Kicking off the new year with another national lockdown was the news we all half-expected, but were hoping to avoid. As we come to the end of the first week of lockdown 3.0, we thought we’d set our sights on the year ahead, and how we can make 2021 a great year for health and […]
Working from Home – Social Isolation and Lockdown
Since the Government’s announcement of a second lockdown, an array of different reactions from the public were unveiled. The rising number of new Covid-19 cases exacerbated feelings of uncertainty – particularly about when things will finally revert back to some level of normality. One thing is for certain though: even with lockdown finishing and the […]
Working from Home continued in Lockdown2.0
When we first posted our advice on working from home at the end of March, we wanted to take our experiences of helping organisations move to different working styles over a number of years and provide support for those jolted into a new way of working. We recognised that although most of us could be […]
Staff wellbeing: Understanding how your staff feel about working from home
Understanding staff wellbeing and how your staff feel about working from home is critical at this time. Large numbers of the UK workforce remain either furloughed or working from home. With the latest Government messaging reinforcing working from home as a preferred option this new status quo looks set to continue into 2021. Research published […]
Returning to the Office? 5 signs that your employees might be struggling with their mental health
Previous Next The Government’s latest advice on Covid-Secure workplaces covers everything from PPE to cleaning procedures and staggering shifts. And yet, there is no mention at all of any mental health considerations in the guidance. With research indicating that there are high levels of anxiety about returning to the office at the moment, what is it that you need to look out for as you start […]
When we design workplaces as lifestyle packages… who are they for?
This think piece considers the implications of offering workplaces as total lifestyle solutions. When we design these spaces, who are they actually for? Do we need to consider diversity and inclusion? How does this impact corporate culture and work life balance? And… are we working to live, or living to work? Conversations about work-life balance are […]
Why Rudeness at Work is Contagious (and difficult to stop)
Most people can relate to the experience of having a colleague inexplicably treat them rudely at work. You’re not invited to attend a meeting. A co-worker gets coffee – for everyone but you. Your input is laughed at or ignored. You wonder: where did this come from? Did I do something? Why would he treat […]
Agile working as a boredom-busting strategy
Boredom at work is often related to doing the same thing over and over again. This could relate to anything from our job tasks themselves, to our commute, to our working hours or our working environment. We know that variety is the spice of life, so why are so many of us still trapped in […]
Problems with noise at work? A lot of it is in our heads
Baker Stuart’s Insight: The problem of noise at work is particularly important at the moment because most UK employees are now working in open plan offices that are on average about 20 percent smaller than they were ten years ago. But much of the effect of workplace noise is due to psychological factors such as context […]
Free Food May Be Good For Office Morale, But It Promotes Overeating If Kept At A Close Distance
Baker Stuart’s Insight: Whilst more and more companies are offering free food in the workplace because of it’s morale-boosting potential, there is evidence that it can promote over-eating. Researchers at Google’s New York office found that when snacks are located close to the beverage station, the likelihood of snacking almost doubles, for men and women. This […]