April 24, 2024

Large increase in the number of people who say they are experiencing burnout

The number of Britons who say they are experiencing stress or burnout in the workplace doubled in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to a poll from Indeed Flex. According to the survey, 92 percent of UK employees say they have experienced burnout or stress in the workplace during their careers. However the strain has grown rapidly as post-pandemic labour shortages intensified workloads. In 2023 the proportion of UK workers grappling with poor mental health skyrocketed to 37 percent, almost double the 19 percent who experienced problems during 2022. A fifth (19 percent) of workers say they have suffered from burnout or stress in 2024 so far. More →

April 24, 2024

The role of emotional intelligence in effective sales leadership

by Freddie Steele • Company news

The sales industry has long esteemed the virtues of sharp negotiation skills and strategic thinking. However, a growing body of research suggests emotional intelligence (EI) is a pivotal force behind sales leadership success. More than just a buzzword, EI encompasses the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in ourselves and others. Leaders adept in emotional intelligence are often seen forging stronger relationships and achieving greater outcomes. Below, we explore how EI can enhance sales leadership and why it’s critical for those looking to excel in this dynamic field. More →

April 9, 2024

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

by Victoria J E Jones • 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 →

April 8, 2024

Prioritising your phone over your partner affects women’s creativity at work

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology, Wellbeing

Focusing attention on your mobile phone instead of your partner doesn’t just strain your relationship – it also affects creativity at work, according to researchers from the Universities of Bath, Aston, and IESE Business School. The study claims to shed light on the negative effects of ‘phubbing’, the idea of snubbing someone in favour of your phone, which is known for its detrimental impact on relationships and mental wellbeing. Now the study of working couples in the US points to repercussions in the workplace as well, but only for female partners. More →

April 2, 2024

Virtual meetings can boost wellbeing and performance

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Wellbeing

Virtual meetings – often derided as impersonal and prone to technical glitches – can improve employee wellbeing and performance, a new study led by a Trinity Business School researcher has found. The research, conducted alongside Karin S. Moser (UniDistance Suisse, University of Queensland), Stefan Diestel (University of Wuppertal) and Isaac Alshaikh (South East Technological University Waterford), conducted during the ongoing shift to hybrid work environments and just published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, concludes that virtual meetings, a staple of the COVID-19 pandemic, are not just a necessity but can also be beneficial. More →

April 2, 2024

Policy response will determine if opportunities of AI in the workplace outweigh the risks

by Marvin Gort • AI, News, Technology, Workplace

A new OECD report Using AI in the Workplace sets out to sheds light on the multifaceted impact of AI adoption, emphasising both its benefits and potential risks. According to the report, AI can bring significant benefits to the workplace. In the OECD AI surveys of employers and workers, four in five workers say that AI improved their performance at work and three in five say that it increased their enjoyment of work. But the benefits of AI depend on addressing the associated risks. Taking the effect of AI into account, occupations at highest risk of automation account for about 27 percent of employment in OECD countries. More →

April 2, 2024

Is working from home creating an epidemic of burnout and loneliness? Spacemade has an answer

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Since the pandemic, 69 percent of UK businesses have adopted a hybrid working model offering employees greater autonomy in their working lives. While this flexibility sounds ideal, it has unexpectedly created a work wellness issue, with employers reporting they have seen a 77 percent surge in mental health issues in 2023, vs 44 percent in 2022. In a recent survey by Statista, 21 percent of workers said that their biggest struggle with working from home was that they had no reason to leave it. More →

March 29, 2024

FAANGs for the memories: how tech palaces lost their lustre

by Helen Parton • Features, Flexible working, IN Magazine, Premium Content, Technology, Workplace design

I was alerted by the great Jack Pringle during a presentation course he was giving to an unforgettable YouTube clip of Steve Jobs speaking to the local council as part of a planning application for his Apple Park in California, one of the great tech palaces that sprang up in the wake of the digital revolution. Jobs, in familiar black polo neck jumper and wire-rimmed spectacles, took the officials of Cupertino City Council on a journey of opportunity, awe and inspiration. More →

March 28, 2024

Sick pay reform should encourage people back into work, government claims

by Marvin Gort • News, Workplace

A parliamentary committee of MPs has called for a ‘long-overdue’ boost to statutory sick pay (SSP), emphasising the need to strike a delicate balance between workers’ wellbeing and employers’ financial constraints. The Work and Pensions Committee has recommended aligning the SSP rate with the flat rate of Statutory Maternity Pay, a move that they say could significantly improve the financial safety net for workers. More →

March 27, 2024

A lightbulb moment about mental health and managing change

by Jennifer Bryan • Comment, Wellbeing

According to the British Medical Association, the rates of mental illness have been steadily increasing in adults and at an even higher rate for children and young people over the past five years here in the UK. Resilience is often discussed as that aspect of mental health and coping, which is paramount to the ability to spring back during adverse circumstances. More →

March 27, 2024

Highly organised CEOs can hold back a firm’s flexibility in times of change

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

CEOs who prioritise planning and organisation can find their skills make them a hindrance to their organisations when it comes to adapting to external changes, according to new research from Durham University Business School. The researchers say that this is because organised CEOs tend to be more rigid in their practices, thus making it more difficult for them to change their ways. The researchers also found that CEOs who are anxious and can get stressed easily also make it difficult for the organisation to adapt quickly. More →

March 25, 2024

Biophilic design has a long history and an even bigger future

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

There are plenty of definitions of the modish concept of biophilic design around right now. But perhaps nobody can top that of Erich Fromm, the sociologist and psychoanalyst who first described it in his 1973 book The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness as “The passionate love of life and all that is alive”. More →