About Neil Franklin

Neil Franklin is Insight's news editor

Posts by Neil Franklin:

September 21, 2017

Women struggle to make their voices heard in the workplace, claims RADA report

Working women in the UK feel they face a number of challenges to make their voice heard in business environments, according to new research. The study, conducted by RADA in Business, the commercial subsidiary of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art which provides communication skills training for corporate individuals, found that just 8 percent of women find it easy to make their voice heard at work. In comparison, 15 percent of men reported being able to express themselves with ease within a work environment. The research also claims that women are 68 percent more likely than men to say they never feel comfortable when expressing themselves in a work environment (3.7 percent of women compared to 2.2 percent of men). This gap was widest in specific sectors, most notably IT, professional services (such as law and accountancy), retail and education.

September 19, 2017

Two thirds of employees feel pressured to work through lunch hour

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Over two thirds of UK employees are working unpaid over lunches because of heavy workloads and manager expectations, according to a new survey from office supply firm Viking. Of the 1,500 office workers surveyed, many employees felt they were expected to work through breaks or wanted to look busy for managers and 38 percent simply said they had too much work to fit in to the day. While 82 percent said they felt their current lunch break allowance was long enough, a worrying two thirds (67 percent) admitted to working through their lunch at least once a week. That number is even higher (80 percent) for 25-34-year olds. Around 14 percent of all respondents said they do so every day.

September 18, 2017

The mega trends that continue to reshape the workplace around the world

by Neil Franklin • Events, Features, Property, Technology, Workplace design

Last week, over 600 workplace and property experts met in London at the CoreNet Global Summit 2017 to discuss some of the most important trends affecting the sector. The debates underlined one important fact about property and workplaces, which is how they are shaped by major, globalised events as much as they are local needs and the objectives of specific organisations. This quickly became evident on day one, which demonstrated how dramatic shifts in the geopolitical landscape, all of which are impacting corporate real estate – from America First to Brexit – remain key talking points for the industry. Opening speaker Linda Yueh (University of Oxford and London Business School) explored several possible scenarios, including how the focus of ‘Trumpism’ would have a significant effect on the U.S. role on the world stage, with the priority on the domestic economy leaving little scope for global trade. She also predicted that a ‘hard Brexit’, with no new trade deal with the EU, will be the most likely outcome for the UK’s withdrawal process; and that businesses will need to focus on alternative WTO rules as an urgent priority. Other impacting factors covered by Yueh included the rise of a dominant global middle class, and China’s need to rebalance its economic growth drivers.
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September 12, 2017

Eight pathways launched to combat unethical practices in construction supply chains

by Neil Franklin • Architecture, Facilities management, News, Property

A new eight stage action programme called APRES, has been released by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to support the responsible and ethical sourcing of materials, products and people. This call to action has been created in partnership with Loughborough University and presents eight pathways to best practice to combat modern slavery and unethical practices in supply chains. The pathways aim to take organisations and individuals from the level of ‘Baseline’ to ‘Best in Class’ performance.

September 7, 2017

Report sets out building blocks of a successful digital workplace strategy

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace design

Digital workplace developments often lose their way, or fail, due to a fragmented approach that prioritises a few technology ‘fixes’ over business strategy, according to analysts at Gartner. To combat this, ‘digital workplace leaders’ in public sector organisations need to employ a framework to ensure their digital workplace initiatives address eight critical components required for a successful implementation, according to Gartner. The report (paywall) sets out what it claims are the eight critical components — “building blocks” — that application leaders need when planning, directing and evolving digital workplace programs:

September 7, 2017

Leeds latest city to announce major new Government Hub

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Public Sector

Following the announcement of new UK Government Hubs in Cardiff and Edinburgh, a total of 6,000 civil servants are to be relocated to a new Government Hub in Leeds in what is claimed to be the biggest ever commercial property letting deal in the city’s history. HMRC, working with the Cabinet Office, will take approximately 378,000 sq ft at Wellington Place on a 25 year lease. The deal will see 6,000 civil servants working in a state-of-the-art new city centre premises in 2020.

September 6, 2017

ECHR rules that companies must tell employees of email checks

by Neil Franklin • Legal news, Technology, Workplace

Companies must tell employees in advance if their work email accounts are being monitored without unduly infringing their privacy, the European Court of Human Rights said in a ruling that defining the scope of corporate email monitoring. In a judgement in the case of a man fired 10 years ago for using a work messaging account to communicate with his family, the judges found that Romanian courts failed to protect the man’s private correspondence on the account because his employer had not given him prior notice it was monitoring his communications.

September 5, 2017

The United Workplace launches to support business workplace strategy on a global scale

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Workplace design

A global collaboration of workplace experts has been formed to assist companies in the development of their workplaces. Workplace specialists Fourfront Group and Amicus are the founding partners of The United Workplace (TUW), an organisation set up to share expertise and knowledge and deliver workplace design, fit-outs and commercial furniture consultancy and installation worldwide. The network comprises of Fourfront Group in the UK, Amicus which delivers workplace design and fit-out projects in Australia, Ware Malcomb an architectural practice in the US, and Summertown Interiors, a United Arab Emirates fit-out contractor.

September 3, 2017

Commercial property investment in central London hits ten year high, claims report

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Commercial property investment in central London has seen its strongest trading in a decade, according to Savills. The real estate adviser claims that over £2.3bn was invested in central London commercial property in July, with total turnover for 2017 to the end of July reaching £11.5bn, a 24 percent increase on the same period last year. July was the strongest month recorded since March 2007 for the City as sales were boosted by the acquisition of 20 Fenchurch Street for almost £1.3bn to a Hong Kong-based property group.

August 30, 2017

Bisley expands its reach its in the North American market

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Insight promotion, Workplace design

Bisley, the British storage firm is expanding its reach in the North American Market, with a new 6,000 square foot showroom space, located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, New York. Bisley already works with a number of clients in the North American market, including Time Inc., Unilever, L’Oreal, Verizon and Uber, and is currently working on projects in New York City, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Miami, DC, LA, San Francisco and Seattle. In addition to the new showroom, Bisley has announced an agreement with Connection to become its exclusive distributor in the Americas. Bisley is officially launching the showroom on 4 and 5 October 2017.

August 25, 2017

UK serviced office take-up more than doubles in first half of 2017

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Serviced office take up across the UK has increased by 176 percent in the first half of 2017, reaching 1.07 million sq ft compared to the same period in 2016, which saw 386,750 sq ft acquired, according to real estate adviser Savills. The firm claims that while Central London saw a significant increase with take-up reaching 860,368 sq ft in the first six months, property markets outside the capital also saw substantial growth. Savills research shows that the M25 office market saw take-up by serviced office operators rise from 44,676 sq ft in the same period last year to 109,886 sq ft in the first half of 2017, while in the regional markets, serviced offices, including coworking spaces, accounted for 4 percent of overall office take-up in the first half of the year at 95,987 sq ft, compared to 41,568 sq ft during the same period in 2016.

August 23, 2017

People claim to be more productive outside the traditional office, claims report

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

According to FlexJobs’ 6th annual survey of more than 5,000 respondents interested in flexible working, 66 percent of workers think they would be more productive telecommuting than working in a traditional office environment. Fewer interruptions from colleagues (76 percent), fewer distractions (76 percent), reduced stress from commuting (70 percent), and minimal office politics (69 percent) are the top reasons people prefer their home office. Only 7 percent of workers say they are most productive in the office during regular hours. The study claims that respondents think they would not only become more productive if allowed to work remotely, but also that they would be more loyal to their employers and would have stronger working relationships.