Tag Archives: Productivity

News

Research finds remote work could be key to Britain’s ‘Levelling Up’ plan

Remote work could enable over 13 million Brits* to seize the opportunity to live and work outside the major cities, helping to spread economic opportunity across the UK, according to research released today by ClickUp, the all-in-one productivity platform.

The research found that 45% of the UK workforce believe working remotely from wherever they’d like on a permanent basis is a realistic option. More than half (53%) of Brits believe that living in a major city is important to their career advancement – however if they had the same career prospects living elsewhere as they do now, only 15% of people would choose to continue living in the city.

The UK government recently announced its Levelling Up plan, which aims to bring gigabit broadband to 85% of the UK, and £1 billion to deliver 4G coverage to 95% of the country by the end of 2025, amongst other measures to reduce regional inequality. The new research from ClickUp suggests that remote work could play a major role in helping the government achieve its key objective and level the economic playing field across the country.

Amber Coster, VP of Operations, EMEA at ClickUp, said: “The key to spreading economic opportunity across the UK could be staring us in the face. The country has already adapted brilliantly to remote working, and there is a huge demand to live and work outside of the main economic hubs. There are still some productivity hurdles to be overcome but with the right approach and tools, combined with the government’s commitment to improving connectivity, remote work could play a major role in bringing economic opportunity to everyone.”

However, remote work does not come without its challenges; ClickUp’s research revealed the top areas that need improvement to make remote work a permanent reality, according to the workforce:

  1. Ways of communicating (19%)
  2. Managing employees (17%)
  3. Managing workloads and projects (17%)
  4. Too much importance is given to face-to-face meetings (17%)
  5. Software and tools (16%)

Managing and measuring productivity becomes even more important with distributed workforces, yet less than a fifth (19%) believe their employer’s ability to do this well. In fact, data shows there is significant room for improvement with close to half (44%) of Brits rating their employer’s ability to measure productivity as average or below average.

*The Office for National Statistics’ most timely estimate of payrolled employees indicates that in December 2021 there were 29.5 million employees in the UK

News

ClickUp launches virtual Whiteboards tool to enable hybrid teams to turn ideas into actions

ClickUp, the world’s only all-in-one productivity platform, has launched ClickUp Whiteboards – the only visual collaboration solution that directly connects team’s ideas and work. Whiteboards address the growing challenge of teams needing to brainstorm, present ideas and visually collaborate on projects in a hybrid work environment.

In collaboration with the launch of Whiteboards, ClickUp also commissioned research to discover how workers prefer to collaborate and learn. The findings reveal that 67% of people classify themselves as visual workers, and that since the start of the pandemic, 60% of people admit they find it more challenging than ever to brainstorm and collaborate on work in real time with their colleagues. As a result, two-thirds (64%) have done less brainstorming with their teams.

Zeb Evans, CEO at ClickUp, said: “Collaboration requires more than just a place to meet and brainstorm. Teams need to be able to seamlessly access the context around their work and turn ideas into action, without having to jump to another tool. In fact, 9 out of 10 workers today say they would prefer to be able to manage all their work in one place, rather than having to use different tools for different tasks. ClickUp Whiteboards solves this challenge, as it is built natively into the broader ClickUp platform, together with tasks, Docs, Goals, Dashboards and more, providing a single place for teams to work more efficiently and get more done”.

Whiteboards is an entirely native solution providing customers with a seamless user experience. Rather than having to integrate from other platforms, ClickUp users can collaborate on a digital whiteboard directly in ClickUp and turn ideas and all whiteboard items straight into ClickUp tasks, saving people time and improving alignment between teams.

ClickUp’s virtual Whiteboards enable teams to collaborate in multiple ways:

  • Idea execution: improve brainstorming by quickly creating new objects from ideas and convert objects directly into ClickUp tasks at the click of a button.
  • Dynamic editing: add content to Whiteboards in a variety of ways, including drawings, text with rich formatting, shapes, sticky notes, images, and other media files.
  • Real time collaboration: interact across teams with complete visibility into all users’ edits and cursor movements as they happen.
  • Flexible structuring: move and organise ideas and projects in customisable ways, from mind-mapping to agile workflows.
  • Seamless sharing: share Whiteboards openly with all teams, internally and externally.
  • Convenient templates: get started quickly with templates for any team and business, from marketing agencies to product management.

ClickUp customer Talent+, a leading talent recruitment and coaching agency, has found tremendous value in using the beta version of ClickUp Whiteboards to improve alignment with teams and clients.

Ashley Pavlik, Director of Product Development at Talent+, commented: “With Whiteboards now natively alongside other apps in ClickUp, we’re able to visually bring our standard operating practices to life right where work is happening. This saves us time moving between yet another tool and more importantly, has aligned our teams on work handoffs and made collaboration easier in the product development lifecycle.”

News

Work Life Balance: Is your routine benefitting your happiness and your business?

We’ve all had to rework our day-to-day lives to accommodate the pandemic, but have we managed to balance the scales of work and relaxation?

 

Rovva surveyed 1,005 UK adults to find out exactly how happy they are with their routines, and how they feel it has impacted their productivity and wellbeing.

The research revealed that 79% of respondents are happy with their new routine since the pandemic, whilst 80% said they feel just as productive as they did before coronavirus!

Feeling productive is a huge bonus for our wellbeing as well as our work, giving us the boost we need to finish a particularly stressful day, but it’s not just about improving our working.

63% of people also said that their perspective on life and what is important to them has changed, and over half of them said they’ll try to keep their new habits in the following months.

Whilst at the beginning of the pandemic forced us apart physically, taking a huge toll on our mental health, 75% of those surveyed said they actually see just as much or more of their family and friends now.

All of these factors lead into a potential improvement in the UK’s general happiness and wellbeing, but it can be difficult to see what you need to change to feel the positive effects of a healthier work life balance.

As a result, Rovva created a calculator to let people compare their routine to the routine that brings the most happiness to those in the UK, making it much easier to make small changes to hopefully improve people’s general wellbeing.

Jon Abrahams from Rovva, said: “We wanted to find out how much people’s routine has changed and if there are any elements of our new lifestyle that we’d like to keep after the pandemic has passed.

“It’s great to see that people found a way to amend their routines and we thought it’d be fun to allow everyone to check how their routine compares to the nation’s one.”

News, Technology

86% of Public Sector Decision Makers Believe their Organisations’ Productivity Depends on Network and Application Performance

Riverbed today launched its expanded ‘Rethink Possible: Visibility and Network Performance – The Pillars of Business Success’’ Study, focused on the public sector. The study revealed that 89% of IT decision makers (ITDMs) and 82% of business decision makers (BDMs) in the public sector believe productivity is reliant on effective network and application performance. In addition, three-quarters of those surveyed (72% ITDMs and 79% BDMs) agreed that visibility into IT performance is the key to driving business innovation and staff retention.

These and other findings in the study highlight the necessity for public sector organisations to have effective IT infrastructure in order to be successfully productive, innovative and drive their growth. These are key considerations given the critical challenges public sector organisations are facing to maintain infrastructure, policing, health, and political balance in today’s environment.

Poor visibility and outdated systems proving to be a hindrance

Decision makers within the public sector recognise that improved visibility into network and application performance will have a direct, positive impact on their organisations’ development. In fact, over three-quarters of ITDMs (77%) think that having more visibility into their organisation’s systems will help to mitigate risk and ensure productivity. Both of which are essential factors in improving efficiency, driving employee engagement, and developing projects within public sector organisations. However, a clear conflict exists in the public sector between the visibility experienced by the IT teams and business decision makers. More than half of ITDMs (54%) state that they do not have enough visibility into the performance of their networks, applications, or infrastructure, compared to 76% of BDMs who believe IT has a comprehensive overview of applications. This disconnect may be why 75% of public sector leaders surveyed felt frustrated by their current network performance (74% of BDMs and 76% of ITDMs). Ensuring ITDMs and BDMs see eye-to-eye is paramount to helping them recognise the need for new technology that will improve visibility and performance, overcoming this frustration.

Productivity and organisational growth need the right IT infrastructure

As the recent global pandemic has shown, the public sector needs technology that evolves with the increasing demands placed on national services. In fact, over 90% of IT decision makers in the public sector believe future success hinges on their organisations’ ability to innovate and break boundaries. It is therefore encouraging to see that over 85% of both ITDMs (89%) and BDMs (86%) in the public sector believe there should be more investment in technology solutions that enhance overall IT visibility. With more than three quarters (78%) of public sector leaders agreeing that investment in next-generation technology is vital, organisations need to act quickly or they risk not only diminishing productivity levels from employees but also failing to keep up with customer needs and expectations.

Commenting on the research findings, Colette Kitterhing, Senior Director UK&I at Riverbed Technology, said: “Strong IT infrastructure is essential for any business but in the public sector – where ineffective systems cause major disruptions for national government departments, non-departmental public bodies such as the NHS, and service delivery – it is crucial. Especially during these unprecedented times, it is really positive to see that both IT and business decision makers in the public sector recognise the need to invest in the right technology to optimise their IT infrastructure – for both employees in the office and those working remotely – and successfully achieve business growth, now and in the future.

Kitterhing, continued, “At Riverbed, we want to encourage public sector leaders to work together in order to identify and overcome the IT challenges they may be facing, from the lack of visibility, to poor network performance and inefficiencies due to outdated infrastructure. We fundamentally believe that in finding a solution to these problems, ITDMs and BDMs can unlock the capability to evolve their business, drive innovation, boost productivity and ultimately, achieve success in the public sector.”

Rethink Possible: Evolving the Digital Experience

Over 80% of all public sector leaders (87% of ITDMs and 81% of BDMs) agree that organisations must rethink what is possible to gain true success in today’s fast-moving world. Technology has to be the enabler in the process. Riverbed’s portfolio of next-generation solutions is giving customers in the public sector across the globe the visibility, acceleration, optimisation and connectivity that maximizes performance and visibility for networks and applications.

HR News

How can workspaces help improve employee productivity and wellbeing?

With research underpinning the idea that artwork can relieve the stress patients face in hospital, Clare Wilson, Creative Director at The Team took a look at how workspace design can help improve employee productivity and wellbeing.

The power of design in hospitals

Research by CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has found that filling the hospital with art has helped to improve patient wellbeing, decrease hospital stays and reduce anxiety, depression and pain.

For the last 25 years, the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has been looking at ways to improve the healing process through the environment. They have found that mental health and experiences of those receiving intrusive examinations, surgery, chemotherapy and emergency care are improved when visual art is installed. And, it is not just imagery that has the power to have a healing effect, there are other factors including temperature, lighting, acoustics, air quality, closeness to nature, way-finding, privacy and technology, as well as the arts.

Could the same tactics be successfully applied to workspaces to improve employee wellbeing and productivity?

Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation announced that “burnout” can be diagnosed as a legitimate medical condition. According to last year’s statistics, 74% of British workers felt so stressed that they were “overwhelmed or unable to cope” and 67% of people believed stress caused them both mental and physical ill-health. Therefore, it is no surprise that businesses are more attuned to using workspace transformations and design as opportunities to create positive cultural change and improve employee wellbeing.

The power of design in workspaces

Technology as well as digital tools and platforms are transforming traditional ways of working. They are changing how companies think about – and use – their office space. At The Team, we can attest to it.

Last September, we went through workspace changes and downsized to half the space we used to have. The consequence of which has been positive, but it’s interesting looking at projects like this as a way to improve staff wellbeing and embrace change. The renovated space now allows us to work in a way that’s a lot more flexible and collaborative. For instance, by choosing to opt for laptops over iMacs, designers have the freedom to move around and interact not just with the space but with employees far more than before. Another key element of our new workspace is the addition of more flexible meeting room spaces which we repurpose into design sprint rooms – successfully allowing our clients and designers to collaborate on projects. We have seen and helped several clients, including NS&I and Natwest, with workplace design during similar office transformations like our own, using it as an opportune moment to create positive cultural change and improve wellbeing.

As designers, we can help create environments where people love to live and work. It’s not just about designing spaces that support people’s individual wellbeing. It’s also about encouraging a positive working culture to sustain a healthy, stress-free workplace in the long term. If you have this, you have a culture people are far more invested in.

We see this more and more as workspaces are moving away from corporate settings, opting instead for a blend of residential and hospitality design to provide a richer, hybrid environment. Integrating exercise spaces, chill-out areas and treatment rooms into workspace designs are ways businesses are helping to reduce stress at work and improve wellbeing – even helping to change workplace culture. We are now taking design cues from non-corporate settings, selecting furniture, finishes, fabrics and lighting to create comfortable and enjoyable spaces to be in.

How to design imagery for a workspace

The key to designing workspace imagery is to start with an overarching theme. The theme could come from anywhere. It could be inspired by the building itself, the way light moves around it, or by a company’s ethos. Imagery serves to create a mood, and that mood can change depending on the space – from a wow factor moment at the entrance to calm and tranquillity in the staff room. It is perhaps no secret that, gone are the days when office walls were plastered with giant company logos, framed portraits of Board members or – worse still – a swathe of magnolia paint. Imagery can play an important role in creating a calming and welcoming environment, improving wellbeing, so it is crucial to carefully consider the placement of these on your walls.

During Workplace Week I had the opportunity to see property company ZPG’s office space. They themed every single room into a replica version of what would be in your home. This for me brings up a common pitfall where form overshadows function. We should be wary of letting design inhibit the functionality of the space, it should instead, serve to enhance it. Of course, if a theme’s too ambitious, it can be quite costly and a strain to maintain these high standards. It should always be about allowing your design to have the flexibility to evolve with the needs of your employees and your business.

Any employer considering artwork and design in their own space should think about how they want the space to perform. Visual merchandisers do exactly this in capturing their customers attention in retail stores. But you also have to think about your employees’ needs. Their ways of working will be different depending on their job, so factor these nuances into the design of your space.

Remember, less will always be more as adding to the design of the space is part of the growth process. Let it sit for a while, let people start to feel at one with the space and then see where things need to be tweaked or changed. Over designing will always mean a pitfall. People are never 100% happy and businesses never stay the same, so ensure that future proofing is part of the design process from conception to delivery. Allow for the design to have some flex so that your employees and your space can evolve with the business.

News

Why a clean desk can increase your output in the office

Lauren Consiglio from Rajapack shares her tips for decluttering the office

Considering British workers spend around 3,515 days at work (plus 188 days overtime) according to 2019 research, most are striving to work smarter, rather than longer. Many people have caught on to efficiency hacks that can help them do this, employing strategies from inbox zero to task prioritisation and regulated breaks.

The “tidy life, tidy mind” mentality is not always included in this plan, however, and many see a clean workspace as a waste of time. Yet with a new study revealing that over half of Brits consider decluttering to be therapeutic and beneficial to their mental health, it may be time to think about the ways it could help us work smarter. Here are four key reasons we should declutter our desks for increased output at work.

Save time

The thing that we skip out on to save us time, could well be the thing that’s slowing us down. When we’re busy with work and have documents, notes and post-its piling up on our desks, it can be easy to lose sight of what we’re looking for amongst the chaos. A tidy of your desk every morning will allow you to find what you need, when you need it (and make it harder to miss those all-important memos!).

Stay focused

Is a “tidy life, tidy mind” true? Scientists have suggested that a cluttered environment can make it trickier to focus. This is because our brain is trying to take in multiple items, which in turn makes it a challenge to concentrate on just one thing. Instead, try to only have the things you need out in front of you. This will help you to work on the task at hand rather than jump from job to job, which can in fact be detrimental to your productivity.

Reduce stress

Since we’re already bombarded with stimuli throughout the working day. The last thing we need is a chaotic desk space – especially since the more overwhelmed we become, the worse our output generally is. This cycle is worry-inducing, as well as unproductive – set yourself up so that stress won’t affect your ability to get the job done.

Improve mood

The study states that when Brits declutter, 35% find it therapeutic, 27% find it rewarding and 16% find that it benefits their mental health. Whether these benefits are helping you to achieve more with your day or are enabling you to enjoy a better work-life balance – your mood will be improved because of it. And ultimately, when you’re happier in your job, you’re more likely to do your best work because of it.

Tips to de-clutter your desk

With this in mind, here are some tips that can help you to de-clutter your desk and improve your productivity:

  • If you don’t use it, dispose of it
  • Look around you. How many things on your desk do you actually need? Last week’s newspaper, outdated Post-it notes and tattered documents that no longer have a use can all go in the recycling bin.
  • Also, any coffee mugs, empty plates and snack wrappers should be taken to the kitchen, giving you a clear desk to concentrate at.
  • Use a stationery holder and storage system
  • Pick up all the stationery that is around you and place it in a stationary holder, so that all your tools are stored in one place. Next, take any documents that you did not throw out, and place them in some sort of organised filing system for future use. At the end of each week, go through it and sort what you should keep or throw away.

Go digital

Where you can, go digital. It doesn’t only save the planet, but it saves you from having to be surrounded by messy (and potentially sensitive) documents that shouldn’t be in view of others. Try to keep things on your work server where you can, so that everything you need is in one controlled, protected place. This will make for greater peace of mind.