Columnists
July 11, 2018
Challenging some of the most commonly held misconceptions about coworking
by John Williams • Comment, Coworking
There are a number of misconceptions that dominate much of the writing around flexible workspace, despite all the press coverage and discussion around coworking over the last two years. Yet even in this comparatively short space of time, a number of misconceptions about the market have managed to take hold. Some of them are intuitive […]
July 11, 2018
A beauty industry veteran makes the case for corporate wellness
by Leena Jain • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design
Wellness is a term that today transcends the consumer and business worlds, but it is so much more than a buzzword. Today, the wellbeing of employees is essential for organisations to flourish, so much so that the term has in many ways replaced ‘productivity’ as the way to measure the success of an organisation. Both the […]
July 6, 2018
A storm brewing around the workplace and facilities management
by Cathy Hayward • Comment, Facilities management, News, Workplace design
In Shakespeare’s plays, the sky often goes dark and a storm starts to brew as a prelude to tragedy or violence creating a sense of foreboding. And so it was at today’s BIFM AGM in the lead-up to the special resolution to change the name of the institute from the British Institute of Facilities Management […]
July 5, 2018
Why a Google office simply does not work for everybody 0
by Dr Caroline M. Burns • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace design
The open plan office versus closed debate rages on, and rather than running out of steam in the face of all of the evidence and reasoned argument put forward one one side or the other by many industry thought-leaders, it seems to have nine lives. Those grand and ground-breaking new offices occupied by the world’s […]
June 28, 2018
Ten demonstrable truths about the workplace you may not know
by Kerstin Sailer • Comment, Facilities management, Features, Workplace design
The science of the workplace has gained a lot of interest over the last few years, highlighting recurring patterns of human behaviour as well as how organisational behaviour relates to office design. In theory, knowledge from this growing body of research could be used to inform design. In practice, this is rarely the case. A […]
June 25, 2018
Leading with purpose is the signature strength of a great leader
by Ben Renshaw • Comment, Workplace
David was a reluctant leader. We were introduced through his HR Director; however, he was not happy to see me. He didn’t believe in personal development and he didn’t want to spend time with a coach. He also didn’t have a lot of choice as he’d recently attended an assessment centre to inform his future […]
June 22, 2018
Organisations are easily distracted from the task of creating a great workplace strategy
by Chris Hood • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Workplace design
Earlier this month The Once Alternative Workplace Strategies 2018 workplace study was published. This study is the only known longitudinal workplace study and it was recently resurfaced by a group of volunteers to maintain a comparative thread of data on the evolution of workplace thought and practice now going back many years. Unfortunately, the results […]
June 21, 2018
The hype surrounding wellbeing concepts can blind us to their true value
by Georgia Elliott-Smith • Comment, Wellbeing
Digital detox. Does the phrase make you roll your eyes or grab your attention? Lately, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the idea of switching off from technology, particularly your smart phone (if people still call them that as they are so ubiquitous) has become a media fad. A litmus test for this might be […]
June 20, 2018
Successful EFMC event in Sofia sets its sights next on Dublin
by Beatriz Jiménez • Comment, Events, Facilities management
The Sofia Event Center in Sofia (Bulgaria), hosted from 5 to 8 June the 26th Edition of EFMC, the European Congress of Facility Management. The event, held for the first time in the Bulgarian capital, has brought together world experts of the sector and has served as a platform for communication between Facility Managers, suppliers, […]
June 17, 2018
Fathers Day offers a chance to ponder the disadvantages faced by many working dads
by Julia Waltham • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing
Father’s Day – a day when fathers up and down the UK are supposed to feel valued – whether it’s hand print cards from their 2-year old, a pair of socks from their teenager or BBQ accessories from their fully-grown son or daughter. Fathers looking to the government for an offering will be disappointed. Its […]
July 17, 2018
Video: Arthur C Clarke predicts remote and flexible working in 1964
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design
Some people foresaw the virtualisation of work, flexible working and the erosion of the workplace over 50 years ago. Scientist and author Arthur C Clarke appeared on the BBC’s Horizon programme in 1964 to apply his foresight and clipped vowels to the question of what future technological advances would mean for the way we work […]