Columnists
October 26, 2018
We need to move on from the stigma of mental health to finding solutions
by Gary Helm • Comment, Wellbeing
Just as in physical health, everybody has a level of mental health. And while companies have begun to offer corporate gym membership discounts, bowls of fruit around the office, monthly massage and investment in huge amounts of ergonomically supportive furniture to try to assist their colleagues in maintaining a good level of physical health, few […]
October 18, 2018
Menopause is one of the last great workplace taboos
by Kate Usher • Comment, Wellbeing
Today is World Menopause Day, yet the number of companies that incorporate the menopause into their wellbeing programme is disturbingly low. There are a multitude of reasons why this is the case, but put simply I believe there are three key reasons – it isn’t glamorous, they don’t have the knowledge and experience to deal […]
October 16, 2018
Law firms are finally embracing the agile workplace
by Simon Pole • Comment, Workplace design
Strong office space take-up is predicted for this year after activity from law firms was down in 2017 against 10-year averages and compared to other sectors. Many legal companies are anticipating how their approach to workspace might have to change. This includes trialling new ways of working and years of overreliance on private offices. The […]
October 15, 2018
Some thoughts on the addictive power of workplace design
by Agustin Chevez • Comment, Workplace design
The search for some concoction or contraption to improve our performance at work is nothing new. Lawyers, bankers and other professionals have famously used performance-enhancing drugs to gain a competitive advantage. But the design of a workspace can actually have similar effects on those who create it, consume it or pursue it. And, just like a drug, […]
October 5, 2018
Developing a resilient mindset to cope with stress
by Portia Hickey • Comment, Wellbeing
Earlier this year, The New York times reported on a company in New Zealand that reduced its employee’s work time to four days a week whilst paying them for five. The idea came to the CEO after he read research that showed that employees generally only spend three hours a day on actual productive work. […]
September 28, 2018
The horrors and harmonies of workplace hierarchy
by Monica Parker • Comment, Technology, Workplace design
I am a child of the seventies, and one of my favourite shows when I was just a tyke was The Jeffersons. For those not familiar with The Jeffersons, it was about a black family in New York City who had, through ambition and entrepreneurship, ‘made it to the top’. George Jefferson, the patriarch, was […]
September 27, 2018
We need to take a scientific approach to the potential impact of AI
by Eleni Vasilaki • Comment, Technology
Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence? For me, this is a simple question with an even simpler, two letter answer: no. But not everyone agrees – many people, including the late physicist Stephen Hawking, have raised concerns that the rise of powerful AI systems could spell the end for humanity. Clearly, your view on whether AI […]
September 24, 2018
It is not particularly easy to change human behaviour by design
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace, Workplace design
Many of the techniques employed by modern illusionists rely on a thorough grounding in the research of psychologists. They’re not alone in standing on the shoulders of academics to bend people to their will. Many of our beliefs about the workings of our society and workplaces and their design are based on this sort of manipulation. It’s telling that […]
September 18, 2018
Building a culture of creativity that unites the physical and digital workplace
by Serena Borghero • Comment, Technology, Workplace design
Agreeing on the definition of creativity is no easy task, as it can mean a whole range of different things to different people. To some, creativity means painting a beautiful picture or creating a unique sculpture, while for others it might mean writing a catchy tagline, developing a new business model, or building an innovative […]
September 14, 2018
All those workplace trends lists that you see? We’ve been there before 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Furniture, Workplace design
Conference and show season looms and with it arrives the annual swarm of workplace trend forecasts. These are often presented as groundbreaking but many of them are indistinguishable from each other and based on some very familiar tropes and assumptions. These days such things tend to be shaped into lists, because that’s how the Internet likes […]
October 30, 2018
A doctor writes: keeping employees well and positive as the days get shorter
by Preethi Daniel • Comment, Wellbeing
Winter is coming. The clocks in the UK have just changed, and the long, dark nights are starting. There are still only a few weekends to Christmas, and some employees may be thinking, “How am I supposed to get through the winter? How am I going to stay productive and positive?”. Is it possible that […]