September 1, 2021
Search Results for: remote working
August 27, 2021
Growing health concerns and preference for hybrid work among US employees
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Working lives
Envoy has released the results from its latest Return to Work report that gauges sentiment among 1,000 US employees who have returned to the workplace within the past year. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, many companies are wrestling with the decision to postpone reopenings, even as scores of office workers are already back in the workplace. (more…)
August 13, 2021
The future of work will be shaped by the needs of workers
by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace design
As the UK government has withdrawn its advice for employees to work from home, more organisations than ever will be instituting what have become known as hybrid working models: 68 percent globally, according to research from Steelcase. Definitions of “hybrid work”, however, are often contradicting and unclear – leaving business leaders without definitive guidance about how to approach the future of work. To provide businesses with a more concrete view of what hybrid working looks like in reality, and provide tangible actions to help streamline productivity and collaboration, Steelcase have researched the experiences and needs of workers worldwide in their report: Changing Expectations and the Future of Work. (more…)
August 12, 2021
Almost half of UK firms have decreased their research and development since covid-19
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Technology
Almost half (45 percent) of UK firms have decreased their research and development initiatives during the covid-19 pandemic, with even 18 percent of firms halting theirs altogether, according to new research from Durham University Business School. (more…)
August 10, 2021
The reason we can’t stomach so many opinions on the future of work
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design
There’s a scene in the 1986 horror movie The Fly in which Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) persuades the reporter Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) to try two steaks, one of which Brundle has just sent between two teleportation pods in an effort to work out why they can’t process organic matter, including the organic matter belonging to a very unfortunate baboon. (more…)
August 6, 2021
Managers and workers have different perception of the future ‘employee experience’
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology, Working culture
A gap is emerging between executive and employee perceptions on the future of the ’employee experience’, according to a report from Gartner. The 2021 Gartner Hybrid Work Employee Survey of 4,000 employees in January 2021 claims that there are six perception gaps that employers must resolve. The Gartner survey claims that 75 percent of executive leaders believe they are already offering a flexible employee experience, yet only 57 percent of employees indicate that their organisational culture embraces flexible working. Further, nearly three-quarters of executives believe the business understands how flexible work patterns support employees, but only half of employees share this view. (more…)
August 4, 2021
No rush to get back to the office despite easing of restrictions
by Alexandra Anders • Comment, Flexible working, Working culture
Restrictions may have been lifted but there is no major rush for everyone to head back to the office. Many firms are being cautious about bringing employees back and the official government guidance is for employers to plan a gradual, safe return to places of work. Official guidelines aside, this doesn’t even start to factor in employees’ own attitudes to being back in the office. Certainly, there are plenty of people itching to be in and amongst the buzz of an office, popping out somewhere different each day for lunch and having that commute to distance work and home life. (more…)
July 28, 2021
Firms continue to underestimate employee turnover threat, study claims
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace
A new study from communications agency Zeno Group claims that businesses continue to underestimate the chances of an increase in employee turnover as a result of changing attitudes towards work. According to the survey, while companies often focus on addressing their disengaged or disgruntled groups, the study finds that 58 percent of satisfied employees in the UK now report being open to new opportunities, with many actively searching. In addition, those surveyed report their employers do not recognize this reality, with just 20 percent of respondents saying their employers think many workers are looking for new roles elsewhere. (more…)
July 23, 2021
The unshocking truth about work and workplaces
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design
I recently read an interesting little book called Office by Sheila Liming. It’s a small book, easy to read in a sitting and linked to a series of essays in The Atlantic. The author is a Professor of English so it’s no surprise to find that it’s beautifully written and draws on a range of sources to illustrate its points. It’s pretty sound on its own terms but also illustrates perfectly what is wrong with so many current narratives about work. The writing may not be clichéd but the thinking often is. (more…)
July 23, 2021
HRIS software sets out on a people-centric future
by Freddie Steele • Company news, Technology, Workplace
In the past, Human Resources Information System (HRIS) software was largely created with the needs of HR professionals and system administrators in mind. The future of HRIS however, is an employee-centric system which has been come to be known as an Employee Experience Platform (EXP). PeopleSpheres is an EXP that centralizes all HR functions within a single portal. With this tool, employees and HR teams alike can seamlessly navigate between the different HR applications within their organisation while being confident that they have the best tools on the market to manage each part of the employee life cycle. (more…)
June 30, 2021
Employees consider leaving jobs if health and sustainability expectations go unmet
by Jayne Smith • Environment, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing
Returning to the office is causing a growing rift between workers and managers according to a new report from NEXT Energy Technologies, Inc. The report claims most employees (74 percent) are willing to leave their jobs if existential issues like health and sustainability are not adequately addressed in the workplace. (more…)





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August 23, 2021
Executives think work should be split 70:30 between office and home
by Neil Franklin • Comment, Flexible working