Columnists

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 […]

Organisations are finally getting their heads around what the office is really good at

by • Comment, Workplace design

As 2020 came to a close, there was a palpable sense of hope that 2021 would bring with it a fresh slate with the horrors of COVID behind us. Alas, that has not happened and it seems we have more of the same, certainly for the next few months and with that the speculation about […]

The workplace industry needs to think outside its ever-shrinking boxes

by • Comment, Flexible working

Is the workplace industry stuck in the past, in a 20th century model of how and where work is done? The separation of work and the rest of life during the Industrial Age has shaped the structures of modern life: the houses we live in, the offices, factories and shops we work in, and the […]

The future of work will see profound changes in the way firms engage with customers

by • Comment, Technology

Businesses are managing a new work dynamic that’s made up of three parts, or three ‘types’ of employee. Some are keen to go back to the office, some want to stay working from home, and some want an entirely flexible arrangement so they can fit work around important personal commitments.

What’s a landlord to do when the office is a destination, not a routine?

by • Cities, Comment, Property, Workplace design

Every week a new survey is published or a statement from a CEO hits the press related to corporate occupier’s desire to adopt a form of hybrid working for the long-term post Covid 19. And as a result, the desire to occupy less space in their central office hub. Landlords are asking- What do we […]

The hybrid workplace sagas, part two. Valhalla

by • Comment, Flexible working

“Wow, Dougie, they’ve remodelled our office while we were away!” “Fantastic. Did you know about it?” “No, they said the surprise was a key part of the change programme.” “So what’s different?”

The hybrid workplace sagas, part one. Ginnungagap

by • Comment, Flexible working

“Hi Dougie – how’s the new hybrid workplace going?” “Morning Clara. You mean the Team-Rostered Attendance Programme. It’s fantastic – we have control at last!” “Wow, I’m jealous. I guess you all just fell into it?” “Yeah. How did you know?” “Just a hunch. So how does it work?”

What are the limits of an employer’s duty of care to employees?

by • Comment, Wellbeing

Earlier this month the ONS (Office for National Statistics) released a rather dismal map of the UK charting our population’s soaring levels of loneliness. Perhaps surprisingly, it is young people and those living in urban areas reporting the highest levels of aloneness. It really does go to show that the ‘social’ in social media doesn’t […]

Hybrid working risks becoming a meaningless term

by • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

Hybrid working runs the risk of becoming a blanket term, interpreted on a very surface level, when it has the potential to offer a much greater opportunity for businesses to open up and re-examine the culture and experience of their staff, alongside where they want to take their business in the future, as well as […]

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