Improve working conditions to
increase profitability
A strong link between profitability and
working conditions, such as light, air, noise,
health, culture, design, movement and office
furniture, is revealed in a new study by Sapio
Research for BDG architecture +design, Bisley,
FUTURE Designs, Hoare Lea, Humanscale and
Woven Image.
The
Wellness Together
report suggests that in
order to achieve ‘Wellness’, organisations must
address every component that can impact mental
and physical health, from building structures and
company culture to furniture and fittings. Key
findings are:
n
Average gross profit margin in companies where
employees have a high sense of mental wellbeing
is 3% higher than in those where employees
have an average/neutral wellbeing rating and
7% higher than in those where employees rate
themselves as mentally unfit.
n
Organisations with physically fit employees
enjoy an 8% higher average gross profit margin
than those with unfit staff.
n
Companies with a high level of agility and
flexibility in working practices have 6% higher
gross profit margins, on average, than those with
low flexibility and agility.
n
Companies that demonstrate greater
innovation and creativity are more profitable,
with the most innovative organisations
achieving 8% more average gross profit than less
innovative counterparts.
n
Higher performing companies are more likely
to have facilities that promote wellbeing, such as
showers, cycle parking, personal lockers, plants,
quiet working spaces, variable lighting control,
height adjustable workstations and social spaces,
and are more likely to give staff the freedom to
choose how and where they work.
n
People think it’s important to have breakout
and collaborative spaces (27%) and the
opportunity to find a quiet private space (43%)
when they need it. A quarter would like the option
of being able to stand or sit when they work.
n
Companies that enable employees to adjust
their working conditions have a 3% higher
average gross profit than those that don’t.
Currently, only 53% of employees feel they have
adequate control over their comfort.
n
Almost half (48%) say workplace design has
a notable influence on their decision whether or
not to stay with an employer.
n
Better ventilation is the number one
environmental improvement factor identified by
respondents. Others include the ability to control
temperature, open windows and have more
natural light.
AGENDA
Pen and paper persist
Over a third of independent UK businesses still
use pen and paper for inventory management,
stock ordering and other vital processes.
Research by Lightspeed and SaveTheHighStreet.
org reveals that only 15% of businesses in the
latter’s database use an EPOS system to help
run day-to-day operations.
01732 759725
magazine
07
Labels boost loyalty
The use of multiple labels on a parcel increases
positive emotions in the recipient and enhances
customer loyalty. A study by Avery UK found
that using multiple labels on a shipping package
could increase feelings of love for a brand by as
much as 129%, perception of quality by 116%,
purchase intent by 113% and word of mouth
recommendation by 135%.
Efficiency trumps cost
Process efficiency trumps value for money
when booking hotel rooms. In a survey by
global hotel booking platform Roomex, one
third of respondents said administrative
efficiency was their primary objective when
booking corporate hotel rooms, ahead of
cost savings (22%) and time savings (13%).
Common problems include hotel invoices
not matching internal cost codes (25%)
and lack of integration with accounting
systems (25%). Over a third of respondents
said that corporate travel policies are
flouted.
Time to leave the dark ages
Xero warns that one fifth (18%) of accountants
are stuck in the Dark Ages and still use paper
ledgers rather than digital alternatives. To
promote its
Digital or Die
report, Xero has
recreated the Portrait of Luca Pacioli, replacing
the Father of Accounting and Bookkeeping’s paper
ledger and tools with modern-day alternatives.
Remote
workers
under
attack
Attacks on remote desktop
applications, VoIP telephone systems
and virtual private networks (VPNs)
used to connect firms to remote
workers and regional offices have
more than doubled this year warns
business ISP Beaming.
Its analysis shows that UK businesses
were subject to more than 600 cyber
attacks a day between July and
September. Unauthorised attempts to
take control of connected devices, such
as remote controlled security cameras
and building control systems, accounted
for 63% of all internet-borne cyber
attacks. Attacks on company databases
made up 16% of attacks.
Beaming MD Sonia Blizzard said:
“We are seeing evidence that hackers are
turning their attention to technologies
that support branch offices and remote
workers. The rates of cyber attack on
internet telephony systems, remote
desktop applications and virtual private
networks have more than doubled since
the start of this year.”
She added: “As more people choose
to work remotely, these technologies are
becoming increasingly important. They
need to be protected properly if they
are to create value and not new areas
of vulnerability. Data must be encrypted
where it is stored and while travelling
across the internet. Strong protections
should be put in place to secure
company devices and people should be
trained on how to avoid the main cyber
security risks they might be exposed to.”
Sonia Blizzard
