Search Results for: workforce

March 6, 2023

The six skills managers will need for the future of work

by Lea Kimpele • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

Conversations around how work and leadership will change in the coming years have inevitably been accelerated by the pandemic. Companies all over the world have been urged to seek new digital tools, solutions and methods for communicating, making decisions, and activating projects remotely. The companies that emerged most successfully from the Covid era were those that, despite all the uncertainty at the time, decided to adapt and view the pandemic as an opportunity for change rather than an obstacle. When it comes to the future of work, we need new guidelines for building change-ready and vulnerable leadership. (more…)

March 2, 2023

Pipeline of women managers has stalled in wake of pandemic

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

The leadership pipeline for women has hollowed out in the middle, according to a new study “Women in leadership: Why perception outpaces the pipeline—and what to do about it” from IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) and Chief. The study of 2,500 organisations in 12 countries and 10 industries found a small increase in the number of women at the C-suite and Board level (now 12 percent for both), and an increase to 40 percent representation of women in junior professional/specialist roles (37 percent in 2021). However, the pipeline for top leadership positions still hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels – 14 percent representation of women in senior vice president roles (18 percent in 2019) and 16 percent in vice president roles (19 percent in 2019). (more…)

March 1, 2023

Firms get that people want flexible working, but are still slow to act

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

Workers are increasingly demanding autonomy and flexible working options, but employers remain slow to respond, with only a small percentage increasing the number of flexible or remote roles, according to a new poll. Based on a survey of 4,500 people including 500 small and medium-sized business owners, Sonovate’s report, ‘The Future World of Work’ [registration] claims that although 70 percent of businesses acknowledge that the most skilled people will only work under conditions that favour them, they had done little to enable employees to work more flexibly and reduce outgoings. (more…)

March 1, 2023

Employers prioritising long term return on investment in recruitment

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

Following the ‘hiring frenzy’ of the pandemic, recruitment strategies are focused on total value creation by empowering their teams to learn, grow and be ready for any contingency, according to the 2023 Talent Trends Report from Randstad. The poll of over 900 C-suite and HR leaders in 18 markets focussed on their talent and career development priorities for the year ahead. Now in its 8th year, this year’s report claims that despite an uncertain economic environment, business leaders are focused on driving long-term value and business impact by increasing talent engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and retention, following the ‘hiring frenzy’ of the last two years. (more…)

February 20, 2023

Unlocking the digital frontier: hiring the next generation of tech talent

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace

Any business that is looking to grow its consumer base or expand into new markets is likely to be relying on digital technology to a greater extent than ever before both in their operations and management. This also means that the world of employment, both for workers and enterprises, is necessarily evolving too. An inevitable consequence of this evolution has been that those for whom technology has been an essential part of their life and education — so-called digital natives — are in growing demand. (more…)

February 16, 2023

Flexible working drives productivity and stronger company culture

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

Future Forum, a consortium launched by Slack with founding partners Boston Consulting Group, MillerKnoll, and MLT has published the latest findings from its global Pulse survey, which suggest that flexible working plays a key role in fostering organisational culture and has a significant positive impact on productivity. According to the poll, flexible workers were 57 percent more likely to say that their company culture has improved over the past two years compared with those required to be on-site five days a week—and they cited flexible working policies as the primary reason their culture is changing for the better. (more…)

February 14, 2023

UK businesses are out of touch with the real sources of employee stress

by Nick Gold • Comment, Wellbeing

The cost-of-living crisis is driving a wedge between employers and their staff. In a recent research report, we surveyed 500 employers to discover what they believe causes their staff the most stress. Surprisingly, an overwhelming 96 percent did not believe that employee salaries are a major stress factor for staff during the cost-of-living crisis. Instead, they felt major contributors included heavy workloads, long hours, and tight deadlines. (more…)

February 14, 2023

Flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for employers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A survey from CBRE claims that the imposition of more hybrid and flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for both employers and employees. The poll of 20,000 employees worldwide suggests that flexibility plays an important role for both employee and employer decision making. Other benefits include increased productivity and more innovative thinking. Flexibility about where and when work takes place was particularly important to workers. Around 40 percent of workers both globally and in the UK, noted flexibility as the primary factor in assessing job opportunities, with a company’s commitment to work-life balance another crucial factor. (more…)

February 10, 2023

Working parents are resilient, and a resilient team is good for business

by Erin Eatough • Comment, Wellbeing

Last week, Parent Mental Health Day renewed our focus on working parents and their resilience, the ability to adapt to change, deal with stress, and foster optimism despite difficulty. From a business perspective, resilience is the way that employees recognise and respond to challenges as opportunities to develop rather than as a threat or setback. Resilience is an important skill for us all as we manoeuvre through life’s daily trials and it is particularly important for working parents as we often juggle more responsibilities outside of the workplace. (more…)

February 9, 2023

Firms struggle to get a grip on people data despite workplace challenges

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Workplace

A new CIPD survey of business leaders claims there is a significant mismatch between the scale of the challenge that workplace issues currently pose to businesses and how often workforce issues and people data are discussed by senior leaders. In response, the CIPD is warning that organisations are unlikely to perform well in the long term unless decisions taken at a board and executive management level are informed by an in-depth and evidence-based understanding of the value and risk their workforce poses. (more…)

January 25, 2023

Half of tech workers bracing themselves for layoffs, but fears may be unfounded

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

Tech workers are pre-empting layoffs in 2023 and taking steps to protect their careers, according to a new poll from CWJobs. The survey – carried out among 2,000 UK tech workers – revealed more than half (53 percent) are pre-emptively applying for new jobs in case of redundancies at their firm. The research suggests that London tech workers feel at most risk, with nearly two thirds (63 percent) pre-emptively applying for a new job in case of layoffs – the highest out of any region. Young people are also more likely to make sure they have a Plan B in place, with 62 percent of 18-24-year-old tech workers actively applying for new jobs in case they are laid off, compared to 24 percent of those aged 55+. (more…)

January 24, 2023

Hybrid working remains a key recruitment tool

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Over four in five (83 percent) HR professionals across the UK say that hybrid working is essential in attracting the best talent, according to a new survey from flexible workspace operator IWG. The poll of 500 UK HR professionals suggests that benefits like hybrid working, which give employees a better work/life balance, are crucial for attracting talent. Almost two thirds (64 percent) of HR professionals have experienced applicants turn down a job because of a lack of wellness benefits such as flexible working and exercise options. (more…)