Search Results for: pay ratio

Two-fifths of global employees would choose flexible working over a payrise

by • Comment, Flexible working, News, Workplace

flexible workingA friend of mine went for a job recently and asked about flexible working. They were informed that: “we don’t like to allow people to work from home as we can’t keep our eye on them.” This attitude is a disincentive to job applicants and existing staff, and makes employers who take this attitude look at best old-fashioned and at worse foolish. Even the UK’s pro-employer government extended the right to request flexible working to anyone with over 26 weeks service this June, which illustrated how ‘mainstream’ flexi-work has become. A new piece of research reveals there is currently something of a global shift in culture towards a ‘Flex Work Imperative’, described as a perfect storm of employee demand, improving job market, and legislation that is shifting flex work from job perk to an employee’s right. It’s why 43 per cent of employees surveyed said they would prefer flex work over a pay raise. (more…)

New BIM guidance published for operational phase of a building

by • Facilities management, News, Property

Fresh BIM guidance publishedGuidance on the use of BIM (Building Information Modelling) in the operational phase of a building has been issued by the business standards Institution (BSI). PAS 1192-3, Specification for information management for the operational phase of assets using building information modelling (BIM) is a companion document to PAS 1192-2, which specified an information management process to support building information modelling (BIM) Level 2 in the capital/delivery phase of projects. In contrast, PAS 1192-3 focuses on the operational phase of assets irrespective of whether these were commissioned, acquired through transfer of ownership or are part of an existing asset portfolio. The new specification recognizes that the cost of operating and maintaining buildings and facilities can represent up to 85 per cent of the whole-life cost and savings can pay back any upfront premium in construction expenses in a few years. (more…)

Hours and pay are not key factors for work-life balance finds survey

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Hours or pay not crucial to work-life balance

The key to a better work-life balance is not simply to work shorter hours or earn more money and working shorter hours does not necessarily make people happier. According to a new survey by recruiter Randstad those in the South East and Yorkshire & The Humber are most happy with their work-life balance, with 64 per cent saying they are content, despite those in the South East having one of the longest average working weeks in the UK. The survey also found that those working in property and construction (88%) were amongst the happiest with their work-life balance, coming third after the utilities and insurance sectors. Those least happy with their work-life balance were the East of England (51 per cent) and South West (55 per cent) – yet those in the South West have a shorter average working week than most of the UK. (more…)

Flexibility not finance motivates Generation Y workers

by • Knowledge, News, Workplace

Gen-Y view work as a thing rather than a place that requires a traditional nine to five routine,

Millennial or Generation Y workers are not the bunch of entitled youths we’ve been led to believe. Those born between 1980 and 1995 say they would choose workplace flexibility, work/life balance and the opportunity for overseas assignments over financial rewards. PwC’s NexGen survey reveals that millennials view work as a thing rather than a place that requires a traditional nine to five routine, so are more likely to stay in a job if they feel supported and appreciated, are part of a cohesive team and have greater flexibility over where and how much they work. This contrasts with the non-millennial generation, who place greater importance on pay and development opportunities.

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Building designers should pay more heed to what users need

by • Architecture, Comment, Facilities management

The future for London's skyline

The future for London’s skyline

These past two weeks have seen me playing and working in what I believe is fondly referred to as “That London” by those who live and work in the rest of the United Kingdom. Whilst resisting the temptations of the capital’s fleshpots, I’ve had the time to reflect on the design of public spaces and wonder at the architectural munificence that gave us, within a single square mile or so; The Shard, The Gherkin, St Pauls Cathedral and the engineering marvel of Tower Bridge (I also had the chance to sample Japanese octopus balls, but that, as the saying goes, is another story altogether).

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It pays to check the green credentials of manufacturers

by • Environment, Furniture, Workplace design

Generation from Knoll

Generation from Knoll

There is a theory that when companies talk about issues such as corporate social responsibility they are doing so because it helps them to achieve their business goals. This is the coldly rational thing to do according to people like free market guru Milton Friedman who argues that companies should not actively pursue altruistic ends unless that pursuit is ultimately in the interest of their shareholders. As Friedman puts it: ‘Hypocrisy is virtuous when it serves the bottom line. Moral virtue is immoral when it does not’.

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CIPD calls for range of measures for British workforce ahead of General Election

CIPD calls for range of measures for British workforce ahead of General Election 0

by • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

The next Government needs to put ‘good work’ at the heart of its thinking in order to improve the economy, boost individual welfare and prosperity – creating the conditions for good work in organisations across the country, says the CIPD ahead of the General Election. In its ‘Manifesto for Work’ the CIPD is calling for publication of pay ratios, additional rights for zero-hours workers and increased investment in adult skills. The manifesto’s package of aim to address the systemic problems in the UK economy by focusing on the positive influence the world of work can have on productivity and wellbeing. As well as an overhaul of the UK Corporate Governance Code, the CIPD is also calling on the next Government to protect and raise awareness of employment rights, make skills the centerpiece of their industrial strategy and take steps to improve gender diversity in the boardroom. It also calls for organisations to focus more on greater organisational transparency so that businesses are more accountable for incorporating the principles of good work across their organisations.

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What does Gen Z really think about AI? Boooooo!

What does Gen Z really think about AI? Boooooo!

by • AI, Comment, SF

I regularly meet with CEOs and Board members and the conversation always comes around to the same topic: how can we attract new talent? C-Suite upwards are borderline-obsessed by how to recruit and retain younger employees, eager to harness their energy, enthusiasm and the total lack of work-life boundaries that will come with experience. When keynote speakers were tasked with motivating graduating students during commencement speeches this year, they naturally looked at what was ‘in vogue’ and landed upon AI. This is hardly surprising. We cannot contact, purchase from or seek assistance from an organisation, without butting up against an AI agent, eagerly waiting to ‘help’. We are constantly being told that AI is the unavoidable future and so, for Gen X/ Boomer speakers seeking to connect with Gen Z and garner their approval, AI was a natural talking point. Except, it wasn’t. In a beautiful act of rebellion, Gen Z have taken a different path and have made their feelings about AI known. Loudly. (more…)

Has the algorithm pushed us too far?

Has the algorithm pushed us too far?

by • Business, Comment, Wellbeing

‘Why post your selfies if you don't get attention for it, you can't reach your friends and you're just competing with all of this remote, abstracted garbage out there?’When it comes to social media, the clue is in the title. My generation joined Facebook circa 2006 with the ambition of staying connected with friends, sharing photos of nights out and throwing the odd sheep at each other (I guess you had to be there). The purpose of these platforms was clear; we wanted a way to be in touch. A platform to share jokes, stories and pictures, even when we weren’t physically all together. It was the ultimate group hang and one we could join from anywhere. It was fun, it was light, it was ultimately social. Then it changed. (more…)

Businesses are currently more focussed on keeping down costs than growth

Businesses are currently more focussed on keeping down costs than growth

by • Business, News

UK employers are prioritising cost management over growth as rising business costs and global uncertainty continue to weigh on confidenceUK employers are prioritising cost management over growth as rising business costs and global uncertainty continue to weigh on confidence. This is according to the latest Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD. The survey of more than 2,000 UK employers found that cost management is now the top priority for organisations of all sizes and across all sectors, ahead of improving productivity and growing market share. (more…)

London is the second most expensive office fit-out market in the world

London is the second most expensive office fit-out market in the world

by • News, Property, Workplace design

A new report from Turner & Townsend claims that a combination of a rise in demand for premium, Grade A office space and a shortfall in supply in many markets has led to double digit percentage increases in office fit-out costs over the past yearA new report from Turner & Townsend claims that a combination of a rise in demand for premium, Grade A office space and a shortfall in supply in many markets has led to double digit percentage increases in office fit-out costs over the past year in major global cities including Miami, Dublin and Bangalore London is now the second most expensive office fit-out market in the world, with Dublin 18th, Edinburgh and Glasgow 21st, Birmingham 22nd, and Manchester 25th. The year-on-year picture is mixed, as while Edinburgh and Glasgow saw costs rise by 12 percent, Manchester and Birmingham saw prices rise in line with inflation at 2 percent and 3 percent respectively, while in London costs fell by -1 percent, albeit they have increased significantly in recent years. (more…)

Why your emotional journey through change makes complete sense

Why your emotional journey through change makes complete sense

by • Comment, JB, Wellbeing, Workplace

When organisations embark on change, whether a restructure, a merger, a new strategy, or a shift in ways of working, enormous energy goes into the logic of it. The business case is crafted, the project plan is built, the communications are drafted and then, almost without fail, leaders are surprised by the messy, unpredictable, deeply human reality of what actually unfolds. People don’t move through change in a straight line. They don’t read the business case, nod along and transition smoothly into the new world. They feel their way through it. Understanding that emotional journey, really understanding it, not just paying lip service to it, is the difference between change that lands and change that unravels. (more…)

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