November 28, 2019

The four day week will make management support more important than ever

by Adrian Moorhouse • Business, Comment, Wellbeing

With work collaboration tools like Facebook Workplace growing more common and constant out of hours access to work emails, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between work and leisure. This lack of separation between the office and home risks creating a situation where we have less time to unwind. So it’s not surprising that the World Health Organisation officially classified burnout as an occupational phenomenon. Rising workloads, limited staff and resources, and consistently long hours are all contributing to half a million people in the UK suffering from work related stress, with 15.4 million working days lost as a result. Business and politics are hoping to buck this negative trend by finding ways of improving people’s work-life balance – most recently by experimenting with a four day week. More →

November 27, 2019

Worrying disconnect between small business leaders and workers

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

A new report from Microsoft claims that there is a worrying disconnect between small business leaders and their employees. Over three quarters of leaders (79 percent) say they disclose as much information as possible with their staff and 85 percent agree employees perform much better when empowered with information. However, just 36 percent of employees say their business has a culture of transparency, and even less (18 percent) think their organisation has a clear vision or goal. More →

November 25, 2019

Working carers occupy a blind spot and are suffering because of it

by Vivek Patni • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace

The working world has changed almost beyond recognition over the past half century. Historically, employers had to fulfill two criteria to attract the best talent: be large or have a well-known brand and pay well. Of course, priorities have shifted. Growing demand from staff for a healthier work/life balance including for the country’s working carers has resulted in flatter hierarchies and a more relaxed atmosphere, even in the largest firms. More →

November 25, 2019

Men refuse to discuss mental health for fear of being seen as a burden

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

According to new research only a quarter of men would openly tell their male friends if they were struggling with their mental health, with the majority preferring to make up an excuse, or give another reason. Despite 64 percent of men considering themselves good communicators, mental health is still a difficult topic to discuss with just under half (42 percent) not wanting to seem a burden to their friends. More →

November 22, 2019

Office design can be a vehicle for equality and change

by Jeni Durksen • Comment, Workplace design

The way companies design physical environments is a direct reflection of their values and beliefs. Inequality is hardwired into the “standard” office layout, with perimeter offices and fixed desks offering limited settings for unstructured collaboration and recreation, further perpetuating the issue. Modern office design often favours extroversion and emphasises a hierarchy with values that benefit only a small portion of the overall workforce, contributing to organisation-wide imbalance. So how do we create more inclusive workplaces that can be leveraged as vehicles for change? More →

November 18, 2019

The agile workplace: try to catch the wind

by Neil Usher • Comment, Workplace design

In the chilly hours and minutes, of uncertainty sang Donovan in ‘Catch the Wind’. That’s us, arriving at the agile workplace. We are all Donovan. The comment was recently made on Twitter that agile is “as natural as the wind”. Seemingly however, the anxiety and frustration generated by our experiences are proving as impossible as catching it. Change programmes issue us with a metaphorical bag to catch it in. Where the problem seems bigger we get given a proportionally bigger bag, forgetting the problem of mass.

November 15, 2019

One in five businesses plan to drop contractors because of IR35

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

A fifth of of UK businesses say they are planning to axe contractors completely to ensure they are fully tax compliant ahead of the IR35 changes planned for next year, according to a survey from recruitment firm Harvey Nash. The 2019 Harvey Nash IR35 Sentiment Survey (registration) of 1,200 businesses and contractors claims to reveal the confusion that still reigns around IR35 legislation among both contractors and the businesses that rely on them. The findings suggest that 83 percent) of businesses believe IR35 will impact negatively on their industry. Meanwhile 60 percent of contractors say they have experienced increased anxiety, stressing or worrying about how the new rules will affect them. More →

November 12, 2019

Uber Works may not be as good for workers as it is for businesses

by Shainaz Firfiray • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

Uber is still best known as a ride-hailing platform but it has been branching out into other industries. Food (Uber eats), electric scooters and bicycles (Jump), and now shift work with the launch of Uber Works. It is being trialled in Chicago, with plans to launch elsewhere soon, and enables casual workers such as cleaners, bar staff and warehouse workers to find work. More →

November 8, 2019

Lack of leadership stifles workplace creativity

by Neil Franklin • News

The UK’s workforces are being creatively stifled because of high pressure and a lack of leadership skills, a new study claims. A study of 1,000 workplaces published in Thinking On Your Feet, a report by the commercial arm of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, RADA Business, has found that almost half (41 percent) of UK workplaces implement practises that have a detrimental effect on employee empowerment and their ability to think creatively. The study also reveals that 75 percent of workplaces lack the right environment to enable improvisation to thrive, leaving workers feeling unsupported and stressed. More →

November 7, 2019

Short term spike in absence rates but long term trend remains downward

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Absence rates dues to illness or injury for UK workers rose by 7 percent in 2018 to an average of 4.4 working days according to new figures, published by the Office for National Statistics. During the full year, people took 141.4 million sick days compared with 131.5 million in 2017, when the figure reached its lowest since records began. The long term trend remains positive despite last year’s spike.The rate of absence from work due to sickness in people in the UK with no long-term health problems has halved in the past two decades according to the government data. More →

October 31, 2019

Freelancers say work makes them lonely, anxious and depressed

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Around two thirds (64 percent) of freelancers say they regularly feel lonely due to their work, with a further 59 percent saying they suffer from work-related anxiety, according the new research from office stationery and furniture suppliers, Viking. The survey also suggests that 60 percent say their quality of sleep is negatively affected by work, whilst over half (54 percent) read work emails on holiday. More →

October 29, 2019

Here is how you should handle racial discrimination in the workplace

by Karen Holden • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

While progress has been made with tackling racial discrimination in recent decades, it is clear that it still lives on in the workplace in less overt and more nuanced forms. A survey commissioned by the Trade Union Congress found that over 70 percent of ethnic minority workers say they have experienced racial harassment at work and around 60 percent state that they have been subject to unfair treatment by their employer. Karen Holden, Founder of A City Law Firm, is keen to outline the laws surrounding racial discrimination in the workplace and exactly what the employers responsibilities are. More →