Columnists
June 1, 2018
How our noisy world was foreseen by the 20th Century’s great minds
by Charles Marks • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design
Over the past few years we’ve become more aware of the problems associated with the pace and clatter of modern life and not least among them its noise. Authors like Susan Cain have highlighted not only how distracting noise can be for everybody but how it affects different personality types in different ways. She is […]
May 30, 2018
Australia is leading the world in the adoption of activity based working
by Max Luff • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design
Over half of those employed in the banking sector in Australia now find themselves in agile and dynamic activity based workplaces. The banks have set the pace. The overall growth of the phenomenon has been exponential in the last 5 years, with sources suggesting two thirds of Australian organisations will have adopted Activity Based Working […]
May 18, 2018
The toxic workplace is not only about culture, but is a very real physical problem
by Johanna Ljunggren • Comment, Environment, Workplace design
In today’s society there is far more awareness and concern around additives in food and drink, vehicle emissions and the pollutants from factories. There is, however, a remarkable lack of knowledge when it comes to the air quality of our working environment, beyond air conditioning systems and whether printers emit anything ‘nasty’. The truth is […]
May 17, 2018
What exactly is driving the global workplace conversation?
by Andrew Mawson • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design
There is a growing body of research and understanding on the impact that working environments, workplace habits and culture have on people and broader business performance. The very best workplaces in the world – some of which will be on show at Workplace Week in New York next month – are changing our expectations around the look, […]
May 16, 2018
A 21st Century take on the idea of the time capsule that tells us something about the way we work
by Freddie Steele • Comment
Last December, National Geographic published a story about the discovery of one of the oldest known time capsules. It was concealed by a chaplain of the Cathedral of Burgo de Osma in Spain, in the buttocks of a statue of Jesus Christ. Hidden inside were some documents that detailed life in Spain in the late […]
May 2, 2018
The quest for wellbeing has taken over from our search for productivity
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design
For decades, humankind has sought to establish the link between office design and productivity. And by humankind I mean a parochial band of researchers, suppliers, workplace specialists, futurologists and designers with a special interest in the whole thing. Most other people only expressed a passing interest in the subject. It did not seem to matter […]
May 1, 2018
No surprises in new report on future workplace trends
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design
The latest Global Workplace Trends report from Sodexo focuses on the ‘workplace experience’ and how it affects levels of engagement, wellbeing and corporate performance. It’s an undemanding study that sets out seven trends covering familiar themes in a familiar way, even though the authors claim it offers ‘fresh insights’. As well as the idea of […]
April 25, 2018
A few demonstrable truths about agile working that aren’t talked about enough
by Sarah Booth • Comment, Workplace design
Some topics generate a level of debate totally out of proportion with the underlying facts. Whether it’s the benefit of sit-stand desks, the influence of colour on productivity or the threat (or potential) of robotics in the office, too often it’s all sizzle and no sausage. Agile working falls into that category. It’s one of […]
April 24, 2018
Elon Musk is right, meetings distort both time and space
April 9, 2018
How the UK car industry is driving the future of workplace design
by Paul Dunn • Comment, Workplace design
The British car industry has grabbed numerous headlines since the Brexit referendum due declining car sales and the uncertainty of its economic and regulatory prospects. In spite of these mounting concerns, the industry continues to invest in the design of its workplaces, not only by creating inviting and engaging places to work, but also by […]
April 2, 2018
Take up of shared parental leave is held back by cultural inertia
by Paul Kelly • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace
A recent report by the House of Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee, Fathers and the workplace, has brought into sharp focus the problems fathers have juggling participation in family life with their employment obligations. We are moving away from the traditional gender stereotypes of the father being the breadwinner and the mother being responsible for […]
June 4, 2018
Your happiness at work is not just down to your employer
by Cary Cooper and Ivan Robertson • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design
When Google promoted a software engineer named Chade-Meng Tan to the role of “Jolly Good Fellow”, his career – and the entire culture of Silicon Valley – took a sharp turn. Meng, a cheerful employee valued for his motivational qualities, went from developing mobile search tools to spreading happiness across the organisation. Happiness became his […]