September 6, 2021
Uncertainty remains, but many people looking forward to meeting colleagues again
As businesses in the UK prepare to open their office doors en masse in the first week of September, new research reveals that office workers have got that back-to-school excitement and are feeling largely positive about the transition. Recruitment firm Michael Page questioned over 2,000 UK office workers on their attitudes to returning to the office and found that after eighteen months at home, around half claim to be ‘excited’ or ‘happy’ to spend more time in the office with their colleagues. Reminiscent of the first day back at school, almost three in ten (28 percent) said that they had picked out their outfit and packed their bag ahead of their first day back in the office. (more…)
As the UK government has withdrawn its advice for employees to work from home, more organisations than ever will be instituting what have become known as hybrid working models: 68 percent globally, according to research from 
Working from home has not only laid bare just how much we miss interaction with colleagues, but also how the office could and should support employees to work and feel better, so that they will not only feel safe to return, but will want to return. Through 
Technology is now integral for short and long-term employee wellbeing following the dramatic changes to working life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Thomas Woods, Vice-President of Enterprise for 
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 
While we remain eager to safely leave coronavirus restrictions behind us and return to normal, there are several changes brought about by the pandemic which UK employees hope will stick around. The most important one being hybrid working, according to new research from 
When considering a hybrid working method for your organisation, it’s far too easy to try think of what will work for all employees as a whole, rather than breaking this down and thinking about the different needs from certain groups of people. One example of this is age and experience. Employees from different age groups and at different levels of experience within in an organisation may have very different needs when it comes to hybrid working. Those who have been with the business, or in a similar work environment, for some time may be perfectly comfortable to work from home the majority of the week, with little help or supervision. However, this probably isn’t going to work as well for younger employees with less experience. 
A survey of real estate and IT professionals across a range of industries claims that better remote working technology is perceived to be twice as important as workplace testing. Workplace creation specialists 
Recently launched is 
The future of work is neither here (at home) nor there (at the office). The hybrid post-pandemic model for the workplace is quickly coming into play, whereby employees work in the office for part of the week and log in from home for the rest, with staff rotating in and out, connecting virtually and in real life, all from various spots on the globe. Even as restrictions ease, it’s clear that work as we know it may never be the same. Full-time 9-5 commuting schedules are a thing of the past, but the practice of having the entire team conference together on Zoom from their couches is quickly ending as well. 
August 23, 2021
Executives think work should be split 70:30 between office and home
by Neil Franklin • Comment, Flexible working