Search Results for: workforce

August 18, 2022

Hybrid working could be doomed by a failure to protect organisational culture

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology

A new report from Poly warns that hybrid working policies could be destined to fail if organisations do not protect company culture while facilitating “a return to office”. The report claims that getting employees back to the office is a challenge being fuelled by a reluctance to return, with employees citing concerns over work-life balance and productivity. This reluctance is exacerbated by rising bills and spiralling inflation, with the cost of living putting increased pressure on employee finances, causing them to potentially choose between traveling to work or spending that money elsewhere. (more…)

August 16, 2022

Two thirds of businesses set to increase borderless working over next 12 months

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A new poll from Perkbox suggests that a growing number of businesses are going to look to borderless working to resolve hiring challenges. According to the survey, almost two-thirds of businesses (62 percent) plan to increase the number of remote staff they hire outside of their main country of operations over the next 12 months. This drive is fuelled by technological advances over the past two years facilitating greater hybrid and remote working. There are a range of motivations, but the survey of 500 UK business leaders identified the top three as building a more diverse workforce to access a wider talent pool (35 percent), encouraging innovation (32 percent), and building a global workforce (29 percent) to service a wider customer base. (more…)

August 3, 2022

We can re-imagine the future of human resources

by Richa Gupta • Comment, Workplace

The world of work is changing rapidly. Businesses are having to make fundamental shifts to adjust to the emergence of new business models, technologies and the changing expectations of the workforce. This has left human resources teams all over the world needing to efficiently adapt the way they hire, develop and take care of their staff, with the most significant challenge being managing the needs of the current workforce, and addressing their future demands. (more…)

July 28, 2022

Generational careers divide opens up in wake of pandemic

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Almost half of UK employees aged between 18 and 24 think that COVID-19 has decreased the importance placed on their careers, compared to 35 percent of 55-64 year-olds. And more than half think the pandemic has negatively impacted their career progression, compared to just 35 percent of 35-44 year olds and 17 percent of 54-65 year olds. Those are the key findings of a poll presented in a report from Employment Hero, shows that COVID-19 has caused a widening generational divide in the career motivation and wellbeing of UK employees. (more…)

July 28, 2022

KI furniture helps Crunch Digital reimagine Swansea HQ for hybrid working

by Mark Eltringham • Company news

As part of their ‘return to the office’ following the COVID-19 pandemic, Crunch Digital, a digital media specialist that focuses on SEO, pay-per-click-social media, programmatic, technical, and creative services, wanted to create a new office space that promoted both safety and collaboration. The office design, carried out in partnership with Ministry of Furniture and KI furniture also needed to reflect the ethos and culture of the company and cater to a young and innovative workforce. (more…)

July 20, 2022

Toxic work culture continues to bedevil certain sectors

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Healthcare is among the worst industries in the UK for a certain type of toxic work culture, a new study by Delamere claims. The study claims to have identified the industries with the worst attitudes towards what it calls toxic hustle culture. Hustle culture refers to people feeling pressured to work tirelessly in order to constantly make money and be productive. (more…)

July 20, 2022

Enduring problems holding back success of UK government property strategy

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Public Sector

Longstanding problems such as poor data pose major risks to the successful delivery of the UK Government’s property strategy, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). Central government property, valued at £158 billion, is one of government’s largest assets. It includes offices, hospitals, academy schools, jobcentres, courts, prisons and museums. The Office of Government Property (OGP) sets the strategic direction for the management of government property. The Cabinet Office has categorised properties into 12 portfolios (such as health, defence and school portfolios), 10 of which are led by a single department or arm’s-length body. The Government Property Agency (GPA) sets and implements a property strategy for the government’s office and warehouse portfolios. (more…)

July 18, 2022

The future of work is asynchronous

by Adam Dover • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

In our pre-, post-, and mid-pandemic worlds, the corporate workspace landscape underwent – and continues to undergo – a great many adaptations. It is changing out of necessity so firms can survive in a new present and future of work. The way we work had never evolved as much as it has in the past 2 years. It was dominated by strict schedules, physical meetings and on-site technology only. As time passed and technology evolved, the 9-to-5 in-office schedule remained, and teleworking, despite being possible, was extremely rare.

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July 14, 2022

There are now fewer taboo workplace subjects, and we should talk about that

by Peter Nagle • Comment, Wellbeing

Rewind even a few years and issues like mental health were not really talked about in the workplace. Now we’ve seen dramatic improvements around certain topics, we should ask what other areas of employees’ lives could employers help with? There’s been a lot of discussion around what employers can do to support women going through the menopause. Though the construction industry is a traditionally male dominated sector, NHS Employers says that “Menopause is not just a gender or age issue as it can impact on colleagues both directly and indirectly and it should therefore be considered as an organisational. issue.” (more…)

July 14, 2022

Three quarters of young people worldwide lack skills needed for employment

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

Nearly three quarters of young people aged 15 to 24 in 92 countries with available data are off-track to acquire the skills needed for employment, according to a new report published today by the Education Commission and UNICEF to coincide with World Youth Skills Day. Recovering learning: Are children and youth on track in skills development? features analyses on development in early childhood, and among children of primary school age and youth. The data highlight low levels of skill among children and young people across all age groups, with young people in low-income countries the least likely to have those required to thrive, particularly in future employment opportunities, decent work, and entrepreneurship. (more…)

July 13, 2022

Confetti launches new collection of team building experiences as demand for DE&I in business increases

by Freddie Steele • Company news

With McKinsey & Company reporting that businesses with more diverse teams —whether that’s racially, socio economically or educationally— are 35 percent more profitable than organisations that are not, tech start-up Confetti, a website for booking virtual corporate development and team building events, has launched a new Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DE&I) collection of 27 distinctive team building experiences, aiming to release five new experiences every month. (more…)

July 1, 2022

Skills shortages lead to fall in wellbeing, increased workload and decreased profitability

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

According to The Open University’s Business Barometer 2022 report, published in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce, UK organisations are experiencing the knock-on effect of ongoing skills shortages, as more than three quarters (78 percent) report seeing reduced output, profitability or growth. The Open University’s annual report which sets out to provide an overview of UK skills , also highlighted the effect the skills shortage seems to be having on morale and wellbeing, as almost three-quarters (72 percent) of organisations say the impact increases workload on other staff. (more…)