January 7, 2021
Search Results for: interaction
January 4, 2021
Supporting change during the pandemic with Simplicity Smart Lockers
by Kimberley Hutchinson • Company news, Furniture
The way in which we work has changed in a way no one would have ever predicted as a result of last year’s pandemic. Consequently, many businesses have chosen to adopt to an agile working practise. This coupled with the rapid evolution of the hybrid workplace has allowed more employees than ever the flexibility to work from home, many people however still crave that interaction with colleagues, and the ‘corridor conversations’ that cannot be replicated via Zoom and can only happen with workplace collaboration. (more…)
December 15, 2020
Preparing for a mental health epidemic is a shared responsibility
by Sheena Pirbhai • Comment, Wellbeing
With the continuous impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health due to isolation, work uncertainty, and anxiety over health, the topic has been dominating the news, begging the question of how we can achieve accessible and cost-effective treatment for all and prevent the expected acceleration of mental health issues in the coming months. As we juggle a different type of work-life balance brought about by working from home and the added worry of how the pandemic is affecting us, there is no doubt that our daily lives have been disrupted. The statistics are alarming; 60 percent of adults reported their mental health had gotten worse during the COVID-19 lockdown, and 51 percent said their mental health has got worse during this period. (more…)
December 2, 2020
Creative firms have most to lose from a loss of serendipity
by Gary Chandler • Comment, Workplace design
Most of the analysis about the effects of the 2020 pandemic on people’s working lives has tended to involve grand statements about new normals and the death of this or that, as if everybody wants the same things, has the same personal circumstances, works in the same ways, the same places and same sectors. (more…)
November 25, 2020
Third of people working from home worry about mental health
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
In a recent survey of 4,000 office-based employees and 1,000 employers in the UK, U.S, Singapore and the UAE, a third of employees expressed concern for their mental health whilst working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, conducted by health benefits provider, Aetna International, examines the perceptions of both employers and employees when it comes to corporate health and well-being. (more…)
November 24, 2020
Work really has become much harder during the pandemic
by Eva Selenko • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing
The pandemic has seriously altered how we work. According to statistics published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in September 2020, US$35 trillion (£26 trillion) has been lost globally in labour income. There has also been an estimated loss of 17 percent of working hours worldwide since 2019, with young people and women being hit hardest. And many of those still in jobs are working under very different conditions. (more…)
November 20, 2020
Hybrid working model is the preferred choice of workers now
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture, Working lives
A survey issued by architecture, design, and planning firm Gensler suggests that rumours of the demise of the office may be greatly exaggerated. However, over two-thirds of UK workers don’t want to go back to their old working lives either, preferring a hybrid working model, spending between 1 and 4 days in the office each week. (more…)
November 19, 2020
Six key factors of productivity for organisations disrupted by lockdown
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture
With a new national lockdown, the situation in the UK remains unpredictable and complicated, and renewed pressure to work from home has forced many organisations to reverse their back-to-work plans, according to a new study from Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA). The study has detailed the matrix of pain that employees may be suffering due to this challenging situation – from those who didn’t want to return to the office when restrictions were eased but had to, to those who are unhappy about working from home. In creating unhappy, disengaged employees, these pain points undermine the six key factors of productivity, defined by the AWA as: social cohesion, trust, perceived supervisory support, information sharing, vision and goal clarity, and external communication. (more…)
November 18, 2020
Missing that spark? The new hybrid working world
by Jayne Smith • News, Working culture
November 12, 2020
New to working from home? Here is how you should set up
by Freddie Steele • Company news
The past year has been something of a game-changer in many ways and perhaps one of the most unexpected has been how people have had to embrace the idea of working from home. (more…)
November 6, 2020
Third of home workers feel disconnected, Leesman data shows
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing
Insights from Leesman’s ongoing home working study of more than 145,000 workers has revealed that a significant number of employees feel disconnected to their colleagues and organisation, while others struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Over a third of home workers (35 percent) feel disconnected to their organisation when working from home and a further 31 percent feel disconnected to their colleagues, Leesman data has revealed. (more…)





Organisations face a crisis of trust this year if they continue to make workplace decisions in the dark, according to employee experience platform, 







A new survey by 



January 5, 2021
We shouldn’t become village idiots in our new ways of life
by Mark Eltringham • Cities, Comment, Flexible working, Technology