What to expect and not to expect from an Office 365 intranet

What to expect and not to expect from an Office 365 intranet

According to the latest report by Nielsen Norman Group, Office 365 is one of the most popular platforms for intranets. Providing a rich toolset, it helps to build multifunctional and eye-catching corporate intranets that improve employee collaboration and communication and streamline business processes. Let’s see whether an Office 365 intranet is as good as described and try to look through its reported benefits with a cool head. More →

BW: Workplace Experts completes new GAM London office

BW: Workplace Experts completes new GAM London office

BW: Workplace Experts has completed the new London headquarters for GAM, an independent global asset management firm. Located at the BREEAM Excellent rated building 8 Finsbury Circus, London, the new location consolidates the business from three separate locations into one. GAM occupies four floors totalling 48,500 sq. ft in order to accommodate its London employees under one roof, further strengthening the culture and operations of the business. More →

Insight Promotion: K2 completes an office like no other for Bericote

Insight Promotion: K2 completes an office like no other for Bericote

When property company Bericote acquired a 4-story mews building in central London, oozing character and charm, their aim was to transform it into a workplace like few others. From their first meeting at the new building, K2 Space quickly understood that this was not going to be a typical project or workplace, and that the objective was to create something truly unique and reflective of how the Bericote team worked. More →

Area completes refurbishment of Birmingham offices for Mills & Reeve

Area completes refurbishment of Birmingham offices for Mills & Reeve

Workplace design and fit-out specialist Area, has completed a 30-week refurbishment of the Colmore Row, Birmingham offices for Mills & Reeve, one of the UK’s top law firms. With six floors in constant operation and located in a prime area of Birmingham’s business district access was tight, timescales tighter and work had to be undertaken without disruption to the day-to-day running of a major law firm. The design concept reflects the Mills & Reeve brand but is tailored to the Birmingham location, embracing the history of the area and the architectural features of the building.

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Insight promotion: creating a frictionless (not flawed) workplace experience

Insight promotion: creating a frictionless (not flawed) workplace experience

To mark the launch of Workplace House, a multi-brand co-creation space in the heart of Clerkenwell, a consortium of participating brands hosted an event to explore the factors that contribute towards a good (and not so good) workplace experience.

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RICS and CIBRE to publish new book on diversity in the real estate sector

RICS and CIBRE to publish new book on diversity in the real estate sector

RICS and CIBRE to publish new guide to diversity in real estate sectorRICS and CBRE have announced the publication of a new book: Managing Diversity and Inclusion in the Real Estate Sector, which will be launched at MIPIM 2019 in Cannes. Co-authored by real estate veterans, Amanda Clack, Head of Strategic Advisory at CBRE and Judith Gabler, Acting Managing Director, Europe for RICS, the book places diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the centre of successful real estate and construction organisations. The book provides guidance to, and most importantly actions for professionals in the sector who want to make D&I an inherent part of the culture of their organisation. The book aims to educate the real estate sector about what D&I entails and how a D&I strategy can be implemented to secure future success. It presents a practical and easy-to-read guide that can help organisations and their leaders engage with and apply this agenda to win the war for talent in real estate and construction. It seeks to be about action not words and help those in the sector #BeTheChange.

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One Dorset Street becomes first Fitwel certified building in Hampshire

One Dorset Street becomes first Fitwel certified building in Hampshire

One Dorset Street in Southampton has become the first building in Hampshire to achieve Fitwel certification, the system for designing and operating buildings that claims to actively improve occupant health, and also commands the highest commercial rent in Southampton (£24.50psf).  The investment in One Dorset Street aims to support occupiers who understand that employee wellbeing is critical to their commercial success.

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Sedus updates its manufacturing processes with Chromium III

Sedus updates its manufacturing processes with Chromium III

Whether a swivel chair or a desk, every third Sedus customer order is produced using a chrome finish. This is not only for aesthetic reasons, but also about quality – chrome surfaces are more scratch resistant and less sensitive than powder coated, polished aluminium or wood. The technique of using chrome is historic. Chromium III was discovered by chance in 1797 by Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin, but was only made industrially usable on a large scale in the 1920s by the addition of other chemical substances. However, the cost has always been high because the globally widespread process Chromium VI is cheaper and simpler. However, it is also extremely toxic and hazardous to health. Chromium VI compounds used during manufacturing, when handled incorrectly, could enter the body via the respiratory tract and can mutate and damage DNA. More →

Century Office begins experiment into six hour working day

Century Office begins experiment into six hour working day

Century Office will soon be commencing an experiment into a shorter working day. In collaboration with the University of Essex, Century Office will be shortening the working day down to 6.5 hours. They expect that, although it remains to be proven, that employees will become more focussed and productive as the desire for more leisure times and time for self-care, family, hobbies etc outweighs the tendency for idle chat and periods of low productivity. It is also hoped that participants will feel less anxious or tired as they have more time to pursue personal endeavours and come out of work mode.

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Are these the 2019 Top Employers to work for in the UK

Are these the 2019 Top Employers to work for in the UK

The Top Employers Institute, a certifier recognising employers that provide world-class employee conditions, has released its list of Certified UK Top Employers for 2019. Over 600 HR professionals gathered at London’s Hilton on Park Lane, on the 31st January 2019, to recognise the best employers in the UK. More →

Insight Promotion: Make wellbeing and ergonomics your New Year Resolution

Insight Promotion: Make wellbeing and ergonomics your New Year Resolution

2019 has arrived and a new year means an excuse to make a change. It’s therefore the best time of the year to make the necessary adjustments that are needed to make your office work has efficiently as possible. However, in order to achieve this, you must always remember one important criterion: ergonomics.Ergonomics relates to the study of working conditions and how they affect staff. Typically, this refers to equipment and furniture that can be utilised and/or adapted in order to increase levels of employee wellbeing and therefore productivity. This includes items such as chairs that support posture and sit/stand desks.

 

Why is Ergonomics so Important?

Steve Bays, Director at Century Office, comments: “In the UK today we have a very mixed group of employers. Some will buy any type of office chair, as long as it has “office chair” written in the description; some will buy cheap chairs and throw them away when broken; some see furniture as a non-profit making necessity; some recognise the benefits of good furniture over workers’ performance and staff retention.”

Many businesses in the UK have started to recognise the importance of ensuring their staff are comfortable, happy and healthy. Moreover, a 2018 study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)backs up the idea that companies that prioritise workplace wellbeing are more likely to report better employee morale and engagement, as well as a healthier culture and lower absence from sickness. However, the study also found that if an organisation was more “reactive” rather than “proactive” (they address the issue of wellbeing on an ad-hoc basis instead of having an implemented wellbeing strategy) then there was no progress realised from their wellbeing activity.

 

How can Century Office help?

Century Office are advocates for office wellbeing and their range of furniture reflects this. The newest additions to their selection of ergonomic seating are the Influence and Grace mesh chairs. They both boast extraordinary comfort as well as ergonomic support and can be adjusted in a variety of ways to fit your work environment and your body posture. They are the perfect addition to any workspace as they come with height-adjustable lumbar support, with or without headrests, and seat-depth adjustment. Adjustable active tension control, lockable back positions, and 3D height-adjustable gel arms pads provide the user with the ultimate flexibility to change their chair to suit a wide range of office environments. Grace can additionally be specified with a cantilever frame instead of a task chair, depending on your needs.

Influence and Grace, as well as Century Office’s extensive collection of ergonomic office chairs, are perfectly suited to the sit/stand desks that they provide. Autonomy Pro and Liberty offer employees the chance to break up the sedentary day, thus helping to alleviate aches and pains. Each desk can also be specified to with different base colours, desktop colours and optional extras such as screens and can suit any budget.

Sit/stand desks don’t have to just be for personal workstations anymore either as the Autonomy Pro desk also comes as a meeting solution. A sit/stand table is the ideal solution for quick group meetings; you wouldn’t have to worry about squeaking chairs or everyone shifting in their seats (the amount of which will increase the longer the meeting goes on. Having the option to stand will also help staff or clients to work collaboratively in a more effective way. After all, if everyone is trying to look at the same thing at the same time, being able to stand over it instead of stretching or bending awkwardly will mean that every individual can do so in a more comfortable manner.

 

The Importance of C.A.P.S

However, making a workplace work for its staff isn’t as simple as just buying suitable desks and chairs. It is important that you know how to use the chairs and desks properly otherwise you won’t be reaping the full benefits. This is why Century Office regularly speaks about the importance of C.A.P.S (Circulation, Activity, Posture and Support). The C.A.P.S initiative includes showing staff the functions of their chairs and how to achieve the correct seating position and posture, thus maximising comfort and productivity throughout the working day.

Century Office are a leading UK office and contract furniture supplier, with over 40 years’ experience in the industry. They provide workplace solutions and offer a tailored approach for architects, interior designers & facility managers for small offices to large corporations as well as educational facilities. Please visit the Century Office website at www.century-office.co.uk or telephone 08000 929301 for more information. Century Office offers a complete service from survey and design through to supply and installation.

 

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Landsec becomes latest major property firm to offer coworking space

Landsec becomes latest major property firm to offer coworking space

Landsec has launched its new flexible office brand, Myo, which it claims will provide customised office space for businesses looking for flexibility to enable future growth from April of this year. Coworking in other words. The move is the latest example of a major commercial property firm entering the market for flexible offices and coworking space in the wake of its recent boom. Myo will operate as a standalone brand, offers flexible leases ranging from 12 months to three years for businesses that need space for between 15 and 80 people.

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