Blog

While many individuals and businesses have become far more attuned to their own, and others’, mental health issues over the past 18 months, it’s clear that the support given simply hasn’t been enough for so many.

After 18 months of yo-yoing in and out of lockdowns, the positives that remote working has brought to the table for many employees are endless. According to a new survey by RADA Business, nearly half of workers would like to continue working remotely post-pandemic, with the younger generation being most in favour of this shift.

Despite the UK beginning to sense some sort of normality after an incredibly turbulent 18 months, there’s no denying that more uncertain times are ahead as the government plans to slow down, or stop completely, the level of financial support it has been giving businesses.

The benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce are numerous, and the number of reports that give substantial evidence to this claim are great. A 2018 McKinsey study, for example, highlighted just how much more profitable a diverse workplace is compared to its non-diverse counterparts.

Financial Services and Accounting are two areas of the job market that are struggling to keep up with the positive wave of change sweeping our nation when it comes to increasing efforts around diversity and inclusion. As a sector, our line of work is still heavily male dominated, with women only making up 12.6 per cent of leadership roles – a worrying statistic. 

At the end of 2020, it was reported that three-quarters of UK workers had experienced burnout as a direct result of the workplaces changes brought about by the pandemic – notably being thrown into working from home with no choice. And in 2021, this worrying trend has seemingly continued with 1 in 5 employees reporting to feel unable to manage the pressures and stress levels at work.

At the start of the pandemic, it was recorded that by May 2020, the UK’s demand for casual and loungewear had skyrocketed by 49 per cent. With no reason to leave the house, especially in the initial months of lockdown, formalwear sales dropped by 25 per cent and slipper sales boomed by a whopping 285 per cent.

While many employees have craved the return to the office, ridding themselves of social isolation and the same four walls, not everyone is excited about the return to work. And even though over half a million Brits won’t be returning to the office full-time, the idea of going back to ‘normality’ at all is nerve-wracking for many.

At the end of that day, we have all been battling an invisible enemy for over a year, and the barriers we have had to put in place to protect ourselves, our teams and our families have been nothing but robust. The thought of having to break down these barriers and open ourselves back up to potential threat will, of course, be distressing – no matter how much we’ve missed and craved human contact.

Since the start of the pandemic last year, the use of technology, software and innovation to adapt to the ‘new normal’ has skyrocketed. From the boom in use of applications such as Microsoft Office, to the creation of new apps to make virtual business work seamlessly, the need for comprehensive and experienced IT and Tech talent has never been so high.

As Autism Awareness Week drew to a close last week, we reflect on how businesses can break down existing barriers to help support neurodiverse talent through the hiring and onboarding process and begin making positive change.

With over 27 million people in the UK having now received their first vaccination against COVID-19, employers are beginning to feel more hopeful that their workforce will be able to safely return to the workplace in just a few months’ time. However, there’s been increasing debate about whether employers should expect employees to be vaccinated before returning to work – and for agency workers, discourse gets a little more complicated.