Search Results for: people

The power of play: how pool and table tennis can transform the workplace

The power of play: how pool and table tennis can transform the workplace

by • Company news, Wellbeing

While workplace wellness programmes and flexible policies have their place, one of the most simple and effective interventions is often overlooked: playWorkplaces are under growing pressure to support both productivity and well-being. Hybrid schedules, long desk hours and rising stress levels mean organisations are rethinking what the office should provide. While wellness programmes and flexible policies have their place, one of the most simple and effective interventions is often overlooked: play. Games like pool and table tennis may once have been dismissed as gimmicks, but today they are increasingly recognised as part of a serious workplace strategy. Far from being distractions, they support movement, collaboration, mental health and focus – all of which are critical in a modern knowledge economy. (more…)

Updated: We need to acknowledge the role privilege plays in the ways we talk about work

Updated: We need to acknowledge the role privilege plays in the ways we talk about work

by • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace

Acknowledging our own biases and privileges will help us to have better conversations about work and workplacesOver the weekend of the 9th of August, I listened to two episodes of Andrew Keen’s podcast which feature conversations with a couple of well-known people from our own domain of work and workplaces. One was Julia Hobsbawm and the other Dror Poleg. It seemed that Julia had introduced Keen to Dror so a link between the two existed. Another link formed in my mind as I listened: the unspoken role of privilege underpinning both conversations. albeit in different ways. (more…)

Where are the iconic office furniture products of yesterday?

Where are the iconic office furniture products of yesterday?

by • Comment, Workplace design

Originally published November 2023: Occasionally, this image goes viral on social media. It is of a group of Bauhaus design students from around 1927. They are called Martha Erps, Katt Both and Ruth Hellos. The full image (reproduced below) shows them with legendary office furniture designer Marcel Breuer, who Erps would later marry. The story of the photograph can be found here. On social media, though, the standard response from people of a certain vintage – my vintage admittedly – is to suggest that they were last seen supporting Echo and the Bunnymen at the Barrowland Glasgow in 1984.  (more…)

Leadership teams are struggling to cope with the pace of change

Leadership teams are struggling to cope with the pace of change

by • Business, News

Executive teams are failing to keep pace with the demands of a world defined by constant disruption, according to a new report.Executive teams are failing to keep pace with the demands of a world defined by constant disruption, according to a new report. The study, from  consultancy Waldencroft, claims that most senior teams remain fragmented and reactive, with only a small proportion taking a strategic, enterprise-wide view. The report, The Executive Readiness Gap, draws on insights from 20 in-depth interviews and 40 surveys with Chief People Officers across a range of complex and international organisations. It suggests that disruption has become a permanent fixture in the business environment, but many leadership teams continue to treat it as episodic—responding only when necessary before trying to return to a previous norm. (more…)

How AI is already changing the world of work

How AI is already changing the world of work

by • AI, Comment, Workplace

AI is already changing the world of work, but not everybody is reacting to it in the same way, writes Laura AndersonAI is rapidly transforming the world of work. That much is clear. Understanding how different generations are adapting to this shift is therefore crucial for any organisation looking to the future.  Our recent study focusing on the generational differences in attitudes towards some of today’s biggest topics sheds some light on what might be driving these trends. Perhaps the most important finding was that nearly two-thirds of Gen Z feel concerned about AI’s impact on their future (only Baby Boomers reported more concern) – even though over half are still using AI day to day. (more…)

Employers face flexible working challenge to meet demands of new employment bill

Employers face flexible working challenge to meet demands of new employment bill

by • Flexible working, News

A survey by HR software provider Ciphr suggests that improved access to flexible working is likely to be the most difficult provision to manage.Employers are expected to face major implementation hurdles as the government’s new Employment Rights Bill begins to reshape workplace practices. A survey by HR software provider Ciphr suggests that improved access to flexible working is likely to be the most difficult provision to manage. In a poll of 300 HR decision-makers across the UK, 22 percent said that changes to flexible working arrangements—making it the default where practical—would present the biggest challenge in terms of time, resources and cost. Respondents also raised concerns about stronger legal protections for workers involved in industrial action (21 percent) and the extension of the employment tribunal claim window from three to six months (17 percent). (more…)

Workers switch off early on Fridays as hybrid working continues to reshape the week

Workers switch off early on Fridays as hybrid working continues to reshape the week

by • Flexible working, News

A growing number of remote workers in the UK are ending their week early on Fridays, according to new data that highlights the shifting rhythms of hybrid workingA growing number of remote workers in the UK are ending their week early on Fridays, according to new data that highlights the shifting rhythms of hybrid working. Figures from Virgin Media show that broadband usage among home workers drops by around 8 percent between 3pm and 5pm on summer Fridays compared with winter, suggesting that many employees are logging off ahead of the traditional end of the working day. (more…)

Microsoft study reveals which jobs have been most affected by Generative AI

Microsoft study reveals which jobs have been most affected by Generative AI

by • AI, News

Which jobs are most affected by Generative AI?A new large scale study from Microsoft has offered what its authors claim is one of the clearest pictures yet of how Generative AI is being used in real workplaces and which jobs are most exposed to its growing influence. Researchers from Microsoft analysed 200,000 anonymised user conversations with Bing Copilot, Microsoft’s publicly available AI assistant, to determine how AI is assisting or performing work tasks. The study focused on the types of activities people use GenAI for, how successfully AI completes them, and how these activities align with those performed across hundreds of occupations. (more…)

Why winning the AI race starts with workforce readiness

Why winning the AI race starts with workforce readiness

by • AI, Comment, Workplace

While AI is heralded as a transformative force across industries, a quieter challenge threatens to slow its momentum: the growing shortage of skilled AI professionals. Behind the buzz of breakthroughs lies a stark reality — companies are racing to adopt AI, but many are leaving their people behind. Recent data shows the skills required for AI-exposed jobs are evolving 66 percent faster than for other roles — a dramatic leap from just 25 percent a year ago. The demand for AI talent is surging in the UK, where the job market is cooling off. Yet, as job postings requiring AI skills continue to climb, this only underscores a critical imbalance felt across the job market. (more…)

Does your employee benefits package have a marketing problem?

Does your employee benefits package have a marketing problem?

by • Company news, Wellbeing

Despite many businesses investing heavily in employee benefits, many of these perks fail to deliver their full potential. Here's what to do about itDespite many businesses investing heavily in employee benefits, many of these perks fail to deliver their full potential. According to the 2025 Drewberry Employee Benefits and Workplace Satisfaction Survey, just 12 percent of UK employees report being truly satisfied with their benefits package. This gap in satisfaction isn’t always about the benefits themselves, but is often a failure of communication. This latest research shows that while benefits may be in place, just 36 percent of employees fully understand what’s on offer. Even fewer regularly engage with these benefits. (more…)

Calls for standardised product assessments address growing concerns about greenwashing

Calls for standardised product assessments address growing concerns about greenwashing

by • Environment, Facilities management, News

Built Environment Sector Calls for Standardised Product Assessments Amid Growing Concern Over GreenwashingA new industry-wide study has revealed widespread support for the introduction of mandatory Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs) on products used in the UK’s built environment to address widespread concerns about greenwashing. The findings, published in the report Greenhushing: Silence is Costing Credibility, show that 86 percent of professionals surveyed believe that LCAs are essential to reduce confusion and rebuild trust in environmental claims. Produced by Futurebuild in collaboration with The Anti-Greenwash Charter, The Carbon Literacy Project and communications agency Hattrick, the report draws on responses from over 3,000 people, including nearly 300 professionals in the built environment. It provides insight into the sector’s growing demand for standardisation and transparency in sustainability communications. (more…)

Regional inequalities in the quality of work continue to widen, new report claims

Regional inequalities in the quality of work continue to widen, new report claims

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new report from the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) shows that while employment levels across the UK remain high, the quality of work available to people varies sharply depending on where they liveA new report from the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) shows that while employment levels across the UK remain high, the quality of work available to people varies sharply depending on where they live. The 2025 edition of the Good Work Time Series suggests that regional inequalities in job quality are widening. Although people are in work, they are not necessarily in good work, with the study highlighting issues such as low autonomy, poor pay, unsocial hours and limited opportunities for development in many parts of the country. (more…)

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