Search Results for: social distancing

The pandemic may have changed our personalities, say researchers

The pandemic may have changed our personalities, say researchers

by • Flexible working, News

While we often view personality as a fixed entity, a new study suggests the COVID-19 pandemic may have left a subtle but enduring mark on some aspects of our personalities. Published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the research suggests that while significant personality changes weren’t widespread, conscientiousness levels generally increased throughout the pandemic, while extraversion dipped slightly. Interestingly, openness to new experiences remained relatively stable. More →

Being furloughed affected people’s sense of time and relationship with work

Being furloughed affected people’s sense of time and relationship with work

by • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace

Between March 2020 and September 2021, millions of workers furloughed under the UK government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme lived what for many of us is a dream: being paid not to work. Through interviews, I’ve researched the impact of this time on 35 people who were furloughed under the scheme. I found that for some, furlough created opportunities for reflection and growth, but for most of my interviewees it was a time of uncertainty and disorientation. More →

The final word on … responsibility

The final word on … responsibility

by • Business, Comment

There have been many experiments  over the years that expose the darker aspects of human nature. One of the most telling of these was carried out by two American researchers called John Darley and Bibb Latane in 1968. The two men’s work was partly inspired by a notorious 1964 murder in which a woman called Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in public. The murder took place over a period of around half an hour, during which a number of witnesses who watched the crime from their windows failed to help the victim.

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Early detection of COVID-19 in the workplace

Early detection of COVID-19 in the workplace

by • Company news

A Thermo Fisher Scientific site has managed to avoid an uptick in cases of COVID-19 thanks to the installation of cutting edge techMost workplaces have returned to full operational capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic, with the majority of restrictions being lifted, much to the delight of staff. Unfortunately, the initial relief of newfound freedom has been short lived, as the relaxation of rules continues to result in surges of COVID-19 cases, forcing some production facilities to close down due to high levels of employee sickness. A Thermo Fisher Scientific manufacturing site in Erlangen, Germany, has managed to avoid this situation, thanks largely to the installation of air sampling equipment that flags any positive cases in its vicinity. This article describes how this early warning system allows individuals to test and self-isolate if necessary, and discusses how this has improved employee peace of mind and ultimately contributed to limiting the spread of the disease within the facility. More →

Always connected in the age of disconnection

Always connected in the age of disconnection

by • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing

All of humanity’s problems,” the French scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in 1654, “stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” He may have been right, but then again, sitting in a room alone isn’t necessarily a great state of permanent being either. There was a time we used to talk with dismay about the Japanese phenomenon of intense social distancing known as hikikomori. We would consider with horror the isolation, lack of engagement with society, poor mental health and loneliness of the people who had almost completely withdrawn to their rooms. Those poor bastards locked up in enclosed spaces linked to the outside world only by screens. More →

Retrofit offers the greatest opportunity for a commercial property market beset by uncertainty

Retrofit offers the greatest opportunity for a commercial property market beset by uncertainty

by • Environment, News, Property

Retrofit an opportunity for commercial propertyIn the context of a second major economic shock from war in Ukraine and continuing inflationary concerns, the PWC / ULI report Emerging Trends in Real Estate Global Outlook 2022 focuses on the global outlook for the real estate industry increasing pressure for finance to support the decarbonisation of real estate. The industry challenges lenders and their regulators to provide debt for the retrofit of existing buildings and the scale-up of the ‘climate tech’ needed. More →

Toxic workplace habits continue to undermine wellbeing

Toxic workplace habits continue to undermine wellbeing

by • News, Wellbeing

New research by Bupa claims there are five toxic workplace habits that are especially harmful to employee wellbeing, including ‘chronic procrastination’ and ‘workplace stress’. As a result,  UK employees are actively searching for advice on how to manage their wellbeing at work. More →

Pandemic highlights the need for smarter, more adaptable offices and cities

Pandemic highlights the need for smarter, more adaptable offices and cities

by • Features, Technology

pandemic and smart citiesThe coronavirus pandemic is a new experience for every one of us. It has changed life as we know it – at work, at home and for public interactions. As some countries start to ease restrictions on public life, how can we go back to ‘normal’ while still maintaining social distancing and feeling safe? How do we manage crowded public spaces like shopping malls, cinemas and restaurants? How do we optimize safety in our offices and factories? More importantly, how do we avoid shutting down entire cities and countries when the next pandemic hits? More →

Winds of change are blowing through the office

Winds of change are blowing through the office

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Whilst driving through Zürich in a hailstorm I passed a Mercedes with a plastic bin liner taped over a missing window. Two thoughts struck me. First: this must be the result of the owner locking himself out of the car, as car crime is a fictional event in Switzerland (bike theft is preferred). The second was how utterly pointless this flapping piece of plastic served as an attempt to seal the broken window. More →

Millions of workers feel rushed back to the office before being ready

Millions of workers feel rushed back to the office before being ready

by • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

With more than 13.5 million workers having returned to their place of work for at least one day a week, more than four million say that they do not feel entirely safe doing so, claims new research by Direct Line Life Insurance. Some 5.5 million workers would work from home permanently if given the option and 3.6 million feel as though they are being rushed back in by their employer. More →

Impact of flexible work demonstrates a fragile post-pandemic business world

Impact of flexible work demonstrates a fragile post-pandemic business world

by • Flexible working, News

impactLucid and Vitreous World, have launched the results of new research that surveyed individuals across the UK to analyse employee sentiment and the impact of flexible work as a direct result of the pandemic. More →

The importantance of women’s friendships in the workplace

The importantance of women’s friendships in the workplace

by • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

friendshipsThe company of your work friends can make a long day fly by, with many of us finding long lasting friendships in the workplace. To find out more about how much people love their colleagues, Rovva conducted a survey of 1,000 workers across the UK. More →

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