February 12, 2021

Mental health related workplace absenteeism costs soared to £14bn in 2020

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Wellbeing

The impact of the nation’s deteriorating mental health from Covid-19 lockdowns and other restrictions cost UK businesses £14bn last year, according to a study by Westfield Health. The cost of absenteeism from work due to mental health reasons increased last year by £1.3bn from 2019’s totals as work from home, travel restrictions, furlough and pay cuts changed the workplace for millions of people across the UK. More →

January 28, 2021

Right to disconnect should be enshrined in law, says EU Parliament

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The EU Parliament has announced that it would like to protect what it calls employees’ fundamental rights to disconnect from work which includes restricting the way employers might contact staff outside their contracted working hours. Although the right to disconnect is not defined by EU law, the Parliament has called upon the Commission to come up with a law allowing employees to disconnect from work during non-work hours without consequences and setting minimum standards for remote work. More →

January 14, 2021

2021 presents the tech sector with once in a generation opportunities

by Uta Dresch • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

The COVID-19 pandemic left businesses in an unprecedented position of having to rapidly adapt workplace practices and implement new processes at a moment’s notice. Of course, those companies that were already accustomed to home office set-ups and flexible hours were in a much better place to adapt to these changing circumstances. However, not all businesses were prepared for the sudden change to work routines. More →

December 9, 2020

Majority of employees struggling with ‘always on’ work culture

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Working culture

Heightened anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to employees working longer hours and taking fewer sick days, all the while becoming less fulfilled by work and life, according to the latest analysis from Aviva. More →

November 24, 2020

Work really has become much harder during the pandemic

by Eva Selenko • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing

The pandemic has seriously altered how we work. According to statistics published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in September 2020, US$35 trillion (£26 trillion) has been lost globally in labour income. There has also been an estimated loss of 17 percent of working hours worldwide since 2019, with young people and women being hit hardest. And many of those still in jobs are working under very different conditions. More →

November 11, 2020

Burnout, stress and disconnection are now our most urgent workplace mental health issues

by Catherine Flynn • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

This has been a tough year all round, particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to cause seismic shifts in how we live and work. Surveys across various countries indicate that employees are experiencing more feelings of burnout, stress and disconnection as the pandemic is taking a toll on people’s mental health. What’s causing this and what can we do to combat it? More →

October 29, 2020

Oslo tops list of cities with the best work-life balance

by Jayne Smith • Business, Flexible working, News, Working lives

Cloud-based access control company Kisi has released their 2020 work-life balance city index, highlighting how major cities from the 2019 edition have since been impacted by the global pandemic. While every city in the index suffered economic, social and structural consequences, the results of this year’s edition claim that having a safety net in place for workers made a large difference in how a city navigated the crisis. More →

October 22, 2020

The enduring appeal of the office to global employees

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

Tarkett, a provider of innovative flooring and sports surface solutions, has released the findings of the first of three Rethinking Workplace Surveys, which it is undertaking in collaboration with WKSpace. Questioning global office workers on their perceptions and experience of work and the office, the Rethinking Workplace Surveys will provide valuable insights into how best practice workplace design must adapt to the dramatic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. More →

October 2, 2020

Time for businesses to establish more meaningful wellbeing initiatives

by Jolawn Victor • Comment, Wellbeing

Over the years, mental health has become a prominent feature of wellbeing initiatives in many businesses, but especially in the wake of the pandemic. However, our research has found that more than half of the UK workforce (54 percent) do not feel that mental health benefits are a priority in their organisation. This is despite half of workers believing that mental health benefits are essential post-COVID-19. More →

September 25, 2020

Furloughed employees feel less valued

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

A new survey published by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) claims that while 78 percent of those who experienced a change in workplace felt that they had experienced positive impacts, furloughed employees have had a significantly different experience. More →

September 24, 2020

Under-35s face a confidence crisis at work

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Under-35s are in the midst of a professional confidence crisis, with work seen as a place where they feel isolated and afraid to speak out, claims research carried out by culture change business Utopia. The study which interviewed over 2,000 respondents across the UK, claims that workers under the age of 35 feel immense pressure to hold a standard of professionalism that shuns emotion and favours traditionally masculine behaviour, all the while juggling responsibilities at home. More →

September 22, 2020

Back to the floor: how life on the stock exchange has changed

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Let’s face it: there can’t have been many workplaces left untouched by the coronavirus pandemic. On the busy trading floors at the major stock exchanges and investment companies – and the big financial districts as a whole – life has changed considerably. More →