News From The Frontiers Of Employment

The changing nature of work, along with growing pressures in the workplace, leaves many employees wondering if there isn't a better solution.

In a recent survey of 2000 people, management consultants Ceridian Performance Partners found that 40% are planning to change jobs within a year. Many complained of stress and an unsatisfactory work/life balance.

The problems are not being addressed as effectively as they might be. "Instead of watching good people leap from job to job," say the researchers, "employers need to confront this change in expectations and adapt the workplace to prevent the 'strain drain'."

Call centres, the source of remarkable growth in jobs in recent years, don't look like a good alternative. Business Strategies, another consultancy, is in the midst of a long-term study of call centre futures. They suggest that, though there will be some further growth, eventually significant parts of these operations will be transferred to internet-based interactive technologies.

To find a more comfortable position, it seems more and more people are turning to the flexibility of teleworking. Another recent report, this one from the Institute for Employment Studies, projects that an additional 200,000 a year will opt for working outside the traditional office setting.

There are challenges in all this, for both business managers and facilities professionals, that focus on protecting the future of the business.

Elliott Chase