Columnists
March 4, 2013
Using the office treadmill to fight the flab
by Sara Bean • Comment, Furniture, Knowledge, Workplace
While shopping recently for a new arm chair, I noticed the prevalence of “snuggle chairs”, marketed as wider than average chairs in which two people can sit cosily together. However, judging by some of the customers checking them out, they appeared much more suitable for use by individuals with a wider girth. You don’t have […]
March 2, 2013
Google and Yahoo office strategies teach us the value of the velvet glove
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design
It’s a week now since the whole Yahoo-ha kicked off and since that time everybody has had their say on the matter including – refreshingly – those in the mainstream media. The story has followed its own narrative arc, from the initial gasps of horror at Yahoo’s audacious challenge to a cherished piece of contemporary […]
March 1, 2013
Working ‘proper hours’ may no longer be possible
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Knowledge, Workplace
Today is the Trades Union Congress’s self-styled ‘Work Your Proper Hours Day’. Last week the TUC announced that it had used Government statistics to calculate that more than 5 million UK employees put in an average of over 7 hours of unpaid overtime a week, adding around £28 billion a year to the economy. Like […]
February 28, 2013
Yahoo case doesn’t tell the whole story of teleworking
by Clark Sept • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design
Yahoo! made headlines across the US and the rest of the world this week by announcing they are terminating the company’s telework program. Does this signal, broadly, the pending demise of telework? Here’s my take: this story is actually deeper than just about telework. Yahoo! has been wandering around aimlessly for a number of years, and […]
February 28, 2013
Workplace Anachronisms: No. 1 – the BCO Specification Guide
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Workplace design
The British Council for Offices claims that it is ‘Britain’s leading forum for the discussion and debate of issues affecting the office sector. Its members are organisations involved in creating, acquiring or occupying office space, whether architects, lawyers, surveyors, financial institutions or public agencies.’ If true, this makes its Specification Guide all the more remarkable […]
February 27, 2013
Building designers should pay more heed to what users need
by Simon Heath • Architecture, Comment, Facilities management
These past two weeks have seen me playing and working in what I believe is fondly referred to as “That London” by those who live and work in the rest of the United Kingdom. Whilst resisting the temptations of the capital’s fleshpots, I’ve had the time to reflect on the design of public spaces and […]
February 26, 2013
Video: ‘We are not as endlessly predictable as you would think’
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace
[embedplusvideo height=”157″ width=”230″ standard=”https://www.youtube.com/v/u6XAPnuFjJc?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=u6XAPnuFjJc&width=230&height=157&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep2086″ /] An old one, but still my favourite from the RSA Animate series. It’s always worth reminding ourselves that the issue of motivation is very complex. People are not machines and function within the context of a whirl of emotions, relationships, influences, events, crises, stimuli, personal characteristics and […]
February 25, 2013
Are you working or shirking from home?
by Sara Bean • Comment, Legal news, Technology, Workplace
During recent weather-related travel disruption, I was inundated with various pieces of information on software that spies on home based employees to check that they really are working, not shirking from home. As Acas opens a consultation on a draft Code of Practice regarding the extended right to request flexible working; and figures from the […]
February 24, 2013
Yahoo is not the only firm that doesn’t like flexible working
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design
As news emerged over the weekend from Silicon Valley that Yahoo had introduced a new policy that insisted employees work from the company’s HQ, a survey from O2 in the UK highlighted just how many firms are not as keen on the practice of flexible working as they might claim in theory. The question we […]
February 24, 2013
Tips for small businesses on their first office search
by Ciaron Dunne • Comment, Property
Finding a great office can be a hugely important step on the road to success for a small business. Business can not only outgrow their existing space, but even for those who want to remain small, escaping the distractions of a home-working environment by moving into a space specifically designed for working can give a […]
February 24, 2013
What gets measured in the workplace, gets managed
by Paul Statham • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace design
Are we finally seeing the first signs of the end of the downturn? Earlier this week the Government announced that UK unemployment had fallen. While I know there have been quibbles about what this all meant, other data from specific market sectors backs up the idea that we may be seeing some tentative causes for […]
March 5, 2013
Challenge for Ecobuild is reducing greenwash and white noise
by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Comment, Environment, Facilities management, Workplace design
Today is the first day of Ecobuild, which claims to be the world’s largest exhibition dedicated to sustainable construction and fit-out. Some 1,500 organisations are taking part in the event in East London which last year attracted 58,000 visitors from around the world. While undoubtedly successful, influential, with great intellectual content and a showcase for […]