Search Results for: pay ratio

January 30, 2017

One Public Sector Estate programme now includes around three quarters of UK local authorities ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Public Sector, Workplace design

The UK Government’s groundbreaking One Public Sector Estate (OPE) project now includes around three quarters of the country’s local authorities following the announcement that a further 79 councils will join the programme. One Public Estate is a national programme jointly run by the Cabinet Office Government Property Unit and the Local Government Association (LGA). It supports joint working across central and local government to release land and property and boost economic growth, regeneration and integrated public services. It encourages public sector partners to share buildings, transform services, reduce running costs, and release surplus and under-used land for development. Partnerships joining the programme will receive funding and practical and technical support to unblock barriers and deliver ambitious ‘transformational projects’.

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January 24, 2017

The impact of technology on corporate real estate: A Panglossian future? ⁰

by Antony Slumbers • Features, Property, Technology, Workplace design

Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman introduced the concept of Loss Aversion in 1984, highlighting people’s tendency to strongly prefer avoiding losses to acquiring gains. Most studies suggest that losses are twice as powerful, psychologically, as gains. Lose £100 and we will feel a remorse that easily outweighs winning £100. In a similar fashion we find it very hard to see future positives when confronted with short term loses. We understand easily what we have lost but cannot imagine what there is to be gained. Furthermore, as Frederic Bastiat wrote in an 1850 paper, “That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen”, man has a tendency to “pursue a small present good, which will be followed by a great evil to come, rather than a great good to come, at the risk of a small present evil”. Put these together and it is no wonder that, by and large, the future of work, corporate real estate and the workplace is so widely misunderstood.

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January 17, 2017

The truth about artificial intelligence and the hype of job losses ⁰

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

Much of the current focus of the debate about the impact of artificial intelligence has been on how the ‘rise of the robots’ will spend the end for many job roles. Yet that mischaracterises the true effects according to a new report from Infosys, released today, to coincide with the World Economic Forum in Davos. The report, Amplifying Human Potential: Towards Purposeful Artificial Intelligence, concludes that the implementation of AI doesn’t necessarily mean job losses. In fact, 80 percent of businesses adopting AI which have replaced, or plan to replace, workers with technology, will be far more likely to retain, retrain and upskill those employees impacted. The study also claims that the adoption of AI will mean a number of other important benefits for organisations including a predicted 39 percent revenue rise by 2020 as a result of the implementation.

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January 16, 2017

Fathers’ careers stifled by modern workplace culture, claims report ⁰

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The UK is running the risk of creating a ‘fatherhood penalty’ – as fathers consider stalling or side-lining their careers to find roles they can better combine with family life, according to a new study. The 2017 Modern Families Index, published today by work-life charity Working Families and Bright Horizons, captures a broad picture – of fathers wanting to take an active part in childcare and the workplace failing to adapt and support their aspirations. Family is the highest priority for fathers. A quarter of fathers that took part in the study drop their children at school or nursery every day; with just over a quarter (26 percent) collecting them more than half the time. Seven out of ten fathers work flexibly to fulfil their caring responsibilities. However, for half of the fathers we spoke to their work-life balance is increasingly a source of stress. A third of fathers feel burnt out regularly and one in five fathers are doing extra hours in the evening or weekends all the time.

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January 16, 2017

Nearly half of the stressed employees of SMEs want to move jobs ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Two-thirds (67 percent) of employees in small to medium employers (SMEs) are currently fed up at work and lack motivation, but the large majority of their employers (81 percent) believe they aren’t affected by the January blues, claims new research by Moorepay. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) feel their colleagues are also affected by the January blues, which sit in stark contrast to the perception of managers and small businesses owners, who are unaware of how their staff feel. Work-related stress is considered the primary reason for feeling demotivated by most employees (36 percent), followed by the long wait to pay day (17 percent) and the financial fallout of the Christmas celebrations (10 percent). Consequently, almost half (46 percent) of all employees say they are likely to look for a new job in the next three months. Only 19 percent of small to medium businesses (SMBs) realise what impact the January blues has on their business.

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January 12, 2017

Brexit uncertainty won’t dissuade UK workers from moving jobs this year ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

Employee confidence in the UK has not been shaken by uncertainty around leaving the European Union, as 48 percent admit that they will be looking for a new job this year, claims a new survey by REED. The YouGov research asked more than 2,000 people about their careers in 2017, and found that 43 percent of employees are feeling optimistic about their career prospects, despite uncertainty created by the Brexit vote. Business confidence is also high with 53 percent of UK workers receiving a pay rise from their employer, compared to 41 percent found in the REED Market Insight 2015 – an increase equating to almost an eighth or an estimated four million UK workers according to recent ONS employment stats. While an increase in salary is still the primary motivation for people to look for a new job (51 percent), almost 38 percent (four in 10) would/ have move(d) for a better work-life balance and 33 percent, a third, for a better working environment.

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January 4, 2017

Millennial women predicted to earn less than male counterparts over their careers ⁰

by Sara Bean • Legal news, News, Workplace

It has been suggested before that the gender pay gap is a reflection of what happens to women when they become parents – and a new piece of research backs up this theory by revealing an enduring pay penalty associated with having children; which, unless tackled this will mean that current and future generations of working women will continue to face a significant life earnings penalty. According to a new analysis published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation as part of its Intergenerational Commission, while the gender pay gap for millennials in their 20s has halved in a generation to just 5 percent, much of that progress looks set to be undone with early signs showing that the gender pay gap continues to escalate as women enter their 30s and 40s. This suggests that millennial women will still earn significantly less than their male counterparts over their careers.

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December 21, 2016

Employee retention and engagement was top of mind for employers this year ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Employee retention was the top workforce management challenge in 2016, claims a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), with almost one-half of surveyed organizations (46 percent) citing it as a top challenge in 2016. Other top workforce management challenges for at least one-third of organizations were: employee engagement (36 percent), recruitment (34 percent) and succession planning (33 percent). SHRM’s survey Influencing Workplace Culture Though Employee Recognition and Other Efforts, which was produced in collaboration with and commissioned by Globoforce, found that as employers look for ways to deal with the challenges of low employee retention and high turnover, more organizations are tying employee recognition efforts to their core values.The majority of respondents indicated that their employee recognition programs had positive impacts on employee engagement, workplace culture, retention and employee happiness.

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December 14, 2016

Lack of free childcare dissuades workers from shared parental leave ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

Just 5 percent of new fathers and 8 percent of new mothers have opted for Shared Parental Leave (SPL) since its introduction in April 2015 a new report claims. Just one organisation in five (21 percent) said they had received requests from male employees to take up SPL since April 2015 and in two-thirds (67 percent) of organisations with mothers eligible for SPL, none have opted in. This low take-up of (SPL) and the lack of affordable childcare options for parents with 0-2 year-olds are both major problems that need to be addressed to support working parents more effectively, according to ‘Labour Market Outlook: Focus on Working Parents’ from the CIPD. The survey of over 1,000 HR professionals also suggests that the lack of free childcare for 0-2 year-olds could be having a negative impact on women returning to work after maternity leave.

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December 14, 2016

Surge in take up of London commercial property defies Brexit storm ⁰

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property, Public Sector

London commercial property has managed to weather the Brexit storm with a late surge of City deals over the past three weeks set to see Central London take-up in line with its long-term average level of 10 million sq ft in 2016. According to the latest figures from JLL, despite take-up in Central London being subdued in the lead-up to and immediate aftermath of the referendum, City take-up has surged during the last quarter, and is expected to reach 5.3 million sq ft by year end, just 6 percent below the long term average. This is offset by strong take-up in East London, where the recent deal to the GPU at Canary Wharf propelled take-up to 8 percent above its long term average level. The most notable deals of 2016 included – The Government Property Unit (GPUK) took 542,000 sq ft at 20 Cabot Square, E14 which was a sub-lease from Barclays; Apple pre-let 500,000 sq ft at Battersea Power Station, SW8 and will be paying a rent in the high £50 per sq ft; Thompson Reuters acquired 315,362 sq ft at 5 Canada Square, E14, paying a rent of £40 per sq ft; 33 Central, EC4 was pre-let to Wells Fargo who took the entire building, totalling 227,689 sq ft and New Look pre-leasing 127,096 sq ft at R7 Handyside Street, N1C for £77.50 per sq ft.

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December 8, 2016

Half of UK firms will hold Christmas parties but just a fifth offer bonuses or extra time off ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

We’re entering the office party season now so it’s time for the usual flurry of Christmas related research. We kick off the season with this from XpertHR which claims that the majority of companies it has polled will host company-wide parties (50.8 percent) or departmental Christmas lunches (47.2 percent), but there will be fewer Christmas gifts, bonuses awarded or additional time off for employees this year. Employers plan to spend an average of £93.33 and a median of £50 per employee on their Christmas celebrations – a figure which hasn’t changed significantly since the last time XpertHR conducted this survey in 2012/13, when the median spend was £42.82. However, fewer than one in five organisations (17.9 percent) will be offering employee gifts this year compared to 21.1 percent in 2012/2013 and just 18 employers will award Christmas bonuses, with no increases planned compared with last year.

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