January 9, 2014

Firms and individuals can now offer to buy swathes of Government property

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Public Sector

The UK Government’s ongoing attempt to divest itself of large parts of the public sector estate or at least find other ways of using them took a new turn yesterday with the announcement that members of the public and businesses can now challenge central Government to release land for alternative uses. Originally announced in last year’s Spending Review and since developed by the Cabinet Office, it will now be possible to bid to buy up a part of Whitehall’s vast and sometimes underutilised £330bn land and property portfolio under the Treasury-backed Right to Contest scheme – if it can be demonstrated that there is a potentially better use for it. The programme is an extension of the Right to Challenge programme that already operates in local government giving communities, organisations and individuals the power to contest the use of vacant or surplus property owned by local authorities.

January 9, 2014

Rise in employee wellbeing initiatives in 2014, despite little evidence they work

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

Amidst the plethora of fitness and diet advice which greets the New Year comes discussions on the value of employee wellness programmes in reducing absenteeism and improving staff productivity. A solid link between the two is still to be proved and now a major new piece of US research charting the effects of a seven-year programme on thousands of employees has found that while support for staff with chronic conditions was beneficial, there was no evidence that the fitness and lifestyle component made any difference. This will do little to stem the enthusiasm for wellbeing programmes however, as consultants Towers Watson reports there will be a rise in the uptake of employee wellness programmes over the coming year. More →

January 8, 2014

CBI to embrace open plan working at new London HQ

by Sara Bean • Architecture, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

The CBI is to move its headquarters to new offices in Cannon Street, London, after more than 30 years at its present Centre Point home, which is to be converted into apartments. Staff at the UK’s leading business organisation will make the switch from the multi floor office layouts of the 1960s built tower to an open plan 25,000 sq ft space when they move into the fourth floor of the eight-floored Cannon Place development in the spring. The CBI director-general, John Cridland, said he was looking forward to the move to the new offices, on which the organisation has signed a 15-year lease and invited its members to make use of a dedicated member’s lounge at the new London HQ to meet their clients and CBI staff. More →

January 7, 2014

Fifth of undervalued and disengaged staff plan to move jobs this year

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

One of the most over used phrases of last year has got to be ’employee engagement’, with a mountain of research, blogs and features devoted to ways employers could and should enhance their relationship with employees. But those managers who question the validity of the arguments for addressing employee engagement should consider this; admittedly yet another survey, but one published by the respected Institute of Leadership & Management. According to its study of more than 1,000 workers, almost one in five (19%) of UK workers plan to leave their jobs this year. The reason? Almost one fifth (16%) of the people aiming to leave their job said they were moving on because they do not feel valued by their current organisation. More →

January 6, 2014

New SkyCycle route proposed to ease Capital’s transport network congestion

by Sara Bean • Architecture, Environment, News, Property

Demand for London-based workplaces is increasing, but the capital’s transport network is at capacity and ill equipped for a predicted population growth of 12 per cent over the next decade. Despite the Mayor’s efforts to encourage more cycling in the capital, a recent series of accidents has raised concerns about its safety. Architects Foster + Partners together with Exterior Architecture and urban planners Space Syntax have come up with a proposed solution, the SkyCycle network. This consists of a wide, secure deck constructed above the existing suburban railway corridors, to provide over 220 kilometres of safe, car free cycle routes which can be accessed at over 200 entrance points. Each route can accommodate 12,000 cyclists per hour and will improve journey times by up to 29 minutes. More →

January 2, 2014

Take up of office space in Central London at highest level in six years

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property

Take-up of office space in Central London was almost 11m sq ft in 2013, way above the 2012 figure of 7.3m sq ft and an increase of more than 50 per cent year-on-year. According to the latest figures from Cushman & Wakefield, leasing activity to December increased across all Central London markets, with transaction volumes 22 per cent above the five-year average. It says that the number of transactions over 50,000 sq ft was a major driver of leasing volumes, with 30 deals signed during 2013 – the highest number since 2007. The Media and Technology sector saw most activity across Central London, accounting for 36 per cent of all letting volumes in 2013, up from 23 per cent in the preceding two years. More →

December 20, 2013

Google is a better source of information than HR team, say line managers

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

The image of the cosy Personnel Manager, part mentor part counsellor, has little in common with the reality of the modern Human Resources professional, steering the organisation through the upheavals of a prolonged recession and engaged in strategic thinking, such as big data. In many ways the professionalisation of HR, which (unlike FM) has achieved Chartered Status, is an encouraging sign that organisations understand the importance of their most important assets – the people. However, the rise of the HR professional has also created barriers between them and line managers. A lack of openness and slow response to queries from HR is driving line managers to Google the answers rather than wait for their increasingly preoccupied HR colleagues to respond. More →

December 19, 2013

Team announced to review restoration needs of UNESCO World heritage site

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

The House of Commons and House of Lords have announced the team which is to carry out an appraisal of the work that needs to be done to restore and repair one of Britain’s most iconic sites. The study will explore a number of ways in which Parliament can remain operational while implementing long overdue essential works to protect the Palace of Westminster, an important Grade I listed building and UNESCO World Heritage site. Deloitte Real Estate, AECOM and HOK have been chosen to undertake an Independent Options Appraisal as part of the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme. The appraisal was commissioned following the publication of a study in 2012 which showed that, unless significant restoration work is undertaken, major, irreversible damage may be done to the Palace. More →

December 19, 2013

Architects’ workloads remain in positive territory across the country reports RIBA

by Sara Bean • Architecture, News, Property, Public Sector

The design and construction sector continues to pick up, particularly in Scotland, Southern England and London says the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Although the Future Trends Workload Index fell back slightly in November, standing at +31 compared with +35 in October 2013, it remained firmly in positive territory. RIBA’s monthly survey illustrates the profession’s confidence and workload, and is a useful indicator of the health of the wider UK construction industry.Welcoming the growing confidence across the United Kingdom, RIBA Director of Practice Adrian Dobson said: “In terms of geographical analysis the highest balance figures were in Scotland (+50), the South of England (+41) and London (+40), but all UK nations and regions remain positive about future workloads, again reflecting a widespread increase in confidence levels.” More →

December 18, 2013

Workforce to grow across the regions next year, bolstered by flexible working

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

The management issues which dominated 2013 centred on the rise of flexible working; if pay scales would remain below inflation; and whether jobs recovery would continue and if so, could expand beyond the fringes of London. As today’s ONS figures show unemployment at the lowest rate since 2009, the latest CBI/Accenture Employment Trends Survey reveals that more than half of UK companies expect to create jobs over the next 12 months for the first time in over five years. It says private sector workforces are anticipated to grow across all regions, Yorkshire and Humberside and the east midlands being the most buoyant. Bosses will continue to take a cautious approach to pay however, with flexible contracts used to bolster economic growth and job creation. More →

December 16, 2013

Festive burnout is latest ailment to strike unwary office workers

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

As we enter the last full working week before the Christmas holidays, the reason why the office is already half empty isn’t just because staff have faked a sickie to do their Christmas shopping. Many of them may be genuinely sick – with Christmas the primary reason. The new ailment of “Festive Burnout” has been coined to mark the countdown to Christmas, as stress, exhaustion and illness begins to strike offices. According to the findings of a new investigation from AXA PPP healthcare; while one in four Brits say that Christmas is their favourite time of the year, a third tend to start their holiday feeling burnt out from the stress of the run up to the holiday break.