Another week, another ‘Wave’ ???

5 news items from the world of work and workplace that you can digest in 5 minutes.

This week:

1. Over 50% of HR leaders support the four-day week
2. Remote work is changing the way new apartments are designed
3. Remote work is saving commuters 72 minutes a day

A Flexible Future: New research guides employers towards a flexible future and four-day work weeks, reports Achievers. In response to employees’ demands for flexibility, the report showed more than half of HR leaders surveyed are on board for the four-day work week. "HR leaders are not making this decision in a vacuum," said AWI Chief Workforce Scientist, Natalie Baumgartner, PhD. "Work flexibility has become incredibly important to employees in the last few years. For the first time in the six years that we have been doing this research, work flexibility is the number one reason to job hunt in 2023, equal with career progression." Read Full Article.

New Homes: Remote work is changing the way new apartments are designed, reports Fortune. While CEOs are clamoring for employees to return to the office, it appears remote work in one form or another is here to stay. Property developers have taken note, and many are now designing new apartments with remote workers in mind. CEO of Verdant Studio, Jessica Hester said: “Making sure people have access to comfortable, well-lit desk space has become a priority.” Read Full Article.

Find Flex Jobs: A new flexible working job site, WorkYourWay, has launched to match people with their dream flexible working roles across the globe. Dubbed ‘Tinder for Flex,’ the site aims to bring total transparency to a job market filled with “smoke and mirrors”. Candidates can search the site for flex-forward companies and jobs, filtering on things like working patterns, workload, workplace and life events, enabling candidates to provide total clarity on their work-life arrangement before applying for the role. Read Full Article.

Winning Time Back: Remote work is saving commuters around the world an average of 72 minutes a day, reports Financial Post. The study by National Bureau of Economic Research said businesses are the biggest beneficiaries of the travel time savings, with workers devoting 40% of their saved time toward primary and secondary jobs. About a third went toward leisure activities and 11% went to caregiving, the study found. Read Full Article.

Combating Loneliness: Almost half of the workforce feel lonely but hybrid working improves it, reports People Management magazine. Research by the British Red Cross found that 75% of people who moved to a home or hybrid working model said the change had improved their work relationships, and 43% had become closer to colleagues, compared to 26% who felt more distant. Kate Palmer FCIPD, HR advice & consultancy director at Peninsula UK, said: “Where employers identify that their staff are feeling lonely, or would benefit from better interaction with others, they should consider making amendments to their working conditions.” Read Full Article.