Latest news with #WFH
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The move that has killed off Friday-night drinks
Gather round, young workers. Let me tell you a story of what work was like in the olden days. It might sound strange, but once upon a time people across the city would descend upon a central location at the same time, toiling away from Monday to Friday in a common space together. Then, on the final afternoon of the last workday, a small ritual would occur in many workplaces. In some of them, platters laden with 'chips and dips' would materialise on a large table near the kitchen. In others, a drinks cart would be wheeled between cubicles, offering cold drinks to weary workers. And, more often than not, a colleague would appear at your desk to invite you to the pub to digest the week's events and swap upcoming plans for the weekend. These historic vignettes are not from decades in the past, you only need to rewind your memory back to 2019 to remember them. For countless generations, workers celebrated the end of the week by heading to the local watering hole. Today, however, thanks in part to changing ways of working, WFH is killing Friday night drinks. Loading According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 40 per cent of Australian employees now spend some of their week under hybrid arrangements, and it's caused a drastic change to how we socialise. The most common days to be in the office? Tuesday to Thursday. And the most likely days to work from home? Mondays and Fridays. But it's not all the fault of WFH, as there's a perfect storm of trends that has led us to this moment. The first is a long-term shift of younger Australians away from alcohol.
The Age
an hour ago
- Business
- The Age
The move that has killed off Friday-night drinks
Gather round, young workers. Let me tell you a story of what work was like in the olden days. It might sound strange, but once upon a time people across the city would descend upon a central location at the same time, toiling away from Monday to Friday in a common space together. Then, on the final afternoon of the last workday, a small ritual would occur in many workplaces. In some of them, platters laden with 'chips and dips' would materialise on a large table near the kitchen. In others, a drinks cart would be wheeled between cubicles, offering cold drinks to weary workers. And, more often than not, a colleague would appear at your desk to invite you to the pub to digest the week's events and swap upcoming plans for the weekend. These historic vignettes are not from decades in the past, you only need to rewind your memory back to 2019 to remember them. For countless generations, workers celebrated the end of the week by heading to the local watering hole. Today, however, thanks in part to changing ways of working, WFH is killing Friday night drinks. Loading According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 40 per cent of Australian employees now spend some of their week under hybrid arrangements, and it's caused a drastic change to how we socialise. The most common days to be in the office? Tuesday to Thursday. And the most likely days to work from home? Mondays and Fridays. But it's not all the fault of WFH, as there's a perfect storm of trends that has led us to this moment. The first is a long-term shift of younger Australians away from alcohol.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Working from home ‘trending upwards' despite moves to bring workers back to the office
When Allied Irish Banks tightened its working from home (WFH) rules in July, it became the latest big company to demand staff spend more time in the office. The bank's move seemed to confirm suspicions that large employers are gradually rolling back the WFH regimes they introduced at the height of the Covid pandemic. But new research on technology use in Ireland suggests otherwise, with WFH 'trending upward' in the national survey and increasing numbers of staff living outside Dublin showing higher WFH rates. 'Working from home isn't going anywhere, regardless of the return to office narrative,' says Ipsos B&A in its annual Techscape survey. READ MORE Working from home requires technology, but the survey also examined the use of products such as smartphones and found scepticism about artificial intelligence (AI) technology. 'We are living in a period where digital technology has ascended to the same level of necessity as electricity, acting as the very current that energises our modern existence,' said Luke Reaper, Ipsos B&A chief executive. Despite some big Irish employers moving to bring more staff back to the office full-time, the survey suggests remote and hybrid working are well entrenched and, in some instances, still growing – at least for now. A growing number of respondents said they WFH in some capacity every week, indicating that employees value the improvements in work-life balance and reduced commuting that flexible working can bring. WFM introduced radical change in the way legions of workers earn their living. No matter what employers think, workers seem to like it that way. [ Return-to-office edicts aren't always what they seem Opens in new window ] The Ipsos B&A TechScape 2025 study found that more than a quarter of all respondents were WFH for two or more days per week, an 8 per cent increase since 2024. Of the respondents who work, 53 per cent WFH sometimes and 46 per cent said they WFH for two or more days a week. However, that may yet change. AIB's recent move to restrict WFH and flexible work practices changes rules in force since 2022. Although bank branch staff were required to be in the workplace five days a week, the previous requirement on other staff was to attend the office on at least two days. Last month, however, AIB told staff eligible for hybrid working they must return to offices three days a week. The plan will be phased in, with full implementation from 2026. That change made AIB's WFH rules the tightest among Irish banks. By contrast, Bank of Ireland requires staff to attend the office for a minimum of eight days a month. But other big employers have taken a tougher line. Amazon , which has more than 6,000 workers in Ireland, broke ranks with Big Tech companies last year by declaring all staff would be required to work from corporate offices five days a week . [ Working from home is here to stay despite what some bosses think Opens in new window ] The Ipsos B&A survey identifies WFH as a mostly middle-class phenomenon. Among respondents with an ABC1 socio-economic background, 44 per cent reported some WFH; 39 per cent said they did so on two or more days per week. In the C2DE socio-economic group, 17 per cent reported some WFH and 15 per cent reported home working for two or more days per week. WFH was previously Dublin-centric. However, that now appears to be changing, with Ipsos B&A finding marginally 'higher rates of more frequent work from home' in other urban areas. About 27 per cent of Dublin respondents reported WFH for two or more days per week. In other urban areas, the comparable figure was 28 per cent. WFH for two or more days per week was lowest in rural areas, where it was cited by 24 per cent of respondents. Looking beyond the location of where people do their work, the survey found simpler, more basic technology such as 'feature' phones and old-style record players have declined in popularity. Only 11 per cent said they owned the latter, while 17 per cent of those surveyed said they used a basic mobile phone, down from 21 per cent in 2024. Sixty per cent of those using the phones were part of the so-called Silent Generation – those over 80 years of age. Previously, younger users were abandoning smartphones and constant notifications in favour of simpler devices. [ Government's National Hub strategy delayed Opens in new window ] Meanwhile, the smartphone market appears to have reached saturation point with usage remaining steady at 93 per cent of respondents. Nine out of 10 people go online at least once a day, with those in Dublin showing the highest usage. The geographical divide in tech adoption that was evident in previous surveys has also largely been eroded, with the average number of devices in homes both in Dublin and around the country standing at nine apiece. The socio-economic and generational divides remain, with younger users more likely to use wearable technology and smartphones. Meanwhile, the Silent Generation are also increasing their digital activity, embracing online shopping and keeping up with celebrities and influencers. This comes despite previous surveys highlighting a growing dissatisfaction with the impact of technology on life. 'Despite the historic rapidity of hardware innovations that visibly transformed our lives annually, this era seems to be transitioning into maturity,' said Reaper. The survey found 58 per cent of those aged 65 and over go online more than once a day. But this age group also shows less enthusiasm for acquiring new gadgets. Six per cent of respondents never go online, a figure that held steady from last year. AI has been dominating the headlines, but the real-world implications are much less pronounced – for the moment at least. The survey highlighted a high level of apprehension around the new technology, with only 22 per cent of respondents saying they used tools such as ChatGPT. That figure is significantly lower than the global level. Irish people are also lagging in their understanding of AI, with 28 per cent saying they do not have a good understanding of the technology. 'AI is still in its nascent stages,' said Reaper. 'We are more concerned about the impact of AI, continue to have more faith in humans to be less discriminatory than AI, and have a lower than average ability to see the potential benefits of AI.' More than three-quarters of respondents said AI must be regulated, while two-thirds said they were wary of ChatGPT's impact on students. The survey was carried out in June among a representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 16 and older at 63 sampling locations around the State.
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Health
- Forbes
Working Remote? These Small Design Hacks Beat Willpower Every Time
While not every organization offers hybrid work, most still have remote work days. Whether due to travel, illness or caregiving, working from home (WFH) and flexible workdays are a reality across industries. This flexibility can come with a higher likelihood of prolonged sitting and subsequently, a ripple effect on focus, energy and workday productivity That means in 2025, even office-first organizations need to support employee well-being in every setting. Motivation campaigns and corporate perks have a place, but research points to a bigger opportunity: design choices that reduce friction wherever people work. A 2025 Lancet Public Health umbrella review found that small environmental shifts and behavioral prompts reliably reduce sedentary time, with modest individual reductions that add up across a workforce. In today's workplace reality, physical activity does not just happen. It must be enabled across environments. With growing evidence that well-being improves performance, treat movement and well-being as a business imperative by harnessing practical environmental cues to prompt it. Whether you are shaping corporate wellness strategy or are home with a sick child yourself, use small defaults that make movement the easy choice. Why Remote Work Makes Movement Hard Working from home offers flexibility but removes many natural reasons to move. Without a commute, hallway conversations or walking to meetings, movement often falls off the radar. The result is longer stretches of sitting and fewer built-in somatic resets during the day. Perhaps surprisingly, post-COVID studies confirm higher sedentary time and lower activity with WFH, which is why environment and design matter at home as well as in the office. Bridging the gap between in-office and remote work doesn't require a radical shift. Even brief physical activity breaks can support clearer thinking. The takeaway from the research is clear: design beats willpower. How to Design Movement Into a Remote Work Day With that in mind, the next step is to build behavior change that brings movement into the workday. If you work remotely, consider the following practical suggestions to add physical activity without adding time. If you lead employee experience, use these low-cost levers to add movement that supports WFH productivity. 1) Engineer Small Wins Into Daily Habits Tie small cues to tiny movements so the behavior runs on autopilot. In this context the aim is not fitness; it's harnessing opportunities to interrupt prolonged sitting and boost mental clarity. 2) Use Perks and Stipends as Prompts for Movement Corporate perks should prompt action rather than sit unused. Thoughtful choices can create cues for movement during the workday. 3) Design the Meeting Environment. One Walking or Off-Screen Call This is a design choice, not a wellness reminder. Adjust the meeting environment so at least one routine call each week becomes movement-friendly. A small format change supports attention, energy and idea flow without adding time. Accessibility Note: When conventional movement is not feasible, suggest diaphragmatic breathing, upper body stretching or taking regular screen breaks. Why These Remote Work Strategies Move the Needle This isn't an overhaul of well-being or productivity strategy. It's optimization with intentional design. Build movement into the remote work day with one small cue at a time. Start with a refill, a meeting or a nudge. Behavior shifts through smarter defaults, not stronger willpower. It works across remote, hybrid and in-office settings. And when done well, it supports better individual productivity and mobilizes the workforce.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The HP Envy 6100 all-in-one color printer is nearly half OFF for a limited time - Bonus $50 ink cards!
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Get ready to upgrade your ' WFH ' for good! When it comes to working from home, comfort and efficiency are at the top of our minds. That is why we have our eye on a brand new HP printer (that, for a limited time, is 46 percent off). Whether you are fielding paperwork for clients, printing worksheets for your kiddos, or running your own Etsy store — having a fast, reliable printer at your disposal is priceless. The HP Envy 6100 All-in-One Color Printer does more than just get the job done, and with an overflowing amount of 5-star reviews, we guarantee this will be one home office addition you never regret purchasing. The innovative printer is designed with professional quality, from its planet-forward cartridges down to its touchscreen display. Printing is no longer a chore when you use the HP Envy 6100 All-in-One Color Printer because its reliable WiFi-powered controls and accompanying print app make getting your important documents easier than ever. Users can not believe the efficiency, with one saying: 'Great printer! I like how compact it is. Very easy set up. Great price. Free and super fast shipping... Very happy with this purchase. I can now print wirelessly from all my devices which I couldn't do with my old printer.' Unlike other printers that make promises they can not keep, the HP Envy 6100 All-in-One Color Printer lives up to its name, with one user calling it the best 'budget color printer' on the market. Whether you need to print, copy, or scan, this compact machine keeps up and looks good while it does with a sleek white exterior. Each tray holds 100 sheets of paper and can print 10 (black) pages per minute. With speed this fast, you will have your freshly printed documents ready for you before you even turn your head. One user said: 'The printer itself works pretty flawlessly using the HP Smart App. The initial setup was easy, as the app took you through step by step, from connecting to the internet to aligning the printer heads. It's easy to print photos and documents directly from your phone without having to deal with a computer too!' Trust us, the HP Envy 6100 All-in-One Color Printer is going to be your new secret weapon. Make sure to check it out now while it is still 46 percent off with code WELCOME20 till 7/31 and 20NEWQ through 8/10.
