Search Results for: workforce

Ageless workforce welcomed, despite sickness absence increase

by • News, Workplace

GRiD age research

One third (33%) of UK employers have seen the average age of their workforce increase over the last year, with three in five (59%) believing that the removal of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) meant they were more likely to recruit employees aged 50 and over. Older workers are viewed positively, despite the fact that, according to new research by Group Risk Development (GRiD), over a quarter (27%) of employers report increased absence rates or an increase in age related health conditions since the removal of the DRA. (more…)

Employees aren’t hiding their AI use to cut corners. They’re hiding it because they’re afraid

Employees aren’t hiding their AI use to cut corners. They’re hiding it because they’re afraid

by • AI, Comment

It doesn’t address why employees feel they need to hide AI use in the first place, and it risks making things worse. There’s a double bind facing employees when it comes to artificial intelligence. They’re expected to use it to be more productive, yet judged on how they do so.  Recent Deloitte research found that nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of the UK workforce has now used generative AI, a third of those users do so without their employer’s knowledge, and one in ten have used an AI tool that their employer has banned or would disapprove of. Separate Deloitte figures found show that one in six are even paying for AI tools they use at work out of their own pocket. (more…)

Four in five people say a lack of flexible working could be a deal breaker when going for a job

Four in five people say a lack of flexible working could be a deal breaker when going for a job

by • Flexible working, News

Nearly eight in ten employees say flexible working is important when considering a job, according to new research from workplace advisory body Acas.The vast majority of employees say flexible working is important when considering a job, according to new research from workplace advisory body Acas. The YouGov survey found that 78 percent of employees considered flexible working important, compared with 20 percent who said it was not. The findings come ahead of changes to flexible working rules under the Employment Rights Act 2025. Under the new provisions, employers considering turning down a flexible working request will be required to consult the employee before reaching a decision, and will only be able to reject the request where it is reasonable to do so. (more…)

AI skills divide risks leaving majority of workers behind, PwC finds

AI skills divide risks leaving majority of workers behind, PwC finds

by • AI, News

A widening divide between workers who are benefiting from artificial intelligence and those being left behind is emerging as AI use acceleratesA widening divide between workers who are benefiting from artificial intelligence and those being left behind is emerging as AI use accelerates, according to a global study by PwC. The consultancy’s 2026 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey found that 64 percent of workers had used AI at work during the previous 12 months, up 10 percentage points from last year. Daily use of generative AI increased from 14 percent to 22 percent, while 59 percent expect their use of AI tools to increase over the coming year. (more…)

Children are much more comfortable about the idea of working with robots

Children are much more comfortable about the idea of working with robots

by • AI, News

A new poll from measurement tech firm Hexagon suggests that younger people have very different ideas to older generations about the idea of working with robots.A new poll from measurement tech firm Hexagon suggests that younger people have very different ideas to older generations about the idea of working with robots. According to the report, across nine countries, children are growing up with fundamentally different expectations of robotics than today’s adults, shaped by growing up with AI and new experiences of intelligent technology. Four in five children (80 percent) say they are excited about robots, compared with 59 percent of adults. However, that generation gap varies dramatically around the world. (more…)

Men face greater career penalty for working from home, study finds

Men face greater career penalty for working from home, study finds

by • Flexible working, News

Men working from home for most of the week may face a greater career penalty than women when being considered for jobs and promotions, according to new research into attitudes towards remote workers in the UK and Germany.Men working from home for most of the week may face a greater career penalty than women when being considered for jobs and promotions, according to new research into attitudes towards remote workers in the UK and Germany. The study found that people described as working from home were rated less favourably than otherwise comparable office-based workers, with the penalty increasing significantly for those working remotely three or four days a week rather than one or two. Fathers and workers without children generally experienced larger declines in their ratings than mothers. However, the researchers cautioned that this should not be interpreted as an advantage for mothers. In the UK, mothers already received relatively low ratings when candidates were described as working entirely in the office. The research, led by King’s Business School at King’s College London, analysed almost 13,000 assessments made by around 5,300 employed people in the UK and Germany. (more…)

The AI utilisation gap: why employees use AI more deeply at home than at work

The AI utilisation gap: why employees use AI more deeply at home than at work

by • AI, Comment

While AI is becoming embedded in how people search, learn, create and organise their personal lives, its use at work remains comparatively limitedArtificial intelligence has crossed an important threshold. For most people, it is no longer a technology they are experimenting with occasionally; it is increasingly becoming part of everyday life. According to the 2026 annual WIN World AI Index, based on approximately 40,000 respondents across 44 countries, global AI adoption has risen to 74 percent up from 62 percent a year earlier. More significantly, 39 percent of people now intentionally use AI ‘often’ or ‘every day,’ representing a substantial shift from experimentation to actual habit. (more…)

Health insurance renewal: why you should review before you renew

Health insurance renewal: why you should review before you renew

by • Company news

The renewal notice for your business health insurance arrives. The premium is up, as it usually is. You approve it, the policy rolls over, and you move on to the next thing on the list. For most businesses, that is the entire renewal process. And in most cases, it is leaving money on the table. The business health insurance market is not static. Insurers reprice their books every year. New products come to market. Competitors adjust their terms to win business. The gap between what a business is paying on an auto-renewed policy and what it could be paying on a properly reviewed one is often significant, and it widens every year the review does not happen. This guide covers what a proper renewal review involves, what to look at, what questions to ask your broker or insurer, and why it is worth treating renewal as an active decision rather than an annual formality. (more…)

The best easy-to-use HR software for small businesses in 2026

The best easy-to-use HR software for small businesses in 2026

by • Company news

Running a small business means your time is always in demand, so every tool you invest in needs to make life easier. Human resources can quickly become one of the biggest administrative challenges as your team grows, with hiring, onboarding, leave requests, employee records, compliance, performance reviews and document management all competing for your attention.  Typically, a well-designed HR platform brings those tasks together in one place, helping you spend less time on administration and more time supporting your people and growing your business. The strongest platforms in 2026 combine simple navigation with practical automation, giving you professional HR tools without the steep learning curve that often comes with enterprise software. (more…)

Why the organisations seeing real returns from agentic AI are empowering employees, not cutting jobs

Why the organisations seeing real returns from agentic AI are empowering employees, not cutting jobs

by • AI, Comment

The launch of the UK Government’s AI Skills Compact reflects an important shift in how policymakers and businesses are thinking about artificial intelligence. Rather than viewing AI simply as a route to greater efficiency or reduced headcount, leaders are starting to recognise that long-term competitiveness will depend just as much on equipping people with the skills to work alongside AI as investing in the technology itself. (more…)

Is resilience a personality trait or a flaw in workplace design?

Is resilience a personality trait or a flaw in workplace design?

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Resilience is often ascribed to the individual, but are there other ways we could look at the issue, asks Carl LyonsResilience must be one of the most misunderstood issues affecting businesses right now. It’s used whenever people are struggling, and almost always aimed at the individual – be tougher, manage your stress, build a bit more grit. During countless conversations with leaders and teams over the last few years it has been seen that those words do real damage to people who are trying hard to do their best. When tiredness is no longer fixed by a weekend, when feedback lands as a threat, and when change is met with a sigh, it gets recorded under ‘poor personal resilience’, effectively telling people the problem is with them. I don’t think it is. I think we’re looking in the wrong place. (more…)

AI could increase the relevance of the physical workplace, Gensler report suggests

AI could increase the relevance of the physical workplace, Gensler report suggests

by • AI, News, Workplace design

Workers who regularly use artificial intelligence are spending less time working alone and more time learning and socialising with colleagues, suggesting that the spread of AI could increase rather than diminish the importance of the physical workplaceWorkers who regularly use artificial intelligence are spending less time working alone and more time learning and socialising with colleagues, suggesting that the spread of AI could increase rather than diminish the importance of the physical workplace. Gensler’s Global Workplace Survey 2026 found that 30 per cent of workers regularly use AI tools in both their professional and personal lives, a group the architecture and design firm describes as “AI power users”. A further 36 per cent are classed as late adopters who rarely or never use AI. (more…)

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