Future of Work - Q4 2020

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Q4 / 2020

Future of work Full campaign on www.businessandindustry.co.uk

“Existing labour market inequalities may become entrenched if permanent teleworking is adopted in the long-term.”

“In a world shaped evermore by our creativity, those working together are most likely to thrive.”

“There has never been a more important time to make sure that your purpose and values are baked into every strategic decision.”

Lamla Kamal-Chaoui, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD

Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive, The British Council for Offices

Nicola Inge, Employment and Skills Director, Business in the Community

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IN THIS ISSUE

06

Teleworking: The new unequal normal?

Once regarded as a perk, teleworking is now a necessity. While this ‘new normal’ has saved some jobs, not every person, place or business has fared equally.

N

“It’s never been more important that employers invest in employee mental health.”

Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing, Mind

08 “Any strategy to protect jobs ultimately has to have business creation at its heart.”

Emilia Quist, Senior Policy Advisor, The Federation of Small Businesses

10 “COVID-19 has strengthened community spirit across society.”

Robin Brodie Cooper, Senior Vice-President of The British Council for Offices Project Manager: Tilly Morley tilly.morley@mediaplanet. com Business Development Manager: Josie Mason Managing Director: Alex Williams Head of Business Development: Ellie McGregor Head of Production: Kirsty Elliott Designer: Thomas Kent Digital Manager: Harvey O’Donnell Paid Media Manager: Ella Wiseman Production Assistant: Henry Phillips Mediaplanet contact information: P:+44 (0) 203 642 0737 E: uk.info@ mediaplanet.com All images supplied by Gettyimages, unless otherwise specified

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Please recycle

WRITTEN BY

Lamia Kamal-Chaoui Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD

ot everyone can telework. In the United States, less than 30% of workers can work from home, with significant variations connected with race and socio-economic status. Higherincome workers have a greater ability to telework during the COVID-19 pandemic and benefit from social distancing from the contagion, whereas lower-income workers are more likely to be unable to work at all.

The socio-economic skills divide A skills divide has also emerged.

People in jobs requiring higher levels of education are significantly more likely to telework in OECD countries than those in predominantly manual labour or face-to-face service jobs. Existing labour market inequalities may become entrenched if permanent teleworking is adopted in the long-term.

Where you work matters as well. The OECD estimates half of all jobs can be done remotely in Luxembourg, but only around one-in-five in Turkey. There are also disparities within countries.

Unsurprisingly, cities are usually best adapted to teleworking, having a 13-percentage point higher share of jobs amenable to remote working than rural areas in Europe.

Access to infrastructure for teleworking Finally, business size is a crucial factor in the ability to work remotely.

Teleworking is perpetuating sizerelated disparities across businesses, with smaller firms less likely to be well equipped with digital infrastructure and skills such as computers and cyber security protection.

With surveys worldwide suggesting numerous companies are considering shifting to some form of regular teleworking, cities and towns may change.

A long shift to teleworking requires levelling the playing field between businesses and rethinking labour legislation to address divides between workers.

Addressing new challenges Key assumptions also need to be revisited. Do we all need to start work at 9am? Can infrastructure become multi-purpose where land is limited?

How can we combine remote working, traditional offices and co-working spaces? How does working from home affect productivity? What are the health implications to long-term teleworking?

With surveys worldwide suggesting numerous companies are considering shifting to some form of regular teleworking, cities and towns may change. Cities may see an outflow of workers whose jobs are no longer tied to physical offices, which would force them to adjust public infrastructure and urban planning to this new reality.

While rural towns, provided they are ‘wired’ to accommodate the longterm teleworking trend, may attract a growing share of teleworkers as well as retain existing residents.

Today, teleworking is alleviating short term sanitary pressures on societies, but we must ensure that teleworking, in the longer term, will contribute to improve wellbeing for all, and does not exacerbate pre-existing inequalities and the digital divide.

To find out more, visit our Future of Work gateway at oecd.org/future-of-work/

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Investing in audio makes business sense

H

ybrid working has been tried and tested this year as workers globally migrated home due to COVID-19.

Remote working has proven successful with organisations.

They have witnessed first-hand the benefits while providing an opportunity to assess what tech solutions are available to ensure continuity.

Touching base with employees virtually has become central to this.

Ensuring effective communication between employees and clients has become a necessity.

56% of global decision makers believe high quality audio is essential to their business.

Audio quality is becoming so important, that 78% of those surveyed are willing to pay extra for it. This is especially true for those in Sales and Marketing (56%) where it is viewed as integral to maintaining client communication and business performance.

Business leaders must decide which audio solutions will yield greater results and create a digital culture where employees thrive.

Despite this recognition, a clear opportunity for education has emerged - businesses do not have extensive knowledge of the audio solutions accessible to them.

Many companies are yet to realise the benefits. It not only enhances performance, but with 35% of respondents previously reporting feeling frustrated or annoyed by bad audio experiences,2 good quality audio goes a long way to improve employee wellbeing, which has become a key differentiator for job seekers.

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Audio quality has become the new priority for global businesses since the move to remote working. Organisations see it as key to maintaining client, employee and partner communication.

Organisations that can offer flexible experiences and wellconnected technology solutions will find themselves positioned to attract and retain top talent.

Pre-pandemic, 95% of workers experienced daily issues with audio resulting in end-users losing 29 minutes weekly due to poor quality calls.1 As we’ve become more reliant on tech, poor audio has threatened to have a detrimental impact on business productivity and output.

Our new research reveals audio quality has become the new priority for businesses globally, viewing it as a non-negotiable for performance and success.

Decision makers are harnessing collaboration tools to save time and spend, with 45% naming time savings and 41% citing cost savings as two of the most important reasons for using video meetings or calls.

Understanding the power of audio Now organisations have acclimatised, audio issues should be minor. For them to be a problem of the past, employers must equip their workforce with solutions to work effectively.

Effective call quality delivers better customer service and stronger collaboration. Our research shows,

Future proofing for 2021 Companies must invest in premium audio solutions – choosing the cheapest option available does not make business sense in the long run.

Picking progressive tools which have active noise cancellation or artificial intelligence for enhanced voice pickup will help employees feel more connected, which is particularly important in the current climate.

With Generation Z’s representation in the global workforce set to pass 1 billion by 2030,3 companies also need to understand this demographic’s motivations and ways of working.

Organisations that can offer flexible experiences and well-connected technology solutions will find themselves positioned to attract and retain top talent.

As we plan ahead, one thing is for certain – the future of the workplace will be hybrid integrating both technology with face-to-face meetings.

For this to be successful, maintaining a seamless and hassle-free employee experience will be key.

Business leaders are starting to recognise the importance of audio excellence and tools for seamless collaboration, with 95% of decision makers planning to invest over the next few years.

To ensure employees get the most out of their workplace, business leaders must act as champions of change and invest in sound solutions which help to dismantle obstacles.

References 1. EPOS – Bad Audio is Bad Business https://www.eposaudio. com/en/gb/enterprise/insights/articles/solutions-toeliminate-bad-audio-and-put-what-out-of-business 2. EPOS – Bad Audio is Bad Business https://www.eposaudio. com/en/gb/enterprise/insights/articles/solutions-toeliminate-bad-audio-and-put-what-out-of-business 3. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/ Documents/consumer-business/welcome-to-gen-z.pdf

WRITTEN BY

Jane Craven Sales Director UK & Ireland, EPOS Audio

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The future relies on creativity, and creativity relies on the office

There are many reasons why we want to work in an office, including the very real benefits of building networks and learning from colleagues, but one of the most interesting is often ignored: inspiration.

R

ecent independent polling, commissioned by the BCO, found that 60% of office workers enjoy the creative exchanges that come from being in an office. The number was particularly high in marketing, an obviously creative field, with marketeers also being the least likely group to want to only work from home in the longer-term.

Why? Matthew Syed argues that people tend to ‘groupthink’. Even the most creative individuals share thinking and assumptions which match those in their field, or those from their background. In an office, particularly in shared office spaces, we have the opportunity to gain ideas from those with a different history, and perhaps a different way of thinking.

This, in turn, helps our creativity.

In Syed’s book, Rebel Ideas, he cites Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) legendary Building 20. A haphazardly built space, the building housed small start-ups and research groups that couldn’t go elsewhere.

Consequently, people from a huge variety of fields and interests would bump into each other and inspire each other’s work. This was aided by the building’s confused – but unintentionally brilliant – design.

From Building 20, Noam Chomsky developed generative grammar, Amar Bose founded his speaker company, and the Tech Model Railroad Club

WRITTEN BY

Richard Kauntze Chief Executive, The British Council for Offices

began ‘hacker culture’, among many other examples.

Many businesses still advocate office-based interactions While Building 20 may be an extreme of office success, it shows just how reliant our creativity is on others. Netflix offers a more recent case study. Reed Hastings, CEO, is one of the strongest advocates for a return to the office.

Why? His company has a culture of ‘radical candor’, meaning an openness and honesty about ideas and work.

Hastings argues that this is best served by being together, in an office, and so has stated that his employees should return to their desks as soon as it is safe to do so.

Reducing barriers and interference from virtual working As Hastings knows, the office is a place where new ideas are formed, challenged and perfected. As much as we may try our best to do this virtually, the effect is simply not the same. Our meetings are stilted and awkward when online.

Connections are often less than perfect, and participants tend either to interrupt too frequently or are too reticent. Compared to the natural chemistry of a physical meeting, Zoom and Teams calls frequently lack ‘spark’.

An office allows us to strike up chance conversations; the opportunity to quiz and probe, especially those

higher up. Who hasn’t learnt from more senior colleagues? Most of us further on in our careers benefitted hugely from those conversations and remember the informal advice and guidance to this day.

Businesses who foster office creativity will thrive Some may claim that this matters for clearly creative businesses, like Netflix, but not for most others. However, Nicola Bianzino, Chief Technology Officer at EY – hardly the soft and fuzzy place usually associated with ‘creatives’ – argues that the rise of AI, and its ability to perform repetitive tasks, will focus human effort on innovation and new ideas. The most successful businesses, in any industry, will be those that value and foster creativity, and these are most likely to be those with a strong office culture.

So, as we look to a 2021 that may, just, allow ‘normal’ life to return, we should think about how we want to work.

Clearly, working from home is here to stay, and will become more common for many – an essential part of the mix.

But, the end of the office? No. In a world shaped evermore by our creativity, those working together are most likely to thrive. Long live the office.

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In an office, particularly in shared office spaces, we have the opportunity to gain ideas from those with a different history, and perhaps a different way of thinking.

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Empowered employees make for a healthy workplace COVID-19 splintered our nation’s workplaces this year. Physical divides between colleagues not only challenged business continuity, it also created complex cultural issues for leadership teams in ensuring employees stayed physically healthy and mentally resilient.

WRITTEN BY

Jodie Bridge Business Marketing & Sales Leader, Precision Diagnostics, Mental Health Ambassador, Philips

WRITTEN BY

Stephen McMillan Head of Solutions, Mental Health Ambassador, Philips

WRITTEN BY

Karla Wellington Health & Wellbeing Manager, Philips

Paid for by Philips

Authentic and inclusive leadership Commitment and advocacy from senior leaders are crucial for sustainable and meaningful change. When Philips UKI CEO Neil Mesher signed the ‘Time to Change’ Mental Health Employer Pledge in October 2020, a comprehensive multi-year plan was launched, along with the appointment of two Mental Health Ambassadors from the executive leadership team – Stephen McMillan and Jodie Bridge.

“Leaders have an important role in making mental health and resilience as important as our commercial strategy.

This includes helping to normalise the conversation and investing time in asking – and actively listening to – how colleagues are doing. People need to know it’s okay to not be okay. For many employees, this a new type of workplace conversation. Creating an environment where people can be this honest means being vulnerable and open in return.

It is a step-change in our culture that might initially feel uncomfortable for some but as a result, our employee engagement and trust levels have never been stronger,” says Stephen McMillan.

Jodie Bridge adds, “For me, this

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D

espite the growing number of organisations implementing programmes on mental health, new mental health problems have developed as a result of the pandemic, and existing mental health problems have become worse.1 Mental Health at Work report that within the UK, only 51% of people feel comfortable talking generally in the workplace about mental health issues.2 The shift to increased home and virtual working has amplified an ‘always on’ culture and has further highlighted the need to prevent adverse stress and presenteeism, which often leads to burnout.

Philips’ response was to evolve their existing health and wellbeing programmes to look beyond employees in the physical workspace. The company focused on a whole person approach, offering both prevention and support programmes, connecting to the needs of the individual. “Key to this change was the bravery to challenge everyday unconscious bias and stigmas to unlock the diversity and inclusivity that Philips UKI believes is needed to support workforces today and to set a new blueprint for future workplace cultures” says Karla Wellington, Health and Wellbeing Manager.

programme is about challenging stigma, which is the major barrier that prevents individuals from asking for support.

Managers often receive standardised training for helping employees with physical health. We need the same for mental health and resilience. With at-home working, staying at a desk for an entire day should not be expected.

Taking a break to walk, or walking whilst in some meetings, during the day helps me stay motivated and productive. By sharing this openly, I hope my team feel empowered to adopt activities that help them stay energized during the work day and decompress at the end of the day, so that they feel supported in looking after their mental and physical wellbeing.”

Igniting long-term positive behaviour change Philips is using employee-led programs to drive engagement and provide ownership over wellbeing within the organisation. More voices represented are creating a ripple effect across teams at Philips where they are starting to see attitudes and behaviour change follow. “As a result of listening to our employees, we haven’t shied away from recently addressing the tough topic of male suicide,” says Karla Wellington.

“The same active listening is also taking place on the topic of menopause where we developed a menopause network, led by passionate employees, to facilitate support and challenge the stigma.’’

Philips openly acknowledges that

This programme is about challenging stigma, which is the major barrier that prevents individuals from asking for support. Managers often receive standardised training for helping employees with physical health. We need the same for mental health and resilience. cultural change is an ongoing journey for them. However, the company will continue to use data, feedback and best practice to architect wellbeing strategy and create meaningful programmes.

They remain focused on leading with compassion, connecting more employees through wellbeing and providing education to support mental health, mental fitness and resilience.

Karla concludes, ‘’Change will continue to be made by putting our employees at the heart of the conversation. The future of work will be built on shared values. We need to create a culture that embraces different ideas, appreciates individual purpose and encourages people to be the whole version of themselves.”

References: 1. Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/5929/themental-health-emergency_a4_final.pdf Accessed 29 Nov 2020 2. Mental Health at Work: https://www.mentalhealthatwork. org.uk/commitment/ Accessed 4 Sept 2020

A significant 86% of employee respondents from our 2020 Pulse survey ‘Felt Supported’ during COVID-19, yet also experienced increased uncertainty, stress and anxiety. We dedicated our annual Learning Summit to developing the workforce of the future to empower employees with strategic recovery tools such as breathwork sessions, art therapy and energy management workshops. These sessions contributed to our highest engagement levels to date.

Read more at philips.co.uk

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How to support mental health at work during COVID-19

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While some staff now working from home may be relieved to have ditched their commute others might be struggling with issues like loneliness, isolation, poor work/life balance and longer working hours.

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Making mental health at work a priority has never been more important than during the current pandemic.

WRITTEN BY

Emma Mamo Head of Workplace Wellbeing, Mind

C

oronavirus has had a massive impact on the UK workforce, whether you’re a key worker, on furlough, facing redundancy, working from a different location, juggling work and parenting, or managing a team. It is vital employers take action to tackle poor mental health at work.

The business case of employee wellbeing It’s never been more important that employers invest in employee mental health. Deloitte UK has found that employers see a £5 return for every £1 invested in wellbeing interventions.1 These savings are made because employers who prioritise staff wellbeing tend to report greater productivity, lower staff sickness and fewer staff leaving.

How employers can help Clear, regular internal communications help make sure staff feel up to date and reassured that in a fast-changing, difficult environment, their employer is doing all they can to support them.

Frequent anonymous surveys help employers gauge how well supported employees feel and identify any gaps in the wellbeing support offered.

Any workplace wellbeing programmes

should be well-promoted and easy to access, especially given the rise in remote working and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

Supporting remote working While some staff now working from home may be relieved to have ditched their commute, others might be struggling with issues like loneliness, isolation, poor work/life balance and longer working hours.

Managing colleagues remotely can mean it’s harder to identify when a co-worker might be struggling, and any instances of ‘presenteeism’ – staff working when they should be taking time off sick to help them recover.

Tips for staff It can be difficult for employees to switch off from work if their ‘office’ also happens to be their kitchen, living room or bedroom. Try to encourage staff to do something that creates a clear divide between work and leisure time.

What works will vary, but anything from making dinner, contacting a loved one, doing an online workout, or taking a bath could help staff – as long as it provides an opportunity to physically step away from their ‘desk’.

Discouraging employees routinely

Discouraging employees routinely working long unsociable hours means they can come back to work refreshed and more productive. working long unsociable hours means they can come back to work refreshed and more productive.

With minimal daylight hours, employers should offer more flexible working hours, potentially encouraging staff to take longer lunchbreaks and make up the hours elsewhere.

Encouraging employees to get outdoor exercise during the day can make a huge difference – given physical activity, nature and natural light all boost wellbeing.

References 1. Deloitte UK (2020) Mental health and employers: refreshing the case for investment.

Mind, the mental health charity offers advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Mind also offers free resources for employers to help improve mental wellbeing. For more information, visit mind.org.uk/work

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The role of human skills in a disconnected workforce This year we have seen a shift to remote based working and while for many this has provided a number of benefits; we can’t overlook the impact on human interaction and soft skills.

Understanding challenges to remote working When we conducted research into the challenges remote employees face, it was the human factors, not the technological ones, that had the biggest impact on both productivity and wellbeing.

Respondents to the research reported that the inevitable consequence of virtual working was relationships that focused on tasks only, at the expense of meaningful connections. Trust was also a concern, with 42% citing this as the hardest cultural attribute to re-create and that affects how well people work together.

Human skills, like the ability to communicate, listen and empathise, are the key to keeping us connected.

Currently, with a predominance of remote working, the quality of human conversations has been dropping. The damage this does to our employees can be significant: disengagement, isolation and de-motivation. In fact, recent CIPD research reveals that 50% of employees working outside their usual office environments have seen their workplace connections worsen.

Workplace conditions to connect employees Understanding – the most essential human skill. Understanding combines a genuine interest in others with a willingness to embrace how they differ from you. It’s the cornerstone of solid relationships - especially now we’re under increased pressure at work and home.

Communication – the two-way kind. Communicating isn’t simply relaying a message, especially now the majority of our communication is between people sitting alone at home. Truly effective communication is a difficult skill to master because it’s about considering your audience, tailoring your message and – most importantly – taking time to listen to concerns and feedback.

Care – because it’s important.

Caring, as an applied human skill, enhances employee wellbeing in a climate where isolation and stress are very real problems. It’s the individual touches – the ‘offline’ conversations – that make the real difference and help you transform a ‘workplace’ into a ‘community’. There’s a real sense of community spirit at Insights and our people have missed the informal social connection they enjoyed in the office. Instead, we’ve been building community through activities like our Stepping Challenge, where colleagues log steps in their local area. So far from our Dundee office, we’re on target to collectively walk to our Australia office

by Christmas!

By underestimating the importance of human relationships on our happiness and performance, we do our businesses - and our employees a disservice. When we empower our people to build connections, nurture relationships and engage with others at a more personal level by using our human skills, we are creating a space for them to thrive. That is true whether relationships are built in an office, or at home!

WRITTEN BY

Tracey MacLennan Head of Organisational Effectiveness, Insights

Insights is a global people development company who put human skills and connections at the core of their learning.

We’ve helped millions of people from different countries and cultures understand themselves and others, enabling them to build deeper and more productive relationships.

For more info visit: info.insights.com/ human-skills

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The importance of human skills This is why human skills – traditionally called ‘soft skills’ – have become even more vital. Employee wellbeing has shot up the executive priority ladder, with workplace culture and relationships contributing heavily to employee mental health.

Some companies, recognising the strains of recent months, have given employees more time off to avoid burnout, such as Google’s ‘collective wellbeing’ holiday. Companies still need to do more to look after wellbeing within the workplace.

When we empower our people to build connections, nurture relationships and engage with others at a more personal level by using our human skills, we are creating a space for them to thrive.

At work, we have managed to adjust – remarkably well – to moving all our collaboration to virtual alternatives.

©ANNASTILLS

W

hen LinkedIn declared back in January that 2020 is the year of human-to-human connection, I doubt they knew exactly how prophetic that statement would be. For many, it has taken being physically distanced from friends, family and colleagues to fully appreciate the positive benefits of daily human interaction.

At work, we have managed to adjust – remarkably well – to moving all our collaboration to virtual alternatives.

Yes, we are still connecting, but it takes a bit more effort to sustain the depth of relationships we want and need in our organisations.

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Creating jobs is as important as protecting them During a time of economic crisis, we have to ensure small businesses are supported to create jobs by putting tools in place to help them.

“T

his is an economic emergency. That’s why we have taken extraordinary measures to protect people’s jobs and incomes.

And we’re doing more to build on our Plan for Jobs.”

These three sentences capture the crux of the Chancellor’s Spending Review address. It was a short speech, but he managed to use the word ‘jobs’ no less than 14 times. The headline announcement: £3 billion for the Department of Work and Pensions to reinvent the Work Programme.

Bringing down the cost of job creation As we emerge from this crisis, encouraging small firms to create jobs that will be here for the long-term will be fundamental to our future prospects.

If we want that to happen, we have to bring down the costs of doing so.

Equally, as one former Conservative leader put it, we need to encourage people to make a job rather than take one.

Let’s not forget that start-ups and the self-employed were fundamental to our recovery from the last recession. Any strategy to protect jobs ultimately has to have business creation at its heart

WRITTEN BY

Emelia Quist Senior Policy Advisor, The Federation of Small Businesses

On the other hand, we have to recognise the fact that the economy is changing.

Protecting jobs is vital, but so too is creating them.

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– securing the employers of tomorrow by enabling them to strike-out on their own today.

We need to encourage people to make a job rather than take one. Let’s not forget that start-ups and the self-employed were fundamental to our recovery from the last recession.

Helping to protect jobs On the one hand, he is absolutely right to stress the importance of job retention. Many of the Government’s efforts on this front – not least the extension of the Job Retention Scheme into next year – have been critical to small business wellbeing. Although the sudden withdrawal of the Job Retention Bonus will have hurt said efforts.

On the other hand, we have to recognise the fact that the economy is changing. Protecting jobs is vital, but so too is creating them.

Small employers have long struggled with the hidden costs of hiring – chief among them, employer National Insurance contributions. Expenditure on this levy, which essentially serves as a tax on job creation, can easily spiral into the thousands for every person a firm employs on a modest salary.

Helping people to start businesses In its manifesto, the Government promises to make Britain “the best country in the world to start and grow a business.” And yet, the sentiment was found wanting in the Chancellor’s speech. The word business was used only four times. The words selfemployed just once.

Unfortunately, by talking about jobs far more frequently than he talks about business, the Chancellor is putting the cart before the horse.

The impact of COVID-19 We heard an awful lot about government debt in the Chancellor’s address. It should also be noted that many previously thriving small firms have had to borrow heavily to see them through COVID-19 linked disruption.

When repayments start to fall due in the Spring, many small businesses will find job creation even more of a challenge.

At the Spring Budget, and in the months leading up to it, we need to hear the Chancellor speaking far more about small firms and the self-employed – turning words into meaningful action.

Jobs, and our economic recovery, depend on it.

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The only constant in life is change.

That’s never been truer in 2020, with COVID-19 mounting a serious challenge for businesses and their employees.

How to provide security and reassurance for employees In a world of constant change and uncertainty, how can businesses adapt – and survive – by creating greater workforce stability?

WRITTEN BY

Mai-Po Wan Director of Product Marketing, HR & Payroll, Sage Group PLC

Paid for by Sage Group PLC

The world is in a constant state of flux The only constant in life is change.

That’s never been truer in 2020, with COVID-19 mounting a serious challenge for businesses and their employees. From adhering to lockdown requirements to adopting new work processes at speed, adaptation has been at the top of the agenda.

from home. Ensure your employees have the tools they need to optimise productivity. Software can help you provide access to key resources. But just as importantly, consider how you might help your people create an ideal physical working environment, with equipment (and even plants!) that they might use in the office.

The world of work is changing at an incredible pace According to Sage’s Survival, Resilience and Growth report, 64% of SMEs are concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their employees’ engagement levels with work. And you can see why. Work and personal lives have collided, with flexible working becoming the norm. Collaboration between colleagues is almost entirely virtual. The goalposts have been moved.

People need safety, security and support (with mental health and wellbeing being two priorities for both employees and businesses alike) – and one place they’re going to seek that is at work, where they spend so much of their time.

So how can businesses create stability and security for the workforce amid this wave of uncertainty caused by the pandemic?

2. Create a sense of connection and belonging Communication and connection are always harder when it’s largely remote. In order to maintain trust and a community environment keep employees informed and engaged with regular updates. Ensure communication is two-way; ask employees how they are doing, and if they need support. Personalise the communications where possible, creating a greater sense of connection.

How to help your people adapt, survive and thrive 1. Enable remote working for your employees Make it easy for people to work

3. Make flexible working easy and guilt-free Employees are having to juggle additional burdens in their personal lives, such as childcare, caring for dependants, and supporting vulnerable and elderly people. They need more flexibility in how they work, so they can manage both work and personal duties.

Demonstrate trust in your employees and remove any negative stigma there might be around ‘working from home’.

Don’t make them feel guilty if they have to miss a meeting because they’ve got to collect their kids from school. Flexible

working schedules and patterns can be invaluable to employees during this time.

4. Set achievable work goals It’s simply not realistic to expect employees to work at 100% capacity and productivity at the moment. Refrain from counting the minutes and hours that they work. Instead, consider spending more time on establishing clear, realistic and achievable outcomes for them to achieve. Give them flexibility in how and when they achieve these.

5. Know who’s available to work, and when Amid all this flux, businesses still need to know who is available to work.

Who’s self-isolating? Who has the virus?

Whose turn is it to watch the kids?

Businesses will benefit by knowing who is working and when, and where the pinch points are in meeting deadlines.

Capture, track and manage when your people are available and working, so you can plan your business efficiently.

Create workforce stability amid a sea of change We’ll continue to experience significant change and uncertainty for some time.

But despite this, there’s still a lot that businesses can do to create stability and security for its workforce. And by doing so, they’ll give their businesses (and people) the best chance of success to be prepared for changes yet to come.

Before adopting Sage HR, we were living in the dinosaur age and still used Excel. We no longer have to chase everyone for these important documents. Everything from contracts and appraisals to health and safety certificates and driving licenses, can be stored on Sage HR.” - Samantha Maskell, Group Financial Controller at Kingpin.

Learn more at sage.com

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Standing up to change in the face of a pandemic It’s no secret that our industry is facing something of an identity crisis.

Months of lockdown has shown that the UK’s workforce is able to work remotely and do so, for the most part, with relative ease using the latest communication technologies.

WRITTEN BY

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Robin Brodie Cooper Senior Vice-President, The British Council for Offices, Director, Gleeds

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he idea of the looking to rebuild. traditional office has The importance of an office is to been thrown on its give workers a landing place where head and challenged the culture of a firm can be embedded, those of us within ideas generated and shared, the industry with friendships and teams established new questions about and where the younger generation can our purpose and learn from those with more experience. objective. However, it’s important at As Reid Hoffman, Co Founder of this juncture to recognise that, while LinkedIn said: “No matter how brilliant the COVID-19 pandemic is entirely your mind or strategy, if you’re playing new, disruption is not. a solo game, you will always lose out to COVID-19 has demonstrated, more a team.” acutely than ever before, that the office sector does not exist in a vacuum.

The office of the future To evolve, we can’t isolate ourselves.

Offices should therefore focus on We must stand up to the changes creating more collaborative spaces, happening around us and respond. where employees can benefit from the Twenty years ago, community created workplaces were within its walls – uniform, grey as well as the one buildings housing buzzing outside. It’s COVID-19 has rows of uniform no secret that many desks in grey rooms. of us will work from demonstrated, more Today, there is home more often acutely than ever no blueprint, no in the future. The one-size fits-all but days we do spend before, that the office rather, different in the office will sector does not exist in models all vying to likely be reserved best meet demand. for the relationships a vacuum. To evolve, we we form there and Short and long-term the physical office can’t isolate ourselves. challenges should reflect this.

The current Similarly, more flexible working pandemic may, particularly in the patterns will create new space in short term, bring back some of the old existing offices as occupancy levels office uniformity. In order for offices fall. This space can be repurposed to to operate safely many will introduce provide greater resources for those similar measures to meet the necessary who are in the office on any given day. health and safety requirements. For Rather than rows of desks reserved for example, no matter the occupier, individual work, we may see greater meeting rooms should have strict value placed on wellness with more occupancy limits, floor signage will quiet focus rooms, or gyms, being likely be used by many to signal safe incorporated as standard. distances for employees using lifts, Ten years ago, everyone predicted corridors and stairwells. Receptions the death of the office at the hands across the world will increasingly have of home working. The catalyst at in-built screens to protect staff. that point was the rapid evolution But long-term, standing up to change of technology in the 90s and the in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic introduction of the mobile phone. can help us reshape our industry, and They were wrong. build better offices for the people who Today, the office sector has an work within them. opportunity to prove the naysayers COVID-19 has strengthened wrong again. By facing up to change, community spirit across society. tackling new challenges head on and With that comes a new challenge to responding to new demands around businesses and their workplaces: to connection, hygiene or space, modern play a greater role in the community. workplaces can refocus on human We must build offices that offer greater connection in a way that feels entirely space for hosting events, or for small new, and entirely compelling. businesses like shops and restaurants

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The importance of personal health risks Why do we continue to ignore the personal health risks that affect our employees which are the real reason for absence, presenteeism and increased cost of ill health?

P

WRITTEN BY

Dr Pamela Gellatly MSc OHS, CMIOSH, MSc ENS. PhD. CEO, Healthcare rm

Paid for by Healthcare rm

ublished data has clearly identified that people with underlying age and health risk factors are more vulnerable to COVID-19, yet these risk factors are not new or unusual.

from over 56,000 assessments) has shown that there is very little difference between the underlying risk factors identified by Eugene Sandow 100 years ago to those which emerge across numerous ill health conditions.

A century of ignorance If we look back to Eugene Sandow, the physician to King George V in 1920. He described the menace of the nation’s physical deterioration stating: “Where war has killed millions, disease is killing tens of millions.

Life is movement. Once you stop moving you are dead.”

Some of the key findings include: • Only 8% of those with mental ill health and 11% of those with musculoskeletal disorders were normal weight and active.

• Minor illnesses showed similar trends. The data also suggested that the higher the excess weight and the lower the levels of activity, the higher the incidence rate of conditions such as anxiety, depression, low back pain and lower limb problems.

• Less than six hours sleep a night and poor lifestyle behaviours were a common underlying factor.

• Whilst work is often considered to be the cause of ill health, it only accounts for circa 4%. In fact, life factors and how we look after ourselves are the real issue.

His solutions included: • Exercise - an alternative to medicine, preferably in the open air • Heavy lifting • Weight maintenance • Nutrition • Sleep Fast track to 2020 Interestingly, our research (derived

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Our national health will only improve if we all work together to achieve this goal and be less vulnerable to the next pandemic should it arise.

Looking to the next 100 years It is imperative that the future of health focusses on assessing and managing these underlying risk factors. Despite our data showing that underlying risk factors are applicable in circa 80% of ill health cases and can often be resolved without the need for a clinical intervention, these are rarely considered.

In cases where clinical treatment is necessary, the management of these risks prior, during and post treatment can significantly improve a patient’s outcome. Using DNA and epigenetics can ensure that interventions are tailored to the needs of each individual, achieving optimal results.

As employers, we should measure outcomes and stop providing benefits that do not deliver successful results for employees or the business. Our national health will only improve if we all work together to achieve this goal and be less vulnerable to the next pandemic should it arise.

Read more at healthcare-rm.com

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