. However, the risk with blanket policies like these is that they don’t work for everyone. A recent study from the University of Sussex even found banning out-of-hours emails can have a detrimental impact on employee wellbeing – restricting opportunities for truly flexible working and taking away a sense of control and autonomy. (more…)
June 16, 2021
People have picked up bad cybersecurity habits while working from home
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Technology
A new report from Tessian claims that most IT leaders (56 percent) believe their employees have picked up bad cybersecurity behaviours since working from home. As organisations make plans for the post-pandemic hybrid workforce, Tessian’s Back to Work Security Behaviours report highlights how security behaviours have shifted during the past year. (more…)
June 15, 2021
Women’s working hours fall a third less than men’s
by Jayne Smith • News, Working lives
Women’s average working hours have taken a far smaller hit during the pandemic than men’s, with women who do not have children now working longer hours than ever before – in marked contrast to predictions of a ‘shecession’ at the start of the pandemic, according to new research by the Resolution Foundation. (more…)
June 14, 2021
Wellbeing should be part of business strategy after lockdown, claims new report
by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing
A new report from the RSA and Vitality warns of the potentially serious impact on the long-term physical and mental health of employees. The authors claim that the ‘long lockdown effect’ should lead employers to see health and wellbeing as important strategic issues and place them on the company’s risk registers. With the shift to more flexible working cultures now set to continue, Healthy Hybrid, a Blueprint for Business, claims to shine a light on the health impact of successive lockdowns on homeworkers. (more…)
June 14, 2021
Many employees lack workplace friendships
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
A new study conducted by Wildgoose, into friendship in the workplace claims the impact of working from home on personal connections in the office. One in 20 employees starting a new job while working from home have found it hard to make colleague friendships. This is equivalent to over 300,000 employees struggling to integrate and make friends in a new role. (more…)
June 21, 2021
HR should play a more strategic role in business resilience
by Jeanette Wheeler • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace