Search Results for: performance

Wellbeing and organisational agility will dominate workplace conversations in 2023

Wellbeing and organisational agility will dominate workplace conversations in 2023

Mental health and wellbeing will dominate conversations about the role of work in people's lives this yearMental health and wellbeing will dominate conversations about the role of work in people’s lives this year, due in part to the effects of the global pandemic, as well as social and economic instability around the world, according to the latest megatrends report from UKG. The report claims that many people are feeling overwhelmed in the face of negative news cycles headlining economic uncertainty, climate change, violence, and political unrest have contributed to a spike in mental wellbeing issues. (more…)

Flokk brand Connection opens new state of the art manufacturing facility and offices in the UK

Flokk brand Connection opens new state of the art manufacturing facility and offices in the UK

Staff gather outside the new Connection facility, a part of the Flokk GroupConnection, the latest brand to join European office furniture giant Flokk group have opened a bespoke designed and built manufacturing facility, housing warehouses and offices in Mirfield, Yorkshire. Attending the opening were Lars Røiri, CEO of Flokk and René Sitter, Senior Vice President, Central Europe, as well as key stakeholders to celebrate with the Connection team. (more…)

Office sector net zero targets require significant shift in thinking

Office sector net zero targets require significant shift in thinking

An image of the Earth from space to illustrate what is at stake for the office sector, which is one of the main contributors to carbon emissionsA new report, Delivering Net Zero Carbon in the Workplace [BCO members only] produced by University College London Consultants (UCLC) for the British Council for Offices (BCO), claims to identify the barriers that businesses are facing as they strive to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of their offices. The report, informed by over 100 office occupiers and building professionals, outlines the measures that those working in the office sector can take to overcome these barriers at what the report suggests is low or zero cost. (more…)

Cost of living will become biggest challenge for HR over the next year

Cost of living will become biggest challenge for HR over the next year

A new poll from employment law and HR consultancy firm, WorkNest, claims that 70 percent of HR professionals believe that the cost of living will be their most significant challenge for 2023. This was closely followed by retention (69 percent) and recruitment (55 percent). A third of those questioned also see skills shortages (34 percent) as a significant HR challenge next year, and employee engagement (24 percent).   (more…)

Majority of firms currently using technology to plug talent gaps

Majority of firms currently using technology to plug talent gaps

In the face of hiring and skills issues, 77 percent of UK organisations say they are finding ways for technology to do jobs formerly performed by people, according to a new poll from Rackspace Technology.  According to the survey, two thirds (64 percent) of UK companies are downsizing their staff, facilitated by technology, out of a necessity, with roles in customer service the most likely to be automated, as identified by 70 percent of business decision makers – followed by IT operations (62 percent), sales and marketing (57 percent), business operations (56 percent), and HR and admin (56 percent). (more…)

KI Postura+ chair reaches first milestone on journey towards 100 percent recycled content

KI Postura+ chair reaches first milestone on journey towards 100 percent recycled content

KI has confirmed that Postura+ will begin its transition to a product for the circular economy, with all one-piece chairs manufactured from December 2022 set to contain at least 30 percent recycled polypropylene. Following over 3 years of trials and testing, this achievement sets an important milestone on KI’s journey towards taking a leading position in the circular economy. Over the coming years, KI will work towards increasing this percentage to future milestones 50, 80 and ultimately 100 percent, bringing all standard colours into line with the increasingly popular Jet Black chairs which are already made with 100 percent recycled content. (more…)

Business owners lose sleep over impact of mental health on their business, but don’t act

Business owners lose sleep over impact of mental health on their business, but don’t act

An illustration of the insides of people's head to depict poor mental health A new poll claims that the majority of business leaders say that mental health support isn’t available for their employees or isn’t utilised enough, despite acknowledging how poor mental health impacts business performance. The survey was conducted by GoProposal and is based on 750 small business owners in the UK. It claims that over half of businesses (55 percent) either have no mental health support in place for their employees or have support processes that aren’t used enough. (more…)

Mental health flagged as major concern in HSE annual stats

Mental health flagged as major concern in HSE annual stats

The nose of a black dog, as a metaphor for work related mental health issuesThe estimated number of workers in Great Britain suffering from work-related illness is 1.8 million with mental health issues related to stress, depression, and anxiety making up around half of all cases. That is the headline figure in the latest annual statistics report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The figures from the workplace regulator show there were an estimated 914,000 cases of work-related stress, depression, or anxiety in 2021/22. An estimated 17 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety in 2021/22. This is over half of all working days lost due to work-related ill health.

(more…)

Firms should focus on people in the drive for long term growth

Firms should focus on people in the drive for long term growth

A new report by Economist Impact, sponsored by Kyocera Document Solutions, claims that human-centric strategies are needed for businesses to drive sustainable business growth, focusing on three pillars: productivity and infrastructure, employee engagement and culture. The Magnetic Workplace Barometer claims to gauge confidence both today and in five years’ time across  what the report terms the three main pillars of productivity and infrastructure; employee engagement; and culture. The barometer scores are scaled from 1 to 7, 7 being the most confident. (more…)

Workplaces are plagued by classism, report claims

Workplaces are plagued by classism, report claims

Toffs and Toughs famous photo that illustrate class divide and classismA new poll claims to highlight the need to tackle classism at work, with 57 percent of employees witnessing discrimination or a lack of inclusivity in the last year alone. A third of UK employees say classism is active in their workplace, according to the 2022 Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Report from Wildgoose. The report is based on a survey of employees from 133 UK workplaces. It asked if their workplace is an inclusive environment, what areas of diversity their organisation could improve upon, and whether they have experienced discrimination or inequality in the workplace. (more…)

People become dysfunctional in the face of restrictive management controls

People become dysfunctional in the face of restrictive management controls

A wooden mannequin to illustrate the issue of management controlsEmployees who perceive management controls to be restrictive and punitive will develop dysfunctional and negative responses to the organisation where they work, according to a new study involving the University of East Anglia (UEA). These responses might be observed through what the researchers call ‘workplace deviance’ – for example absenteeism, reducing effort, daydreaming, taking longer breaks – and turning a blind eye, also referred to as ‘deliberate ignorance’ by the research team from the UK and Spain. (more…)

Investment in real estate upgrades stalls in face of economic and business challenges

Investment in real estate upgrades stalls in face of economic and business challenges

An image of some offices to illustrate the challenges facing real estate investors Research by ULI and PwC claims that nearly half of Europe’s real estate leaders are concerned about buildings becoming obsolete in the next five years in the face of long-term upheavals in demographics, climate change, technology and lifestyles. Most of the 900 or so industry leaders that participated are making long-term resources available to address the fit-for-purpose agenda. However, the challenging business environment has reshuffled priorities to financing and high construction costs, and scarcity of resources has made real estate renewal more expensive to achieve, consequently delaying much needed investment. (more…)