November 11, 2019

Brexit uncertainty yet to affect UK jobs market

More news on the patchy effects of Brexit on the UK economy comes in the latest Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD. The report claims that Brexit uncertainty has yet to take its toll on employers’ hiring expectations, with both public and private sector employers expecting staff numbers to increase in the final quarter of 2019. There has been a surge of confidence among public sector employers on increasing both pay and staff numbers in the next quarter. Although still positive, private sector pay award expectations have decreased, narrowing the gap between the public and private sector. The forward-looking indicator surveyed 1,016 UK employers in September 2019 on their recruitment, redundancy and pay intentions. (more…)

November 8, 2019

Lack of leadership stifles workplace creativity

by Neil Franklin • News

The UK’s workforces are being creatively stifled because of high pressure and a lack of leadership skills, a new study claims. A study of 1,000 workplaces published in Thinking On Your Feet, a report by the commercial arm of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, RADA Business, has found that almost half (41 percent) of UK workplaces implement practises that have a detrimental effect on employee empowerment and their ability to think creatively. The study also reveals that 75 percent of workplaces lack the right environment to enable improvisation to thrive, leaving workers feeling unsupported and stressed. (more…)

November 7, 2019

More active lifestyles would have far reaching economic impact

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

The results of a new academic study on the relationship between global economic growth and physical activity, carried out by Vitality and RAND Europe, reveal significant benefits to the economy and life expectancy if people adopted a more active lifestyle. The study suggests that the world’s GDP would gain more than $100bn (£80bn) each year until 2050 if people adopted a more active daily routine that could involve simple choices such as walking 15 minutes more a day, jogging slowly for half a mile a day, or walking 1,500 extra steps a day. (more…)

November 7, 2019

Short term spike in absence rates but long term trend remains downward

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Absence rates dues to illness or injury for UK workers rose by 7 percent in 2018 to an average of 4.4 working days according to new figures, published by the Office for National Statistics. During the full year, people took 141.4 million sick days compared with 131.5 million in 2017, when the figure reached its lowest since records began. The long term trend remains positive despite last year’s spike.The rate of absence from work due to sickness in people in the UK with no long-term health problems has halved in the past two decades according to the government data. (more…)

November 6, 2019

Open plan offices might improve performance of high status workers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace design

Managers may believe their star performers don’t need monitoring when working on a team and may reason that leaving the most high status workers alone in their efforts frees up more time to work closely with other team members. But research coauthored by Sebastien Brion of IESE Business School and published in Management Science Journal claims that this may be a mistake and so counterproductive and that the performance of high status workers might improve with greater visibility including that offered by open plan offices. (more…)

November 5, 2019

HR leaders feel unprepared for the future of work

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace

Only 9 percent of chief human resources officers (CHROs) agree that their organisation is prepared for the future of work, according to a new report from Gartner. The study ties in to Gartner Gartner ReimagineHR conference, which took place last week. It concludes that to address the needs of organisations and workers in the future, HR leaders must focus on five areas of work. It suggests that tackling the future of work should not mean looking at the various changing aspects of work, such as AI, the gig economy and the multigenerational workforce, in silos. Istead, HR leaders should focus on the big picture of what the future of work can and should look like in their organisation. (more…)

November 5, 2019

Four-fifths of British employees continue to work when sick

by Abi Eskdale • News, Wellbeing

A new study conducted by Love Energy Savings claims that more than 80 percent of British employees still continue to work when they are ill or sick. Love Energy Savings investigated which groups were most likely to continue to work when ill, with less than one-fifth of British workers (17 percent) admitting to taking sick days when they’re ill. And there is a widening margin when it comes to age groups.

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November 5, 2019

Bisley and Boss Design announce new partnership for France

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace design

Furniture manufacturers Bisley and Boss Design has announced a new partnership which will see Bisley having the distribution rights for all Boss products in France. Together, Bisley and Boss will be able to showcase British manufacturing excellence and provide a full and versatile range of office solutions and experiences for the French market. (more…)

November 4, 2019

Over fifties are driving the rise of self employment

by Neil Franklin • News

Millions of older workers are joining and benefiting from the freelance sector, new research from IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) claims. IPSE’s research suggests there are now almost two million (1,907,000) self-employed people over the age of 50 in the UK: a number that has increased by 58.5 per cent in the last ten years. The growth is even bigger among highly skilled freelancers. Today, there are almost a million (950,000) highly skilled freelancers in the UK: a number that has risen by 68.2 per cent in the last ten years. (more…)

November 1, 2019

Corporate sanctioned mindfulness is no fix for stress

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

The use of mindfulness techniques in the corporate world could actually do more harm than good to employees, having little more than a ‘band aid’ or ‘quick fix’ effect, according to new research from Durham University Business School. (more…)

October 30, 2019

The workplace of the future and its tech must work for the good of society

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology, Wellbeing

October 29, 2019

Remote working key to winning the battle for talent

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

According to a new study conducted by the Centre of Economics and Business Research (Cebr) with support from Citrix Systems, Inc., companies that leverage technology to enable flexible and remote working models can not only attract talent, but increase employee engagement and productivity, potentially boosting the US economy by as much as $2.36 trillion a year. Through an online survey of more than 2,500 US knowledge workers conducted in July, the Cebr study sought to determine the potential value to the US economy of the adoption of a more widespread, flexible working culture. It claims that in offering virtual/remote work options and providing the tools to enable them, companies can better compete in the battle for talent by dipping into untapped pools of workers. (more…)