Search Results for: hybrid

Offices remain largely unchanged in wake of pandemic

Offices remain largely unchanged in wake of pandemic

by • Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace design

MIcrosoft offices IrelandMost businesses are failing to invest in collaborative offices that could encourage people to spend more time in them and take advantage of new work cultures, a report claims. More than four in five UK workers (83 percent) surveyed by YouGov on behalf of Microsoft Surface find themselves still in the same office environment as before the pandemic. The majority of those surveyed believe that office work is better suited to both socialising with colleagues (57 percent) and strengthening relationships with colleagues (65 percent) compared to remote work. (more…)

Winter is coming: don’t be in the dark about blackouts

Winter is coming: don’t be in the dark about blackouts

by • Environment, Features, Wellbeing

a lit candle to illustrate the idea of blackoutsThe National Grid has warned that the UK could face blackouts this winter. The worst-case scenario is that homes and businesses could lose power for pre-defined periods of up to three hours if gas power plants are not able to keep running due to the energy crisis that keeps on giving – or rather, taking. While the British government has dropped its energy rationing campaign, which once formed a crucial part of its plan to prepare for potential energy shortages and blackouts, countries across Europe are drawing up winter contingency plans, as are forward-thinking businesses. (more…)

Economic uncertainty kills talk of quiet quitting and the great resignation

Economic uncertainty kills talk of quiet quitting and the great resignation

by • News, Workplace

Two people sit in an office talking, relaxed in chairs with no suggestion of a great resignation or quiet quittingIn spite of all the talk of a ‘great resignation’ and ‘quiet quitting’, more than three quarters of British workers (81 percent) are planning to ride out the recession with their current employer. This is in spite of the fact that nearly half (46 percent) say that they’d like to change jobs, according to a new poll from people analytics company Visier. When asked why they wouldn’t be keen to change job roles during a recession, concerns over job security in a new role (57 percent), having to settle for a lower salary compared to a current role (42 percent), and increased competition for current vacancies as a result of increased redundancies (28 percent) were cited as the leading reasons. (more…)

Three tips for battling noise in the workplace

Three tips for battling noise in the workplace

by • Company news

Offices have been reopening and trying to entice employees back for a while now. And while many people have thrived while working from home, the return to office has been a welcome change, with staff missing in-person interactions with their clients and colleagues. However, as people have become accustomed to the relative quiet at home (kids excluded, of course), being thrust back into an office setting could take some getting used to. Research shows 56 percent of office workers are concerned that noise levels in the office will make them less productive. Between colleagues chatting over each other, desk-phones ringing, and impromptu virtual calls, there are a range of distractions staff must contend with. (more…)

Monitoring remote workers is a good idea according to half of bosses

Monitoring remote workers is a good idea according to half of bosses

by • Flexible working, News, Technology

a webcam monitoring remote workersA new poll from the CIPD and HiBob claims that more than half of bosses (55 percent) agree with collecting information on regular home workers, including the amount of time spent on laptops each day and email sending behaviours to identify risk of burnout. However, only three in ten (28 percent) leaders say their organisations are using software for monitoring remote workers and their productivity, according to the study. Where workplace monitoring is in place, the CIPD and HiBob urge employers to consider its purpose, and to be clear to staff about what is being monitored and why. (more…)

Office utilisation in US returning to pre-pandemic levels, but structural changes remain

Office utilisation in US returning to pre-pandemic levels, but structural changes remain

by • News, Property

office utilisation returning to normal?A new report from JLL claims that utilisation rates of US offices are returning to something closer to those of the pre-pandemic world, although hybrid working remains a far more widespread working practice than before. In addition, the focus of the market is shifting away from major city centres towards smaller, regional towns and cities. The US Office Outlook Report [registration] also suggests that higher quality office space is essential as lower grade offices are more likely to remain abandoned. (more…)

Leading UK employers call for flexible working recruitment by default 

Leading UK employers call for flexible working recruitment by default 

by • Flexible working, News

flexible workingA joint letter from 21 leading employers – including several in the FTSE 100 – is calling on employers across the UK to advertise all vacant roles with flexible options by default. The full text is: (more…)

Half of working parents would leave in search of flexible working

Half of working parents would leave in search of flexible working

by • Flexible working, News

A proud dad with a smiling child on his shoulders to illustrate why people want flexible workingA new YouGov poll commissioned by Working Families and SF Recruitment claims to underscore the impact and importance of employers prioritising flexible working as part of their recruitment strategy. Launched to mark the start of National Work Life Week (10-14 October), the poll of 992 UK parents of children aged 18 and under demonstrates that advertising all vacant roles with flexible options stated by default widens the talent pool for employers and unlocks opportunities for parents. (more…)

Gallery: British Council for Offices announces winners of national awards

Gallery: British Council for Offices announces winners of national awards

by • News, Property, Workplace design, Works Magazine

Sunderland City Hall was celebrated as ‘Best of the Best’ at the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) National Awards at the Grosvenor House hotel in London last night, also taking home the ‘Corporate Workplace’ award. The office was joined by six other award winners recognised as leading examples of excellence in office space across the UK. The BCO’s National Awards programme claims to recognises top quality office design and functionality and says it sets the standard for excellence across the office sector. (more…)

Condeco and iOffice + SpaceIQ announce merger

Condeco and iOffice + SpaceIQ announce merger

by • Company news

Investment firm Thoma Bravo has announced the merger of Condeco, a provider of workspace scheduling software with workplace and asset management firm iOffice + SpaceIQ to create a new business called Eptura. The firm claims that the “strategic combination creates a global worktech leader that provides software solutions to power the modern workplace”. The merger follows previously announced investments in Condeco and iOffice + SpaceIQ by Thoma Bravo and JMI Equity, who will remain the primary investors in Eptura. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. (more…)

Skills shortages won’t be solved by offering people more money

Skills shortages won’t be solved by offering people more money

by • News, Workplace

skills shortagesAs businesses across the country face rising costs, new research from the CIPD and Omni warns that using pay to attract talent simply isn’t enough to tackle on-going skills shortages. While an increasing number of organisations (54 percent) are inflating pay to retain talent, this approach is not sustainable for most employers in the face of rising costs. To tackle the skills shortage, organisations need to highlight other components of good working practices when recruiting, such as offering flexible working and promoting career development opportunities. For instance, the latest Resourcing and Talent Planning survey shows that 68 percent of employers that offer hybrid/ remote working say it has allowed their organisation to attract and retain more talent.  (more…)

The Great Workplace Debate continues to improve (mostly)

The Great Workplace Debate continues to improve (mostly)

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The great bandwagon of bullshit that is the home v office debate looks set to trundle into a third year. What is increasingly obvious is that it is the mainstream media that is holding the reins and refusing to release them. Here’s a BBC story from this week that doesn’t exactly mischaracterise the Microsoft report on which it is based, but does place the emphasis where it doesn’t need to be. The binary headline doesn’t help, of course, except to launder the idea and drive a needless wave of social media chatter. (more…)

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