December 4, 2024

Three quarters of recruiters think young people aren’t prepared for working life

A new poll from the the CIPD suggests that many UK employers believe young people aren’t ‘job-ready’ and lack important workplace skills, with a fall in earning and learning opportunities cited as a key reason. The new report, Changing Face of the Youth Labour Market, claims to uncover a number of worrying insights into employers’ perceptions of young workers and their readiness for working life. The study suggests that only just over a quarter (28 percent} of employers who hired individuals aged 16-24 in the past year believe that young people are well-prepared for the world of work. More →

November 21, 2024

Slow progress on sustainable buildings, RICS report claims

by Marvin Gort • News

The latest sustainability report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) highlights the continued challenge of embedding sustainable practices within the built environment, despite some signs of progress. While demand for sustainable buildings and investment remains steady, particularly in regions such as Europe, significant gaps persist in terms of skills, knowledge, and financial incentives. More →

September 18, 2024

Third of people would like workplace AI ban, half feel jobs are insecure

by Neil Franklin • AI, News

A new poll from CYPHER Learning claims that one in three workers would like to see AI banned from the workplace, while nearly half express concern that AI poses a threat to their future job security. The study, suggests that women, workers over the age of 55, and those in clerical or manual labour roles feel most at risk. The survey of 4,543 workers across the US, UK, and Mexico found that AI is reshaping job roles, with 63 percent of respondents reporting that AI technologies has already changed the skills required for their jobs. More than half of those surveyed (52 percent) believe that AI will either completely transform or have a major impact on their roles within the next two years. As a result, 38 percent of workers anticipate the need for retraining due to job obsolescence, and almost half (45 percent) are worried about their future job security. More →

September 17, 2024

Most people don’t feel that workplace conflict is resolved at their firm

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Only around a third of employees feel the conflict they experienced at work has been fully resolved, according to a new poll from the CIPD. According to the survey, eight in 10 (81 percent) employers feel they are doing enough to prevent and manage bullying and harassment at work, but just over a third of employees (36 percent) who experienced workplace conflict in the past year feel it has been fully resolved. More →

September 5, 2024

Managers and employees have very different ideas about the quality of their management

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

A new poll from Unmind claims claims that there is a significant discrepancy between how UK managers believe they’re performing and the experience of those being managed by them, with over two-thirds (67 percent) UK workers having left or considered leaving their job because of a bad manager. The survey of 3,005 office workers (1,500 managers and 1,505 employees) suggests that, while 83 percent of managers say they’ve had formal training in people management, only 63 percent of their direct reports don’t believe it. Two fifths (40 percent) UK workers say they don’t believe their manager has had sufficient training or the right skills to perform their role. More →

July 16, 2024

Put on your own mask first: Leadership strategies for stress management and emotional resilience

by Bruce Watt • Comment, Wellbeing

Put your own oxygen mask on before assisting other passengers. If you’ve been on a plane before, you’ve heard this saying. What would it look like if you put your own proverbial mask on before placing others? Looking after yourself first? As a leader, making sure that your own stress is properly managed translates to helping yourself so that you’re available to help others. When we don’t have a handle on our stress, it can reveal our negative personal tendencies, be it arrogance, melodrama or volatility. While those derailers have an immense effect on our ability to produce work, they also negatively affect those around us. More →

June 11, 2024

Two thirds of working parents considering quitting because of childcare costs

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

More than two-thirds (70 percent) of working parents in the UK have quit or are considering quitting their job due to lack of affordable childcare options, according to a new poll from Remote. The research explores the financial and mental impact return to office mandates and a lack of flexible hours has on parents, as well as outlining the consequences of what the report calls the ‘Working Parents Crisis’ on the UK’s workforce shortages. More →

May 14, 2024

People are spending more time in the office, but no sign of a full return for many

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology

Many of the UK’s tech workers are embracing a structured return to spending more time in the office, according to a new report. According to the survey of 2,000 people from Techspace, there has been a ‘notable shift’ towards embracing structured office time, with Monday to Wednesday emerging as the top choices for in-office workdays. The report claims that this preference indicates a growing recognition of the benefits of face-to-face collaboration and a desire for a more traditional office environment. More →

May 13, 2024

The Great Resignation has given way to The Big Stay, says the CIPD

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The luxury belief that was the so-called Great Resignation, appears to be over, even if you assume it ever existed. Workers are increasingly staying put in their current jobs and more employers are holding steady on staffing levels as the labour market slows, according to the CIPD’s latest Labour Market Outlook report. The survey shows more than half (55 percent) of employers are looking to maintain their current staff level – the highest level since winter 2016/17. The CIPD’s new report, based on a quarterly survey of 2,009 employers, also cites data from the ONS vacancy survey and analysis on turnover from the Labour Force Survey, with all indicators pointing to lower staff attrition in 2024 and trends returning to pre-pandemic levels. More →

May 9, 2024

While AI revolutionises the workplace, employees take charge and companies scramble

by Marvin Gort • AI, News, Technology

A new study claims to reveal a new dynamic unfolding in the workplace: a rush towards AI adoption driven by employees, even as companies struggle to keep pace. The 2024 Annual Work Trend Index from Microsoft and LinkedIn titled AI at work is here. Now comes the hard part highlights one particular finding: 79 percent of leaders believe AI is crucial for staying competitive, yet 60 percent worry their companies lack a proper plan. This leadership gap is creating a situation where employees are taking matters into their own hands. More →

April 22, 2024

AI is not coming for your job. But it will make it better

by Barry Murphy • AI, Comment, Technology, Workplace

“Artificial intelligence will outsmart humans, resolve all IT and business problems, and humans will not be needed in the workforce!” These are some of the most common misconceptions that too many companies and workforces currently have around AI and automation. To date, workforces have been inclined to broach AI with apprehension due to concerns that it will negatively affect or eliminate their jobs. Conversations have skewed towards the technology as a disruptive force, here to steal jobs and ultimately leave people redundant. A study found that 60 percent of workers are concerned about job loss in regards to working with Gen AI. Additionally, a further third worried that, despite AI being unable to completely replace them, it could make them less useful in the workplace. More →

April 18, 2024

Majority of young professionals feel happy about embracing AI in their lives

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

More than half of young professionals feel comfortable or very confident about the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in various aspects of daily life, while only 15 percent reported feeling unsettled or scared about the prospect, according to new research from CEMS, the Global Alliance in Management Education. Half (50 percent) also stated that social media impacts their life positively, while only just over a quarter (27 percent) feel that social media has a negative impact on their lives. Overall, 70 percent of graduates said that they feel optimistic about the future. More →