survey

Post-Pandemic Mental Health in the Office – UK Workers Polled

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In May 2022, we conducted a poll of 450 working Britons to see how their mental health is faring in the current, post-pandemic, working environment. The ultimate goal of this poll was to gain a picture of how workers’ overall wellness is being supported by their employers, as well as the ways in which their mental state has evolved after returning to the office.

Like many of our other recent studies, we made sure to limit this poll to only UK office workers, as we believe that this group experienced some of the most dramatic changes to their daily routines and workflows throughout the pandemic. Having previously started the day with a commute to their former office space, the lockdowns linked to COVID-19 saw the vast majority of this group pivot to remote work for an extended period of time, swapping their office desk for their kitchen desk as they worked from home.

It was our intention to choose this segment of society, as they should be especially indicative of how the extreme swing in regular work environment can impact workers’ mental health and overall wellness. Additionally, we wanted to see how supported they feel in these regards when compared to pre-lockdown situations.

Below, you can find a summary of the results of our poll:

Mental Health & Returning to the Office

  • 41.11% of office workers said that their mental health hadn’t changed after returning to the office
  • 25.33%, of workers signalled that their mental health improved after returning to the office
  • However, 22.89% of workers reported diminished mental health after returning to their physical workplaces
  • 10.67% of respondents indicated they still haven’t returned to the office

Post-Pandemic Work-Life Balance

  • 60.44% of polled office workers said they have better work-life balance now, when compared to before the pandemic.
  • 21.56% of workers indicated they’ve felt no difference to their work-life balance
  • 18% of the UK’s office workers feel that they’ve had a worse work-life balance since the pandemic

Access to Mental Health & Wellbeing Support

  • Nearly half of employees, or 47.78%, indicated that there is accessible mental health and wellbeing support being provided by their employer
  • 27.56% of office workers have stated that mental health and wellbeing support services are offered but are hard to access
  • 15.78% of workers responded that they aren’t provided any mental health or wellness support by their employer
  • 8.89% of workers were unsure if their employers provide access to mental health and wellness support services, or they haven’t sought them out

Continue reading “Post-Pandemic Mental Health in the Office – UK Workers Polled” →

Do Employees Feel Supported by Their Managers After the Pandemic? (2022 Poll)

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Following on from our recent articles exploring the ways in which UK office workers feel about their return to the workplace after the COVID-19 pandemic, we once again polled 450 individuals to determine how employees feel about the managers and bosses orchestrating a shift back into the office.

The questions presented by this poll asked respondents to give a general indication of how supported they’ve felt by management since returning to the workplace and outline whether they currently feel positive, negative, or neutral about their employer.

To summarise

  • 29.3% of UK office workers feel more supported by management since returning to the workplace
  • On the other hand, 18.4% of respondents fell less supported
  • 44.4% of UK office workers indicated that managerial support felt the same in a post-pandemic working environment
  • The remaining 7.8% of respondents stated that they haven’t returned to the workplace

Continue reading “Do Employees Feel Supported by Their Managers After the Pandemic? (2022 Poll)” →

UK Office Workers Polled: Characteristics of a Good Manager

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In May 2022, we conducted a poll of 450 working Britons to determine what they look for in a good manager. The ultimate goal of this poll was to gain a picture of where workers’ priorities stand after the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of their preferred managerial style and methods of support.

When conducting this poll, we made sure to limit our scope to UK office workers only; a group that experienced significant upheaval in their working lives as they shifted between the office and remote locations throughout the pandemic. It’s our belief that this group will be especially indicative of the ways in which evolving workplace norms can quickly impact the perceived characteristics of an effective manager.

Characteristics Presented to Respondents

In no particular order, the characteristics presented to respondents were:

  • Adherence to COVID-safety measures
  • Frequent and effective support on tasks
  • Empathetic leadership skills
  • Facilitation of flexible working schedules
  • Strong leadership style
  • Ability to build and maintain work culture

Continue reading “UK Office Workers Polled: Characteristics of a Good Manager” →

How Do UK Office Workers Rate Their Return to the Office?

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two cartoon figures in front of a large clipboardWe conducted a poll in May 2022 asking 450 UK office workers to express how they felt their employers had managed their return to the workplace after COVID-19 lockdowns. Limiting our pool of respondents to just UK office workers provided us with the best indication of how businesses across the country managed the extreme transition between remote and in-person working schedules, as this group was amongst the most drastically impacted by mandated isolation.

This poll found that

  • 54.5% of UK office workers found their employer’s roadmap out of lockdown to be well presented, providing clear direction
  • 27.6% of UK office workers felt they were confused by their workplace’s poorly presented roadmap out of lockdown
  • Surprisingly, 18% of respondent indicated that their employers had no plans or roadmap in place for their return to the office
  • When asked to rate their return to the office out of 5
    • 46.2% of respondents rated it 4 or higher
    • 40.7% of respondents rated it 3 or lower
    • 13.11% of respondents indicated that they hadn’t returned to the office

These results paint an interesting scenario, one in which roughly half of UK office workers are happy with their return to the office and the roadmap laid out by employers. Continue reading “How Do UK Office Workers Rate Their Return to the Office?” →

Commercial Property Value in the UK Weakened in February

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The performance of commercial property in the UK weakened this February according to CBRE’s latest Monthly Index. Total returns for commercial property in the UK fell to 0.1% and capital values fell by 0.4%. The downturn in commercial property performance came in spite of the fact that Central London offices have seen an improvement, with returns up from January, from 0.3% up to 0.5%. The weakening of property valuations covered the three main commercial property market sectors, shopping centres, shops and offices located outside of the Central London area.

On a more positive note, Central London offices have seen renewed growth, which is responsible for offsetting the decline of most parts of the commercial property market. Central London office property values saw an increase of 0.1% for the month.

According to the CBRE’s February 2012 UK Monthly Index survey total returns on all property were 0.1% for the month, with capital values down 0.4%. The retail property market suffered the most in February, providing a return of -0.1%, while industrial property returned 0.4% and offices returned 0.2% overall. Office property values for the rest of the country fell to 0.9% in February.

Rental values showed an improvement over the previous month while retail centres, shops and shopping centres suffered weaker returns, at -0.3%.The report went on to say that a third of commercial property investors have said that London is the most attractive property investment in the EU, ahead of Warsaw by more than 20%.

According to the CBRE’s Senior Analyst, Nick Parker, foreign investors are continuing to target and focus on the UK, and London in particular. Mr Parker said “this was because foreign investors are less constrained by a tight domestic debt market.” He also stated ‘Combine this finding with a healthy skew of respondents who said they intend to increase their overall purchasing activity in 2012 compared to last year, and the picture for the commercial property markets in London and the UK looks quite positive.”

References: Property Magazine and CBRE

A Third of SME’s in London Trade Solely Online

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According to a recent survey one out of three small businesses in London are selling their products exclusively online.

Research undertaken by PeoplePerHour showed than thirty four percent of small businesses in London operate without a bricks-and-mortar presence on the High Street, and only trade via the internet. The survey showed that even the sixty one percent of small businesses who do have a physical store front presence still make half of their sales on the web.

Forty seven percent of SME’s currently do the majority of their business online, while the number of companies selling more than fifty percent of their services or products via the web has increased twenty seven percent.

The number of firms which sell more than half of their products or services online has increased by 27 per cent, with 47 per cent of SMEs now doing the majority of their business on the web. Many small businesses are attracted to online sales due to cost-effectiveness and the reach their online presence can provide.

Managing a vacant property

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What happens to a vacant property after the last tenants moved out and there are no signs of new occupants moving in? Managing vacant property may prove much tougher than it seems.

A recent survey carried out by SitexOrbis shows that the top three most important issues whilst managing vacant property are security, loss of rental income and empty property tax. Other key concerns included maintenance and compliance with insurance stipulations.

The recession has resulted in increased numbers of vacant commercial properties. The amount of available office accommodation in the city of London has gone up by 90 per cent between mid 2008 and mid 2009. Company and retail closures across Britain have repeated the same pattern in most major cities.

Many commercial property owners report a rise in squatting, vandalism, arson and break-ins; insurers are reporting an increase in large-scale fires. More than 50 per cent of landlords are unsure about the health and safety regulations for vacant properties.

The other concern is keeping properties in a fit condition for viewing and attracting new tenants. Landlords have to invest in protection solutions such as wireless alarms and other electronic security measures in order to tackle problems of squatters, criminal damage, arson and graffiti. Continue reading “Managing a vacant property” →