November 12, 2017

Chairman's blog: Productivity: Paradox, Puzzle, Problem or Symptom? - By David Lennan, Chairman, Work Wise UK

November 12, 2017/ David Lennan

Commute Smart week is a very significant week in the year for the Work Wise UK calendar, when the clocks go back and we reflect on some of the stunning headlines that have hit the press during the year. A real standout one is that Traffic Congestion is estimated to cost the UK Economy more than £300 Billion over the next 16 years according to a study from INRIX and the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

Work Wise UK has focused attention on the Productivity conundrum and these massive missing £Billions for several years, but during this last year, more has been written about Productivity than at any time in our Industrial history and if the gurus are to be believed, we continue to slip down the International productivity leagues and are now said to produce 17% less per hour worked than other G7 Nations.

The Government has now set Sir Charlie Mayfield the task of finding “The Missing Billions” £130bn to be more precise, said to be lost to the British economy through poor productivity. Well, as we are now in full flow towards Brexit he and his team had better find the answers to that puzzle quickly, as the impact for most of us will probably be felt in our Workplaces and our pay packets. Whether the impact will result from changes to our Laws, our Terms of Trade, or simply because our attitudes and behaviors at work are not changing to create more productive workplace cultures, is yet another problem and perhaps even the big one to solve.

May 20, 2017

Guest blog: Smarter working and Work Wise Week: a topic worthy of a proper conversation - and Bristol Business School is in!

May 20, 2017/ Harriet Shortt

By Dr Harriet Shortt, Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies, Bristol Business School, University of the South West of England.

David Lennan kicked off Work Wise Week by encouraging us all to have a proper discussion about how we work and what we achieve. His call to action advises that now is the time to really think about our working practices and to consider how and where people work.

And I say ‘hear, hear!’. Smarter working should be a topic of conversation in every organisation – whatever the size or industry – and this particularly interests me, given my research in organisation studies and work space.

Where we work is changing – in fact, as I write this blog I am sat at Bristol airport in the UK waiting for my flight to Crete – I’m off to present at the 12th Organization Studies Summer Workshop. As I work, I am surrounded by other people on their laptops, phones and other devices. We are mobile and we are connected, and more and more of us are working at home, in the car, on the train, and at the airport. Increasingly the notion of a ‘9am to 5pm’ in the office is being questioned and alternative ways of working are being adopted.

May 20, 2017

Guest blog: The gig-economy: What needs to change? - By Steve Mosser, CEO of Sensee→

May 20, 2017/ Steve Mosser

Hardly a day goes by without an article on the gig-economy appearing in the media. And from high-profile court cases brought by workers that object to the lack of employment rights and benefits, to stories of individuals who are living happier, more fulfilling lives because of it, the gig economy is sure to provoke strong – often polarised – points of view.

According to the CIPD, 4% of working adults aged between 18 and 70 are working in the gig economy, with approximately 1.3 million people now working two jobs or more. Often referred to as “slashies” – think waiter/delivery driver, make-up artist/blogger and gardener/Uber driver - many choose to work this way, enjoying the freedom, variety and flexibility that this way of working brings. But others do it out of necessity when, for instance, they cannot secure a full-time job with a sufficient income (and benefits) to support a family.

May 19, 2017

Guest blog: Why 2017 is the year to let more people work from home - By Frances O'Grady, TUC General Secretary

May 19, 2017/ Frances O'Grady

Homeworking up by 7.7% this year, but millions more still want it.

More and more employees are working from home. This is welcome, but I am worried that progress is still much too slow. National Work from Home Day, which is organised by Work Wise UK, is an excellent opportunity to look at how we give our increasingly tech-savvy employees more choice about where they do their work. Therefore I urge employers to consider how homeworking might help both their workers and their business.

During 2016 the number of employees regularly working from home increased by 118,000, taking the total to 1,639,000. The increase of 7.7% out-stripped the growth in employee jobs by a factor of 12 last year. This news is worth celebrating, but there are still millions more employees who would like to be able to work from home.

Homeworking must be well-thought out and fairly managed

May 18, 2017

Guest blog: The learning curve - By Joanna Boyce, Founder of Jobot Social→

May 18, 2017/ Phil Flaxton

https://jobotsocial.wordpress.com/Making the decision to not only change career, but to try out working for yourself can be both daunting and exciting in equal measure. Whether you choose (or indeed have the choice) to stay at home to raise your children, work part-time or are a full-time working mum, rest assured that you're doing what is best for your family. Feelings of guilt plague our choices but we have to all cut ourselves and each other some slack. There's no 'right' way, we choose the way that best suits our personal situation. The preferred choice isn't always there and the chance to have a good work-life balance can be difficult.

I made a decision right from the start. I wanted to dedicate time to my family and to be readily available for the school run, unexpected illness and school holidays. To do this I needed to find, or create, flexible work.

I'd been in the same industry since leaving university, and knew when I went on maternity leave that I wanted a fresh start and a change. I did some online training courses, borrowed books, sought advice and was lucky to have the full support of an understanding and encouraging partner.