October 10, 2014

Is workplace management now a core capability for knowledge businesses?

by Andrew Mawson • Events, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

That’s the key question for delegates coming to this year’s Workplace Week Convention at PWC’s More London office on the 6th November. Entitled ‘The Work/place revolution….taking human performance to new levels’ the convention aims to explore what organisations need to do to get ‘personal best’ performance from every worker on the payroll.For years, the management of Facilities has been viewed by many leaders as ‘non core’, but recent research by AWA (Advanced Workplace Associates),the organisers of Workplace Week, suggests that this may no longer be true for knowledge based businesses. ‘It’s becoming clear that the way the workplace is designed and managed can have a really dramatic impact on the performance of knowledge workers in ways that have not previously considered. Knowledge workers think for a living it’s critical that everything is created to give them the best chance of delivering a great performance.

October 9, 2014

Winner and shortlist announced for UK Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, News, Property, Public Sector

Wiltshire County Council Offices

The (rather long) shortlist of nominees for the Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award 2014 has been announced by the UK Cabinet Office. Hosted as part of The British Construction Industry Awards which aim to ‘recognise all-round excellence in construction, including the overall design, and delivery of buildings and civil engineering projects’ the award’s original nominees were assessed on a range of standards including economic and social value. As well as the rather impressive new headquarters for Wiltshire County Council (above), the Government claims the shortlist includes a college building that is engineered to be one of the quietest buildings in the country as well as a building that will almost entirely be powered by fish oil. Previous winners include Tate Modern and the Velodrome at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The Government, ever keen to be down with the kids, has produced a Buzzfeed feature on the nominated projects.

October 9, 2014

Successful employers will shape the future office around the needs of staff

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Nearly a third (32%) of British workers feel exhausted from juggling career, family, friends and other commitments, and do not think they will want to work later in life. This is contributing to increased levels of stress and a higher likelihood that they will leave their jobs, which – if left unchecked – could cost British businesses £44bn. It’s no wonder then that companies are set to become increasingly employee-centric in the future as, according to the report The Future Workplace, commissioned by financial protection specialist Unum and authored by The Future Laboratory, employers who make changes now to shape their business around the needs of their staff are likely to achieve significant competitive advantage. The report, which investigates the social, cultural, economic and technological influences shaping workplace care over the next fifteen years found four main trends; an ageless workplace that allows ‘returnment’ rather than retirement, the need for a mindful workplace that nurtures mental health and performance, and a workplace that is both intuitive and collaborative. Click here to download the full report.

October 9, 2014

Details released of 510,000 sq ft office development at Moorgate Crossrail station

by Mark Eltringham • Cities, Company news, News, Property

Property developer Land Securities has released details of its 510,000 sq. ft. commercial property scheme on the site of the new Moorgate Crossrail station in the City of London. The mixed use scheme consists of two buildings providing 410,000 sq. ft and 100,000 sq. ft. of office space, a landscaped courtyard and a high level walkway linking the station site with the Barbican. Retail space will also be incorporated alongside the walkway. The scheme is part of a programme of development by Land Securities linked to the new line, which will provide a total of 1.1m sq ft around various Crossrail stations. The firms is expected to submit a planning application for the site later this year with work on the site expected to start in 2018 in parallel with the construction of the Crossrail station on site. As well as improving Greater London’s transport links, the £15 bn Crossrail project is seen as an important catalyst for property development in the capital.

October 9, 2014

BCO announces winners of national awards for Britain’s best workplaces

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, News, Property, Workplace design

The BCO has announced the winners of its prestigious annual National Awards to honour what it considers Britain’s best workplaces. The overall winner was Number One Riverside in Rochdale (above). The office, home to Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, was also recognised as the Best Corporate Workplace in the UK, and topped a list of six other award winners recognised for excellence in office space. Number One Riverside was singled out by the judges for its consolidation of the Council’s estate from 33 buildings into one. The project is also the centrepiece for the first phase of a major regeneration in the borough of Rochdale, ‘providing a new civic office that promotes new ways of working and creates a sense of community, engagement and social transparency.’ The building was commended by the judges for its incorporation of a range of public space alongside the workplace, including a library and cafe and customer service facilities.

October 8, 2014

New property programme supports co-working between tech businesses

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

Over the next decade, London’s digital tech sector is expected to grow at a rate of 5.1 per cent per annum, creating an additional £12 billion of economic activity and 46,000 new jobs, which in turn is driving change in the commercial property market. Now the rapid rise of the UK property tech market is to get a boost with the announcement of a programme which provides tech companies with access to investment, mentoring and co-working business space. In a strategic partnership with Cushman & Wakefield and Spire Ventures; Pi Labs, Europe’s first property-focused technology accelerator company, will invite start-ups to apply to join the Pi Labs accelerator programme. This will be located within ‘Second Home’, a new iconic 20,000 sq. ft. co-working space in Shoreditch, designed to set new global standards in the provision of stimulating private and social workplace environments supporting collaboration and co-working amongst creative and technology businesses.
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October 8, 2014

Two thirds of the world’s workers would move to another country to find a better job

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Workplace

Almost two thirds of job seekers worldwide say they would be willing to move abroad for work, a ‘startlingly high proportion’ that says a lot about the evolving marketplace for talent, according to a new study by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network, a global alliance of more than 50 recruitment websites. The report claims that the proportion of people willing to seek a better job abroad is particularly (and unsurprisingly) high in developing and politically unstable countries. But there is also a very high willingness to work abroad for workers in countries that don’t face such challenges. For example, more than 75 percent of survey respondents in Switzerland, more than 80 percent of respondents in Australia, and more than 90 percent of respondents in the Netherlands say they would consider moving to another country for work, according to the report, Decoding Global Talent: 200,000 Survey Responses on Global Mobility and Employment Preferences, and their preferred destinations are London, New York and Paris.

October 7, 2014

New speculative office scheme announced for Slough Trading Estate

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property

A new 68,000 sq ft speculative office scheme has been announced for Slough Trading Estate, arguably the most famous trading estate in the country; home to Ricky Gervais’ ‘the Office’. Although Slough began life as an industrial trading estate, it now accommodates numerous corporate offices, and is one of the UK’s most popular headquarter locations for multinational companies, including Mars, Stanley Black and Decker, O2, and LG. The latest development forms part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Trading Estate to ensure it continues to remain a draw for business. The new site, at 234 Bath Road has already secured planning permission and is due to commence in November with completion set for Spring 2016. According to developer SEGRO the offices will feature large floorplates offering grade A office accommodation ranging in size from 22,000 sq ft – 68,000 sq ft, which can be let to a single company or multiple occupiers. More →

October 7, 2014

Workers struggling to balance home and work, according to CIPD report

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, Knowledge, News, Workplace

The UK’s workforce is struggling to find the right balance between their work and domestic responsibilities according to the latest Absence Management report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. The report also suggests that, although overall absence levels are falling, much of this is down to people going into work when they perhaps shouldn’t with a third of employers reporting presenteeism. Stress and mental health problems in the workplace also remain high, with more than 40 percent of employers citing an increase, despite signs of economic recovery. One area in which absenteeism is rising is workers taking time off to care for children and elderly or disabled relatives and friends. More than a third of those employers surveyed reported an increase in absence levels amongst staff who are struggling to cope with their caring responsibilities outside of work. However only a sixth of employers have policies in place to provide a better level of support.

October 6, 2014

Two-fifths of global employees would choose flexible working over a payrise

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

A friend of mine went for a job recently and asked about flexible working. They were informed that: “we don’t like to allow people to work from home as we can’t keep our eye on them.” This attitude is a disincentive to job applicants and existing staff, and makes employers who take this attitude look at best old-fashioned and at worse foolish. Even the UK’s pro-employer government extended the right to request flexible working to anyone with over 26 weeks service this June, which illustrated how ‘mainstream’ flexi-work has become. A new piece of research reveals there is currently something of a global shift in culture towards a ‘Flex Work Imperative’, described as a perfect storm of employee demand, improving job market, and legislation that is shifting flex work from job perk to an employee’s right. It’s why 43 per cent of employees surveyed said they would prefer flex work over a pay raise. More →

October 3, 2014

Vital role of FM in success of an organisation illustrated in latest RICS case studies

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property, Public Sector, Technology

The utilisation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to innovate FM within a business, and the way in which strategic FM can help boost the wellbeing of employees are two of the latest case studies launched by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) aimed at illustrating the vital role played by FM in the success of an organisation. The case studies, produced by International Workplace, and available to download here, outline how businesses, large and small, can utilise strategic FM to enhance their business’ output. Through organisations as varied as The Royal BAM Group and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the theme of professionalising FM is brought to life and explained using tangible, real life examples. Speaking at the launch of the case studies, held at KPMG, featured for its living wage initiative, Neil Murray, Managing Director at Sodexo UK talked about the contribution FMs can make to an organisation by making it a better place to work. More →

October 3, 2014

An end to ‘Whitehall Palaces’ as UK government publishes new estates strategy

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, News, Property, Public Sector

The UK Government has published an update to its Estates Strategy which it claims will build on its successes of the past four years and spell the end for ‘Whitehall Palaces’. The Government Estates Strategy sets out how the administration plans to make the most efficient and cost-effective use of its property. The first strategy document was published in 2013, but the Government had already by then been looking at ways to downsize and improve the operations of its estate. The new document claims to ‘reflect good progress so far and expands on the scope of work, using the estate to provide better integrated public services and to enable economic growth.’ The report also claims that since 2010 departments have shrunk the central Government estate by over two million square metres as civil service numbers have also reduced by 17 percent, saving around £600 million a year in running costs and generating around £1.4 billion in sales of land and buildings.