July 10, 2024

Living the dream of better times for a new generation

As a new Labour Prime Minister settles into office with a thumping majority behind him and with the Conservative opposition in utter disarray, it’s difficult not to think back to 1997 and the wave of euphoria that over took the nation. Here was a Labour government that seemed to understand the issues the country faced and the direction of travel it needed to take in the future. Tony Blair was 43 years old when he took office (nearly 20 years younger than Keir Starmer is now) and had an instinctive grasp for what Generation X craved. After all, he was the first British Prime Minster to grow up with rock and roll and appeared to embody a generational shift like no politician before him. More →

July 10, 2024

The facilities manager’s fear of the penalty kick

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management

On the whole, football is not a great source of inspiration for artists. It certainly doesn’t film well, although there is a small place for it in literature. The likes of Arnold Bennett, Orwell, Sartre and J B Priestley have all drawn from the game some metaphor, philosophical point, social observation or other. There are even some major literary figures who played the game to a decent level.

And the curious thing about them is that they were all goalkeepers.

July 8, 2024

Book review – Working Assumptions by Julia Hobsbawm

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Flexible working, Workplace design

This is almost certainly the most important book about work and workplaces to appear in the first half of this year. Working Assumptions by Julia Hobsbawm will be one of the two most important published this year, as we shall soon discover. It is also one packed with wisdom, knowledge and a central premise that is undoubtedly true. Namely that the events of the past four years have given us the opportunity to rethink how we work and so how we spend our days and our lives more generally. More →

July 3, 2024

Why AI is not getting the green light for sustainability

by Stephanie Fitzgerald • AI, Comment, Environment, SF, Technology

We might think of online and digital solutions such as AI as more sustainable and eco-friendly. We have email signatures reminding us to think before hitting print and are encouraged to send e-cards with seasonal greetings to save the trees. Our overall preference to switch to all things online means that we rarely question, or even consider, the environmental impact of our computers. It’s also how the truly enormous impact of AI has, thus far, stayed off our radar. More →

July 2, 2024

3 Days of Design proves we don’t know what we’re doing

by Luke Munro • Comment, Environment, Workplace design

We don’t know what we’re doing. That was what we all learnt about sustainability at last week’s 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen as Denmark’s capital city played host once more to this increasingly influential European Design event. Timed, as it is, in the same week as Chicago’s Neocon, and following on from Milan’s enormous and well-renowned Salone, not even intermittently inclement weather could disguise the noticeably larger audience drawn to Copenhagen this year. More →

July 1, 2024

A new renaissance in leading change at the most disruptive time in history

by Jennifer Bryan • Business, Comment, JB

Last January, we talked about the three biggest disrupters of our time: technology, UN sustainability goals, and societal shifts. These three disrupters have put us at a cultural crossroads we have not experienced for 100 years. As a result, we need to think differently when it comes to decisions about leading change. The world will not look, feel or be the same in 10 years time – we will not interact and live the same as we do now. The world will be very very different. According to Dex Hunter Torricke, “The next 10 years are going to be the most disruptive we have ever experienced.” More →

June 27, 2024

Supporting young cancer survivors in the workplace

by Barbara Wilson • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace

Cancer rates in under-50s have surged by 24 percent since 1995, despite common misconceptions that it primarily affects older generations. With this alarming increase, more young professionals are being diagnosed and returning to the work in the midst of their treatment and recovery. The growing number of people, especially young people, working with cancer creates a new challenge for HR leaders: are their organisation adequately supporting people? And what truly constitutes best practice in this context? More →

June 24, 2024

Stephen Bevan – a tribute

by Tony Wilson • Comment

We are deeply sorry to announce that our dear friend and colleague, Stephen Bevan has passed away. Steve has been such an important part of so many of our lives over the years – through his work, as a mentor and as a friend – and we will miss him hugely. It is impossible to do justice to the impact that Steve has had over more than forty years at IES and the Work Foundation. Anyone who knew Steve was the better for it, and we will all have our own cherished memories of time spent with him. So, while we grieve his loss, it’s also a moment for us to celebrate his life and the impact he made. Steve encouraged us to think differently, challenged us to go further and inspired us to make a difference. And now more than ever, he would want us to carry this work on. More →

June 13, 2024

Right now, GenAI mostly produces cheap grey goo for a perpetual present

by Mark Eltringham • AI, Comment, Technology

I keep hearing that Generative AI will unleash human creativity. Based on the contents of my inbox, I can tell you that is not yet the case. It is increasingly full of GenAI generated press releases and comment pieces that consist of a small amount of gibberish, a larger quantity of stuff that reads likes it’s been written by a non-native speaker, and an even larger amount of bland, clichéd C0nTeNt. More →

June 12, 2024

We need to find better ways to communicate and connect with customers in a distracted world

by Carol Howley • Comment, Technology

Amongst the demands of our daily tasks, one huge challenge that often goes unnoticed: constant messages from communication platforms at every turnaround. The volume of distractions bombarding professionals is staggering. Studies show that from endless Slack notifications and video calls these interruptions disrupt workflow and concentration. This makes it incredibly challenging to navigate through the sea of digital noise. With over 157 hours lost to unproductive workplace alerts each year, the impact on productivity is undeniable. More →

June 12, 2024

We only have to look at the natural world to boost our mental health

by Whitney Fleming • Comment, Wellbeing

It is becoming increasingly clear that spending time in nature can benefit our mental health and wellbeing. But a new study shows that you don’t have to actually be in nature to reap the rewards. Simply directing your gaze towards natural elements, even in the middle of a city, can enhance wellbeing. Our paper, published in the journal People and Nature, used eye-tracking technology to explore how focusing on natural versus man-made elements affects mental health. More →

June 10, 2024

What happens to work when the machine stops?

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

In 1909, E M Forster – not exactly known for a body of work replete with dystopian fiction – published a novella called The Machine Stops. You can read it here but the story describes a future in which people live below ground, in isolation but with all their needs met by an omnipresent Machine (you can see where this is going). More →