Columnists
March 8, 2018
Data, AI and the commercial property sector – what’s the connection?
by Nick Riesel • Comment, Property, Technology
The property industry is not the first to be permeated by artificial intelligence, and it is far from being the last. Machine learning is working its way into various sectors, but it’s proving to be of great use particularly in the property sector, providing a helping hand for humans to help reach their professional goals. […]
March 5, 2018
About time we simply accepted that coworking and flexible working are the new normal
by Sarah King • Comment, Coworking, Flexible working, Workplace design
Ask someone to list innovative companies which have become notable disruptors in their market and they invariably respond with two names – Uber and Airbnb. That is because both brands are positioned squarely and successfully at the retail consumer: for people who use a taxi or take an occasional short break in a foreign city, […]
March 2, 2018
Employment law is out of step with flexible work and the changing workplace
by Leon Deakin • Comment, Flexible working, Legal news, Workplace
Anyone who works in employment law or HR is certainly living through interesting times. With the removal of employment tribunal fees, litigation over the correct calculation of holiday pay and Brexit planning there is much to keep us busy. In addition, In addition, the impending GDPR is highly topical. However, for me, the most intellectually […]
February 28, 2018
The very idea of good work in a gig economy remains a distant ideal
by Tonia Novitz, Alan Bogg et al • Comment, Flexible working
Don Lane’s employment contract for his work as a courier described him as an “independent contractor”. This meant he was neither an “employee” nor a “worker”, so not entitled to legal rights such as protection against dismissal, paid holidays, or statutory sick pay. The 53-year-old also suffered from diabetes, and had previously been fined £150 […]
February 16, 2018
Pearls of elemental wisdom about workplace design and management
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design
The greatest conundrum in the endless debate about whether the workplace affects people’s wellbeing and productivity is that it’s still going on at all. We’ve known for decades that people are affected in profound and meaningful ways by their surroundings and the culture in which they work. We know which factors are most important and […]
February 12, 2018
Luther, Marx, Engels and a nailed-on manifesto for workplace change
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design
In October 1517 Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to a church door in Wittenberg, thereby setting in motion the process that we know now as the Reformation. At least since that time, it has been apparent that a revolutionary manifesto needs to be laid at somebody’s door – or nailed to it – at […]
February 5, 2018
Developing a cultured nose for what makes workplace design great
by Steve Brewer • Comment, Workplace design
Workplace people are at risk of obsessing about productivity. The idea of what is or is not effective and even the notion of wellbeing, has almost been done to death. We overthink stuff. As Neil Usher might say, there are a few bandwagons people are leaping on a little too eagerly. So, let’s keep it […]
February 2, 2018
Every company should champion design and creativity at board level
by Colin Watson • Comment, Products, Workplace design
All business and life are about selling. Well that’s what Mark Price (Lord Price) the previous Managing Director of Waitrose and former Minister with the Department for International Trade said in a recent book, Workplace Fables: 147 True Life Stories. I like Mark Price and his writings but certainly don’t agree with his view about […]
January 30, 2018
Harnessing serendipity in the workplace is about more than facilitating the unexpected
by Ilkka Kakko • Comment, Technology, Workplace design
What if your company had a great and more frequent ability to discover more valuable things than those for which it were usually looking? How would you then begin to describe your company’s overall level of awareness and sagacity? Does it make your company ’feel lucky’? Inspiring questions and understanding serendipity might give some answers […]
January 11, 2018
Culture shift needed to drive a better gender balance in property and construction
by Niki Fuchs • Comment, Property
Despite compelling evidence of the bottom line benefits of gender diversity, too many sectors remain stubbornly male dominated. This is certainly the case with the property and construction industry where women still represent only 15 percent of the workforce. The growth of prop-tech, entrepreneurialism amongst women and a growing emphasis on service, demonstrated by the […]
March 13, 2018
Many office furniture firms remain confused about social media and online communication
by Colin Watson • Comment, Furniture, Workplace design
At Watson King we surveyed the websites of the Top 100 European manufacturers of office furniture products, the results showed that 13 percent use no form of social media at all and 25 percent use less than three types. There are also some surprising results on which the most popular channels are. There is evidence […]