Standing back from these changes one important theme emerges. We have had to let go of some of our time-honoured product selection processes – with all their checks and balances – and we have empowered individuals and small teams to make more decisions outside of the corporate machine. For many, […]
working
Business is discovering the cost of home working
What is the Government more concerned about – a second wave or the economy? It’s hard to figure out. It almost beggars belief that more than six months after the pandemic began, ministers have yet to find ways of better reconciling the two. Instead, they pull both ways. From tax and […]
Meet the workers fighting back against bosses who spy on them while working from home
Yet despite the rapid adoption of software designed to spy on staff, few people are comfortable with the change. More than 70pc of staff said the trend was likely to erode trust between them and their employers. That may help explain why now some employees are fighting back against corporate surveillance software with their own tools designed […]
The working from home experiment has been too successful
“Having some sort of property footprint is important because it’s a meeting place in a people business. It’s also a meeting place for our clients,” he says. Offices also help to create a sense of togetherness among colleagues, he adds. Hiscox, the insurer, reopened its London office over a month […]
Flexible working options must become the norm post-lockdown now we’ve shown it can be done
Life is beginning to return to normal, with shops open and pubs and hospitality venues preparing to unlock their doors. Many of us will be desperate to get back to the way things were – but perhaps not in every area of life. The lockdown has shown that for many […]
What will Britain look like if working from home is forever?
“I often can’t believe the difference in our mental health and productivity,” says Sara Elsam. “I have lived in cities all my life, from Cairo to London, and the peace out here is kind of magical… even the cat’s standard of life has improved.” The 30-year-old freelance journalist and broadcaster […]
Singapore stress levels show working from home is no holiday
SINGAPORE — The emails come at 9 p.m., and Claire Ng feels obliged to respond right away. The 29-year-old communications executive in Singapore has been putting up with this for months, since the government urged telecommuting as a coronavirus safety measure. She used to clock off at 6 p.m. most […]
59% of ad agency employees working longer during pandemic, study says
Dive Brief: More than half (59%) of employees at advertising and marketing agencies said they were working longer hours as the coronavirus pandemic led many cities and states to issue stay-at-home orders, per a study that professional social network Fishbowl shared with Marketing Dive. The percentage was slightly higher than […]
Working from home will mean permanent changes to office life
As far as employers are concerned, the biggest risk is that their staff split into a two-tier workforce – the office class and the work-from-home class. Perceived discrimination against either group when it comes to career opportunities or pay differences mean a potential wave of lawsuits. The divide could be particularly […]
Time to experiment with 4-day working weeks: Lynda Gratton
TOKYO — The coronavirus pandemic has made the issue of longevity even more relevant given that the damage to financial markets could force people into longer working lives, Lynda Gratton, a leading expert on human resources and organizational behavior, told Nikkei. She also expects more flexible work patterns to emerge […]