May 11, 2023

Hybrid working is a potential deal breaker for two thirds of tech workers

The report claims that a flexible working policy is considered a high priority by 78 percent of tech employees and a hybrid working policy by 67 percent of tech employees

A new report claims that 7 in 10 UK tech workers now consider hybrid working a key factor when considering a future employer. That is according to The Scaleup Culture Report [registration] from Techspace, based on a YouGov survey of 1,000 tech workers. The report claims that a flexible working policy is considered a high priority by 78 percent of tech employees and a hybrid working policy by 67 percent of tech employees. Other important factors include flexible working policies and opportunities for career development. These statistics have exposed a new factor that will determine startups’ competitiveness in the job market. More →

May 11, 2023

Magenta Associates reports positive first quarter to 2023

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Magenta Associates, the communications specialist for the built environment, has reported significant growth in 2022/23 (20 percent) and 2021/22 (32 percent), along with a series of new architecture, design and construction contract wins, and several of its existing clients confirming that they will invest in new service areas of the business. In 2022, the Brighton based firm launched its new dedicated B2E (business to employee) comms division in light of research it commissioned which revealed a gap in the market, particularly for FM firms, many of which are struggling to unite dispersed teams in the era of hybrid working and talent shortages. In the first quarter of 2023, an increasing number of clients have turned to Magenta for support in this area. More →

May 10, 2023

How to eliminate tech-shaming in the workplace

by Aaron Taylor • Comment, Technology, Workplace

The skills which are in demand are vastly differently to what they were just a decade ago. As a result, we have seen a rise in the incidence of tech-shaming and the current generation has needed to develop a different skillset

Technology has impacted our everyday lives – from how we keep in touch with old friends all the way to how we do our weekly shop, as well as our work lives. The skills which are in demand are vastly differently to what they were just a decade ago. As a result, we have seen a rise in the incidence of tech-shaming and the current generation has needed to develop a different skillset to what their predecessors had to learn. Dell Technologies found that 56 percent of respondents between the ages 18 to 26 across 15 countries, said “they had very basic to no digital skills education.” A third of them said their education had not provided them “with the digital skill they need to propel their career” and what they know comes from the apps they use on their own time. More →

May 10, 2023

WorldGBC launches Circular Built Environment Playbook

by Jayne Smith • Environment, Facilities management, News

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and its network of over 75 Green Building Councils are launching the Circular Built Environment Playbook. The organisation claims this is ‘a critical guide for the building and construction sector around the world to accelerate the adoption of circular economy and resource efficiency principles’. More →

April 25, 2023

People responding to artificial intelligence by focussing on their ‘human skills’

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace

Globally, workers are focused on developing their human skills, even as they see a future dominated by technology-driven work, artificial intelligence and automation, according to a new study from Pearson. For the latest edition of the Pearson Skills Outlook series [registration], Pearson partnered with Google to examine how and why people in the US, UK, India, and Brazil are looking to upskill as they face a rapidly changing economy. More →

April 25, 2023

Employers gain nearly two weeks extra work a year from hybrid workers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Analysis by workplace consultancy Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) claims that on average hybrid workers deliver nearly two extra weeks of work a year for their employer as well as working harder and better in a hybrid environment. The results of the analysis — which shows the benefits of hybrid working for organisations — are a combination of academic research and studies by AWA itself. They are included in AWA’s latest report, ‘Why Employers Benefit From Hybrid Working’, which also found that employees often work better when in a distraction-free environment, with more than half their time dedicated to working alone or focussed work. More →

April 24, 2023

Reconnecting older workers with the office: have we retired what matters most?

by Julie Lecoq • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

If we look at what older workers are actually saying about work and workplaces, there is an appetite for change, says Julie Lecoq

Older workers now make up a larger percentage of the workforce than they did two decades ago. Data from Legal and General and the Centre for Economic Research (Cebr) suggests that the number of over 50s in employment has increased by 36 percent in the last 20 years, with 47 percent of this age group predicted to be in employment by 2030. A combination of the increase in retirement age and rising costs of living have made it a necessity for individuals to stay in work longer. From a corporate perspective, the growing skills shortages in a range of sectors has also meant that employers are consistently seeking to attract and retain those in the latter stage of their professional career. More →

April 18, 2023

It’s best to get the unpleasant tasks done in one go, new research claims

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

A recently published study shows that on days when you face high work demands, you may want to just push through and do unpleasant tasks one after another

Most jobs involve tasks we don’t like. But should we complete these unpleasant tasks in one fell swoop or split them up into bite-sized portions and spread them out over time? According to new research from Trinity Business School, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management and the University of Wuppertal, it is actually a good idea to do the tasks you don’t like in one go. More →

April 5, 2023

Do you have a crystal ball when it comes to leading change?

by Jennifer Bryan • Comment, JB, Workplace

You don't need to know everything or even where you'll end up when embarking on a process of change, says Jennifer Bryan

If you think about a change that is happening to you, in some way, right now – how are you feeling? Are you feeling scared, anxious, worried or happy, excited, looking forward to it? The same thing happens with a workplace change. Some people like the old ways of working because they are use to them, feel comfortable, they don’t have to think about it. Whereas others are looking forward to the new ways of working, as they think they are exciting, new and different. More →

March 31, 2023

Are we asking the right questions about the workplace?

by George Muir • Comment, Everything Omni, Facilities management, Property

In 1989, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, performed a TV sketch called Information. You can watch it below. It featured Stephen Fry sitting at a desk with a placard displaying the word “INFORMATION”. He asks, “Can I help you?” to which Hugh Laurie replies, “Oh, I would like some information, please”. Though, in the discussion, Hugh Laurie expects to get information without asking any questions, Stephen Fry explains that he has lots of information, such as “the average weight of a rabbit”. In response comes the statement, “Well, I didn’t know that, that there was an average weight of a rabbit!” More →

March 24, 2023

Company culture is one of the hardest but most valuable things to get right after a merger

by Siobhan Byrnes • Business, Comment

There are major consequences for company culture, which is so important to get right in the mergers and acquisition process.

Like never before, 2021 saw record-breaking levels of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity globally, a trend that continued into 2022 until a challenging macroeconomic landscape resulted in a sharp decline in activity. This was mainly because businesses waited to see what the coming months would bring. Whilst experts believe that M&A activity won’t return to levels seen in 2021, they do expect an increase as markets adapt, recover, and look for ways to increase profit. And that has major consequences for company culture, which is so important to get right in the mergers and acquisition process. More →

March 15, 2023

The UK workplace sector reacts to the Spring Budget 2023

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News, Property, Workplace

The workplace sector in the UK has been reacting to the announcements in the Spring budget

Today the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt presented his Spring Budget to the House of Commons. In it he announced what her referred to as his ‘four pillars’ of industrial and productivity strategy, namely: ‘Enterprise’, ‘Employment’, ‘Education’, and ‘Everywhere’. Perhaps the headline element of this announcement was the creation of twelve new investment zones across the UK as well as incentives for older workers to return to the country’s patchy workforce. This includes£63m for programmes to encourage retirees over 50 back to work, “returnerships” and ‘skills boot camps’. Another headline for the workplace sector was the offer of improved childcare arrangements, especially for the parents of very young children, who will see 30 hours of free childcare expanded to include one and two-year-olds. More →