No one shouted stop, although we all should have seen it coming

No one shouted stop, although we all should have seen it coming

by • Comment, Everything Omni, Facilities management, Property, Workplace design

And No One Shouted Stop! seems to me to be an apt phrase to capture these post- pandemic times as we grapple with work and workplace dilemmas. It comes from the little-known but widely acclaimed book of the same name by John Healy. It is set over 50 years ago and it chronicles the decline of an Irish town. The book’s underlying narrative is a train crash happening in slow motion, people see it coming but nobody feels able to stop it. I sincerely hope that this will not prove to be the case for the world of commercial real estate as it grapples with hordes of tenants asking not just ‘where is my office?’ But ‘why do I need an office?’ More →

The challenge for fit-out firms is to deliver best value despite supply chain challenges

The challenge for fit-out firms is to deliver best value despite supply chain challenges

by • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Workplace design

Whilst industry supply and demand dynamics may have found a level of equilibrium since the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, economic disruptions, and an unstable domestic policy environment continue to have an impact on the office fit-out marketThe past year has been a challenging one for London’s commercial fit-out market. Whilst industry supply and demand dynamics may have found a level of equilibrium since the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, economic disruptions, and an unstable domestic policy environment continue to have an impact. In tandem with this, the commercial fit-out market is adapting to changing needs; from accommodating hybrid working models to growing demands for sustainability and reuse, the workplaces of today are ever changing. More →

A bit of alien thinking on coffee and some other BS

A bit of alien thinking on coffee and some other BS

by • Facilities management, Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

I’ve sometimes highlighted how our perceptions of the workplace are subject to an apex fallacy. The daily consumption of narratives about campuses, tech palaces and ‘cool’ design can obscure the fact that most people don’t experience this stuff in their daily lives. They work in adequate or possibly nice offices. Some in shabby offices or horrible offices. Many travel into work at the same time each day and sit with roughly the same people and do roughly the same things. They may work from home more frequently now, but they have a routine there too. Most will work in a mundane or nice home that mirrors the mundane office that awaits at the other end of the commute. More →

The office needs to take on the characteristics of the city. Despina Katsikakis IN conversation

The office needs to take on the characteristics of the city. Despina Katsikakis IN conversation

by • Facilities management, Features, Property, Workplace design

Despina Katsikakis, the new President of the BCO has been shaping the way we think about offices for four decades

One of the unintended consequences of the era of online meetings is a chance to gain an insight into people’s actual lives. So it is that as Despina Katsikakis and I are talking, she spots my whippet Luna wandering into shot in the background and lets out an exclamation. She too has a whippet by her feet. And as a result, this abnormal, formal situation becomes a lot more normal and relaxed.   More →

CIBSE publishes revised maintenance guide

CIBSE publishes revised maintenance guide

by • Company news, Facilities management

A new fully revised edition of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Guide M: Maintenance, Engineering and Management sets out the latest technological and legislative developments that will impact facilities managers, designers, building owners and operatorsA new fully revised edition of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Guide M: Maintenance, Engineering and Management sets out the latest technological and legislative developments that will impact facilities managers, designers, building owners and operators, otherwise known as the ‘maintenance bible’. Containing all the information needed for the successful operation of a buildings’ services, while ensuring buildings are safe and optimised for energy performance, this revision has been published to provide guidance on the many areas of change since Guide M was last amended in 2014, including publication of the Building Safety Act and amendments to the Building Regulations. More →

Sustainability and skills at heart of RICS’ new manifesto for the built environment

Sustainability and skills at heart of RICS’ new manifesto for the built environment

by • Environment, Facilities management, News

The built environment needs to reflect the change in workforce behaviour and its approach to sustainabilityThe Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is launching its manifesto for the built environment in the lead-up to the next UK General Election, titled Empowering a Sustainable Future. The UK’s built and natural environments face large-scale challenges ranging from climate change to a cost-of-living crisis. According to the manifesto, endemic skills shortages undermine development in the industry while the workplace has become more fluid post-pandemic, with the built environment needing to reflect the change in workforce behaviour and its approach to sustainability. More →

Half of firms won’t meet 2030 decarbonisation target, report claims

Half of firms won’t meet 2030 decarbonisation target, report claims

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

Fewer than 50% of organizations expect to meet decarbonisation targets by 2030, study reveals A new report from Siemens Infrastructure claims that there is limited agreement amongst businesses on how best to progress towards a decarbonised and resource-efficient world and under half expect to meet their net zero targets based on current thinking. According to the Transition Monitor 2023: The Great Divide on The Path to Net Zero report, whilst more than half of those surveyed believe the infrastructure transition is accelerating in their region, a quarter of senior executives said that progress on decarbonisation is “too slow”, while 29 percent believe progress is “coordinated”, and 31 percent describe it as “on target”. More →

Most workers are worried about poor indoor air quality

Most workers are worried about poor indoor air quality

by • Facilities management, News, Wellbeing

Most workers are concerned about poor indoor air quality and close to half think its damaging their health, according to anew surveyMost workers are concerned about poor indoor air quality and close to half think its damaging their health, according to a new survey conducted by Opinium for Spiralite. According to the poll, British workers are mostly concerned about the impact of air-quality on their health (64 percent concerned compared to 36 percent not concerned). More →

Is the workplace experience shaped more by maintenance or by design?

Is the workplace experience shaped more by maintenance or by design?

by • Facilities management, Features, Workplace design

The workplace experienceWhat has resilience got to do with the workplace experience? It is a word that has been used a lot recently as the great British public has demonstrated massive amounts of resilience in coping with Covid-19, fuel shortages, worries about food availability and a massive shift in how we work. So what is it? The dictionary gives two meanings: firstly the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, i.e. toughness. And then secondly, the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity – like nylon for example.   More →

Advancing accessibility and reaping the rewards of disability inclusion

Advancing accessibility and reaping the rewards of disability inclusion

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

two people talking to illustrate the growing number of disabled people in self-employment disability inclusionIn business, companies have a responsibility to balance profit-driven strategies with wider social commitments. As well as being the right thing to do, a focus on the latter can invariably drive economic value. Companies that prioritise diversity, for instance, earn 2.5 times higher cash flow, while inclusive teams are 35 percent more productive. As a result, diversity in the workforce is now widely accepted to be both a moral necessity and a commercial opportunity, with more and more corporates incorporating DE&I policies into their operational frameworks. Despite this progress, the disability community is still largely excluded from these discussions around inclusion.  More →

Connection and collaboration motivate people to work from an office

Connection and collaboration motivate people to work from an office

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace design

The key driver for employees wanting to go into the office is the need for socialisation and collaborationThe key driver for employees wanting to go into the office is the need for socialisation and collaboration, according to the latest quarterly Workplace Index from Eptura. The report claims that this is an acknowledgement of the desire to be part of a community and the potential isolation of working at home. More →

Webinar: How to adapt to a new era of dynamic space management

Webinar: How to adapt to a new era of dynamic space management

by • Company news, Facilities management

As organizations adopt hybrid work, reduce their real estate footprint and redesign floor plans, space planners are running into a slew of new challenges.  Yesterday’s antiquated tools can’t handle these challenges, because they were built for the old, relatively static world of work. More →

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