About Mark Eltringham

Mark is the publisher of Workplace Insight, IN magazine, Works magazine and is the European Director of Work&Place journal. He has worked in the office design and management sector for over thirty years as a journalist, marketing professional, editor and consultant.

Posts by Mark Eltringham:

Design is the top factor when it comes to workplace happiness, claims study

Design is the top factor when it comes to workplace happiness, claims study 0

by • News

 

3692_bbc-media-city_01New research from Office Genie claims that office design makes the most significant difference to employee happiness levels. According to the survey of 2,000 British workers, when someone felt comfortable with the design of their workplace, it boosted their happiness by 33 percent compared to those who felt uncomfortable. Workplace design was found to have a larger impact than office temperature levels, light levels, noise levels, and social interaction levels: temperature made an average difference of (5 percent), light (6 percent), noise (8 percent), and social interaction (8 percent). It also came in ahead of the ability to work flexibly, specifically the ability to work from home which made a 12 percent difference to happiness levels. This is particularly remarkable when flexible working is often cited as one of the biggest factors affecting employee happiness, according to the study.

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BDG architecture+design appointed by WPP on refurbishment of Rivierstaete building in Amsterdam

BDG architecture+design appointed by WPP on refurbishment of Rivierstaete building in Amsterdam 0

by • Company news, Workplace design

Insight_twitter_logo_2WPP, the world’s largest advertising and marketing services group, is investing in a landmark building in Amsterdam as a new base for its operating companies in the city. The agencies will move into a redevelopment of the well-known Rivierstaete building located in the centre of the city on the banks of the Amstel River. The new office will bring together some 30 companies and approximately 1,500 people in 19,000 square metres of space. The Amsterdam office is the latest in a series of WPP co-locations, including Madrid (more than 40 companies and 2,500 people) also being designed by BDG which continues their long standing relationship with WPP Real Estate and further showcases both parties track record, expertise and commitment to revitalising large, awkward inner city buildings through their innovative programme of ‘Evidence Based Design’.

Government set to extend groundbreaking One Public Sector Estate programme

Government set to extend groundbreaking One Public Sector Estate programme 0

by • News, Property, Public Sector

derby-council-offices-public-sector-estateThe UK Government has announced that it is to further extend its groundbreaking One Public Sector Estate scheme which supports local authorities and public sector bodies in the sharing and divestment of underutilised property. The Cabinet Office and Local Government Association have issued a joint announcement that 159 councils will join the next phase of the One Public Estate programme and that £7.5 million has been awarded to 37 partnerships made up of councils and public sector bodies. The funding will support cross public sector partnerships to work collaboratively on land and property initiatives leading to new jobs, new homes, joined up public services and savings for the taxpayer. The programme was initially launched in 2013 and has been extended to a number of local authorities and public sector bodies since

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American workers prefer the 9 to 5 but would take a pay cut in exchange for home working

American workers prefer the 9 to 5 but would take a pay cut in exchange for home working 0

by • Flexible working, News

9-to-5According to a new study by researchers at Princeton University and Harvard University, the average American worker is indifferent to flexible working hours and instead prefers a set 40-hour workweek. According to the study, most workers aren’t willing to take even a small pay cut to determine their own working hours. However, if given the option to work from home, many workers — especially women — would take an 8 percent wage cut to do so. The findings, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), also show that workers consistently dislike irregular work schedules set by employers on short notice. They would even give up one-fifth of their salary to avoid working evenings or weekends. Nearly half of jobseekers would not take an irregular-schedule job even if it paid a quarter more than a 9 to 5 job. This is true even of workers who currently have irregular work schedules.

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Digital diversity hub launched by RICS to coincide with Coming Out Day 0

by • News

diversity-rainbow-wallToday is Coming Out Day and as part of a greater drive for diversity, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a new digital hub designed to help its members create more inclusive workforces. To underscore the need for greater diversity, RICS cites a 2015 survey carried out by the Architects’ Journal, just 16 percent of gay employees believe the industry is inclusive of LGBT workers, up to a third feel that their sexuality creates barriers to career progression and 85 percent claim to have encountered homophobia at least once during their careers.

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The Big Data skills gap and other issues

The Big Data skills gap and other issues 0

by • News, Technology

big-dataA new report from techUK claims that the widespread use of Big Data could boost the UK economy by £241 billion and create around 157,000 jobs by 2020, but the Government needs to act fast to address the skills gap that is holding back the implementation of more Big Data applications. The survey of techUK members found that almost two thirds (62 percent) say they need more specialists in emerging disciplines including Data Analysts, Data Infrastructure Engineers and Solutions Architects. However there may be wider challenges ahead for the application of Big Data as a survey carried out by Gartner suggests that the number of organisations willing to invest in Big Data is set to fall.

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The American workplace is more skilled, but workers are concerned they are becoming irrelevant

The American workplace is more skilled, but workers are concerned they are becoming irrelevant 0

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

american-workplaceThe ‘Tectonic changes’ that are reshaping the US workplace and the response to them are the subject of a major new research project from the Pew Center in association with the Markle Foundation. The study of over 5,000 US workers carried out over the Summer found that the nature of jobs is undergoing a fundamental shift with greater emphasis on knowledge as well as analytical, interpersonal and communication skills. In response, workers are retraining and reassessing their abilities to adapt to the demands of employers. Despite this, a growing number are worried that they are becoming irrelevant and have diminishing faith in the ability of politicians, the education system and their employers to address their concerns.

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Workers now spend around half of their working hours on email

Workers now spend around half of their working hours on email 0

by • News, Technology, Wellbeing

emailIf you feel like you are checking your email more than ever before, the chances are that you are. Email continues to be the number one communication channel for people around the world, and that includes Millennials, although their use of text and instant messaging is changing the way email is used. According to the new study of 4,000 people in the US, UK, France and Germany from Adobe, the amount of time we spend checking messages increased by an average of 17 percent last year. British workers in the UK spend on average 90 days a year reading email, compared to 62 days for the Germans, 99 days for the French and 88 hours for Americans. This means that the average British worker spends slightly over 4 hours each day checking their messages, including in the bathroom, in front of the television and even while with other people.

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UK Government kicks off tender process for vast public sector property framework

UK Government kicks off tender process for vast public sector property framework 0

by • Flexible working, News, Property, Public Sector

3040748_projectposeidonbygensleraerialviewofhopThe UK Government will this week start the latest tendering process for the Estates Professional Services framework. Originally set up in 2008, the framework covers all central and local government property as the administration sets to rationalise and modernise the country’s entire public sector property estate and help to reduce the £8 billion annual spend. The terms of the framework were updated in an August 2016 briefing, laying out a series of case studies highlighting best practice as well as offering guidance t those firms who wish to bid for work across a range of product and service delivery models. The last set of contracts for services are due to expire in March 2017 and the Government remains committed to the inclusion of smaller providers. The framework covers a range of property-related services, including the reduction and divestment of parts of the estate, the renegotiation of leases, a reduction in running costs, support for the government’s sustainability agenda and the facilitation of flexible working and property sharing initiatives.

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An enlightened approach is needed for the new era of artificial intelligence

An enlightened approach is needed for the new era of artificial intelligence 0

by • Comment, Technology

artificial-intelligenceOne of the explanations for both Brexit and the once implausible idea of an obvious demagogue like Donald Trump assuming the world’s highest office is that we now live in a post rational world. In plain parlance this was best summarised by Michael Gove’s proclamation during the Brexit debate that we have all had enough of experts, but a growing number of intellectuals are starting to question whether we are seeing the roll back of the Enlightenment. The suggestion is, that in a world awash with information, we are retreating to a more visceral worldview. If the facts don’t fit with the way we feel, then they just have to go. While rationalists continue to invoke the ideals of Descartes, Locke, Hume, Paine, Voltaire and Spinoza, they are often doing so in a self-imposed echo chamber and so are genuinely horrified to find that there is an outside world that has little time for Reason with a capital R. This explains all you need to know about the post Brexit meltdown.

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Podcast: bonuses, motivation and why business leaders might do well to steer clear of politics

Podcast: bonuses, motivation and why business leaders might do well to steer clear of politics 0

by • Podcasts, Premium Content, Workplace

carrotI recently took part in a podcast hosted by business transformation consultant Rita Trehan. My fellow guest for the CEO Outlook podcast was Hari Kalymnios, author, trainer and Leadership Speaker at The Thought Gym. The episode featured a lively discussion focused primarily on two topical issues. First asking whether bonuses are really needed to motivate staff and what business might do to take a more sophisticated, informed and nuanced approach to motivation. Then secondly, and against my better judgement, in the light of Jeremy Corbyn’s recent spat with Richard Branson, whether CEOs and business leaders should steer well clear of politics and politicians and how they might make judgements about what is appropriate in terms of the topics with which they should engage and how they might disentangle themselves from the wider issues that often result. You can listen to the podcast here.


Apple agrees to lease half million sq. ft. office at Battersea Power Station

Apple agrees to lease half million sq. ft. office at Battersea Power Station 0

by • Cities, News, Property, Technology

apple_logo_black-svgApple has confirmed the rumours that began in the Spring of this year by announcing that it is to relocate its UK headquarters from its current base in the West End along with several other sites to the redeveloped Battersea Power Station. The site’s developers say that Apple will become the largest office tenant at the £9 billion Battersea Power Station mixed use development occupying approximately 500,000 sq. ft. across 6 floors of the central Boiler House inside the iconic building. Apple is expected to move into the Power Station in 2021 at which time the office will account for circa 40 percent of the total office space in the whole development. 1400 Apple employees from existing offices around London will relocate to one of London’s best known landmarks. Apple has added, that this is a great opportunity to have its entire team working and collaborating in one location while supporting the renovation of a neighbourhood rich with history.

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