European airlines now free to allow use of electronic devices during flights

by • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Technology

electronic devices during flightsOne of the few remaining refuges from the gaze of the unblinking digital eye is now under threat following news that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has concluded electronic devices do not pose a safety risk so can be left on during flights. Airlines are now free to permit the use of devices during flights. In an announcement EASA has confirmed that, although each airline would have to go through its own safety checks and an assessment process, they are now free to establish their own policies based on its new guidelines.  Of course there remain technical barriers, not least the lack of a signal six miles up, but experience tells us that technology – like nature – always finds a way. The only remaining hope for those passengers who don’t want to be connected themselves or share a confined space with others who are, is cultural. British Airways already allows browsing and texting in wi-fi enabled business class flights, but prohibit voice calls because they understand from surveys how objectionable they are to other passengers.

RICS Scotland officially opens its new Edinburgh offices

by • Facilities management, News, Property

New HQ for RICS ScotlandRICS new Scottish headquarters were officially opened this week at Edinburgh’s iconic Princes Street by Minister for Local Government and Planning, Derek Mackay, MSP. The new, state of the art offices, located at 125 Princes Street, will also host Planning Aid Scotland, Built Environment Forum Scotland and the Scottish Arbitration Centre, with the idea being to create collaborative built environment hub in the heart of Scotland’s capital city. Explained Sarah Speirs, Director RICS Scotland: “Throughout this process we have been very keen to recognise and utilise the professional skills and expertise of our members, including the talents of our building surveying members, who we have now been working on the design and fit out of our transformational space at 125 Princes Street for the past couple of months.” The new open plan offices, which benefit from views of Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Castle were designed using BIM technology as a best practice example for the sector. More →

Generation Y make the most trusting managers, finds ILM report

by • News, Public Sector, Workplace

Generation Y are the most trusting managers finds ILM reportMaintaining high levels of trust at work helps to foster an engaged and productive atmosphere, finds a new report by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), which reveals the youngest generation to be the most trusting and those working within the public sector the least trusting. The truth about trust, honesty and integrity at work found that the millennial generation of managers (born 1981 onwards), are the most likely to trust those within their organisation (54%), followed by baby boomers (born between 1946–1964), almost half of whom (45%) say they trust everyone or almost everyone. Generation X, those born between 1965–1980, had the lowest level of respondents saying they trust everyone or almost everyone (44%) at work. The research also reveals that the five fundamental skills and qualities that leaders need in order to be trusted are openness, effective communication, the ability to make decisions, integrity and competence in their role. More →

HOK releases new workplace benchmarking report for financial services sector

by • Architecture, Briefing, News, Workplace design

HOK Benchmarking reportArchitectural practice HOK has released a new benchmarking report that examines design and work-style trends at leading financial services firms over the past three years, including the finding that space is underutilised across the sector by nearly a half, meaning that growth can easily be accommodated within the existing facilities of many firms. The HOK Benchmarking Report claims to provide information on recent trends affecting the industry, an analysis of how organisations are using office space and metrics for space standards based on recently completed workplace projects for financial services firms in New York, Toronto and London. The authors claim that because ‘companies are eager to understand the link between their work environments and organisational performance, the space standards and findings in this report can provide a baseline to help corporate real estate and facilities professionals identify and respond to opportunities for improvement.’

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New letting strengthens Cambridge’s growing reputation as a centre of technology

by • Company news, News, Property, Technology

Latest lettings underline Cambridge’s growing reputation as a centre of technologyIn the largest office letting in Cambridge in over a decade, technology developer CSR plc has agreed with The Crown Estate to establish an expanded, 100,000 sq. ft. global HQ at Cambridge Business Park. Further lettings of a combined 11,000 sq. ft., to the multi-national computer technology company, Oracle, and to JDR Cable Systems, means that the 320,000 sq. ft. Business Park is now fully let, with over 2,000 people set to be working on site once these tenants move in. These latest lettings underline Cambridge’s growing reputation as a centre of technology – where its success this sector has even led to it being referred to as the “Silicon Fen”, the UK’s equivalent of California’s Silicon Valley. More →

Why a more flexible approach to where and when we work is long overdue

by • Comment, Facilities management, Flexible working, News

Virgin's flexible work initiative makes sense when you learn average British commute is increasingAs Virgin boss Richard Branson throws his considerable influence behind flexible working, with the revelation that his personal staff can now take time off whenever they want for as long as they want; new research published for National Work Life Week illustrates why we need a more flexible approach to where and when we work. The average British one-way commute has increased in the last couple of years, at nearly half an hour (29.6 minutes) compared to 26 minutes two years ago. Employees in large firms appear to endure the longest commutes, clocking up a one-way average of 39 minutes. The knock-on effect means over-crowded trains, roads and buses and an increasingly stressed workforce more prone to stress and ill-health. Branson has promised to extend the policy if, as he notes in his blog, it results in similar productivity gains as Netflix, which has pioneered this approach. More →

Dubai unveils plans for sustainable ‘Perfect City’ real estate hub

by • Cities, Environment, News, Property

Dubai Perfect CityUndeterred by the seriously stuttering start to existence of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, the government of Dubai (but of course) has announced plans for what it claims will be the first specialised sustainable city in the world. The plans for the characteristically modestly named ‘Perfect City’ were unveiled this week at the Cityscape 2014 trade show in Dubai and form one of the centrepiece projects of a seven year programme of development masterminded by Dubai Land Development (DLD). Work begins on the project begins next year and is expected to complete in 2021. As with Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City the idea is to create a sustainable hub for a particular industry, in this case real estate. The plans include a canal, 20,000 trees and the provision that 75 percent of the City will be made up of green space.

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Flexible working celebrated, as Top Employers for Working Families revealed

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Flexible working champions named as top working families employers revealedDeloitte, KPMG and Barclays are among the companies recognised for their work-life balance policies in the annual list of the Top Employers for Working Families. The Top Employers for Working Families Benchmark is designed to encourage employers to focus on their flexible working and work-life integration practices, and how they measure up against other organisations. Brand Learning, CiC Employee Assistance and Digital Mums were included in an alternative benchmark provided to smaller organisations to help them evaluate and develop their own work-life thinking. The top scoring employers were named by work-life balance group Working Families as part of series of events to mark National Work-Life Week, which today features ‘Go home on time day.’ This is held to help encourage people to leave their workplace on time and help redress the thirty five per cent of parents who – in a poll by Working Families, said that their work affects their home life in a negative way. More →

‘Overwhelming evidence’ of link between office design, productivity and wellness claims report

by • Briefing, Knowledge, News, Workplace design

office designA new report from the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) claims it has “overwhelming evidence” that office design significantly impacts the health, wellbeing and productivity of staff. Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Offices: The Next Chapter for Green Building reports on a range of factors – from air quality and lighting, to views of nature and interior layout – can affect the health, satisfaction and job performance of office workers. Understanding the link between workers and their workplace helps to drive the business case for higher quality, healthy and greener buildings, valued by investors, developers and tenants alike. With salaries and benefits typically responsible for 90 percent of an organization’s expenditure, any higher construction or occupation costs are far outweighed by even small improvements in staff performance.

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Over half of employees think workplace screens are damaging their eyes

by • Facilities management, News, Technology, Workplace

Over half of employees blame failing eyesight on workplace screensOne of the potential hazards of the incursion of digital devices into our lives is the fact that the average person’s screen time has increased since a generation ago, when watching too much TV was said to be bad for our eyes. However, workers still blame their working environment and the rather anachronistic tool, the VDU for any resultant eye troubles. According to new research more than half of UK employees say their current working environment has had a negative impact on their eye health. In Westfield Health’s recent survey of 7,000 UK workers, conducted just ahead of this week’s National Eye Health Week, fifty three per cent of respondents say their current working environment has affected their eye health, or their vision has got worse as a result of work. Headaches, blurred vision, eye strain and dry eyes are just some of the eye related problems employees associate with their jobs. More →

Government invites responses on EU public sector procurement regs

by • Legal news, News, Public Sector

public sector procurementThe UK Government is inviting firms to contribute to a new consultation on the implementation of the latest EU draft regulations for public sector procurement. The Government claims that the consultation follows two years negotiation with the EU on the simplification and modernisation of public sector purchasing and its results will help them to implement the 2014 EU Public Sector Directive effectively and in the best way. The ultimate aim of the new regulations is to make public sector procurement ‘faster and less costly and will lead to better value outcomes for government, industry, and the wider public sector’. The consultation document can be found here. Responses should be emailed to transposition@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk or in writing to Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk, Cabinet Office, Rosebery Court, Norwich, NR7 0HS.

Privacy concerns are inhibiting employee uptake of BYOD

by • Flexible working, News, Technology

Employees’ use of personal digital devices at work has led to concerns regarding the encroachment of work into leisure time; but the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) craze also poses a challenge for staff who are reluctant to expose their private data to the corporate gaze. According to a survey conducted by Ovum on behalf of AdaptiveMobile, keeping their privacy from employers is the top concern for employees being asked to use their own devices for work purposes. The research found that while over 84 per cent of employees rated privacy as a top three concern, there was a clear lack of trust in the ability of their employer to manage their mobile security and privacy. Among employees who do not use their own devices for work purposes, the desire to keep their work and personal life separate (44%) and a general mistrust of their employer having any kind of control over their devices (24%) were the biggest barriers.

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