Trends in professional workspaces

Since the pandemic, professional workspaces have adapted and shifted in big ways. People are more interested in who they’re investing in when they shop and how their quality of life is while working. So, today we’ll look at trends in professional workspaces including sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, remote or flexible working, health and ethical governance to prepare you for the modern world of work after your education.

Sustainability and CSR

More than a box-ticking exercise, Corporate Social Responsibility is important to buyers now. Previously, a lot of people didn’t think about how their goods were made and - aside from the occasional child-working scandal - only focused on the price, brand desirability and quality. Today, sustainability initiatives, environmental stewardship, sustainable business practices, corporate social responsibility and integrating sustainability principles into day-to-day operations are differentiators. It’s a virtue signal that buyers will get behind with their wallets. Here are some recent examples:

● ASOS adds sustainability director - CSR issues plague fast fashion retailers, so this move from ASOS to appoint someone with 20 years of experience creating innovative social strategies is promising and will engender more trust with their Gen Z and Millennial buying audience 

● Liberty Global joins Joint Alliance for CSR (JAC) - Annually, Liberty Procurement Services manages over £4 billion in equipment and services purchasing for more than three thousand global suppliers. If they can make their supply chain more sustainable, this will have a knock-on effect across their entire ecosystem benefiting thousands of companies and consumers 

● Hospitality to embrace CSR and tech - The piece states, “The hospitality industry faces a pivotal opportunity to redefine its operational and strategic frameworks. This thought leadership paper articulates a comprehensive vision for the integration of advanced technologies—including network upgrades, system integration, intelligent technologies, electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous vehicles (AVs), and the transition to cloud and Software as a Service (SaaS) computing—to bolster Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and CSR objectives

● NVIDIA leading on innovation and CSR - Iterating in the metaverse and autonomous machinery space, NVIDIA also takes CSR just as seriously with power generation targets and a focus on net zero. As a leader in the tech space, this is an important and visible sign of a move towards sustainable practices 

Remote and flexible working

Since the pandemic, remote work, hybrid work models and flexible work arrangements have taken centre stage. This means we’re also talking about virtual collaboration, work-life balance and the future of the traditional office regularly now as well. Here are some recent stories about remote and flexible working in professional spaces.

● UK employers to embrace flexible working - In a recent survey, only 28% of firms are based in the office full-time and more than half are planning changes to improve flexible working conditions (a move that many workers applaud) 

● A new flexible working bill received Royal Assent - When it comes into force, employers will need to consult with employees before rejecting a flexible working request and they may make two per year with a response required in 2 months (not 3) - this will benefit women and carers who especially struggle to get appropriate accommodations

● Employees want hybrid working as the norm - Most employees surveyed want a fully remote or hybrid working approach and would not apply or would walk away if this wasn’t offered

● Better lifestyle worth pay cut - The report states that “a survey of over 5,000 workers for its Better Work 2023 report found a desire for greater flexibility and less time at work is driving this trend, with a four-day work week (28%), a better work-life balance (25%) and more flexible working opportunities (17%) the most likely factors to encourage Brits to take a pay cut”

Health in the workplace

The promotion of employee health and well-being is a growing topic. This includes mental health support, wellness programs, work-life balance initiatives and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workplace health and safety. Let’s look at a few recent stories to discover the trends.

● UK government plans to boost workplace health support - The memo states that “plans include a new standard for businesses to adopt to boost health in the workplace [where] better workplace support [is] expected to grow the economy and tackle inactivity by improving productivity and preventing health-related job losses

● Workplace mental health as a safety issue - In the UK, surveyed leaders didn’t find ill mental health a H&S issue while 80% in Australia did. The piece explains the need for employers in the UK to take mental health more seriously from a risk management perspective

● Workplace culture impacts on wellbeing - A culture of isolation, stress or presenteeism increases mental health issues, exacerbated by a cost of living crisis. More should be done to create a safe space where people can thrive at work

● Gender health gap awareness - We need to start thinking about ways to make workplaces safer for women including education around health and work performance, PPE made for women and increasing our understanding of working practices designed around women performance, PPE made for women and increasing our understanding of working practices designed around women

Ethical leadership and corporate governance

Issues related to ethical leadership, corporate governance practices, business ethics, transparency, accountability and efforts to combat corruption and unethical behaviour in organisations were stalled during the pandemic. But now, as life moulds into a new normal, people are focusing on this again, highlighting the missteps of government and corporations during the COVID-19 crisis with a renewed optimism for the future.

● Businesses expected to adopt a stakeholder approach - Before the pandemic, shareholders were the ultimate driving force of most businesses. Now, leaders are encouraged to consider every stakeholder in the value chain when making business decisions from suppliers to employees and everyone in between

● Loss of citizen trust in policing - Serious failures of culture and leadership in the Metropolitan Police have created a drop in confidence and worry among Brits around the standards of behaviour and suitability of our police force. This is creating a call for radical change and many people are gaining a renewed interest in ethical leadership and corporate governance generally, as a result

● UK failures with COVID-19 response - Contracts for PPE from unsuitable firms are just one of the many discoveries around the failings of UK leadership during the pandemic. Understandably, the public is looking for accountability and reform of the contracting process so this doesn’t happen again

● Hasbro most ethical company 12 years running - The process includes an assessment of more than 200 questions that “covers key ESG areas including corporate governance and Board accountability, human rights and ethical sourcing, environmental sustainability, and social impact across global communities. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organisations across industries and around the globe”

So, you can see there is a lot of movement around sustainability, CSR, remote or flexible working, health in the workplace and ethical governance to consider as you join the professional workforce. How will you run your company or contribute to a better culture in your own spaces? At the University of Bolton, maintaining a warm and inclusive environment for students is a core goal. So, if you need any help with your studies or have any other questions, please do reach out via email at enquiries@bolton.ac.uk or call on 01204 952 747 for support.