September 1, 2021
Search Results for: working lives
August 23, 2021
Executives think work should be split 70:30 between office and home
by Neil Franklin • Comment, Flexible working
A new survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit backs up the most commonly cited form of ‘hybrid working’ by claiming that business executives on average think work should be split 70 percent / 30 percent between the office and home respectively. In A changed workplace after covid-19, published by The Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Kyocera Document Solutions, the authors argue that Covid-19 was a watershed moment in the way we work. (more…)
July 27, 2021
The carbon saving from just one virtual conference could power seventeen homes for a year
by Jayne Smith • Environment, Flexible working, News
Research from Ezra, claims that UK businesses can seriously reduce their carbon footprint by maintaining some form of virtual practice within the workplace in a post-pandemic landscape. While we all may be a little sick of daily Zoom meetings, the prospect of returning to big corporate conferences that often require a few days away from home may also bring on a cold sweat. (more…)
July 26, 2021
Older workers at risk of being ‘thrown on the scrap heap’
by Jayne Smith • News, Working culture
In face of growing skills gaps in the UK – post pandemic and Brexit – City & Guilds Group is urging businesses to stop the silver talent drain from the workforce by investing in upskilling valuable older workers – or risk further productivity shortfalls during the recovery period. (more…)
July 15, 2021
The weird science of personal creativity
by Robin Bayliss • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design
Perhaps the most famous single act of personal creativity – with apologies to Archimedes – is Mary Godwin’s moment of inspiration for the story of Frankenstein in 1816. It was born from a wet summer in a villa on the shores of Lake Geneva, largely spent with her future husband Percy Shelley, John Polidori and Lord Byron. The poor weather and isolation meant the party had to entertain themselves the best they could. (more…)
July 2, 2021
If you’re certain about the changing world of work, you’re certainly wrong
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Working culture
If you click on the first link in any article on Wikipedia and keep repeating the process, eventually you will land on the Philosophy page. Or you will 97 percent of the time, according to Wikipedia itself. There’s a dry explanation for this involving the site’s classification system, as explained by the mathematician Hannah Fry here. But there’s a more poetic explanation that I prefer. That every subject leads back to a consideration of ourselves, our lives and our place in the world. Anthropocentric maybe, but then again, the proper study of mankind is man. (more…)
June 18, 2021
Is it time to ban out-of-hours emails?
by Freddie Steele • Features, Flexible working, Wellbeing
The global pandemic has blurred the lines between home and work for millions of people around the world. Where once there was a clear distinction between being on and off duty, the demands of remote working and ever-presence of smartphones has created an ‘always on’ culture in many organisations. The trend has led to a number organisations in the UK to now call for a ban on out-of-hours emails in order to alleviate pressures on employees mental health. But is this really necessary, or even logistically possible, for the new world of work? We asked four leading experts for their thoughts. (more…)
June 17, 2021
Women struggling with almost twice as much fatigue and anxiety as men
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
As COVID-19 continues to limit our daily lives, forcing the Government to extend social restrictions into July, restrictions of a different kind are taking their toll on working women, and may be even longer-lasting, according to research from 87 percent. (more…)
June 15, 2021
UK and Western Europe have least engaged employees
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture
Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report claims that the UK and Western Europe have the lowest employee engagement levels globally at just 11 percent, but the region’s employees assessed themselves as having high life evaluations (55 percent are thriving) and low negative emotions compared with employees in many other world regions. (more…)
June 14, 2021
Never mind the agile workplace, here is something you already know
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design
The myth has it that John Lydon’s audition for the Sex Pistols consisted largely of wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt with the words I HATE scrawled above the prog rock group’s name. It appealed to the new band’s managers and its existing members at a time when they needed a singer with the right attitude as much as the right chops. Before Lydon’s involvement, bass guitarist Glen Matlock had taken to approaching anybody he saw of his age group with short hair to ask them if they could sing. This was a time when everybody had long hair.
August 27, 2021
I’m a Luddite. You should be one too
by Jathan Sadowski • Comment, Technology