When it comes to job satisfaction, Denmark tops the list of the best places to work in digital in Europe - beating the UK, Germany and France - according to the 2020 Digital Talent Global Work Happiness Index.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way the world works, and with UK workers working at home for the foreseeable future, it can be difficult to connect the workforce together. To support workers, flexible office specialist, Workthere, has shared five tips on how you can stay connected to your colleagues, both in and out of the office.

New research by Accountancy and Finance, HR and Data Analytics recruiter, Wade Macdonald has found that nearly half of UK businesses outperformed their initial predictions for this year, a more assured position than many were expecting only nine months ago.

Almost half of UK businesses have seen an employee move on because their mental wellbeing wasn’t being looked after, with a quarter losing a key member of their workforce, according to new research from not-for-profit healthcare provider, Benenden Health.

This has been quite a year and if 2020’s taught us anything it’s that we need to take very good care of ourselves, as our business’s biggest asset. Your wellbeing is the source of energy and creativity that your business needs.

As the UK emerges from lockdown for a second time, it’s crucial we keep up the conversations we’ve been having about the importance of a healthy work life balance. The majority of people who I’ve spoken to have enjoyed the freedom of remote working and are keen to retain some of this newly-discovered flexibility in the future. With this new mindset and the ongoing restrictions, I certainly don’t anticipate an immediate rush back to offices.

Winter alone can have a negative impact on anyone’s mental health. Couple this with spending the best part of the year dealing with a pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns and it's no surprise that according to ONS statistics, the weeks after the clocks went back saw record levels of loneliness in the UK.

Considering introducing an employee wellbeing programme in 2021, but concerned about the financial outlay and where to begin? Fear not, as it does not take a huge chunk of cash to create a successful wellbeing programme for your staff. However, you do need to invest some time to plan an initiative that will best suit your team. Here are four cost effective suggestions to get such schemes up and running, and to maintain momentum. 

Small businesses in the UK still aren’t offering their people enough flexibility, according to new research from Tiger Recruitment. While the pandemic has required many to work more flexibly from home, more than a quarter of employees questioned say they still aren’t happy with the flexible working options available to them, and men are just as dissatisfied as women.

With one month to go until Christmas, social impact accelerator and mentor network, Impact Central, has released its top fifteen picks for ethical Christmas gifts for this season - from planet-friendly stocking filler snacks to sustainable menswear staples.

First Office Hub, the global workspace broker, which has just helped a tech company to expand from a traditional leasehold property into a 20,000 sq ft managed office space, describes the London office scene as extremely active with companies of all sizes and across all sectors researching offers and looking to secure the right deals ahead of 2021.

We are in a new world war, with a common enemy. However, the frontline is not on the beaches of Normandy, the plains of Russia or the Pacific islands but in the homes, offices, hospitals and care homes of every country in the world. 

Are you working from home? Do you enjoy it? Given a totally free choice how would you like to split your time between working from home and working in the office? These are questions facing not just many millions of people in the UK, but hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

New research involving 150 HR leaders has found that 3 in 5 UK workers have experienced mental health issues since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The report authors, Accountancy and Finance, HR and Data Analytics recruiter, Wade Macdonald, and workplace law specialist, Doyle Clayton, have raised concerns of an increase in known incidences as a result of the current lockdown measures.

As England is once again in lockdown, new research shows the rate of ‘lockdown loneliness’ and its impact on mental health is as high as 27% in the UK. As the NHS strains to support an increase in mental health conditions, the Flow headset and therapy app treatment for depression, the first of its type to be medically approved in the UK and EU, aims to tackle ‘lockdown loneliness’ and mental health outcomes by providing immediate, at-home access to effective treatment.

Startups from around the world are being called on to apply to join the first investment portfolio of the Venture Studio from Crisis. The Studio will invest in, support and scale ventures that help accelerate the end of homelessness.

You’ll have a difficult job browsing content platforms nowadays without coming across articles focusing on - or at least alluding in some way to - the working from home revolution. A whole host of companies, including Twitter, have announced that they will allow staff to continue WFH permanently if they wish, following its success throughout lockdown.

The sudden move to working from home has been a challenge for many SMEs. With smaller teams often benefitting from close knit relationships with their colleagues, COVID-19 is forcing many businesses to reconsider their approach to employee wellbeing. In many cases, however, this is easier said than done, with research from Wildgoose finding that nearly half (47%) of employees at SMEs are finding that their mental health has been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

As we enter Lockdown 2.0 we are at least all much better prepared than we were in March when we entered Lockdown 1.0 and went into the total unknown. We are better prepared this time because we have all learned so much already this year about living and working during a pandemic and we take those lessons learned into the second lockdown.

With the gyms officially closed more people will now take to the streets to get their exercise, although this wasn't a problem during the 1st lockdown, (remember those lush summer days) we have an extra obstacle to come up against - the weather. Finding the motivation to run in the rain is tough, but getting out of the door is the hardest part. Once you’re running, the wet weather and puddle-dodging are exhilarating. And logging the miles in a downpour is a surefire way to feel hardcore. Wet-weather runs can give you a mental advantage if you’re training for an event, too. Knowing you’ve run in all conditions means you’re prepared for any weather race day throws at you.

Somerset based communications agency, ADPR, is offering completely free careers advice and support for anyone considering a role in PR & Marketing and has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the beginning of the year, wellbeing has been a prominent topic of interest among Brits, in fact, searches for the term ‘wellbeing’ have increased by 257% in the past five months. As people continue to spend more time indoors, Rebecca Snowden, Interior Style Advisor at FurnitureChoice.co.uk, explains how to create a calming oasis to maintain wellbeing at home.

A third of employees are too busy to take holiday, with another 63% stating 'there’s nowhere to go' when asked why so many had the majority of their holiday left to take.

Today’s workplace culture has many employees feeling the pressure to turn up to the office at all costs, even when ill; however, the global pandemic COVID-19 has shown it is more critical than ever for businesses to tackle the widespread challenge of 'presenteeism' especially when majority are working from home.

A webinar that explores mental health in the workplace will kickstart the Angel Business Club Insights series on Wednesday, 4th November. The webinar, titled ‘Inspiring Mental Wellbeing In The Workplace In a Post-COVID World’, will be hosted by former vice president of HR at Unilever Geoff McDonald.

Ahead of Stress Awareness Day, which takes place on November 4th, Cheryl Lythgoe, Matron at Benenden Health, shares her tips for employers on how to support employees coping with stress as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our lives.

Everything in life and business is a learning opportunity. The fact that all of us learn more, and more quickly, from our mistakes and when times are difficult, rather than when all is easy and going well, has always been known, but 2020 is certainly reminding us very forcibly of that fact.

Just under half of manufacturing workers suffered a decline in their mental health during the first lockdown and the industry 'cannot afford another hit to mental health as we move through the winter', according to corporate wellbeing expert, Westfield Health.

Traditionally, the office has been a place we go to in order to work. But with almost three quarters (74%) of firms planning to maintain increased levels of home working after the pandemic, according to research from the Institute of Directors, are the days of the physical office numbered?

Research from Correct Careers Coaching found evidence that 83% of sales professionals feel they require support in using social media for building business relationships, emphasising sales professionals seeking to try new approaches to increase business sales.

With many still working from home in light of recent events, Interior Style Advisor at Furniturechoice.co.uk, Rebecca Snowden, offers her top tips on how to create the most productive home office space.

The debate continues whether remote working will continue when the UK is relieved from the effects of the pandemic. But one thing that is seeming almost set in stone is these regularly moving restrictions are going to remain into 2021 with mass vaccination not likely until the Spring or Summer.

Over a third (37%) of business leaders are considering downsizing their primary office space - amid a long-term shift to remote working.

You might not think that self-promotion has a close connection to innovation. However, research proves that there is a connection between self-promotion, growth mindset and in turn, innovation.

The number of partnerships between established corporates and new startups has rocketed in recent years, yet few are delivering what these companies were hoping for. 

In April 2020, the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that 49.2% of adults in employment were working from home because of social distancing measures introduced following the COVID-19 pandemic. With remote working now a necessity for many, companies can adapt by staying on top of the latest trends. Here, Ashmita Das, CEO of Kolabtree, the freelance platform for scientists, discusses some of the trends in remote working.

Focus group research conducted by e-days, the Nottingham-based global absence intelligence company, has revealed that ‘wellbeing’ is the most popular area of investment for HR leaders as we move into 2021.

A company's values and culture are becoming increasingly important for the modern worker, quashing even the number on their paycheck. This has never been clearer than today, with the global pandemic both shifting and confirming priorities for workers around the world. 

Last month, in the run-up to World Mental Health Day, I joined a panel webinar at Orbit 20 - an online festival organised by WeCoffe - to discuss this topic. 

The line between dreaming about your perfect business and actually running a killer corporation is not a huge gap - it is a simple step. Sadly, a lot of people get stuck on their idea. They dream about what could be, without ever focusing on achieving their goals. If you also have a great passion and an amazing idea, then make sure not to be one of these people. All you need is to divide your process into smaller, easier to handle bits. Doing so will help you tackle them more eagerly, and deal with the tasks as they come. Today, we take a look at five essential steps needed to stop dreaming - and start doing.

With varying government guidelines in place across the country, many will find themselves working from home. Exploring the nation’s relationship with their sofa and desk chair, FurnitureChoice.co.uk polled Brits to find out how many suffer from back pain. Using this insight, experts reveal the best and worst seating positions for your back, whilst we spend more time at home on the sofa.

WorkClub workspaces support hospitality venues, co-working hubs and pubs, to drive more footfall during day-time hours. These venue hosts become neighbourhood workspaces, allowing WorkClub members to work closer to home, supporting the local ecosystem around the corner from their homes. We spoke to Nick Donnelly of WorkClub to find out more about them.

The impact of COVID-19 on young people’s career prospects has been severe, with under-25s being more likely to be furloughed than any other age group, and many more young people being let go or having their job offers rescinded following the March lockdown. 

In this second ‘Millennial’ article series, we will be exploring the way in which millennials buy – and what happens after they’ve made a purchase, the good and the bad.

This week is National Work-Life Week - an opportunity for both employers and employees to focus on wellbeing and achieving a good work-life balance. But with the ongoing impact of the coronavirus crisis rumbling on, achieving a healthy work-life balance has presented new challenges this year.

At a time when WFH looks set to continue for many in both the short and long term, ‘hidden fractures’ are forming in the workforce which risk causing irreparable damage to cultures and productivity. That’s according to new research from Totem, the digital culture platform, which is urging employers to take action now to better manage remote working and prevent employee engagement and retention levels falling to an all-time low.

Millions of Brits give up more than a month of time each year by working additional unpaid hours, totalling five years over their working life, research reveals. In a poll conducted by Hitachi Personal Finance for this year’s National Work Life Week, data reveals exactly how much time Brits are spending working past their contracted hours and what else the nation could be doing with this time.

Over 60% of organisational change initiatives fail, but change itself isn’t the stumbling block. Change is common and natural, even inevitable. Seasons change, people change, mountain ranges change — yet successful change management remains a lofty, even insurmountable challenge for many organisations. Over 60% of organisations view change as something that should not be desired, something that should be dreaded; so many leaders within organisations fight hard to create sustainable/practicable practices, systems and functions with change being the last thing they desire.

The art of coding is reported to enhance productivity and communication within businesses, therefore, it is fast becoming a sought-after skill by employers. As the tech industry continues its exponential growth and becomes an integral part of every business, where’s the best place to start for a career in coding?

According to new research from Pluralsight, the enterprise technology skills and engineering management platform, 43% of UK office workers are worried they will be left behind as companies seek new skills to cope with the rapid pace of change.

2020 has been the most stressful year in history for the global workforce and people want robots to help, according to a new study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm. The study of more than 12,000 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives across 11 countries found that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased workplace stress, anxiety, and burnout for people all around the world, and they prefer AI robots instead of other people to help.

The pandemic has caused significant disruption to communities, businesses and the economy on a scale that has never been experienced before. The economy shrank 20.4% between April and June as ongoing lockdown measures led the country into recession.

The Data & Marketing Association (DMA) has published new guidance, ‘DMA Talent: Dyslexia Employer Guide’, created using insights from neurodiversity consultants, brands/employers, and dyslexic employees working across the creative, data and marketing industries.

As we enter the last quarter of 2020 I thought that it would be useful to take a look back at this extraordinary year and see what lessons can be learned from these truly remarkable circumstances. It has, after all, impacted on every business around the world in one way or another. Indeed, the impact has been so great that business, and the way that business is done, will never be the same again.

Workers would gain back an average of £4,168 of their time if they switched to home working permanently for a year, according to a new study from money.co.uk.

Will working from home become the new normal? Yes, according to The Case for Remote Work, a new report from think tank, The Entrepreneurs Network, by innovation economist, Dr Matt Clancy. Reviewing a wide range of research from across economics and social science, it argues that the business case for remote work has improved significantly over the past decade.

Applying for jobs, let alone during a pandemic, can be an extremely time-consuming and stressful job in itself. It’s crucial to ensure that amongst a sea of other applicants, you tailor your CV for success - especially now that employers will likely be hiring remotely.

As we move into Autumn, and continue to adapt to new ways of working, Wiley have put together a list of some recent and forthcoming titles.

The coronavirus pandemic has created a mental health crisis in the UK and the outbreak is now having a significant impact on our workforce says psychotherapist, Noel McDermott.

A new survey conducted by Quin, a pioneering, female-founded, digital health startup, found that 26% of the UK public would rather use health apps than visit a GP or hospital, and that usage of health apps has increased by 37% since the pandemic began.

It should come as no surprise that a strong environmental ethos within an organisation is a driving factor for many jobseekers when choosing where to apply for work. However, a recent report has detailed just how important sustainability aligned with social responsibility really is in terms of recruitment.

Working at home but don’t have a study? From the kitchen to the bedroom, flexible office specialist, Workthere, has shared top tips on how to create a practical workspace in any room of your home.

2020 has required businesses, specifically young startups, to evolve and adapt in so many ways to successfully navigate such unprecedented challenges. With the world shifting towards remote working, company culture has become more important than ever. VC-backed startup HomeHero is on a mission to transform how people manage their homes, all whilst juggling the delicate challenge of retaining company culture when the team is growing fast and personalities are joining HomeHero, remotely, every other week.

The Home Office has launched a new campaign to ensure businesses are ready for the introduction of the UK’s new points-based immigration system as free movement ends.

Small businesses are heralding accountants’ increasingly critical role in keeping them running since COVID-19 arrived, considering them to be among the ‘key workers’ of the post-pandemic economic recovery according to new research.

Flexible office specialist, Workthere, has created a Spotify playlist for people to listen to whilst working from home to help boost their mood and increase their productivity levels.

According to research from outsourcing provider, Woven, more than three-quarters (78%) of consumers trust online reviews when it comes to making a purchase. As UK businesses continue to manage the fallout from lockdown, customer service experts from Woven have revealed the significant impact that positive reviews could have in helping small businesses recover.

Office workers are now demanding new levels of flexibility in working arrangements following COVID-19 remote working. That’s according to a new survey of 189 office-based workers carried out this month by UK-based office software experts, SmartWay2.

Boris Johnson addressed the nation at 8pm last night, and announced a myriad of new restrictions - including a new urge to work from home if possible.

Every business needs to constantly assess what it sells, to whom, and how it sells it. It also needs to constantly assess the market and its competitors, as well as attempting to forecast future trends in demand and technology. All of this is quite a task in normal times when events move in a predictable way and in a linear timescale.

More than 11 million UK working adults have taken time off work for poor mental wellbeing, costing businesses an estimated 40 million working days each year, according to new research from not-for-profit healthcare provider, Benenden Health.

The Government’s furlough scheme has saved an estimated two million jobs and helped protect tens of thousands of startups and SMEs from closure. However as the clock ticks down to the end of October, the point at which the scheme will end, many businesses are now understandably concerned about what will come next once this provision is taken away.

Here Ramya Sriram, Digital Content Manager at Kolabtree, the freelance platform for scientists, gives five steps to ensure that you protect your Intellectual Property (IP) while working with a freelancer or remote worker.

Boris Johnson and his government have been pushing for employees to return to their offices in a bid to get the economy back up and running; but figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in the last week of August, only 50% of workers are back in the office.

A community-led co-working space dedicated to creating real social impact, Impact Brixton has announced the launch of Impact Day - a free working space and training programme for local individuals or organisations working towards social change in Lambeth.

A new study, commissioned by business bank, Allica Bank, shows that the practice of regular training correlates strongly with high performance in SMEs and will be vital to businesses’ prospects of a swift recovery post-COVID. The study analysed data from over 1,000 companies and ranked their success on a scale that evaluated factors including productivity, growth, consistency and outlook.

One thing that every early stage business should produce is a pitch deck, whether they are looking to raise external funding or not. A pith deck is typically a 15 to 20 page very simplified business plan set out in a PowerPoint type format. Its purpose is to succinctly outline all aspects of the business to any outsider. Just like a business plan, producing a good pitch deck is a good exercise for any founder in refining the business itself, and considering all aspects clearly and objectively.

Is the education system equipping young people with the skills to succeed in a fast changing labour market? A new report from The Entrepreneurs Network argues that as children return to schools after lockdown, students as young as eleven should have the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship in order to develop the skills and mindset necessary to prosper in the modern economy.

A new study, commissioned by business bank Allica Bank, urges small businesses to re-evaluate their trading horizons, following the establishment of a clear link between overseas trade and SME performance.

The ‘commute’ was falling out of favour prior to the pandemic, as an increasing number of office workers started to embrace flexible working.

Remote working has been in the technology ecosystem for many years. I have personally been doing partial remote work for the last ten to twenty years and what I have found is surprising. Most individuals are not used to this style of work which is accelerating a nationwide transformation of company culture.

Before any business is established the founder will of course have spotted a gap in the market, thought of the original idea, conducted research, and come up with the MVP. Taking these basic thoughts and then forming a business around them, with all the necessary steps that regular readers will now be very familiar with, does of course take considerable time and effort. 

Research from Workthere has revealed five top tips to keep employees happy at work. Workthere’s 'What Co-workers Want' report found that 59% of coworkers in the UK say they are happy with their current workplace, but what can providers do to improve happiness within their offices? Workthere asked 1,874 European office workers about 48 different office features in order to determine how satisfied they are with them and identify the areas offices should look to improve to provide an overall happier place to work.

New data looking into 6,273 employees, commissioned by Perkbox, the employee experience platform, has revealed the considerable impacts of the furlough scheme and the prospect of returning to work to wellbeing.

The startup ecosystem is going through some big tests right now. This time has forced us all to discover just how efficient and productive we really can be working from our kitchen tables. It’s tested the limits of our patience (‘when will it ever end?’) and resilience (‘when can we go outside?’) and ability to stay focused (‘how do I ignore the distractions of home and get my work done?’).

According to the Office for National Statistics 213,285 businesses failed in the UK in the first half of 2020, a 14% increase on the same period in the previous year. Without looking much more deeply into the numbers it is not possible to say for certain how many of those that failed were due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown but we would not be far wrong to say that the 14% increase, or 26,193 businesses failures were as a result of the pandemic.

We all communicate every day in both our social and our business lives but, let’s be honest, some do it so much better and more effectively than others. The very word ‘communicate’ can be interpreted in so many different ways, and applied in even more ways.

As lockdown eases, both business and employees are changing their thoughts about the best place to work - for businesses to achieve a cut in costs and favourable flexible agreements. For employees, it gives a vital away from home space.

As the government’s furlough scheme comes to an end, many businesses are looking at their staff returning to work in the forthcoming months. This is at a time when anxiety remains high about a second wave of infection and we're seeing reports of rising infection rates across the country and globe.

So I was listening to a podcast this morning - I listened to loads of podcasts so that's not unusual - but there was something about this podcast and the messaging within the podcast that rang a moderate alarm bell. The conversation was one of those that I estimate actually holds a lot of people back.

We’ve all seen it, that moment on a gameshow where the contestant is essentially asked ‘double or nothing’. They’re nervous or excited (although, this is often the same thing), and they’re wondering, 'I can either take the £3’500 I’ve earned or gamble and go home with the jackpot.'

Blenheim Chalcot, the UK-based digital venture builder, and Imperial College London welcomed its first business members to Scale Space on Imperial’s White City campus this week. This new 200,000ft2 facility, will be home to scale ups and innovative businesses across the technology, digital and life-sciences sectors.

If you have purchased a new computer within the last few years, you likely lack something - ports. You know, places to plug in your stuff. With streamlining and consolidation, many modern computers (including the entire MacBook family) have shifted to utilising only USB-C and Thunderbolt 3. Because of this, a dock or hub is essential when you Work From Home.

Global small business platform, Xero has announced it will host a free to watch content series called Xero On Air in September, designed to connect, inspire and share information with its accountant and bookkeeper partners and small business customers around the world.

Lockdown rules in the UK are easing up and Brits are slowly starting to go back to work in their offices. So what can employers do to ensure their office space is a safe working environment and keep their employees comfortable and safe during this time?

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown has caused large-scale disruption to businesses worldwide, remote working has been a shining example of how to ensure ‘business as usual’, particularly in areas such as customer service. If Gartner predictions are correct that over 40% of all employees will continue remote working post-COVID, businesses must redefine remote working by ensuring customer service staff - contact centre agents and supervisors - are equipped with fit-for-purpose technology to ensure they deliver a truly first-class service to the customer. Anne-Meine Gramsma, Chief Commercial Officer at ContactCenter4ALL, explains.

New analysis from Xero, the global small business platform, and AlphaBeta (part of Accenture), have revealed trends relating to the recovery of the UK’s small business economy following the impact of COVID-19, showing tentative improvements in revenue and payment times.

Fifty percent of people currently employed are planning on looking for a new job after COVID-19, according to new research released from Hooray Health & Protection. Nearly a quarter (24%) of employees questioned said they were somewhat likely to seek a new job, 13% said they were very likely and twelve percent were pretty positive when they said they were extremely likely to look for a new job post COVID-19.