BRE and IWBI deliver improved guidance to streamline joint certification of BREEAM and WELL

BRE and IWBI deliver improved guidance to streamline joint certification of BREEAM and WELL

by • Environment, News

BRE and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) have released a new briefing paper that outlines how projects may achieve both a certified BREEAM rating and WELL Certification. The updated crosswalk document, Assessing Health and Wellbeing in Buildings – Alignment between BREEAM and the WELL Building Standard, was developed as ‘part of a commitment to continuous improvement by IWBI and BRE’ using industry feedback from professionals working to achieve joint certification. To simplify the process for project teams pursuing both standards, BRE and IWBI have worked together to compare performance requirements, harmonise evidence and identify opportunities to streamline the process of achieving dual certification. Specific improvements and enhancements to the guidance document include instructions for projects that clarify how to use the crosswalk, minor amendments to the alignments and overlaps between the two standards, and a simplified labelling system. The new crosswalk also features useful notes and comments to clarify these alignments.

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People who work in an open plan office feel worse and are less satisfied

People who work in an open plan office feel worse and are less satisfied

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The ongoing debate about the impact of open plan offices on people’s wellbeing and productivity continues to divide opinion. While there is a large amount of data from the likes of Leesman Index and workplace expert Nigel Oseland to suggest that an open plan office is the best solution when applied in the right way and right context, a new study from Karlstad University claims the opposite. The more co-workers that share of a workplace, the less satisfied employees are, and the more difficult they think it is to work collaboratively.

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Global business leaders feel more optimistic about the world economy

Global business leaders feel more optimistic about the world economy

by • News, Workplace

Attracting and retaining talent is the biggest concern for CEOs going into 2018, but they’re feeling generally more optimistic about the global economy, claims a new report by The Conference Board, the C-Suite Challenge 2018 . A mood amongst senior managers to create organisational cultures that are inclusive, engaged, high-performance, customer-focused, and resilient is prevalent throughout the responses to this year’s survey. The desire for a “culture of innovation” ranks as the number-one innovation strategy in every region (Asia is the one exception, where it is third), every industry, every size company, and among CEOs and C-Suite executives alike. The impact of the New Digital Economy is clearly being felt in the daily processes and practices of organisations, and through the emergence of new competitors from every part of the globe. In Europe’s the c-suite remains worried about the impact of – which is unchanged from last year when it was the 8th biggest concern.   (more…)

US workers increasingly prioritise flexible working and personal development over status

US workers increasingly prioritise flexible working and personal development over status

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new survey from LinkedIn and Harris claims that the priorities of US workers are shifting in the new world of work. Where once they would have craved the status of a corner office, they now hanker for personal development, flexible working and autonomy and many see work largely as a means to pay bills. A growing number of professionals are also keen on developing side projects away from work that they believe are more closely aligned with their personality and interests, according o the study of 2,000 people.

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Working families at breaking point as parents buckle under the strain of overwork, claims study

Working families at breaking point as parents buckle under the strain of overwork, claims study

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The UK’s working parents are struggling to cope with the strain of overwork – and deliberately stalling and downshifting their careers to reverse the negative impact it is having on family life, according to a new study. The 2018 Modern Families Index, published today by work life charity Working Families and Bright Horizons, reveals the stress of the modern workplace is pushing parents to breaking point, creating a ‘parenthood penalty’. According to the study, many parents are obliged to work far over their contracted hours due to increasingly intense workloads or because they feel it is expected of them.

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Bad managers who fail to support employees are driving talented staff away

Bad managers who fail to support employees are driving talented staff away

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Bad managers who fail to support employees are driving talented staff away

A new survey suggests that bullying, aggressive behaviours and micro-management is endemic within the British workplace. The research by YouGov on behalf of MHR found that 80 percent of employees having experienced what they consider poor management, or a poor manager, at least once during their career; 73 percent of employees who have experienced poor management or a poor manager have considered leaving a job and, among these, a staggering 55 percent actually left their job because of bad management. When asked whether managers are equipped to deal with the human or emotional side of management, 58 percent of respondents said that they are not. Bad managers were described as often inexperienced, out of their depth, lacking the necessary people skills, expressing favouritism, failing to offer recognition and feedback and failing to communicate effectively. But the most shocking comments were around the subject of mental health, with several respondents citing a complete disregard or lack of awareness of issues surrounding mental health in the workplace. As well as failing to support employees suffering from anxiety or depression, several respondents claimed that their manager was directly responsible for causing the decline in their mental health.

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Occupiers concerned about lack of innovation from commercial property sector

Occupiers concerned about lack of innovation from commercial property sector

by • Coworking, News, Property

commercial property innovationThe UK’s productivity is lagging behind other G7 countries and property directors are concerned that landlords’ lack of proactivity around commercial property innovation may hamper efforts to move the UK up the productivity league table, according to the newly published results of  a survey carried out at the Property Directors Forum in December 2017, hosted by Avison Young. Attendees at the event held at The Royal Society of Chemistry, Piccadilly, were asked to provide their thoughts on property innovation and the role that landlords have in leading the way. The survey revealed that not one of the property directors have been approached by their landlord(s), proactively, to discuss property innovation and, in fact, 40 percent of directors reported their landlord as being reluctant to innovate.

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Over 50s will come to dominate self-employed workforce by 2024, report claims

Over 50s will come to dominate self-employed workforce by 2024, report claims

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The number of over-50s in work is rapidly increasing, so much so that this demographic is set to make up the majority of the UK’s self-employed workforce within the next seven years. The updated research from Hitachi Capital UK and CEBR (Centre for Economics and Business Research) found a rebalancing of the economy away from younger generations, as the 24 million over-50s in the UK become an increasingly important demographic of entrepreneurs and business owners. The data also suggests that an increasing number of 50-64 year olds choose not to retire and instead stay active in the labour market, with the rate of employment rising significantly between 2012 and 2016 from around 65 percent to 71 percent. CEBR projections show that the number of employed 50-64 year-olds will surpass 9 million before the end of 2018, and by 2021 there will be 10 million 50-64 year olds in work.

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Germany loses favour as corporate real estate investment hotspot

Germany loses favour as corporate real estate investment hotspot

by • News, Property

Germany is no longer the most popular global destination for corporate real estate investment, according to BrickVest’s latest commercial property investment barometer. Formerly the most popular location in Q3 2017, Germany has now fallen in favour among investors behind the UK, US and France. Germany saw a drop in popularity from 34 percent to 23 percent in the last quarter, marking its lowest rating since Q2 2016. The UK, however, rose from 27 percent to 29 percent in Q4 2017, managing to sustain its general popularity by consistently ranking above 25 percent.

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Managers’ increasingly long hours behind rise in stress and mental ill health

Managers’ increasingly long hours behind rise in stress and mental ill health

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Managers' increasingly long hour resulting in stress and mental ill healthManagers are working an extra 44 days a year over and above their contracted hours, up from 40 days in 2015. These long hours are taking their toll, causing a surge in sick leave amongst managers suffering from stress and mental ill health, claims the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), which is calling on UK employers to provide greater support. Long hours and constant communication are having a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of managers it argues resulting in one in ten managers taking time off for mental health in the last year, and for those who do take time out, it’s for an average of 12 days. Of the 1,037 managers surveyed for the report, the average boss puts in an extra day each week.  This is an extra 7.5 hours beyond their contracted weekly hours (44.4 hours actual compared to 37.3 contracted), adding up to an extra 43.8 days over the course of the year. This is up from 39.6 days in 2015. The rising gap between contracted and actual hours of work is in addition to an ‘always on’ digital culture, with 59 percent of managers saying they ‘frequently’ check their emails outside of work – up from 54 percent in 2015.

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One third of UK professionals suffer from depression or anxiety, and work is a key contributor

One third of UK professionals suffer from depression or anxiety, and work is a key contributor

by • News, Wellbeing

Over a third (35.2 percent) of the nation’s workers are suffering from mental health issues, with four in 10 (42.9 percent) admitting that their job is a key contributor to these feelings. That’s according to a survey from job site CV-Library which claims that for 70.6 percent of those that suffer, their depression or anxiety can sometimes have a negative effect on their working life, while a further 17.9 percent said it always negatively impacts their working life.

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One in ten people have fantasised about killing their boss

One in ten people have fantasised about killing their boss

by • News, Workplace

A new survey of 2,200 people claims that one in ten have fantasised about killing their boss at some point. Construction workers emerged as having the worst relationship with their line managers with nearly a quarter admitting to murderous thoughts (22 percent), followed closely by those working in the media industry (15 percent). The report from B2B comparison site Expert Market claims that more than half of respondents (52 percent) said that they hate their job specifically because of their boss. In fact, one in five workers said that they would actually turn down a pay rise in favour of firing their manager and it’s because people think their boss is not fit for purpose. The majority of those asked (73 percent) believe that they could do their boss’ job far better than them, particularly those in the energy and entertainment industries; 86 percent and 81 percent, respectively.

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