January 26, 2022

Hybrid working is now the dominant business model for knowledge workers

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace design

Future Forum, a consortium launched by Slack with founding partners Boston Consulting Group, MillerKnoll and MLT has released the latest findings from its Pulse study, which shows that hybrid working has become the dominant work model for knowledge workers around the world. The report claims that the percentage of people working in hybrid arrangements has increased to 58 percent (from 46 percent in May 2021), as the share of workers who say their teams work exclusively either from home or from the office has declined sharply. More →

January 26, 2022

Remote workers struggle to make themselves heard in hybrid meetings

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology

A new report claims that remote workers are growing more concerned about perceptions of an inequal and less productive meeting experience while apart from their colleagues, and many are going as far as to consider new opportunities at organisations where they believe they will be more included. The Barco ClickShare Hybrid Meeting Survey (includes promotion) claims that more than one-third (35 percent) of workers still have trouble fully engaging during hybrid meetings. More →

January 5, 2022

‘Great Resignation’ offers a one off opportunity to rethink our relationship with work

by Pip White • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing

After nearly two turbulent years, which for many knowledge workers have been dominated by a ground-hog day like existence, people are looking for change. This is only natural as workers around the world are re-evaluating their priorities, reigniting their passions, or simply looking for something new. This has led to a mini-exodus from businesses, which is now being dubbed the ‘Great Resignation’. More →

December 7, 2021

Negative digital experiences contributing to the Great Resignation

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Working lives

According to a new report findings unreliable IT service and equipment (in-office or remote) was the third most influential factor for employee turnover or burnout, behind poor salary and an unhealthy work culture. Almost 20 percent of all respondents would opt to leave their job because of a poor IT experience. The Digital Sabotage & The Great Resignation report from Nexthink claims that the digital employee experience has implications for productivity, talent referrals, employee retention and customer satisfaction. More →

November 18, 2021

Creating a supportive environment for vital deskless workers

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

The Josh Bersin Company a research and advisory company focused on HR and workforce trends and issues, has released its latest report based on insights from its ongoing Big Reset executive working groups. The report, The Big Reset Playbook: Deskless Workers, focuses on the recommended practices needed to create optimal work experiences for “deskless” employees in retail, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, transportation, and other sectors. More →

November 1, 2021

Companies focusing on holistic organisational health outperform their peers

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

The Josh Bersin Company have released a global study on the factors involved in creating a holistically “healthy” organisation. The research emphasizes the importance of transitioning from the traditional focus on employee benefits to one that encompasses job and work design, management, rewards practices, a demonstrated commitment to psychological safety and fairness, and a culture of employee health and listening. The research claims that a people-centric approach to all work is the foundation of every healthy organisation. More →

October 22, 2021

Employee experience is more important than ever

by Lizzie Rolley • Comment, Wellbeing, Working culture, Workplace

Employee experience has never been so high on the corporate agenda; with recent figures finding that over 69 percent of businesses are currently concerned about talent shortages and difficulty hiring. With this in mind, organisations that want to grow must provide a market leading experience in order to remain competitive and attract and retain new talent. Companies that invest in their unique employee experience make four times more profit than those who don’t. More →

September 29, 2021

Majority of UK GPs report uptick in patients seeking help for work related stress

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Research from Perkbox, claims that 92 percent of UK GPs report an increase in people seeking medical advice for work related stress and anxiety since the pandemic began. What’s more, 68 percent of GPs surveyed agree they have seen a hike in patients seeking support for this over the past three months compared to the start of the pandemic, and 80 percent are preparing for levels to increase further, suggesting the worst is yet to come if action isn’t taken. More →

August 20, 2021

Gig economy could lead to a labour shortage…but better off workers

by John Colley • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace

The long-term impact of COVID-19 on the economy (and the gig economy) will not be clear for some time. But in the UK, the easing of pandemic related restrictions has coincided with significant labour shortages and the driving up of wages. Statistics show that wages have risen 7.4 percent in the past year, and the number of job vacancies has continued to rise (up to 953,000 in July 2021). Those vacancies have appeared amid continued travel restrictions from abroad, and the prolonged furlough scheme, which is keeping over 1 million people tied to employers that don’t have work available for them. More →

August 12, 2021

Emotional abuse at work is more significant than we think

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

While society has become more aware of psychological abuse in intimate or family relationships, psychological abuse in the workplace is more common and complex than we think, according to new research from NEOMA Business School, Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) at Erasmus University and Durham University Business School. More →

June 18, 2021

Working from home has increased UK working hours, but at what cost?

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Research from Ezra claims that UK employees are working longer hours than ever thanks to remote working. However, the lack of structured office hours is having a detrimental effect on employee work-life balance and wellbeing and, therefore, the quality of their work. More →

April 16, 2021

A fifth of UK workers feel remote working has reduced recognition in the workplace

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

Research from Ezra, provider of digital coaching claims that a fifth of UK workers feel they get less recognition within their career as a direct result of working remotely. It remains to be seen to what extent we will return to a full working environment, as Covid restrictions see many continue to work from home for part of, if not their whole working week. More →