When the chairs took over the world and what it all meant

When the chairs took over the world and what it all meant

by • Comment, Facilities management, Furniture, Workplace, Workplace design

rows of chairsOf all the things we buy, with the exception of our clothes, furniture is the most intimate, the one item we spend most time in contact with. According to JG Ballard who dedicated himself to understanding our relationship with the world around us, ‘Furniture constitutes an external constellation of our skin areas and body postures’. Whether he would have recognised it as such, Ballard was a pioneer of the principle we now refer to as psychogeography, defined by one of its founders, Guy Debord, as ‘the study of the precise effects of setting, consciously managed or not, acting directly on the mood and behaviour of the individual’. More →

Industry: the art of working from anywhere

Industry: the art of working from anywhere

by • Comment, Everything Omni, Flexible working

Eugenia Anastassiou is stopped in her tracks by a painting of a quintessential  21st century phenomenon – working from anywhere.Walking into Bristol-based artist Gail Reid’s studio, I literally stopped in my tracks! There it was a painting of everything I had been researching and writing about with workplace strategist Chris Kane for our book “Where Is My Office?” both pre-and post-pandemic. Gail, was a Semi-Finalist in this year’s Sky Art’s Portrait Artist Of The Year –  alas she didn’t make the final – although she impressed everyone with her talent and charisma. She also impressed me in managing to convey via the very traditional medium of an oil painting, a quintessential  21st century phenomenon – working from anywhere. More →

Is a simple thank you too much to ask for?

Is a simple thank you too much to ask for?

by • Comment

The rate of change in business today is accelerating, whether that’s technological change, customer demands, economic uncertainty – all are complex challenges. As a result, employees have to be more resourceful, hard-working and dedicated in order to keep up. But according to McKinsey, over half of our employees are not engaged. Productivity is stagnant, Quiet Quitting is rife and employees feel a sense of not being connected to anything. More →

There never was a new normal

There never was a new normal

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Our strength will come in admitting that the ‘new normal’ was a mirage. It’s time that we all stopped focusing so hard on trying to reach it.Four years ago this month, we were all given our first ‘work from home’ mandate. A clear, unambiguous instruction from the UK government that, in the grip of a quickly spreading global pandemic, we should all work from home where possible. And amid the biggest seismic shift of our lifetime, it was an easy instruction to follow. Hunker down and wait patiently until we find a ‘new normal.’ But four years on, the question remains – are we nearly there yet? Are we ever going to find a ’new normal’? More →

Get tech right to tackle worker burnout and digital overwhelm

Get tech right to tackle worker burnout and digital overwhelm

by • Comment, Technology

Burnout is a complicated problem, and an important one for business leaders to address. There is no ‘silver bullet’ solution, but technology is one thing that organisations would be wise to get right.Recent data from Vitality found that the average employee works but underperforms during an average of 50 days a year due to burnout, stress, and insomnia – costing the UK economy £138bn. This corroborates findings from our own Work Innovation Lab which revealed that 4 in 10 UK employees say that their organisations are currently experiencing ‘a high rate’ of burnout. Concerningly, executives often don’t spot these problems until they’ve already taken a toll. More →

Navel gazing may not be the answer to the challenges facing workplace professions

Navel gazing may not be the answer to the challenges facing workplace professions

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace, Workplace design

An adherence to strongly held beliefs can make people think and behave in peculiar ways and get them tangled up in peripheral issues that take on a great deal of significance. Early religious artists, for example, spent centuries wrestling with the seemingly intractable problem of whether to depict Adam and Eve with belly buttons or not. More →

We can learn a lot about performance from elite sports

We can learn a lot about performance from elite sports

by • Comment, Workplace

There are many misunderstandings about performance, we might even call them myths. While strategists talk about the importance of metrics, so much of what makes an organisation work is how its people are organised and motivated. And here lies the danger. In the absence of clear expectations and outcomes, people frequently divert to effort and presenteeism as a way of showing their value. That’s all understandable, but performance is about achieving results. More →

What do we need offices for anyway? The Greeks had a word for it

What do we need offices for anyway? The Greeks had a word for it

by • Comment, Workplace design

offices - what is going onThe Greek word anagnorisis describes the sense of having just caught up with a truth that was always waiting for you. It’s a common literary and artistic device found in the plots of everything from Oedipus Rex to Macbeth, Star Wars and Fight Club, but it’s also a word that conveys a useful, complex idea that does not have an adequate English version. The mot juste, if you like. And it’s a useful idea when it comes to framing the current conversation we are having about offices and work more generally. More →

The hybrid working office: ushering in a new era for the workspace

The hybrid working office: ushering in a new era for the workspace

by • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

The increased adoption of hybrid working has led to a significant change in the way that people view a workplaceLife after COVID has led to a significant change in the way that people view a workplace. Working from home on a regular basis has become typical, not ad hoc or as required. Commuting five days a week to attend an office is no longer the norm and on the whole is no longer demanded – rather, we have seen organisations adopt hybrid working. This has meant the rationale for a physical office workspace has come under considerable scrutiny. Some organisations have gone as far as being completely remote and have released all office real estate. More →

Thoughts of hybrid working should now turn to productivity and trust

Thoughts of hybrid working should now turn to productivity and trust

by • Comment, Flexible working

The impact of hybrid working models on productivity and employee wellbeing, especially in light of last year's unprecedented spike in sick days, is an important issueBusinesses now face the huge challenge of managing office returns and addressing the underlying generational divides and mistrust that have surfaced as a result of the pandemic years. With the Office for National Statistics (ONS) having released new data on UK productivity levels that show productivity remains sluggish, the impact of hybrid working models on productivity and employee well-being, especially in light of last year’s unprecedented spike in sick days, is an important issue. More →

Rejection of flexible working request shouldn’t blind employers to their legal duties

Rejection of flexible working request shouldn’t blind employers to their legal duties

by • Comment, Flexible working

Amy Leech of Shoosmiths looks at a recent case following the rejection of a flexible working request and considers its implicationsFlexible working has continued in many workforces since the pandemic. The most common pattern is a hybrid one where employees split their time between the office and home. However some employees are now looking to work remotely on a permanent basis. This is what happened in Wilson v Financial Conduct Authority 2302739/2023. The Claimant submitted a flexible working application requesting to work entirely remotely using her computer and other electronic equipment and to complete all her work without attending a physical office location. The Respondent’s policy was that post-pandemic, the Claimant was expected to work in the office 40 percent of the time and could work the other 60 percent remotely. More →

Why changing with the seasons is key to the all-weather workplace

Why changing with the seasons is key to the all-weather workplace

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Building in flexibility within workplace strategy and office design is a way to ensure working environments remain a magnetic destinationLove it or hate it, weather chat is part of Britain’s day to day – yet in the world of work it’s not just casual small talk. In fact, the seasons have a real impact on how we feel and perform. The change in seasonal characteristics influences what employees need from where they work. Looking after employee wellbeing and putting individuals in the best position to be productive at work means different things throughout the year. Building in flexibility within workplace strategy and office design is a way to ensure working environments remain a magnetic destination that support people all year round…but what does this type of flexibility look like? More →

«< 6 7 8 9 10 >»