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Welcome to InTheNews – covering all the FM news you may have missed over the week:
An expanded vision of workforce well-being is among the five global benefits and well-being trends to watch, according to the Business Group on Health.
Other trends include a heightened focus on global consistency and governance as well as inclusive and relevant benefits programs for diverse workforces.
“Employers remain sharply focused on the health and well-being of their employees around the globe, with the goal of creating and nurturing healthier, equitable and more engaged workforces,” said president and CEO Ellen Kelsay. “Factors further influencing these trends include the easing of the global pandemic, economic fluctuations and rising inflation, which has helped to shift these health and well-being programs from a corporate responsibility to a strategic imperative.”
New research from the CIPD exploring the quality of UK working lives has been released today, suggesting there has been a negative shift in how people think about and value their work.
The CIPD’s Good Work Index 2023 finds that most people like their work and find it satisfying. However, as many as 6-9 million workers*, experience poor-quality work in some major respects. CIPD’s survey indicators show that there has been no significant improvement in job quality in the past four years and, in some respects, job quality has gone backwards. Compared to 2019, workers today are less enthused about work, less likely to perceive their work as useful and more likely to simply see work as purely transactional – simply for the money.
In response to this shift, the CIPD is calling on businesses and the Government to renew their focus on good work and improving job quality, citing the significant lack of progress on this agenda since the Government’s Good Work Plan was published in 2019.
Jake Young, research associate at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said: “Despite the upheaval of recent years, most UK workers remain broadly positive about their jobs. However, there’s a mixed experience of job quality, especially between private sector and public sector roles, and as many as nine million people stand to have poor quality work in some key respects. Not all jobs can be transformed, but significant improvements in areas such as training, development, and people management should be possible.“
Kingdom Services Group has successfully acquired established facilities management companies Red Support Services Ltd and Green Support Services Ltd meaning more than 750 staff will be joining its existing workforce.
Specialising in servicing shopping centres and commercial properties, the newly acquired companies provide national services in cleaning, security and building maintenance, as well as refurbishment, hygiene, washroom and janitorial, and pest control.
Terry Barton, CEO of Kingdom Services Group, says: “This strategic merger reinforces our commitment to deliver superior services to our valued customers, and signifies yet another exciting chapter in our collective journey.
“We are excited to welcome more than 750 new Kingdom colleagues into our growing Group.”
And finally, energy prices have soared in recent years, driving businesses to search for solutions to control their rising costs. In response to this, Bidvest Noonan has launched a new Energy Management Service. This innovative service is designed to help businesses streamline energy consumption, achieve significant cost savings, and boost sustainability.
“Our new Energy Management service will help customers overcome energy challenges,” says Peter Smyth, Director of Innovation and Technology at Bidvest Noonan “With high energy prices and continued volatility in the energy market, our mission is to help customers reduce their energy consumption, pay the lowest rates and achieve their sustainability goals.”
You can find out more on news.fmbusinessdaily.com
