July 23, 2019

Remote workers engage in harmful behaviour to signal commitment to employers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A new study, published in the journal Organizational Science and authored by researchers from the University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) suggests that employees who are physically present in the office are seen as more committed, more productive, and harder working than colleagues who work away from the office. According to the study of two major blue chip organisations, perceptions of hard work and commitment translate to greater career opportunities including promotions that are not as readily available for remote workers. (more…)

July 1, 2019

Modern comms tools can shut out workers

by Neil Franklin • Technology

The use of technology to support communication and collaborative working in an increasingly digital and flexible world is something many of us recognise. However, a global study released today by Avast Business claims this technology is potentially causing a divide in the workplace, with 40 percent of UK respondents concerned that less tech literate employees will be ‘shut out’ unless they embrace the latest chat, collaboration and digital project management tools. (more…)

June 19, 2019

Culture clash means one in ten non-native workers leave jobs

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

A new report from Jobsite claims that almost one in ten (8 percent) non-native workers in the UK have had to leave a job because of a culture clash or they felt they didn’t fit in, and a quarter (23 percent) of those working in multicultural teams feel their workplace has become less accepting towards their non-UK colleagues since the EU Referendum. The survey claims that over a third (35 percent) of non-native workers believe their career progression has been impacted whilst a further 13 percent think they have been overlooked for a promotion due to their cultural background. (more…)

June 12, 2019

People can hit career dead end in their fifties

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

With a rising retirement age and the prediction that by 2020, a third of UK workers will be aged 50 or over, new research from job board Totaljobs and recruitment firm Robert Walters found that many workers in their 50s find their career options and development opportunities are extremely limited.

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May 22, 2019

Rise in employment discrimination claims by new parents

by Marie Hillen • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

Nearly three quarter (70 percent) of employment law experts have seen an increase in women claiming they were fired when on maternity leave; the use of ‘gagging orders’ following pregnancy and maternity related disputes and an increase in men claiming harassment by their employer for taking paternity leave.

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May 15, 2019

Increase in number of FTSE 100 CEOs from tech backgrounds

by Marie Hillen • Legal news, News, Technology, Workplace

Digital disruption has led to a rise in the number of FTSE 100 CEOs with a background in technology, but age, education and gender diversity remain stagnant, claim the results of the annual Robert Half FTSE 100 CEO Tracker. It shows that the proportion of FTSE 100 CEOs with a background in technology has increased by 27 percent in the last year, with 14 percent of CEOs now having a background in the sector. (more…)

May 7, 2019

Employers still not doing enough to support working parents

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Working Families and Bright Horizons have launched a new report which focuses on flexible working and the reality of flexible jobs from the perspective of working parents in the UK. According to the report, the experience of parents shows that flexible working is widespread, although patchy in some sectors and for some workers. It is beneficial in helping parents get a better work life fit, although it is not a panacea. Issues around job design, workloads and organisational culture undermine some of the benefits of flexibility, and proper management of flexibility to ensure it works is, for many parents, missing. (more…)

April 29, 2019

Majority of organisations fail to offer menopause support

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Forth With Life, a company that provides blood sample analysis and bio-marker tracking to promote and support health and wellbeing, recently undertook a survey exploring the existence and effectiveness of menopause support options available in the workplace. Their sample group consisted of 1000 women, all over 45 years of age and in either full time or part time employment, from all around the UK. Of those women, 77 percent had already been through the menopause, or were currently experiencing symptoms.

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April 15, 2019

Black and other minority workers more likely to be in insecure work, claims TUC

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Black and minority ethnic workers are far more likely to be trapped in temporary and insecure work, according to a new TUC analysis published to mark the start of its annual Black Workers Conference. The analysis claims to show how BME workers are faring worse than white workers in the jobs market. (more…)

April 1, 2019

Against metrics: how measuring performance by numbers backfires

by Jerry Z Muller • Features, Workplace

More and more companies, government agencies, educational institutions and philanthropic organisations are today in the grip of a new phenomenon. I’ve termed it ‘metric fixation’. The key components of metric fixation are the belief that it is possible – and desirable – to replace professional judgment (acquired through personal experience and talent) with numerical indicators of comparative performance based upon standardised data (metrics); and that the best way to motivate people within these organisations is by attaching rewards and penalties to their measured performance. (more…)

March 28, 2019

Gender diversity celebrated at London event

by George Eltringham • News

Intuit UK yesterday hosted almost 200 women, with diverse backgrounds across class, ethnicity and age, who are part of The Pipeline’s alumni of their Leadership Summit programme. Over 50 percent of women in the room who attended Leadership Summit have been promoted or have broadened their role since finishing the programme.
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February 27, 2019

Digitisation and culture of uncertainty lead employees to seek stability

by Sara Bean • AI, Technology, Workplace

Job security is the top reason employees in the UK joined their company, and also the main reason they stay, according to Mercer’s 2019 Global Talent Trends study. With close to one in three employees being concerned that AI and automation will replace their job, senior managers are also worried about the effects of digitisation, with nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of executives in the UK predicting t significant disruption in the next three years, compared to 23 percent in 2018. Mercer’s global findings reveal a similar story finding that as executives focus on making their organisations “future-fit”, significant human capital risks – including the ability to close the skills gap and overcome employee change fatigue – can impede transformation progress. Addressing these concerns is paramount, given that less than one in three executives rate their company’s ability to mitigate the effect on employees as very effective.