January 22, 2021

Low paid workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic

New analysis by the Institute for Employment Studies has found that low paid workers are more than twice as likely to have lost their jobs during the pandemic and are at far greater risk of being temporarily laid off or having their hours cut. The research, funded by Standard Life Foundation, concludes that in this current lockdown it is likely that around two thirds of low paid workers – or four million people – are either temporarily laid off or working fewer hours than normal. This would be double the rate of work disruption for staff who are not classified as low paid. More →

January 21, 2021

Furlough scheme should be extended ahead of the Budget, says CIPD

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

With six weeks still to go until the Chancellor’s Budget, the CIPD is urging the Government to act early to extend the furlough scheme to protect jobs, support incomes and enhance skills development. Its calls are outlined in a report called The Future of Furlough – Recommendations for now and for any future wage subsidy. In order to support smaller firms who don’t pay an apprenticeship levy, the CIPD is also recommending the creation of a furlough scheme training fund of up to £100 million, which would be funded from levy-paying firms’ expired levy funds that would otherwise go to HM Treasury. The CIPD estimates that this could pay for training or outplacement skills development support for nearly 160,000 workers in small firms. More →

January 19, 2021

Improving air quality is key to making people feel safer

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News, Wellbeing

Improving air quality in the fight against COVID-19 could give businesses the edge over their competitors and attract more customers, according to a top UK university scientist. Writing in a new report for facilities services provider phs Group, Cambridge University Professor Paul Linden highlights the growing evidence for the airborne transmission of coronavirus and that tackling indoor air quality must be at the forefront of creating COVID-safe environments. More →

January 14, 2021

Over two-thirds of British office workers currently suffer from imposter syndrome

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

Asana, the work management platform, has launched a new research study, which highlights the increased levels of imposter syndrome, anxiety and burnout now being felt by British office workers. At a time when many workers are now facing the reality of a new national lockdown, over two-thirds (69 percent) claim they are currently suffering from imposter syndrome, and nearly half (45 percent) say this has increased while operating in a remote working environment. More →

January 12, 2021

Burnt out workers need to regain some balance

by Dan Zakai • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The pandemic and months of Zoom calls and remote work have begun to wear on us, so much so that in a recent survey from Blind – the anonymous workplace community app – 68 percent of respondents said that they are experiencing more feelings of being burnt out now, than they were before the pandemic began. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 29 percent of the respondents said their relationship with their direct boss was now worse than it had been before they began working remotely. And it’s not just top-down relationships at work that have deteriorated. More →

January 12, 2021

Workers feel overworked as a result of the pandemic

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Hardworking professionals are feeling the effects of longer working days and unpaid overtime, according to new research by law firm, Wright Hassall. The study claims that on average workers are performing nine or more hours of overtime in a given week, which totals more than one working day, compared to just three or more hours before the start of the pandemic. The research also claims that more than half (52 percent) are actually doing so without being paid for this. More →

December 11, 2020

Workers feel overworked as a result of the pandemic

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Hardworking professionals are feeling the effects of longer working days and unpaid overtime, according to new research by law firm, Wright Hassall. The research claims that the average worker is performing nine or more hours of overtime in a given week, which totals more than one working day, compared to just three or more hours before the start of the pandemic. What’s more, 52 percent are actually doing so without being paid for this. More →

December 10, 2020

Three quarters of US workers suffering from burnout

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A December 2020 online study of 1,136 employed U.S. adults carried out by wellbeing provider Spring Health claims that more than three-quarters (76 percent) of U.S. employees are currently experiencing worker burnout. The coronavirus pandemic — along with major political upheavals and natural disasters ranging from wildfires to hurricanes — has led to skyrocketing rates of depression, anxiety, and stress for U.S. employees, setting the stage for another crisis: worker burnout. Among U.S. employees experiencing worker burnout, 57 percent say worries about COVID-19 have been a contributing factor to their experiencing burnout, while 33 percent say worries about political issues have contributed to the problem. More →

December 10, 2020

Almost half of employees would like less work stress in 2021

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Statistics released from payroll and HR company PayFit claim that almost nine in ten UK workers are unsatisfied with their jobs. With employees working longer hours, increased pressure and limited opportunities for pay increases in 2021, the research indicates that overall employee wellbeing remains an ongoing challenge for HR leaders – whilst wellbeing trends are evolving. More →

December 10, 2020

UK tech workers prefer better work-life balance to a pay rise

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

When it comes to job satisfaction, Denmark tops the list of the best places to work in digital in Europe – beating the UK, Germany and France – according to the 2020 Digital Talent Global Work Happiness Index. The Nordic country scored highly for work-life balance, family-friendly working models, purpose, personal safety and personal impact, which describes how much impact an individual feels they are making to their business. More →

December 4, 2020

The lost art of office furniture peacocking and the growing mental health crisis at work

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

When Donald Trump was pictured recently sitting uncomfortably at a table that looked like it had been retrieved from a skip, it provoked the sort of sneering commentary about furniture choices last seen when Dominic Cummings popped in to the Downing Street garden to deliver some self-serving blather from behind a rickety trestle table. More →

November 25, 2020

Maternity leave causes women to lose out on £3.2 billion

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture, Workplace

Women taking maternity leave collectively lose out on £3.2bn worth on earnings, a fall of nearly half their average annual salary, claims new research from Direct Line Life Insurance. More →