Columnists
October 2, 2020
Time for businesses to establish more meaningful wellbeing initiatives
by Jolawn Victor • Comment, Wellbeing
Over the years, mental health has become a prominent feature of wellbeing initiatives in many businesses, but especially in the wake of the pandemic. However, our research has found that more than half of the UK workforce (54 percent) do not feel that mental health benefits are a priority in their organisation. This is despite […]
October 2, 2020
What (nearly) everybody gets wrong about work and the coronavirus
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design
You’ve probably read and heard dozens, or even hundreds, of different viewpoints about the effect of the pandemic on the world of work. Most of them (until recently perhaps) have dished up one of the two binary options as part of a zero-sum game. Many are based on hackneyed ideas and expressed as clichés.
September 24, 2020
The magical limits of workplace design
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace, Workplace design
Derren Brown is clearly on to something. And if you’ve read his books you’ll know that what he’s on to is finding ways to tap in to our fascination with how our thoughts and actions can be manipulated using some well-defined and researched techniques and principles. Add in some showmanship and what you have is […]
September 23, 2020
The stage is set for the next phase of working life
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing, Working lives
September 22, 2020
No need to sideline form in our quest for function
by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Comment, Facilities management, Furniture, Workplace design
The enduring struggle to improve the working conditions and performance of people through the design and management of workplaces carries more than a whiff of the Enlightenment, a period in which pure reason was seen by its proponents as more than enough to convince the world of the ways in which we could improve the […]
September 21, 2020
Time to get on board with the psychological effects of working from home
by Jörg Bakschas • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing
It almost goes without saying that this year has seen a rapid shift towards remote working, with many companies now moving to a flexible working model. From a business perspective, many employees are proving that they can still get their work done working from home. But what is the psychological impact of this? And are […]
September 18, 2020
When it comes to describing the new world of work, the Scandis have a name for it
by Fredrik Bergsten • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design
We have very clearly arrived at a point of inflection in the world of work right now, with more time than ever spent pondering some of its bigger questions. Like what will individuals expect from their place of work? What will employers be willing to offer them? How will the culture – the very fabric […]
September 16, 2020
Get used to the idea of work as an experience rather than a place
by Tim Oldman • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Workplace design
Suck it up. The role of property in supporting organisational performance has changed forever. The obsession with bricks and mortar has to shift to the employee-as-consumer experience. If we understand that user experience, then organisations can make the right decisions. The problem is, experience is now scattered across millions of homes worldwide.
September 15, 2020
Testing times for offices mean new regimes at work
by Helen Farr • Comment, Wellbeing
Businesses are now encouraging employees back to working in the office. Should employers be using regular Covid-19 testing as part of their processes to reassure staff that doing so is safe? The government is advocating more regular testing and the use of mobile testing as a way to ensure that businesses stay open even if […]
September 15, 2020
We are still overlooking the importance of air quality
by John Swift • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design
The impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on commercial buildings was immediate – offices emptied overnight as people made the sudden shift to home working. Several months later, and although restrictions are being lifted, an unease about the possibility of localised lockdowns and an uncertainty about the potential health implications of being indoors with larger groups, […]
October 8, 2020
The workplace has reached an inflection point as it adjusts to new realities
by Robin Davies • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace design
We can confidently say this is a new era for the workplace. Covid-19 has forced a radical rethink about the purpose of the office and its role in reaffirming company culture. Enlightened property directors are resisting knee-jerk responses to predictions that Covid spells the demise of the office including the wholesale migration to home-working. Instead, […]