October 26, 2016

Larger employers much more optimistic about post-Brexit outlook than SMEs ⁰

by Sara Bean • Legal news, News, Workplace

A gap is emerging between UK businesses regarding the impact of Brexit, with large businesses significantly more optimistic about the future than their small business counterparts, joint research by NGA Human Resources (NGA HR) and its SMB division, Moorepay suggests. Six in ten (59 percent) respondents working for large businesses expect Brexit to have a positive impact on their business, but only 35 percent of SMBs share this view. In fact, a quarter of (25 percent) SMB employees in the UK actually believe their situation will worsen after the UK has left the European Union. Looking ahead, the majority (79 percent) of larger UK businesses are ready to address the challenges and exploit the opportunities resulting from Brexit, whereas just over half of small businesses (56 percent) feel the same. Asked about their wish list for a post-Brexit economy, all UK businesses agree that access to the single market is the biggest advantage of the EU membership and one that both large businesses (64 percent) and SMBs (54 percent) would like to retain. Additionally, opening up trade to new countries and markets is seen as the main advantage of Brexit for both large (70 percent) and smaller businesses (54 percent), followed by freedom from EU laws and regulations (both 48 percent).

October 26, 2016

Two-thirds of British workers more productive working in the office ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Despite half (50 percent) of the British workforce saying they are equipped with the right tools and technology to enable them to work anywhere, half (50 percent) of respondents to a new survey stated that remote working can make them feel stressed, isolated or lonely (43 percent) and over half (53 percent) said that working out of the office makes them feel disconnected from colleagues. The survey from Peldon Rose, found that two-thirds (66 percent) of British workers say they work most productively in the office compared with a quarter (26 percent) who work most productively at home. The survey results also underline how vital close working relationships with colleagues are to employees’ happiness, wellbeing and productivity with nine in 10 (91 percent) of office workers stating they value their friendships within the workplace and 80 percent crediting their friendships with colleagues with helping them to be more productive at work – something they feel boosts their productivity even more than personal technology (66 percent).

October 25, 2016

Nearly a third of investors say Brexit offers commercial real estate investment opps ⁰

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property

The recent warning that the major banks are planning to leave the Capital following the Brexit vote has understandably caused some concern within the commercial property sector; so it’s cheering to hear that three in ten (30 percent) institutional investors actually believe Brexit will either increase or significantly increase European commercial real estate investment opportunities. A further one in four (23 percent) institutional investors believe that Brexit will have no impact on commercial real estate investment opportunities. According to a new study by BrickVest, following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, nearly two in five (38 percent) institutional real estate investors cited London as the top European city to invest in commercial real estate, ahead of Berlin (36 percent), Munich (31 percent) and Paris (22 percent). However, one in five (21 percent) cited both Dublin and Hamburg and a further 16 percent selected Frankfurt, highlighting a clear positive trend towards German commercial real estate. Indeed 40 percent of the top ten European cities were German.

October 24, 2016

Corporate real estate sector continues to make progress in energy consumption, carbon emissions and water use ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, News, Property

The world’s leading corporate real estate owners and managers are making significant progress in reducing energy consumption, carbon emissions and water usage in their buildings, according to a new report from the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Greenprint Center for Building Performance. The Greenprint Performance Report, which measures and tracks the performance of more than 5,400 properties owned by Greenprint’s members, demonstrates a 3.4 percent reduction in energy consumption, a 3.9 percent reduction in carbon emissions and a 4.8 percent reduction in water use between 2014 and 2015. According to the study, since Greenprint started recording building performance in 2009, the energy consumed by members’ properties tracked by Greenprint has dropped 13.7 percent. Carbon emissions from those properties have decreased 16.5 percent; and water usage has dropped by 10.6 percent. The reductions occurred even as building occupancy rose, suggesting that greater space usage does not necessarily cause a decline in building performance.

October 24, 2016

Gartner report identifies the Top 10 strategic technology trends for 2017 ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology

A new report from tech analysts Gartner highlights the top technology trends the firm believes will be ‘strategic for most organisations in 2017’. Gartner defines a strategic technology trend as one with substantial disruptive potential that is just beginning to break out of an emerging state into broader impact and use or which are rapidly growing trends with a high degree of volatility reaching tipping points over the next five years. They include artificial intelligence, blockchain, intelligent devices, digital technology platforms and advanced machine learning.

October 23, 2016

Older job seekers believe age discrimination remains rife in the workplace ⁰

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Research released by recruitment website totaljobs claims that almost two-thirds (63 percent) of 55-64 year olds have said they have felt discriminated against by a prospective employer because of their age and only 6percent of the same age group see their age as an advantage when applying for a job. The research from totaljobs, based on responses from over 4,000 job seekers, also claims that 72 percent of 55-64 year olds spend over an hour preparing for an interview compared with just 62 percent of 16-24 year olds. The study also claims that young people are much less likely to feel discriminated against because of their age. Just 33 percent of 16-24 year had felt age discrimination, with this number falling to 21 percent for 25-34 year olds and 22 percent for 35-44 year olds – a stark contrast to the 63 percent of 55-64 year olds. Whereas 82 percent of 55-64 year olds and 62 percent of 45-54 year olds see their age as a disadvantage when applying for a job, only 31 percent of 16-24 year olds and 16 percent of 25-34 years olds feel the same.

October 21, 2016

New BIM initiative announced as report slams dysfunctional construction sector ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Technology

Digital Built Britain, the latest stage of the UK’s BIM Task Group programme, has officially been launched at the ICE BIM 2016 conference by Mark Bew, chair of the BIM Task Group. The launch comes in the wake of the publication of the Government commissioned Farmer Report into the state of the construction industry which laid out in stark terms the structural problems that suggest the sector risks terminal decline without innovation and cultural change. The report, subtitled Modernise or Die, suggests that the UK’s construction industry faces ‘inexorable decline’ unless longstanding problems are addressed. In particular, the review highlights the sector’s dysfunctional training model, its lack of innovation and collaboration, and a non-existent research and development (R&D) culture. First announced in the 2016 budget, Digital Built Britain aims to deliver reductions in the whole-life costs and carbon emissions of buildings, while improving productivity and capacity by using intelligent building information models, sensing technology and secure data and information infrastructure. Digital Built Britain will also continue the work of the BIM Task Group programme, set up in 2011 to deliver a projected 20 percent saving on the costs of major projects.

October 21, 2016

Triple threat to worker wellbeing is financial, mental and physical ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Workers are under siege from a triple threat to their wellbeing, often dealing with a combination of financial, mental and physical health problems. Research from AXA PPP healthcare claims that over half (52 per cent) of nearly 2,500 workers polled had faced financial difficulties, while around a third say they’ve lived with mental ill health (36 per cent) or had problems with their physical health (30 per cent). Most workers (81 per cent) say that, when they’ve experienced difficulties with their mental health, their physical health has suffered too, while over half (52 per cent) admit that their finances have been adversely affected. Similarly, when facing problems with their physical health, 71 per cent say that they’ve also experienced difficulties with their mental health, while 40 per cent report that their finances have taken a turn for the worse. A sizeable proportion of employees who’ve had financial difficulties say that their mental health (76 per cent) and physical health (50 per cent) have also been adversely affected.

October 20, 2016

Fifth of UK staff say stress at work negatively impacts their health ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

One in five people say their workload as having a negative impact on their health. Respondents to a survey of 2,000 UK workers state their jobs have caused them to suffer from depression and other stress-related illnesses. The research, commissioned by staffing app Coople, and carried out by OnePoll, claims that 30 per cent of respondents said work has made them unhappy and stressed, while more than a quarter (26 per cent) say their job causes arguments with their partner – 8 per cent of which say work has been the major factor in the breakdown of their relationship. Over half of those polled (51 per cent) have attributed a lacklustre social life to their work commitments; with 28 per cent working late, 18 per cent responding to emails out of hours and 10 per cent picking up calls outside of their hours.

October 20, 2016

Built environment still creates barriers for people with a disability ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A huge response to the Women and Equalities Committee’s inquiry into disability and the built environment indicates how lack of accessibility is an ongoing issue for many people. Over 150 individuals and organisations have submitted evidence to the inquiry, which aims to explore the extent to which the needs of people with a disability are considered and accommodated in the built environment, and asks whether more could be done to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of both new and existing properties and spaces. More →

October 20, 2016

Small businesses failing to reap full benefits of digital skills ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology

Small businesses in the UK are failing to invest enough in digital skills even though there is clear link between digital orientation and commercial success, according to Lloyds Bank’s third annual Business Digital Index. The reports key finding is that firms with a string digital focus are twice as likely to see an increase in turnover than those that aren’t. The report also found that 65 percent of small business owners in the UK have already used digital tools to cut costs. On the down side, the study also found that 38 percent of small firms lack “basic digital skills”. The report claims that independent sole traders have the lowest levels of digital skills with around half having just basic levels of expertise. Despite this, over three quarters (78 percent) of these had no plans to invest to increase the levels of expertise in their business. The study gauged five factors that contribute to a firm’s digital skills score including managing information, communicating, transacting, creating and problem solving, with 62 percent of small businesses were found to have all five skills.

October 20, 2016

People with MS face ‘disturbing’ levels of workplace bullying and mistreatment ¹

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing

A study by The MS Society claims that people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) are facing ‘disturbing’ levels of disability discrimination at work, as it releases new survey results. In the survey of 1,018 people living with MS, almost a quarter (24 percent) of respondents say their employer has treated them badly as a result of their condition, and a fifth (20 percent) say their work colleagues have done so. Of the people who say they have faced mistreatment from their employer, an overwhelming majority (91 percent) say their employers knew they had the condition. And 85 percent who faced mistreatment from their work colleagues say their colleagues were aware. The survey reveals distressing examples of mistreatment people have faced at work. This includes facing offensive and humiliating comments, feeling bullied, and being accused of looking too well to have an illness or disability. People also say they have lost out on promotions, been forced out of work unfairly, and have had requests for reasonable adjustments denied (adjustments to working practices or practical support to help people to continue to do their role effectively).