November 16, 2020

Designing your employee financial wellness program

For a lot of employers, the idea of an employee financial wellness program can be something of an afterthought. That is, beyond providing fair pay and a clear policy regarding taxation and benefits, it can seem unnecessary to take any other action regarding employee finances. What’s becoming more and more apparent, however, is that employers do need to take a more active approach toward implementing employee financial wellness programs. (more…)

November 9, 2020

Working from home could energise some of our overlooked cities

by Michel Serafinelli • Cities, Comment, Flexible working

For years, we have been promised a work-from-home revolution, and it seems that the pandemic has finally brought it to pass. In April this year, at the height of the first wave of coronavirus, 47 percent of people in the UK were working from home, the vast majority of them doing so because of the pandemic. In a sense this is overdue: the work-from-home potential for UK employees is 32 percent; in France, Germany and Italy between 24 percent and 28 percent. (more…)

November 6, 2020

CIBSE launches COVID-19 achievement award

by Jayne Smith • Events, News, Property

A new award recognising the work undertaken by building services professionals and the wider supply chain to combat the effects of COVID-19 has been set up by CIBSE. (more…)

November 5, 2020

Leadership in a new age of virtuality

by Andrew Mawson • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Technology, Workplace design

We are living through a fundamental transformation in the way we work. The pandemic has forced organisations to go virtual. New government guidelines, including a tiered alert system, suggest that this will be the norm for the foreseeable future. But step back from the noise and it is easy to see how the current crisis is simply accelerating the inevitable. A confluence of forces, including advancements in technology and infrastructure, increasing globalisation, shifting demographics and COVID-19, has enabled greater connectivity and mobility, making obvious to organisations, their leadership and individuals the wisdom of adopting flexible work models. (more…)

November 5, 2020

Pick Everard reveals new bespoke HQ office space

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard has unveiled its new-look head office following an extensive refurbishment led by its recently established in-house interior design team. (more…)

November 3, 2020

Employees are twice as motivated and productive if they’re resilient

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Aon plc, has released new research that highlights the impact on employee motivation and productivity if they are resilient. The data, gained across five European countries, including the UK, claims that employees are nearly twice as likely to be motivated and therefore productive, if they are resilient. (more…)

October 26, 2020

Workhuman introduces a ‘Charter of Workplace Rights’

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

Workhuman, social recognition and continuous performance management platform, has unveiled the Workhuman Charter of Workplace Rights and accompanying Workhuman Certified programme during the Workhuman Live Online broadcast. (more…)

October 21, 2020

COVID-19 accelerates Milton Keynes tech transition

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Property, Technology

As the tech sector and associated businesses rise to the pressures and opportunity presented by the reality of COVID-19, Sue Foxley, Research director at Property Consultants Bidwells delves into the impact of the virtual change within the Milton Keynes office market. (more…)

October 21, 2020

Young people suffer most from lack of motivation at work

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

New research by management consultancy Lane4, claims 44 percent of employees under 35 years old say that a lack of motivation has been hindering their performance at work since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in March.

The study of over 1000 UK employees, carried out by YouGov, suggests that the performance of younger workers (under 35 years old) is twice as likely to be impacted by a lack of motivation than that of 45-54-year olds (22 percent), and significantly more likely to be impacted by a lack of motivation than the average for all age groups (28 percent). (more…)

October 19, 2020

Ten pandemic related responses with highest business impact

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

The Josh Bersin Academy, a development academy for HR professionals, has announced the release of its newest research-based report, Business Resilience: The Global COVID-19 Pandemic Response Study. The 38-page complimentary report is based on a survey conducted in August 2020 of 1,349 HR leaders and professionals across the globe and all industry segments. (more…)

October 16, 2020

Mentally demanding tasks are harder to handle at home

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

A new study looking at skills in online chess tournaments from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) claims that working from home could be damaging for mentally demanding tasks. (more…)

October 16, 2020

Younger people most affected by disconnect of remote work

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace design

Over a third of younger office workers forced to work from home feel remote, unfocused and less committed to their employers, posing a real threat to businesses in the medium and long term, new research from Oktra claims. Of 1,500 people surveyed, who used to work in an office full time but have been working at home for the last six months, the experience has changed the way that 71 percent of them feel about their employer; 85 percent have struggled with the experience of remote work. (more…)