October 21, 2020

Future of work has arrived sooner than expected, WEF report claims

by Neil Franklin • AI, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

The Future of Jobs 2020 report from the World Economic Forum claims that COVID-19 has caused the labour market to change faster than expected. The research suggests that what was recently considered the future of work has now arrived. By 2025, automation and a new division of labour between humans and machines will disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies. (more…)

October 21, 2020

Young people suffer most from lack of motivation at work

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

New research by management consultancy Lane4, claims 44 percent of employees under 35 years old say that a lack of motivation has been hindering their performance at work since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in March.

The study of over 1000 UK employees, carried out by YouGov, suggests that the performance of younger workers (under 35 years old) is twice as likely to be impacted by a lack of motivation than that of 45-54-year olds (22 percent), and significantly more likely to be impacted by a lack of motivation than the average for all age groups (28 percent). (more…)

October 20, 2020

Radical reskilling needed to ensure future of economy

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Research carried out by the CBI prior to the pandemic suggests there is an urgent need for the UK to embark on a radical programme of reskilling that goes further and faster than current plans. According to the CBI, the UK faces a stark choice: invest more in lifetime learning and upskilling of millions of employees, or stick to business as usual, and risk sustained higher rates of unemployment and skills shortages. (more…)

October 19, 2020

From the archive: Preparing ourselves for the coming era of the boundless office ⁰

by Kelvin Bromley • Briefing, Flexible working, Premium Content, Workplace design

Originally published in Feb 2016. Ever since people first started working in modern offices just over a century ago, we’ve grown accustomed to the idea of a constantly evolving workplace. Trends in office design have tracked those in management thinking, social attitudes, technology, demographics, architecture, the economy and legislation. Yet for most of that elongated century, there were some underlying principles that remained pretty constant. (more…)

October 19, 2020

Change fatigue among employees has doubled this year

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

The amount of change that the average employee can absorb without suffering fatigue in 2020 has been cut in half compared to 2019, according to Gartner, Inc. Amid worries about the economy, job security, their health and the health of their loved ones, employees’ capacity to take on change in the workplace has plunged significantly. (more…)

October 19, 2020

Ten pandemic related responses with highest business impact

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

The Josh Bersin Academy, a development academy for HR professionals, has announced the release of its newest research-based report, Business Resilience: The Global COVID-19 Pandemic Response Study. The 38-page complimentary report is based on a survey conducted in August 2020 of 1,349 HR leaders and professionals across the globe and all industry segments. (more…)

October 16, 2020

Mentally demanding tasks are harder to handle at home

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

A new study looking at skills in online chess tournaments from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) claims that working from home could be damaging for mentally demanding tasks. (more…)

October 13, 2020

Matrix of pain threatens new era of hybrid working life

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, Working lives

Organisations could be caught up in a matrix of pain if they do not carefully manage the new realities of hybrid working, claims Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA). The management consultancy has identified at least five different classes of workers and failure to create strategies to manage them could lead to a potential loss of momentum and productivity for employers. (more…)

October 13, 2020

Temporary work set to increase due to uncertainty during pandemic

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

New research by digital staffing platform Coople, claims temporary work is set to surge as more than a quarter of firms (27 percent) in the UK reconsider the role agency workers have in their business. Currently, just one in six firms (15 percent) rely on a flexible workforce, with 1.5m temporary employees in the UK. (more…)

October 9, 2020

As a workplace professional, how many hats do you wear to work?

by Karina Tissnes • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace

Throughout your time being with a company, have more responsibilities been added to your typical workday that were not expected originally? Did you offer to help with something outside of your job, then have it become part of your daily duties? If so, you’re not alone. Companies often look for ways to save money, and sometimes that means piling work on people who are already on the roster. Wearing many hats at work happens often, but how does it impact the employees that carry the extra burden? In a new study, ZenBusiness – a company that helps people start, run, and grow their own business – asked more than 1,000 current employees about the various functions they serve, what they think is fair, and how workloads have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)

October 8, 2020

The workplace has reached an inflection point as it adjusts to new realities

by Robin Davies • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace design

We can confidently say this is a new era for the workplace. Covid-19 has forced a radical rethink about the purpose of the office and its role in reaffirming company culture. Enlightened property directors are resisting knee-jerk responses to predictions that Covid spells the demise of the office including the wholesale migration to home-working. Instead, they are challenging plans to dramatically downsize the workplace and corporate real estate. They are also acutely aware that distancing, transmission and sanitisation are here for the long-haul. This will continue to have a profound impact on occupancy levels and the interactions that are necessary for business success. (more…)

October 8, 2020

Most people with mental health issues would prefer a robot therapist to a human

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Wellbeing

2020 has been the most stressful year in history for the global workforce and people want robots to help, according to a new study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm. The study of more than 12,000 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives across 11 countries claims that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased workplace stress, anxiety, burnout and other mental health issues for people all around the world, and would prefer a robot instead of other people to help. (more…)