4 01732 759725 NEWSRetail and manufacturing in urgent need of knowledge transfer between generations Frontline employee experience app Flip is warning of an imminent skills crisis in retail and manufacturing that could cost the UK retail sector alone £28 billion in lost productivity, following a survey showing that 57% of UK frontline employees aged over 55 are preparing to retire within the next five years, taking valuable technical skills and knowledge with them. Four out of five managers (81%) believe that most technical expertise in their companies lies with older employees; 73% rely on a handful of experienced workers to keep operations running; 68% are concerned that vital knowledge will be lost when they leave; and 78% lack confidence in their company’s ability to prepare for future skills gaps. The research by Flip and Workplace Intelligence reveals that skills shortages are already impacting productivity, with 72% of managers saying that gaps in expertise are actively reducing their teams’ efficiency. On average, experienced employees spend more than 12 hours per week, or nearly four months a year, helping colleagues who lack critical skills (including teaching co-workers, correcting mistakes and troubleshooting tech). Given the imminent skills crisis and the fact that 92% of managers believe Gen Z employees lack key technical skills needed to perform effectively, Benedikt Brand, Co-founder and CEO of Flip, says that businesses must do more to transfer knowledge between generations. He said: “Industries that form the backbone of our economies are facing a cliff edge when it comes to critical skills. It’s vital that businesses capture the invaluable expertise of retiring employees and make meaningful investments into developing the Gen Z employees who make up their future workforce. Without seamless knowledge transfer between generations, productivity will stall and these essential industries will suffer.” www.getflip.com … Rising expectations boost demand for premium workspaces The UK flexible office market is becoming increasingly polarised between premium hospitality-led providers at one end and value-led providers at the other, according to a new report from Spaces to Places, The UK Flex Office Market 2025: Strategies, Players, and Business Models. Spaces to Places’ analysis of 52 UK players with a portfolio of more than 10 locations highlights a growing divide between emerging premium hospitality-led providers, which now account for 20% of the market, and incumbent owner-operator, propertyled providers focused on value. Zoe Ellis-Moore, CEO and Founder of Spaces to Places, a provider of flexible workspace consultancy, attributes the rise of premium providers to changing customer requirements. She said: “At the premium end, expectations have soared, with offerings ranging from drinks trolleys at desks and vanity rooms to restaurants meeting five-star hotel standards. Even at the value end of the market, it’s more than providing desks and chairs – convenience, cost and community are essential.” Of the providers analysed, 69% are privately owned, 14% are family-run, 13% are publicly owned and 4% are Family Friendly Workplaces brings certification scheme to UK A certification programme for family-friendly workplaces is being launched in the UK by Family Friendly Workplaces in partnership with UK charity Working Families, which for over three decades has been campaigning to remove barriers faced by working people with caring responsibilities. Family Friendly Workplaces was established in Australia in 2021 by Parents at Work and UNICEF Australia to develop a framework of Global Work + Family Standards and to recognise employers that have embedded family-friendly policies in their workplaces. In Australia, 650 organisations have already used the framework to assess and improve their workplace practices. The expansion of Family Friendly Workplaces to the UK has been welcomed by founding partners Deloitte UK and TLT LLP; supporting partners dentsu, Grant Thornton UK, Kantar, Norton Rose Fullbright and QBE Europe; and advocacy partners Adoption UK, the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA), Kinship, Maternal Mental Health Alliance, National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and The Fostering Network. Working Families CEO Jane van Zyl says that giving employers an evidence-based framework to create familyfriendly policies benefits both employers and employees. She said: “For too long, businesses have lacked a clear, evidence-based framework for what truly makes a workplace family-friendly. This certification changes that. By giving employers the tools to assess, improve and embed familyfriendly policies, we’re helping to create workplaces where parents and carers can thrive at work whilst fulfilling their caring responsibilities. In turn, businesses will see higher retention, engagement and productivity.” UK organisations can see how their workplaces compare to Global Work + Family Standards at https:// familyfriendlyworkplaces.co.uk/self-assessment/ workingfamilies.org.uk Emma Walsh (l), CEO of Family Friendly Workplaces Australia, with Jane van Zyl (r), CEO of Working Families Zoe Ellis-Moore NEWS
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