November 7, 2018
Flexible office market to grow by a third each year for next five years
The gig economy has helped lead to the doubling in size of the flexible office space sector since 2014 and it’s set to grow by up to 30 percent per year over the next five years claims new research published by JLL. Disruption or Distraction, a report delving into the growth of flexible office space across Europe explores the main drivers of the sector’s boom – including evolutionary changes in how, when and where people work, shifts in lifestyle, and rapid advancements in technology – and provides unique insights into the risks and rewards for both companies and real estate investors in Europe. (more…)
The rise of data and digitisation has led to the demise of the traditional working day for many CEOs, with a third now checking business analytics first thing in the morning and last thing before they go to bed. This peaks at 54 percent among 25-34 year olds but drops to just 5 percent for leaders over 45, who are much more fixed to their desk. According to the research by Domo (registration required), 80 percent of these leaders prefer to wait until they are in the office to check in. Three quarters (71 percent) of CEOs across the UK and Ireland believe their business could be at risk from current blind spots in data access and skills, however, there is another demographic split. 84 percent of CEOs age 25-34 said it could be a risk, compared to just half of over 55s.
One in three UK workers don’t have any form of breakout space to get away from their desk and over half (56 percent) of them don’t even have anywhere to eat lunch in their office, new research claims. The survey of UK office workers carried out by Furniture123.co.uk suggests that as a result of this 34 percent of employees say they resort to eating lunch at their desk, which they feel is having a detrimental effect on morale and productivity. Nearly three quarters (69 percent) of those surveyed felt they worked less productively as a result of not taking a break away from their desk over lunch, and almost half (47 percent) believe they would work more efficiently in the afternoons if they took a full hour for lunch. 
London’s office market continues to attract occupiers and investors, despite political and economic uncertainty JLL’s recent Central London offices seminar revealed. The event highlighted the strength of the capital’s office market where Central London has seen sustained levels of both leasing and investment activity so far in 2018 and JLL anticipates that the final numbers will match, if not exceed those recorded in 2017. Take-up of offices across Central London reached 8.3m sq ft at the end of Q3 2018, with 3.1m sq ft leased in the West End and 4.5m sq ft in the City.
Despite political and economic uncertainly and the aftermath of the global monetary crisis in 2008, London remains a leading global financial centre, with nearly a quarter (24 percent) of the capital’s office take-up attributed to banking and finance occupiers over the last ten years. London is by far the most active banking centre in Europe, according to the latest research from global real estate advisor CBRE. According to the report, 1.1 million people were employed in the UK financial services sector in 2017, of which 34 percent were in London. 
The new northern home of the BBC is giving London a run for its money when it comes to siting offices for the UK’s top tech talent, with Manchester leading the way, according to 
November 2, 2018
Happiness at work: Lessons from home
by Dr Tracy Brower • Comment, Facilities management, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design
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