September 7, 2021
September 6, 2021
Uncertainty remains, but many people looking forward to meeting colleagues again
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing
As businesses in the UK prepare to open their office doors en masse in the first week of September, new research reveals that office workers have got that back-to-school excitement and are feeling largely positive about the transition. Recruitment firm Michael Page questioned over 2,000 UK office workers on their attitudes to returning to the office and found that after eighteen months at home, around half claim to be ‘excited’ or ‘happy’ to spend more time in the office with their colleagues. Reminiscent of the first day back at school, almost three in ten (28 percent) said that they had picked out their outfit and packed their bag ahead of their first day back in the office. (more…)
September 3, 2021
Business confidence back to pre-pandemic levels, with fewer plans to shrink offices
by Neil Franklin • News, Property
CEOs of the world’s largest businesses are increasingly optimistic about the outlook for their own business, according to the latest KPMG CEO Outlook Survey. Despite a slower ‘return to normal’ than expected, their confidence in the global economy has returned to levels not seen since the start of the pandemic. The number planning to reduce their office footprints has fallen dramatically since the height of the pandemic, and instead there is a growing focus on introducing flexible working cultures. (more…)
September 3, 2021
Security and productivity main challenges for hybrid working
by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News
With a large number of firms now prepared to embrace a ‘hybrid working’ model, business leaders remain uncertain about how this may play out in practice according to a new report from Entrust called Securing the New Hybrid Workplace (registration). Respondents suggest that the most important challenges relate to the ongoing uncertainty about new Covid variants and the effect of hybrid working on security and productivity. As a result, while many are committed to changing their work culture, they are prepared to adapt their plans in response to any changing needs. (more…)
September 2, 2021
Artificial Intelligence is critical enabler of the energy transition
by Jayne Smith • News, Technology
The World Economic Forum has published a new study on how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to accelerate a more equitable energy transition and build trust for the technology throughout the industry. As the impacts of climate change become more visible worldwide, governments and industry face the urgent challenge of transitioning to a low-carbon global energy system. (more…)
September 2, 2021
New air cleaning guidance for reducing Covid-19 spread
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
September 2, 2021
Toxicity in the workplace experienced by seventy percent of UK employees
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture, Working lives
September 2, 2021
What makes social enterprises work so harmoniously with business?
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working lives
Social enterprises tackle large-scale social problems by attracting resources and legitimacy from businesses – but social enterprises and businesses have two often contradictory aims; market success and social impact. (more…)
September 1, 2021
Brits feel stressed eight days a month, study claims
by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives
August 30, 2021
Proportion of over 50s in work set to hit record high
by Jayne Smith • News, Working culture, Working lives
The proportion of people over 50 in employment is set to hit 47 percent by 2030, following a 36 percent increase in the absolute number the last two decades, according to a new report from Legal & General Retail Retirement (LGRR) and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). (more…)
August 30, 2021
Overseas investment in UK regional offices soars
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Property
Investments in offices outside the capital for the first half of this year hit £3.58bn – 18 percent above the long-term average for the first half of this year, Savills research claims. Overseas investors accounted for two-thirds of the £3.58bn of investments from January to June 2021 – 38 percent above the five-year average. (more…)
August 27, 2021
Growing health concerns and preference for hybrid work among US employees
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Working lives
Envoy has released the results from its latest Return to Work report that gauges sentiment among 1,000 US employees who have returned to the workplace within the past year. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, many companies are wrestling with the decision to postpone reopenings, even as scores of office workers are already back in the workplace. (more…)





Workloads, profit margins and employment opportunities are set to continue to grow for the year ahead due to increasing demand for facilities management services, according to the latest 




Two new pieces of guidance on reducing COVID-19 transmission through ventilation and air cleaning technologies have been issued by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (
Culture in UK workplaces has come under scrutiny after a recent 

A new study, commissioned by 



