Remote working: why businesses need to work smarter, not harder
Remote working can boost productivity and staff morale, but organizations must overcome cultural barriers to implement it effectively. Many businesses still resist flexible working despite growing demand and talent competition, missing opportunities to improve both employee satisfaction and bottom-line results.
Remote working: why virtual teams fail and how you can avoid it
Two out of three managers fail when running a virtual team for the first time, largely because they apply office-based management practices to remote workers. Virtual teams face unique challenges including poor communication, lack of understanding of diverse needs, and recruitment issues that require a fundamentally different management approach.
Death by overwork: quantity at the expense of quality
While companies invest in wellness programs, employee overwork remains a critical health issue. Long working hours contribute to exhaustion, stress-related illnesses, and even death in extreme cases. Some organizations are exploring solutions like shorter workdays and greater team autonomy to improve wellbeing and productivity.
Off-script customer service: how to be truly human
Customers increasingly prefer genuine human interaction over automated responses. When scripted training restricts customer service representatives from thinking creatively and responding authentically, it undermines their ability to truly help. Empowering employees to go off-script—using empathy, listening, and practical problem-solving—creates meaningful connections and improves customer satisfaction.
Remote control: how to build culture across a team of remote workers
Building and maintaining company culture is harder in remote settings, but it’s essential for employee performance and competitive advantage. The key is understanding your workforce’s distribution, leveraging unified communication systems, and establishing a strong intentional foundation with clear mission and values statements that guide daily operations.
Spiritual wellbeing at work: how to do it right
Spiritual wellbeing at work involves finding meaning and purpose through your connection with yourself, others, nature, and your values. It’s not necessarily religious but encompasses physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions, helping employees experience fulfillment and contribute meaningfully to their organization.
The Good Work plan: has any real action been taken to improve employment rights?
The UK Government’s Good Work plan responds to the Taylor Review with proposed reforms including guaranteed holiday and sick pay for casual workers, higher tribunal awards for employment violations, and scrutiny of unpaid internships. However, implementation timelines remain unclear, with four further consultations needed before changes take effect.
How home working can help people with cancer maintain a work-life balance
Home working can help cancer patients maintain employment and mental health by reducing workplace stress, allowing them to manage treatment side effects privately, and eliminating commute fatigue. This flexibility enables people undergoing chemotherapy to stay connected with colleagues while performing their roles effectively.
Home worker wellbeing: how to manage it properly
Managing home worker wellbeing requires addressing psychological risks like social isolation and lack of informal learning opportunities. Managers should maintain open communication through effective technology, regular check-ins, and create formal support systems to help remote employees feel connected and supported in their role.
Dynamic working: Flexibility for the next generation of worker
Flexible working is no longer just a perk for parents—it’s now a standard expectation for younger workers. Generation FL-X (millennials and Gen Z) increasingly demand flexible policies as a prerequisite for employment, making it essential for UK businesses to embrace dynamic working to attract and retain top talent.
Why Theory Y organisations are best prepared for future success
Theory Y organisations prioritize flexibility, collaboration, and work-life balance over traditional top-down management models. This approach better aligns with modern worker expectations and remote work trends, positioning businesses to attract talent and adapt successfully to evolving workplace demands.
Employee perspectives: an accountant’s view on KPMG’s HR team
A former KPMG accountant shares her perspective on working in finance and HR practices, discussing the mental stimulation of the role, challenges with changing regulations, and how employers can support employee development through qualifications and work-life balance initiatives.
Tackling Taylor: “Good Work” deserves defence
The Taylor review promotes “good work” standards across modern employment practices, including gig economy roles and atypical contracts. Rather than banning zero-hours work outright, it emphasizes fairness, clarity, and individual choice while addressing vulnerability in the workforce.
5 things about presenteeism you don’t know
Presenteeism, where employees work while sick, costs twice as much as absenteeism yet its impact depends on illness severity. Organizations risk prolonging recovery and increasing long-term absence by stigmatizing sick leave, while job importance and workplace culture significantly influence employees’ decisions to work while ill.
How a bad night’s sleep can disrupt the workplace
Poor sleep quality increases the likelihood that employees will engage in unwanted workplace behavior the following day, particularly those with low moral identity. Research shows this pattern of behavioral disruption can cost companies up to $200 billion annually in the USA through actions like extended breaks, early departures, and theft.
The Madness of Kings: leadership, hyper-masculinity & mental health
Despite societal privilege, white heterosexual men face alarming suicide rates—three times higher than women, with ages 45-59 most at risk. This paradox suggests that rigid expectations of hyper-masculinity, emotional suppression, and corporate stoicism are driving men toward self-destruction and violence.
“When you explicitly put shareholders at the top of the pecking order, the others don’t make out as well.”
Gig economy growth in America remains limited, with only about 15% of workers relying on alternative work as their primary income. Expert Rick Wartzman argues that universal basic income is unlikely without a cultural shift away from shareholder-focused individualism toward collective responsibility.
How do psychological work stressors impact commuting behaviour?
Research reveals that psychological work stressors like abusive supervision and work-family conflict significantly increase unsafe commuting behavior. A study of 216 employees found these stressors lead to riskier driving habits, partly mediated by permissive commuting norms among colleagues.
Say hello to… Ian Johnston, Group HRD, Johnston Press
Ian Johnston takes on the role of Group HRD at Johnston Press, bringing over 10 years of executive-level HR experience. His priorities include understanding company culture across 3,000 employees, building stakeholder trust during business transformation, and developing a comprehensive people strategy aligned with business objectives.
Round-up: 7 popular articles from our mental health month
Explore seven essential articles addressing mental health in the workplace, from combating change fatigue and presenteeism to financial wellbeing, e-resilience, and the role of mental health first aiders in breaking workplace stigma.
