Search Results for: people

March 31, 2016

Treating workers like people really does improve engagement levels ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Ever since the role of personnel management evolved to human resources, employers have struggled to ensure that the people they employ are treated as humans and not resources. Although it may be logical to assume that staff don’t like to be treated as numbers on a data sheet, it’s good to know that there’s evidence that companies that focus on creating a human-focused workplace do reap significant rewards in terms of wellbeing, engagement, and retention. This is according to a report released by Globoforce that found that when employers create a culture of employee recognition at work; levels of happiness and trust dramatically improve. According to the research receiving recognition at work makes people feel more appreciated (92 percent); prouder of their work (86 percent); more satisfied with their job (85 percent); happier (86 percent); more engaged (83 percent); and more committed to the company (81 percent).

March 9, 2016

Corporate real estate strategy shifts focus from cost to people ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Property, Workplace, Workplace design

A new survey of corporate executives indicates a major shift in how companies make real estate decisions today, with more than half (50 percent) saying that talent is more important than cost (31 percent) as their foremost consideration. As a result, executives view the workplace as primarily a recruitment and retention tool that offers attributes such as a flexible workplace, high quality amenities and interiors. But while the people and workplace experience dominate the corporate real estate agenda, according to CBRE’s Americas Occupier Survey – escalating costs are a major concern. Of survey respondents, 85 percent cite space efficiency and restructuring as a top strategy for reducing occupancy costs. These two issues are driving real estate conversations; with the result that workplace strategy is increasingly being viewed as both a critical employee attraction and retention strategy (57 percent), and as a means to control costs.

March 2, 2016

Effect of robots at work on people’s future wellbeing still very uncertain ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace

The effects of robotics on workers’ and managers’ motivation and wellbeing are not widely known, meaning psychosocial factors related to robotics will require more attention in the field of safety and health. This is just one of the conclusions of a new discussion paper – drawn up by EU-OSHA (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work) on the influence of robotics on the future of work. While the use of robots in a complementary role would be the least challenging for society, economic and productivity pressures are likely to result instead in a substitution approach, whereby individuals and groups are replaced in their jobs by robotics and automation. Fewer workers will be needed for jobs that are routine or have clearly definable tasks, as they will be done instead by industrial and service robots. A result of this technical change will be a relative increase in the demand for highly educated workers and a reduced demand for less educated workers traditionally carrying out jobs consisting of routine cognitive and manual tasks.

January 13, 2016

Growth in freelance economy, as people seek better work-life balance ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

Nearly one in four employees freelance in some capacity, a recent study of office workers in the US claims. Overall, twelve percent of US employees work as freelancers as their primary source of income, and the same percentage freelance in addition to their primary job. The Staples Advantage Workplace Index reveals that employees freelance for a variety of reasons, including the flexibility to make their own hours (37 percent), make more money (39 percent), and achieve a work-life balance (32 percent). Businesses also benefit from this arrangement by getting access to highly skilled workers needed for special projects. Freelance workers need temporary access to IT services and equipment, designated work spaces, open communication with co-workers, and the right supplies to help deliver projects. As a result, finds the report, smart, collaborative technology is becoming more ‘mainstream’, in helping establish efficient team structures and collaboration models.

January 8, 2016

The six things all people need from their workplace ⁰

by Jane Kendall-Bush • Comment, Facilities management, Knowledge, Workplace design

Whether we like it or not, we all have to work for some, or more usually, most of our adult life. During this time, many of us will work in an office, which is a place that has changed immensely – not only in the last ten years or so, but almost entirely since the start of the twentieth century. The management structure and style of companies, the tools available to the workforce, and the places within the office buildings have been changing and evolving. There has been a shift from hierarchical management structures to a more diverse and organic model. The tools of work have changed from the humble typewritten letter and Bakelite telephone to 24/7 access to emails though laptops and smart phones. And finally the workplace itself has evolved from one with enclosed offices for the senior managers, or a sea of cubicles to workplaces that encourage creativity and collaboration.

December 16, 2015

How planning can help people detach from work in the evening ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, Knowledge, Technology, Workplace

We all know from personal experience just how difficult it can be to switch off from work. New research published in the Journal of Organizational and Occupational Psychology suggests that the best mechanisms to cope with round the clock working include planning how to resolve incomplete work tasks. The study, conducted by Dr Brandon Smit of Ball State University suggests that the root of the problem is uncompleted tasks, especially for certain personality types. It used a questionnaire to gauge the working patterns of 103 employees pursuing 1,127 goals. It found they had more difficulty detaching from tasks that had been left uncompleted, especially when these were important. However, one group were encouraged to create plans by writing down where, when, and how they would complete these tasks. Dr Smit found they detached themselves from work more effectively than employees who did not create plans.

November 16, 2015

People and businesses remain unprepared for next wave of technology ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology, Workplace

The attitudes of businesses, public sector employers and people to the next wave of technological change remains a tangled and sometimes conflicting mishmash of fear, uncertainty and indifference according to three new reports. According to a new study published by Vodafone and YouGov, while businesses are aware of their need to keep pace with technological developments, around half doubt they will be able to keep up over the next five years. Meanwhile, a study from marketing technology firm Rocket Fuel claims that British people are broadly aware what is meant by artificial intelligence and many feel it will have a positive impact on their lives, especially millennials. However, another study from jobsite Indeed claims that a fifth of young people are unaware of the idea of automation and its potential impact on the jobs market and around half don’t even consider it when making their career choices.

November 10, 2015

Research reveals the main reasons why people still go to work when ill ⁰

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, Knowledge, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

High job demands, stress and job insecurity are among the main reasons why people go to work when they are ill and should probably stay home, according to new research from the University of East Anglia. The study sets out to improve understanding of the key causes of employees going to work when sick, which is known as one of the main forms of presenteeism, and to help make managers more aware of the existence of the phenomenon, what triggers the behaviour and what can be done to improve employees’ health and productivity. A key finding of the study, published yesterday in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, is that presenteeism not only stems from ill health and stress, but from raised motivation, for example high job satisfaction and a strong sense of commitment to the organisation. This may motivate people to ‘go the extra-mile’, causing them to work more intensively, even when sick.

November 5, 2015

Data transforms the roles of offices and the people who manage them

by Philip Ross • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace

The modern workplace creates the physical,technological and cultural point of intersection between a number of abstract or movable facets of the business, including people, technology, culture and creativity. That has always been true to a large extent but with the growing complexity of exactly how, when and where we work, this role of the office as the epicentre of it all has been thrown into sharp relief. With that has come a greater understanding of the intersections that exist between disciplines such as IT, FM and HR. In some areas, the roles already appear indistinguishable and I believe this will only become more apparent. The main driver of that growing convergence of roles will be the availability of data to make informed decisions about interrelated aspects of organisational culture, work practices, office design and management and the development and motivation of individuals.

September 30, 2015

Majority of people believe employers should publish gender pay gap ⁰

by Sara Bean • Legal news, News, Workplace

Over half of respondents to a new report into the gender pay gap are doubtful that men and women working at the same level or doing similar work earn the same – even though unequal pay is unlawful. Most of those who took part in the survey believe that employers should publish not only their overall gender pay gap but also pay data broken down by grade and job type. The new report by Business in the Community found that closing the gap matters to employees and its extent may impact how people feel about their employer, with respondents saying they may use publicly available data to inform decision making about their career. However, they would not act impulsively – instead employees want to discuss the pay gap openly with their employer, understand its causes and find out what action their employer is taking.

September 28, 2015

More people are working from home, but they can end up feeling lonely ⁰

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

More and more British workers are working remotely, from home and other locations, but they are growing increasingly disconnected from their colleagues. Those are the findings of two studies into new ways of working conducted independently by Plantronics and Regus. According to the Plantronics survey of 2,500 staff, flexible working was given another boost over this Summer in response to the (intermittent) good weather and industrial action by London public transport staff. During August, more than half (55 percent) of the workforce chose to work from home or remotely more convenient to them, the audio communications firm’s study found. On the flipside, the survey of 4,000 workers by serviced office provider Regus claims that almost two-thirds of employees who work from home miss mixing with colleagues and can feel lonely as a result.

September 24, 2015

Colleagues more likely than managers to make people feel engaged at work ⁰

by Neil Franklin • Knowledge, News, Workplace

A new report from Oracle claims that the people most likely to make employees feel engaged at work are their peers rather than their managers. The study, Simply Talent, also suggests that employees think their employer’s HR function is least likely to have a positive impact on their engagement levels. The study, which sets out to understand the drivers and benefits of employee engagement in Europe, polled 1,511 employees at large European businesses. The survey claims that 42 percent of employees across Europe believe that their peers have the most positive impact on how engaged they feel at work, well ahead of line managers (21 percent) and business unit managers (7 percent) and HR (3 percent) Conversely, when it comes to negatively affecting engagement, employees believe the senior leadership team (19 percent) and line managers (11 percent) are the most responsible.