Search Results for: workplace

People would take a pay cut in exchange for flexible working

People would take a pay cut in exchange for flexible working

Almost half of UK workers would take a 20 percent pay cut if it meant they could spend more time at home with their families, according to new research from www.Hillarys.co.uk.  Over 2,000 workers were asked if they were happy with their work-life balance and almost two thirds (64 percent) stated they were not and would like some form of flexible working to help them. (more…)

Hiring the best people is bad for creativity

Hiring the best people is bad for creativity

A child's hand shows creativity covered in many paint colours and a smiling faceWhile in graduate school in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I took a logic course from David Griffeath. The class was fun. Griffeath brought a playfulness and openness to problems related to creativity and other issues. Much to my delight, about a decade later, I ran into him at a conference on traffic models. During a presentation on computational models of traffic jams, his hand went up. I wondered what Griffeath – a mathematical logician – would have to say about traffic jams. He did not disappoint. Without even a hint of excitement in his voice, he said: ‘If you are modelling a traffic jam, you should just keep track of the non-cars.’

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Employers still not doing enough to support working parents

Employers still not doing enough to support working parents

Working Families and Bright Horizons have launched a new report which focuses on flexible working and the reality of flexible jobs from the perspective of working parents in the UK. According to the report, the experience of parents shows that flexible working is widespread, although patchy in some sectors and for some workers. It is beneficial in helping parents get a better work life fit, although it is not a panacea. Issues around job design, workloads and organisational culture undermine some of the benefits of flexibility, and proper management of flexibility to ensure it works is, for many parents, missing. (more…)

Green Building Council launches framework for net zero carbon

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched a framework for the UK construction and property industry which it claims will shape the transition new and existing buildings to become net zero carbon by 2050, in line with the ambitions of the Paris Climate Agreement and a new government ambition.

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Retention of EU workers no more difficult for many UK employers

Retention of EU workers no more difficult for many UK employers

More than half of UK companies say the referendum result hasn’t affected their ability to retain EU staff so far, according to  research from REED. Despite this positive news, the poll of nearly 500 UK senior professionals for its research revealed that a third singled out getting access to EU workers as the biggest issue for their organisation around Brexit. However, there is also strong support for getting access to the EU market (44 per cent) with 70 per cent of those asked wanting a close relationship with the EU when and if the UK leaves the EU. (more…)

Is stress killing creativity and innovation in your organisation?

Is stress killing creativity and innovation in your organisation?

Around 90 percent of CEOs state that they are displeased with returns of their investments into innovation. Companies invest in innovation projects, hire innovation consultants, run innovation workshops, and send their best and brightest to conferences and courses on innovation, yet fail to see the magic appear. Angered by this, many companies double down, throwing yet more money on innovation, only to see that returns fail to appear.

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People with epilepsy twice as likely as average to be unemployed

People with epilepsy twice as likely as average to be unemployed

EpilepsyIn the UK approximately 1 in 100 people (600,000) have a diagnosis of epilepsy, yet despite anti-discrimination legislation, people with epilepsy in the UK are more than twice as likely as those without the condition to be unemployed. That is the main conclusion of a report from IES which included a literature review, interviews with for experts in employment support, clinical practice and applied research, interviews with six employers of different sizes across a range of industries and two focus groups of individuals with varied symptoms and employment histories. (more…)

Take up of office space in central London strongest for six years

Take up of office space in central London strongest for six years

British Land/GIC’s development at 100 Liverpool Street, EC2 office spaceThe first quarter of 2019 saw take-up of office space in central London at its strongest for six years, as it continues to outperform expectations. This is according to Savills, which also reports 1.16 million sq ft of new lettings being agreed in the City of London. In the West End, 42 transactions completed in March alone took total activity for Q1 2019 to 98 office lettings. In the City, there were 100 occupational deals for the year to date, of which 33 completed in March. The tech & media sector accounted for the largest share of take-up in the West End, at 25 percent, while the City benefited from a surge of serviced offices.

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UK should phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, claims government report

UK should phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, claims government report

productivity and environment greenhouse gasThe UK can end its contribution to global warming within 30 years by setting an ambitious new target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has said in a report today. But the habits of people and organisations will have to change dramatically. Ten years after the Climate Change Act became law, now is the right moment to set a more ambitious goal. Achieving a ‘net-zero’ target by the middle of the century is in line with the UK’s commitment under the Paris Agreement; the pact which the UK and the rest of the world signed in 2015 to curb dramatically the polluting gases that cause climate change. (more…)

Team activities more engaging for young professionals

Team activities more engaging for young professionals

Team activities designed to boost morale and strengthen relationships, are more successful in engaging younger talent than individual ones, a new report suggests. The research carried out by Perkbox and Talentpool claims that employer recruitment techniques are adapting incentives accordingly in a bid to attract top young talent, as young professionals today seem to like to prioritise ‘team’ over ‘individual’ in all of their everyday working practices. (more…)

Vast majority of accountants think there’s been a cultural shift in the profession

Vast majority of accountants think there’s been a cultural shift in the profession

Accountant at work cultural shiftSage has released its annual Practice of Now research report, which claims that there is a shifting cultural landscape in the accounting sector driven by evolving client demands and the marketplace. Of the 3,000 accountants surveyed worldwide, 90 percent believe there has been a cultural shift in accountancy as it enters the next decade. This shift is driving significant changes in hiring practices, business services and attitudes toward emerging technologies across the globe. (more…)

The impact of technology, cyber-risk and the future of corporate real estate

The impact of technology, cyber-risk and the future of corporate real estate 0

It’s no surprise to say that technology is having a significant impact on the workplace and the use of corporate real estate. The fast pace of change has seen technology impact all aspects of business, government and culture, as well as personal life, with a constant flow of new innovations and solutions helping us to do things more quickly and efficiently. Equally, technology also provides a challenge to business and, more specifically, corporate operations, with a whole array of disruptive technologies.

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