Search Results for: productivity

New report offers latest evidence of link between office design and productivity

by • Briefing, Knowledge, Workplace, Workplace design

ProductivitySo, does workplace design have any impact on productivity and business performance? Well duh. So why are we still trying to convince managers when there is so much evidence and experience to prove it. The latest study to demonstrate the link builds on decades of research and adds further compelling evidence in a debate that should have been over a long time ago. In this report, workplace strategist Nigel Oseland and the  Atomic Weapons Establishment’s estate masterplanner Adrian Burton describe their research quantifying the effect on worker performance of improvements to the office environment. The question these reports always beg is why the argument still has to be made.

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UK employee engagement and productivity lags behind most of world

by • Knowledge, News, Workplace

UK employee engagement and productivity lags behind most of world

You might regard the concept of employee engagement as just a new way to describe industrial relations, but there is a growing body of research that UK employers need to do more to keep their employees on side. According to the latest missive, low employee engagement and lagging productivity is the greatest employment challenge facing UK business in 2013. Global research by Right Management  found that this was the key concern for one in three (31 per cent ) employers compared to a global average of just one in five (21 per cent ) HR professionals, suggesting that after years of economic uncertainty and doing ‘more with less’, the UK workforce has reached a productivity impasse. (more…)

Productivity challenges of modern office workers’ email deluge

by • Facilities management, Knowledge, News, Technology, Workplace

Image credit: <a href='https://www.123rf.com/photo_16117895_heap-of-letters-in-envelopes-falling-from-screen-of-modern-metal-office-laptop-or-silver-business-no.html'>scanrail / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Possibly the most perplexing picture of the modern office is whether technology has made it more, or less productive. New research by Warwick Business School has found that on average UK office workers deal with 40 emails a day and one in 12 with 100 messages a day, which can’t be good for productivity. Meanwhile another piece of research by psychologists at the University of Chester reveals the somewhat unsurprising fact that an over reliance on social media reduces the ability to maintain ‘meaningful’ relationships due to a lack of visual emotional cues – which could further cast doubts over the efficacy of remote working. (more…)

Employers missing employee health and productivity link

by • Knowledge, News, Workplace

Employers missing health & productivity link

Only a minority of employers understand the productivity benefits of their health and wellbeing initiatives, new research reveals. Towers Watson’s latest Health, Wellbeing and Productivity survey found that 66 per cent of employers thought the link between health and employee performance was a relatively limited part of their health and wellbeing programme, with the main drivers being the desire to be seen as a responsible employer and the need to focus on more preventative health measures to manage rising healthcare and disability costs. (more…)

Designing for productivity means creating space for us to be alone

by • Facilities management, Furniture, Knowledge, Workplace design

WilkhahnOn the face of it, the case for working in open plan offices is clear cut. Not only are they  more conducive to collaborative work and less bound by ideas of that great no-no that we used to call ‘status’, the economic case is seemingly open and shut. Open plan workstations not only take up around half the space of cellular offices, the fit-out costs are typically 25 per cent lower. And yet there are clear signs of a backlash, at least to the idea of them fostering collaborative work.

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Is being back in the office making you desk bound?

Is being back in the office making you desk bound?

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

According to the British Medical Bulletin, UK office workers spend up to three quarters of their day sittingMost UK offices were not designed with movement in mind. They were designed to fit as many people as possible into a given space, keep overheads manageable and ensure everyone had somewhere to plug in a laptop. According to the British Medical Bulletin, UK office workers spend up to three quarters of their day sitting. Scientific Reports puts it more precisely, between 68 percent and 82 percent of the working day is spent seated, the highest proportion of any occupation. (more…)

European workers upbeat about jobs despite low engagement, says Gallup poll

European workers upbeat about jobs despite low engagement, says Gallup poll

by • News, Workplace

European workers are increasingly optimistic about their chances of finding a new job, despite remaining having some of the worst engagement levels of any employees in the worldEuropean workers are increasingly optimistic about their chances of finding a new job, despite having some of the worst engagement levels of any employees in the world, according to new Gallup research. The results of the poll suggest that over half (57 percent) of European employees thought it was a good time to find a job in their local market in 2025, maintaining record highs and representing the region’s strongest increase in job optimism since 2011. (more…)

Businesses are currently more focussed on keeping down costs than growth

Businesses are currently more focussed on keeping down costs than growth

by • Business, News

UK employers are prioritising cost management over growth as rising business costs and global uncertainty continue to weigh on confidenceUK employers are prioritising cost management over growth as rising business costs and global uncertainty continue to weigh on confidence. This is according to the latest Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD. The survey of more than 2,000 UK employers found that cost management is now the top priority for organisations of all sizes and across all sectors, ahead of improving productivity and growing market share. (more…)

UK is trapped in reactive cycle of sickness and inactivity, warn wellbeing experts

UK is trapped in reactive cycle of sickness and inactivity, warn wellbeing experts

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Business leaders, policymakers and workplace experts have warned that the UK’s fragmented approach to work, wellbeing and welfare is undermining economic resilienceBusiness leaders, policymakers and workplace experts have warned that the UK’s fragmented approach to work, wellbeing and welfare is undermining economic resilience, with comparisons to Denmark highlighting the pressure placed on the NHS and benefits system in Britain. The warning came during a Westminster roundtable  for the Policy Liaison Group on Workplace Wellbeing chaired by Dame Carol Black on 13 May. The discussion followed shortly after the King’s Speech opened the new parliamentary session with a renewed emphasis on “economic security”. Participants argued that Britain’s rising levels of long-term sickness and economic inactivity will require a more coordinated approach involving employers, government departments, healthcare systems and insurers. (more…)

Aquablu launches the new REFILL+ Series 2 in the UK with AURA system

Aquablu launches the new REFILL+ Series 2 in the UK with AURA system

by • Company news, Wellbeing

Aquablu, the Dutch cleantech company transforming how employees access and enjoy drinking water, has unveiled the REFILL+ Series 2.Aquablu, the Dutch cleantech company transforming how employees access and enjoy drinking water, has unveiled the REFILL+ Series 2. Powered by the new AURA operating system, the Series 2 sets a new benchmark for sustainable, intelligent hydration in the workplace. Founded in 2018 in the Netherlands by Marnix Stokvis and Marc van Zuylen, Aquablu was created with a clear mission: to make healthy, sustainable hydration accessible to a billion people worldwide. Since then, the company has grown rapidly, partnering with major clients including Heineken, Adyen and Microsoft, and now operates in more than sixteen countries, serving over 100,000 workers. (more…)

Microsoft report claims AI agents will reshape organisations and redefine knowledge work

Microsoft report claims AI agents will reshape organisations and redefine knowledge work

by • AI, News, Workplace

Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index report suggests that organisations are entering a new phase in the evolution of knowledge work, in which artificial intelligence agents become embedded in everyday operations and employees take on supervisory roles over digital systemsMicrosoft’s latest Work Trend Index report suggests that organisations are entering a new phase in the evolution of knowledge work, in which artificial intelligence agents become embedded in everyday operations and employees take on supervisory roles over digital systems. The study, based on a survey of 31,000 workers across 31 countries alongside labour market data and productivity signals, suggests that this shift is already underway and could accelerate rapidly over the next few years. (more…)

Distractions at home undermine the benefits of remote work, study suggests

Distractions at home undermine the benefits of remote work, study suggests

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

New research from Durham University Business School suggests that remote work may undermine people’s wellbeing and productivity when domestic distractions interrupt the working day. The study, led by Professor Jakob Stollberger, found that interruptions from home life can disrupt concentration, reduce task completion and have a negative impact on employees’ wellbeing. Based on diary data from 87 remote workers across sectors including IT, finance and education, the research tracked participants’ experiences over a ten day period. Respondents reported their workload and wellbeing four times a day, allowing researchers to examine how work patterns and interruptions changed over time. (more…)

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