The desire for hybrid work arose while many of us were working from home. Our approaches, policies and principles were devised there too. Design took place in the abstract. The return to offices was gradual, and has once again been disrupted. Few really got going with their hybrid experiments, and we may need to wait …
Personal effectiveness when hybrid working Most of us are very familiar with the office environment. It was, until the global pandemic, the default working space. We rapidly became used to remote working, but now hybrid is the new kid in town. This involves thinking differently about what work we do, and where we do it. …
It is now fairly well established that many employees want a more hybrid or blended approach to work in the future, with some time spent in the office and the remainder at home. This will of course mean different things to different organisations and individuals. There is no one single way to ‘do’ hybrid. Even …
The global pandemic has necessitated a period of enforced and long-term homeworking for many of the UK’s workers. In late 2019 around 7% of the population regularly worked from home; by the end of April 2020 Covid-19 had increased this to just under half of the workforce. This has led to many organisations considering their position …
5 things to consider when updating your flexible working policy Read More »
I recently attended a lecture by Professor Sir Cary Cooper from the University of Manchester Business School. Professor Cooper is a leading expert in all things relating to health and wellbeing in the workplace. He reflected upon the role of the manager in wellbeing – noting that when you look at sickness absence data the …
What is work life balance? Just like ‘wellbeing’ it is an imprecise term that means different things to different people. It’s a phrase that not everyone likes, as it brings with it the implication that work and life are two separate elements rather than interconnected aspects of who we are. Here at the Work Consultancy …
Wellbeing interventions in the workplace are generally defined as being of a primary, secondary or tertiary nature. Primary interventions aim to prevent work related stress or wellbeing issues from arising. They address problems at source. These interventions will be strategic, systemic, structural. Examples of primary interventions include job design, working patterns, leadership development or resource …
We believe that there are some policies and guidance that every organisation should have. One of these is a statement about domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is experienced by one in four women and one in six men at some point in their lifetime. It is therefore very likely that all workplaces will have employees that …
When we talk about wellbeing we don’t always mean the same thing. For some it is about fitness. For others it’s about mental health. For others, it is simply about physical health (the absence of disease). There are so many lenses through which we can view a topic as broad as this; physical, psychological, nutritional, …
There are some employment policies that don’t have a big impact. Not in terms of numbers of employees impacted, at least. But to a small handful of people, these policies make all the difference in the world. Let me give you a few examples: Fertility Treatment Policies. Domestic Violence Policies. Premature Birth. Cancer. Menopause. Carers. …
