December 4, 2019

Half of self-employed people do not know what IR35 is

New research from FreeAgent conducted with 2000 self employed people in the UK, claims that more than half (57 percent) don’t know what IR35 is. The sets of tax legislation encompassed by IR35, designed to combat tax avoidance by workers and the firms hiring them, is unknown to over half of the people most affected by it – the self employed. The legislation, which has been heavily criticised by tax experts and the business community as being poorly conceived, badly implemented by HMRC and causing unnecessary costs and hardships for genuine small businesses, has not been well communicated to self employed people, the research reveals. Tax experts have predicted that IR35 could reduce a worker’s net income by up to 25 percent and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, recently announced the Conservative Party’s plan to review IR35 as part of its manifesto. More →

December 3, 2019

Manifesto calls for action on disability inclusion as pay gap for disabled people widens

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A leading non-profit disability and business organisation is calling on the future Government to commit to a series of actions to support businesses to deliver on disability inclusion. Business Disability Forum published its ‘Manifesto for Inclusive Change’ today (3 December) to mark the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The manifesto calls for action in seven areas to ensure that the role businesses play in disabled people’s lives is enhanced, not inhibited, by government policy. To read Business Disability Forum’s ‘Manifesto for Inclusive Change’ go to www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk . Follow the debate at #DisabilitySmart. More →

November 29, 2019

People need to feel comfortable about being themselves at work

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Over a quarter of people (28 percent) in the workplace suffer bullying and/or discrimination on issues such as gender, age or sexual orientation, according to a new study. The Workplace Wellbeing Census, conducted by leading healthcare provider Bupa, found that such actions are the most harmful factors influencing workplace wellbeing at work. Women in the workplace face significant challenges with over a third (34 percent) experiencing bullying or discrimination, compared to 22 per cent of men. Women are also more than four times as likely to suffer negatively from workplace gender discrimination than men (13 percent vs 3 percent). More →

November 21, 2019

A side hustle the only way for many young people to make ends meet

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Britain’s graduate debt crisis means that nearly half of current students and recent graduates (42 percent) have taken up a so-called side hustle or joined the gig economy, in order to combat debt, afford rent and the rising cost of living. One in five (22 percent) also cited having two additional jobs, with the next generation of workers concerned about the overwhelming cost of living. More →

November 19, 2019

Young people mistakenly associate self-employment with more pay and leisure time

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Students and school-leavers see self-employment as a route to a higher income, better work-life balance and more family time and so one in five 16 to 21 year olds think they will self-employed at some point, a new analysis from the Office for National Statistics shows. However, other studies from the UK government paint a different picture with people in self-employment generally earning less and working longer hours than their employed contemporaries, but often happy to forgo the certainties of paid work for greater flexibility and control. More →

November 6, 2019

People game hiring processes they know are carried out by an AI

by Jayne Smith • AI, News, Workplace

New research into job-seeker attitudes to digitisation, automation and AI in the recruitment process claims to reveal how job-seekers are cheating recruitment technology platforms, to better their chances of landing a job. Seven in ten (67 percent) job seekers admitted to deliberately using optimisation strategies to improve their chances of getting a job. The study, Hiring Humans vs. Recruitment Robots, from recruitment software provider TribePad canvassed the views of over 1,000 employees and job seekers in the UK. The report’s key claim is that, as technology continues to permeate the recruitment and HR industry, job-seekers are looking for ways to game the systems. More →

November 5, 2019

The best smart cities focus on people rather than technology

by Arturo Bris • Cities, Features, Technology, Wellbeing

Cities are fast becoming “smart”, and the impact on people’s lives can be immense. Singapore’s smart traffic cameras restrict traffic depending on volume, and ease the commute of thousands of passengers every day. In Kaunas, Lithuania, the cost of parking is automatically deducted from the bank accounts of drivers when they park their cars. In many cities, the timing of public buses is announced at each stop with almost perfect accuracy. And free WiFi is now accessible across entire cities, including Buenos Aires, Argentina (pictured) and Ramallah, Palestine. More →

November 1, 2019

Fear of failure holds people back at work

by Neil Franklin • News, Working lives

According to new research from Nyenrode Business University and IE University, one out of two people think they could perform better at work if they were not worrying about making mistakes. The researchers studied 1,000 people and found that more than 40 percent of them say they have a fear of failure and making mistakes between 20-40 percent of the time or more. More →

October 29, 2019

Tenth of people have considered change of job because of its environmental impact

by Neil Franklin • Environment, Workplace

A new survey commissioned by Perkbox Insights claims that 89 percent of adults experience ‘green guilt’ – a phenomenon stemming from the extensive environmental consequences of modern life, which brings moments when you know you could, and should, be doing more to help the planet. The study also suggests that this phenomenon strikes most commonly at work, as 61 percent of adults feel guilty for the environmental impact of the industry or job they work in. This isn’t just causing people to live with these feelings, it’s also making people rethink their careers and consider a change of job. The findings revealed that over 1 in 10 (12 percent) have considered changing their jobs due to the effects that their work has on the environment. More →

October 23, 2019

Why some people are more creative than others

by Roger Beaty • Features, Workplace

Creativity is often defined as the ability to come up with new and useful ideas. Like intelligence, it can be considered a trait that everyone – not just creative “geniuses” like Picasso and Steve Jobs – possesses in some capacity. It’s not just your ability to draw a picture or design a product. We all need to think creatively in our daily lives, whether it’s figuring out how to make dinner using leftovers or fashioning a Halloween costume out of clothes in your closet. More →

October 21, 2019

Mental health stigma holds back ex-services people from getting jobs

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Research out today, by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity claims that British ex-service personnel struggle to find work due to mental health stigma. Almost a half (46 percent) of UK recruiters worry about hiring a service leaver in case they had mental health issues. Despite best efforts from British companies and individuals, including Prince William and Prince Harry, negative perceptions about mental health remain a significant barrier in the recruitment process, with service leavers being stigmatised. Over a third (31 percent) of recruiters feel reluctant to hire someone who had previously served. More →

October 17, 2019

People spend more time than you think repeating completed tasks

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

A new global study of more than 10,000 office workers, claims that British workers spend a whole month a year (30 days) doing work that a colleague has already completed. Five hours and 5 minutes a week is spent duplicating work. Asana, the publisher of the Anatomy of Work Index (registration) also claims that Brits aren’t spending as much time on the actual work that they’re hired to do.