Search Results for: society

The weakness of purpose and the shift to problem-solving

The weakness of purpose and the shift to problem-solving

by • Business, Comment

A man with purpose and a direct approach to problemsBlackRock is one of the largest asset management companies on the planet. Each year, at the start of January, the CEO Larry Fink writes a letter addressed to the other CEOs of the world. In his New Year’s letter for 2020, Fink appealed in particular to his fellow CEOs’ sense of social responsibility. In particular, he focused in on the risks faced by the climate. “Climate risk is an investment risk,” and he called on all companies, both public and private, to create greater societal added value. “Society is looking increasingly to companies to solve social and economic problems,” he concludes, so asset managers should be encouraged to invest in companies with a ‘purpose’. (more…)

Preparing for a mental health epidemic is a shared responsibility

Preparing for a mental health epidemic is a shared responsibility

by • Comment, Wellbeing

mental healthWith the continuous impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health due to isolation, work uncertainty, and anxiety over health, the topic has been dominating the news, begging the question of how we can achieve accessible and cost-effective treatment for all and prevent the expected acceleration of mental health issues in the coming months. As we juggle a different type of work-life balance brought about by working from home and the added worry of how the pandemic is affecting us, there is no doubt that our daily lives have been disrupted. The statistics are alarming; 60 percent of adults reported their mental health had gotten worse during the COVID-19 lockdown, and 51 percent said their mental health has got worse during this period. (more…)

Firms must take a more ethical approach to technology, says World Economic Forum

Firms must take a more ethical approach to technology, says World Economic Forum

by • News, Technology

The World Economic Forum has launched a new report which sets out to define how organisational leaders can influence their companies and encourage the responsible use of technology and build ethical capacity. Ethics by Design” – An Organizational Approach to Responsible Use of Technology claims to integrate psychology and behavioural economics findings from interviews and surveys with international business leaders. It aims to shape decisions to prompt better and more ethical behaviours. The report promotes an approach that focuses less on individual “bad apples” and more on the “barrel”, the environments that can lead people to engage in behaviours contrary to their moral compass. The report outlines steps and makes recommendations that have proven more effective than conventional incentives such as compliance training, financial compensation or penalties. (more…)

Corporate inclusivity efforts must include disability

Corporate inclusivity efforts must include disability

by • Comment, Wellbeing

inclusivityWhen we think about inclusivity and diversity in the corporate world, we often think of racial and cultural diversity, gender, or LGBTQ+ inclusion—but one aspect that has been too long forgotten or ignored is the topic of disability inclusion. Caroline Casey, disability activist, CEO and founder of the Valuable 500 initiative, notes that though 90 percent of companies say they prioritize inclusivity in the workplace, just 4 percent of them include disability inclusion as a consideration. (more…)

Majority of employees struggling with ‘always on’ work culture

Majority of employees struggling with ‘always on’ work culture

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Working culture

employeesHeightened anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to employees working longer hours and taking fewer sick days, all the while becoming less fulfilled by work and life, according to the latest analysis from Aviva. (more…)

IWFM announces new framework for delivering social value

IWFM announces new framework for delivering social value

by • Business, Facilities management, News

social valueThe Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) has partnered with the Social Value Portal and National Social Value Taskforce to develop a new measurement framework for social value, designed specifically for the workplace and facilities management profession. (more…)

The lost art of office furniture peacocking and the growing mental health crisis at work

The lost art of office furniture peacocking and the growing mental health crisis at work

by • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

When Donald Trump was pictured recently sitting uncomfortably at a table that looked like it had been retrieved from a skip, it provoked the sort of sneering commentary about furniture choices last seen when Dominic Cummings popped in to the Downing Street garden to deliver some self-serving blather from behind a rickety trestle table. (more…)

Businesses must face up to risks beyond the pandemic

Businesses must face up to risks beyond the pandemic

by • Business, News

RisksThere’s no question what has occupied the majority of attention for risk managers during 2020. But Healix International, believes the all-consuming consequences of the pandemic could leave governments and employers exposed to other risks in 2021. (more…)

New think tank seeks to influence thinking on disability iat work

New think tank seeks to influence thinking on disability iat work

by • News, Wellbeing

two people talking to illustrate the growing number of disabled people in self-employmentA new think tank has launched today to mark the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with a Disability. Called ‘The Forum’, the think tank seeks to increase the participation of employers and disabled people in the development of economic and social policy at a UK level. (more…)

Leading universities lag behind on sustainability teaching, research claims

Leading universities lag behind on sustainability teaching, research claims

by • Environment, News

sustainabilityResearch conducted by EIT InnoEnergy, sustainable energy accelerator, claims that the world’s top ten universities including the University of Cambridge and Harvard University offer, on average, 2.8 courses focusing on sustainability and energy. This is compared to a global average of 5.6, as the accelerator calls for a more robust and comprehensive decarbonisation outlook by all major education players. (more…)

Work really has become much harder during the pandemic

Work really has become much harder during the pandemic

by • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing

The burden of work, Sisyphus by TitianThe pandemic has seriously altered how we work. According to statistics published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in September 2020, US$35 trillion (£26 trillion) has been lost globally in labour income. There has also been an estimated loss of 17 percent of working hours worldwide since 2019, with young people and women being hit hardest. And many of those still in jobs are working under very different conditions. (more…)

Younger workers suffer most from remote working, new study claims

Younger workers suffer most from remote working, new study claims

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Working lives

workersStaff need on average three days a week (2.91) in the office to achieve maximum productivity, according to a new study by ISG. In results from the UK-wide “The Power of Place” study examining the future of the workplace, employees believed that spending on average three days a week in the office would be optimal for productivity. When asked how many days they thought would be needed to optimise their wellbeing, workers cited on average over half a day less, 2.34 days per week, in the office. (more…)

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