July 12, 2023

Generations in the workplace: setting the record straight

If there were an algorithm to create a word cloud in response to searches for ‘What millennials want in the workplace?’, you’d expect to see Google spew out terms such as ‘flexibility’, ‘meaning’, ‘fairness’, ‘equality’, ‘inclusivity’, ‘opportunity’, ‘connections’, ‘socialising’ and ‘experience’. Do the same with ‘Gen Z’ replacing ‘millennials’ and – guess what – you’ll see the exact same word cloud, although perhaps in a different colour and order so you don’t think it’s based on the same homogeneous assumptions about younger generations. More →

July 11, 2023

Workplace generations express different demands of their jobs

by Neil Franklin • News

Even though people who belong to so-called Generation Z are often described as digital natives, it is actually ‘Baby Boomers’ who are most focussed on workplace technology, a new poll claims. The report from interior design and fit-out business Claremont claims that firms are having to work increasingly hard to address the needs and priorities of different workplace generations. It claims that Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) want better technology in the office to help them be more productive. They also want more face-to-face collaboration and team spirit more than any other generation. More →

July 6, 2023

Improved support for menopause could help women stay in work

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Women in the UK are urging politicians and business leaders to take steps that help them remain productive in the workforce for longer, as research shows more than half (54 percent) feel it would be difficult for them to raise issues, including menopause, with their employers and three fifths would also feel uncomfortable bringing up health and wellbeing issues with a male manager. More →

July 5, 2023

Most UK workers now expect to retire at 62 years old

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

A new poll of people aged between 35 and 55 suggests that most workers expect to retire at around 62 years old, four years earlier than the UK state pension age of 66. The report called Providing for tomorrow today: understanding an ageing workforce was commissioned by law firm Osborne Clarke. It surveyed employees aged 35-55 working in seven industry sectors across the UK. The report claims to identify workers’ current and future employment and retirement expectations and the impact these may have, not only on the shape of the future UK workforce, but also on employers in the industry sectors surveyed. More →

July 4, 2023

Members of European Parliament back charter to ‘revolutionise workplace wellbeing’

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Members of the European Parliament have backed a new charter from a consortium of organisations that sets out to ‘revolutionise workforce policy’. The Future Workforce Alliance (FWA), a consortium of policymakers, researchers and firms such as Zoom and Remote, has launched the European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing and claims that the step by MEPs signals the beginning of the life/work revolution and solidification of workers’ rights in the face of what it refers to as ‘return to office lobbying’. More →

June 29, 2023

Business leader express concerns about ethics and implementation of artificial intelligence

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology

A new survey of 1,000 global business leaders claims that although leaders say they understand how valuable artificial intelligence can be to their business, over two-thirds (69 percent) say their organisation lacks the skills to fully implement artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The report – AI IQ: Insights on Artificial Intelligence in the Enterprise [registration] – also suggests that the majority of business leaders believe humans should be involved in AI decision-making, citing ethical and data concerns. More →

June 28, 2023

Works roundtable explores the changing face of wellbeing and how to deliver it

by Mick Jordan • Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design, Works Magazine

The first day of Clerkenwell Design Week also marked the first birthday of Works, and we celebrated with a number of industry friends at the Goswell Road showroom of Andreu World. Before we could enjoy a birthday drink, however, we had to earn it, and did so by hosting a panel discussion on the subject of Designing Wellbeing at Work. Together with our elite panel of industry greats – comprising Alice Aldous – Associate at Squire and Partners, Beatriz Gonzalez – Director at Scott Brownrigg, Chris Crawford – Studio Director and Senior Associate at Gensler and Alejandro Pardo – North Europe Area Manager for our generous hosts, Andreu World – we looked to lift the lid on the strategies used to foster wellbeing, productivity, and employee satisfaction in the workplace. More →

June 27, 2023

Understanding the power of mindset and what it can do for you

by Lisa Collinson • Business, Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace

An individual’s mindset influences everything that they do. Built around a set of established values, beliefs, and attitudes, your mindset frames your outlook and guides your behaviour, demarking your perceived limitations. It’s something that influences every area of our lives, from the relationships we form to the way we approach challenges and change. When you’re working with people, implementing policies, and trying to get the best from your available talent, it’s vital that you understand what motivates your team members – and what’s holding them back. Understanding mindset, its power, and how to change it, can be transformative on both an individual and team level. More →

June 26, 2023

A balanced approach: making hybrid working work, and accepting it isn’t optional

by Mavis Boniface • Comment, Flexible working

Hybrid working is back in the headlines – not that it ever really left. A recent report from the Centre for Cities warns hybrid working will result in an “unintended economic impact” and is calling on national government and the mayor of London to do more to remove barriers to getting people back into the office. It suggests a freeze on commuting costs and calls for better collaboration between the private and public sectors to make working in cities more appealing. More →

June 26, 2023

Fifth of firms failing to meet flexible working demands of staff

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Employees are being denied opportunities to interact and collaborate with each other, with four-in-ten (40 percent) considering leaving their current job due to a lack of access to the right digital collaboration tools for flexible working. This comes as businesses fail to meet staff’s demands, with a fifth (20 percent) of human resources directors admitting they don’t know where to start in meeting their workforce’s flexibility needs. These are among the claims in a new report [registration] from managed workplace services provider, Apogee Corporation. More →

June 26, 2023

Over half a million people with long-term sickness want return to work

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

Analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data from consultants Broadstone, claims that between January-December 2022, nearly a quarter (22 percent) of those forced out of the workplace because of long-term sickness said that they wanted a job. With economic inactivity because of ill-health surging to 2.6 million people as per the latest estimates through February-April 2023, it suggests that over half a million people – around 560,000 – are keen to return to employment so long as they can improve their health. According to the firm, would be a major boost to the UK economy, employers struggling with staff shortages and employees grappling with the continued cost of living crisis. More →

June 26, 2023

Four in ten workers do not feel secure in their jobs

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Almost four in 10 workers (38 percent) do not feel secure in their jobs, as lay-offs across industries continue to bite, claimsthe ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2023: A Global Workforce View. Feelings of job insecurity are highest among the young. According to the survey of over 32,000 workers in 17 countries, half (50 percent) of Gen Z (those in the 18–24-year-old age bracket) say they don’t feel secure in their job. This is double the proportion of over 55s who say the same (24 percent). More →