City minister says UK govt won’t impose compulsory flexible working model on finance July 8, 2021 The government won’t impose an obligatory flexible working model on financial services, as regulators ramp up pressure on firms to improve diversity and inclusion. City minister John Glen said financial services firms should use the experience of remote working during the pandemic to decide how flexible working could help foster a more diverse workforce, but [...]
Remote workers drive up UK productivity July 7, 2021 Workers in industries that were able to rapidly pivot to remote working after the onset of the pandemic have driven up productivity levels in the UK, according to new figures released today. Estimates from the ONS show output per job, excluding furloughed workers, was 9.2 per cent higher on average in the first quarter of [...]
Back to adland: What London’s creatives think about the return to the office July 3, 2021 With the final easing of lockdown restrictions on the horizon, attention is turning to the eventual return to the office and a new era of flexible working. Major banks such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have all begun bringing staff back into the office, while UBS has said it will embrace a [...]
Lockdown sparks more leave and paid benefits for some working parents July 2, 2021 Lockdown sparks more leave and paid benefits for some working parents
Flexible working could become a ‘right for all’ under new legislation June 30, 2021 Shadow children’s minister Tulip Siddiq today introduced the Flexible Working Bill, aimed at giving workers a right to flexible working arrangements. Siddiq said the Bill, introduced through the Ten Minute Rule, would “give workers the right to flexible working from the first day of employment, except in exceptional circumstances” and “require employers to offer flexible [...]
Uber tells its staff: Work where you want, half the time June 30, 2021 Sources say Uber will let employees work half their hours from wherever they want as part of a revamped return-to-office strategy. Watch the full report.
Irish govt throws weight behind home working June 28, 2021 Ireland must avoid a “drift back to the office” following the pandemic, according to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. His comments came as he launched #MakingRemoteWork, the Irish government’s new campaign for home working, in Dublin on Monday. Varadkar’s Department for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has encouraged employers in Ireland to examine their policies for remote [...]
UBS becomes latest bank to offer staff hybrid working forever June 28, 2021 UBS Group will allow most staff to mix remote working with time spent in the office, Switzerland’s biggest bank revealed today. “We are committed to offering our employees the flexibility for hybrid working where role, tasks and location allow,” UBS said. “Hybrid work options will be introduced on a country-by-country basis, with timing dependent on the local pandemic [...]
Weekend Read: Fostering a company culture in a hybrid world June 26, 2021 After three lockdowns, more than a year of home working and an unprecedented vaccine rollout, firms of all sizes are slowly, cautiously, reopening and welcoming staff back to the office. But this mass return to the traditional workplace will be tough for managers and leaders on a number of levels. Motivation levels may be low, [...]
Pandemic pushes pay raise and promotion anxiety among workers June 25, 2021 The pandemic has stood in the way of employees seeking pay raises and promotions, studies suggest, as lockdowns have knocked personal confidence and rocked company budgets. A survey shared with City A.M. by Love Energy Savings, which polled 1312 UK employees, found that one in three people are less comfortable asking for a pay increase post-pandemic, compared to [...]