Search Results for: office

Working life set to become more precarious and unequal

Working life set to become more precarious and unequal

precarious working lifeThe future of work is likely to be even more precarious and unequal, according to a new research review from academics at Durham University Business School, Kings College Business School and University Paris-Dauphine. Dr. Jeremy Aroles, Assistant Professor in Organisation Studies at Durham University Business School, alongside colleagues, Dr. Nathalie Mitev (King’s College) and Professor François?Xavier de Vaujany (University Paris-Dauphine), reviewed a wide range of research related to working life new work practices and summarised this into a number of predictions for the future of work. This research review paper was published in the journal ‘New Technology, Work and Employment’, which is open access throughout June. More →

Zoom fatigue and the new era of online meetings

Zoom fatigue and the new era of online meetings

When it comes to that annual announcement the publishers of dictionaries like to make about their Word of the Year, 2020 will have only one candidate. But if there were a shortlist, you can bet that Zoom would be on it. The uptake of Zoom and other apps to help people connect during the lockdown has been remarkable. Numbers emerge each week of the scale of growth, but they’re instantly out of date and probably meaningless anyway. We could make up something like there having been a 2,300% increase since March 23rd, and it might as well be true. More →

The new era of work will embrace an ecosystem of spaces

The new era of work will embrace an ecosystem of spaces

The results of a new survey on people’s experience of working from home during lockdown will accelerate the  shift from primarily office-based work to a “total workplace ecosystem”, based on offices, homes and other locations including digital space. That is the conclusion of a new report from  Cushman & Wakefield which analysed responses from more than 40,000 individuals from around thirty companies across nearly twenty sectors. More →

The role of workplace professionals in the new era of work

The role of workplace professionals in the new era of work

Epicenter Coworking Space in Stockholm workplaceMany consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are immediately apparent to workplace managers and users. Potentially less obvious, are the fundamental changes to the job roles involved in managing commercial property, both within occupier businesses and property management teams alike. More →

Growing awareness of pros and cons of working from home

Growing awareness of pros and cons of working from home

working from homeHalf of UK workers (49 percent) who are currently working from home have admitted that their mental health has suffered since the lockdown, according to new Covid-19 Mental Health research from Qualtrics. These feelings are mostly rooted in the growing sense of isolation but many also feel their motivation has suffered and find it harder to focus. Conversely, the majority are also relieved they are no longer commuting and are grateful to choose their time of work. More →

Organisations still adjusting to reality of `gig economy`

Organisations still adjusting to reality of `gig economy`

gig economyA new report from Aon claims that the so-called gig economy will continue to flourish but many employers are still adjusting to its realities. Using research from HR and gig workers across Europe, the report, Gig Economy: Financial Security or Greater Control, claims that 26 percent of European HR directors believe their workforces will have 51-75 percent of gig workers in five years’ time, while 18 percent of UK HRDs believe 75 percent or more of their workforce will be made up of contractors in 5 years’ time. Nearly all HRDs believe providing health and benefits packages would improve gig worker recruitment (94 percent), engagement (93 percent), productivity (88 percent) and retention (95 percent). More →

The experience of working from home is not the same for everyone

The experience of working from home is not the same for everyone

So we’ve demonstrated that we can work from home. But is it a permanent solution? We hear senior managers counting the numbers and working out just how much money will be saved if organisations no longer need their office space. It’s a seductive argument. So before we all settle down in our spare bedrooms with a sigh of relief, let’s just have a think about what that model would mean in the long term. More →

Doing the homework on home-work

Doing the homework on home-work

flexible workingCOVID-19 will change the world in innumerable ways. It is already affecting how we think about disease transmission, consumption, labour, travel, and even space and distance. And it will change how we think about work. Almost immediately, however, designers, architects and everyone else with a stake in the future of workplace have spotted an opportunity to get creative and solve a problem that we don’t yet understand. More →

Most British workers reluctant to work mainly from home, BCO poll claims

Most British workers reluctant to work mainly from home, BCO poll claims

Rumours of the demise of the office are much exaggerated, according to new independent polling commissioned by the British Council for Offices (BCO), the representative body for the UK’s office sector. Just one in five (20 percent) UK adults plans primarily to work from home in the future, while only 16 percent hope that working from home replaces the office. Last week, Twitter, the social media company, announced that staff could ‘forever work from home’ if they wanted to. However, that offer would only be partially taken up by British workers, with many instead opting for ‘mixed working’, balancing time between the office and home. More →

Wellbeing nosedives as people miss interactions with colleagues

Wellbeing nosedives as people miss interactions with colleagues

wellbeingWellbeing amongst professionals has taken a dive since lockdown restrictions were enforced in March, according to a new survey by recruiting firm Hays.  From a survey of over 16,200 professionals, close to two thirds (61 percent) rated their wellbeing as positive before restrictions were put in place, but only 35 percent said it remained positive since lockdown. Those who rated their wellbeing as negative rose from 7 percent to 23 percent. More →

Organisational change is best achieved by `kinetic’ leaders, claims report

Organisational change is best achieved by `kinetic’ leaders, claims report

organisational changeDeloitte has published its 2020 Global Technology Leadership survey, “The Kinetic Leader: Boldly Reinventing the Enterprise,” which sets out to examine the broader scope and evolution of tech leadership roles. The findings claim to reveal the increased need for agile and kinetic leaders — change instigators adept at driving tech-enabled transformation and organisational change. More →

Neurodiversity measures do not hold up in the present culture

Neurodiversity measures do not hold up in the present culture

Until recently, the phrase ‘What’s neurodiversity?’ was a question I was frequently asked, often accompanied by a bit of a nervous stare. Fortunately, this is now changing, and thanks to continued research, community activism and representation in the media, people leaders now understand that neurodiversity means a unique talent to be tapped – not something to be avoided. More →