October 15, 2020
Search Results for: productivity
October 15, 2020
The office has the potential to adapt to meet new needs
by Jayne Smith • News, Working lives
80 percent of us want to get back to the office, according to a new report from Dale Office Interiors, but only if they become more than just “places to work”. The research, which surveyed the opinions of UK employees and HR professionals, suggests a disconnect between what we believe offices should do, and the performance of our actual real-world offices – a problem HR heads feel is all the more stark now that we face a return to the office in a post-COVID world. (more…)
October 14, 2020
Uncompetitive companies pose threat to future prosperity
by Jayne Smith • Business, News
A new model of competitiveness devised by academics at Goldsmiths, University of London in partnership with Microsoft scores almost half (46 percent) of UK firms in the lowest quadrant, posing a threat to Britain’s prosperity as organisations rally from the impact of COVID-19, and prepare for Brexit as UK-EU negotiations reach their conclusion that such uncompetitive companies pose a serious threat to the country’s future prosperity . (more…)
October 13, 2020
Matrix of pain threatens new era of hybrid working life
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, Working lives
Organisations could be caught up in a matrix of pain if they do not carefully manage the new realities of hybrid working, claims Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA). The management consultancy has identified at least five different classes of workers and failure to create strategies to manage them could lead to a potential loss of momentum and productivity for employers. (more…)
October 9, 2020
Working from home seems to relieve the burden of imposter syndrome
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Working lives
In a new study of around 2,000 workers conducted in partnership with the University of Nottingham, Totaljobs claims to have seen a 57 percent decrease in feelings of imposter syndrome compared to a similar survey last year, with just 3 in 10 workers in 2020 finding themselves experiencing feelings of what the study describes as Imposter Phenomenon. The 2019 study claims that 7 in 10 workers in the UK had suffered from complex ‘imposter’ feelings that can sabotage careers and harm our mental health. (more…)
October 9, 2020
Home workers in America spend four percent of their week resolving tech issues
by Jayne Smith • News, Technology
There are some good things about working in an office. Constant supplies of tea and coffee (if you’re lucky), gossip with your co-workers, and paper clips in every colour. But one of the best things has to be that when something goes wrong with your computer, the in-house IT helpdesk will have it sorted out quicker than you can say ‘so which buttons do you want me to press?!’ However, home workers don’t have this luxury. (more…)
October 8, 2020
Most people with mental health issues would prefer a robot therapist to a human
by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Wellbeing
2020 has been the most stressful year in history for the global workforce and people want robots to help, according to a new study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm. The study of more than 12,000 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives across 11 countries claims that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased workplace stress, anxiety, burnout and other mental health issues for people all around the world, and would prefer a robot instead of other people to help. (more…)
October 5, 2020
Coronavirus will lead to a permanent change in the way we work
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News
Coronavirus will have a lasting impact on office use and levels of remote and flexible working, new figures from the Institute of Directors suggest. That is the unsurprising findings of a survey of close to a thousand company directors conducted in September. The poll claims nearly three quarters (74 percent) of respondents said their firms would maintain increased levels of remote and flexible after the pandemic ends. (more…)
October 2, 2020
Post-COVID environment will drive demand for flexible office space
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News
Employees are proving keen to return to the office, reporting that they miss the human and social interaction that the office facilitates. At the same time, while employees show a strong affinity for the office, they also desire the ability to have the option to work from home 1-2 days per week on average according to a recent JLL global study of 3,000 workers. The trend towards workplace mobility was not created as a result of the pandemic, but it was certainly accelerated by it. As a result, agile work strategies are expected to increase in a post-pandemic world, reinvigorating demand for flexible space. (more…)
September 30, 2020
People still prefer permanent jobs despite rise in number of freelance roles
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives
Workers (82 percent) would rather have permanent jobs than “be their own boss” in a freelance or contract role, even as the self-employed and gig economy has grown rapidly in recent years, claims new research from the ADP Research Institute. Many workers believe that permanent work is preferable for a host of reasons including regular hours, better pay, timely payments, and the ability to get credit. (more…)
September 30, 2020
Remote work is harming workplace friendships, survey claims
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
Friendships at work have long been a debated topic pre-COVID: arguments either side profess these to be both conducive or a hindrance to productivity and creativity. Yet, according to research into the state of employee wellbeing conducted by Perkbox, 45 percent of 1,296 respondents say that maintaining emotional wellbeing still remains one of the biggest remote work challenges facing businesses, with 65 percent believing that workplace friendships – now even more critical in the ‘new working world’ – are suffering. (more…)
October 14, 2020
The world may be going mad, but we don`t have to
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Working culture