Columnists

Hybrid working will impact younger people in very specific ways

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

When considering a hybrid working method for your organisation, it’s far too easy to try think of what will work for all employees as a whole, rather than breaking this down and thinking about the different needs from certain groups of people. One example of this is age and experience. Employees from different age groups […]

Expect to see a growing number of people with the job title Head of Remote

by • Comment, Flexible working

Over the past year we’ve all become accustomed to working from home and now, the number of businesses setting permanent remote working strategies is growing. Consequently, this affects HR departments and their ways of working. The office is losing its status as the daily workplace and communication between colleagues has shifted to virtual channels. In […]

Engineered familiarity in the new era of work

by • Comment, Working lives, Workplace design

Every day, after a leisurely breakfast in bed and the opening of his post, Roald Dahl would wander down his garden to the grubby little hut crammed with personal paraphernalia he had created there. There he would sharpen the six yellow pencils that were always by his side while he worked, settle into an armchair, […]

Half of businesses have provided support for workers’ mental health during the pandemic

by • Comment, News

Half of workers in the UK (50 percent) say their employers have provided support for their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, while two-thirds of employees globally reported the same (65 percent). This may illustrate a growing awareness and concern from businesses about the potential psychological impact on staff, according to a new study People […]

Real Estate, HR and Technology leaders must collaborate to create a future of work fit for the 21st Century

by • Comment, Property, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

HR leaders, heads of real estate and IT decision-makers have not always spent huge amounts of time working together – their roles and responsibilities have often been siloed. But in the new world of work, that’s all changing. These three groups of senior leaders are being asked to collaborate on one of the biggest challenges […]

For a workplace culture to flourish, sometimes you have to let go

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Ten years ago, the day after I left my full-time job at FM World magazine* to set up Magenta I wrote a blog called In Defence of the Office about how people feel when they’re asked to work flexibly. I talked about how many people struggle, finding that without the structure of day-to-day office life, […]

The power of nudge: How behavioural science and AI can improve workplace wellbeing

by • Comment, Technology

When the global pandemic struck last year, many companies were forced to close offices and enable employees to work remotely – bringing forward their digital transformation roadmap by a good few year.  A year on, and while it seems that the Covid-19 restrictions are reducing, there is unlikely to be a complete shift back to […]

The pandemic will transform the way we commute

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Organisations and businesses have a lot to contend with as they begin to reopen their offices. From social distancing, working from home policies, office layouts, hand gel stations and more. But there also remains one key issue when it comes to welcoming employees back to the office. And that’s how they will get to work […]

Is the time right for office furniture as a service?

by • Comment, JK, Workplace design

The focus on creating a more sustainable workplace is increasing. Many designers, specifiers, manufacturers, suppliers and, of course, users are pledging their allegiance to the cause. Some are driven by a genuine recognition of the climate crisis whilst others are appreciating that commercially, it’s an essential direction.  ‘Zero to landfill’ has been given ‘green bragging […]

New artificial intelligence regulations have important implications for the workplace

by • Comment, Technology, Workplace

The European Commission recently announced its proposal for the regulation of artificial intelligence, looking to ban “unacceptable” uses of artificial intelligence. Up until now, the challenges for businesses getting AI ‘wrong’ were bad press, reputation damage, loss of trust and market share, and most importantly for sensitive applications, harm to individuals. But with these new […]

We need to acknowledge our bias if we want to see the world for what it is

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Working lives

We’re all biased. We all recognise the sharp bump of our critical thinking skills kicking into life when confronted with ideas and information that go against our beliefs. We know how they doze in the comforting embrace of affirming data. So, it’s been entertaining this week to observe the reaction to the large-scale academic study […]

The pivotal role of remote working in the journey to jab the nation

by • Comment, Flexible working

At 6.31 a.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, the UK became the first country in the world to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Just over five months earlier, I had been deployed to the NHS England and NHS Improvement COVID-19 vaccination programme to help drive the highly complex design and planning needed to bring the nation […]

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