Columnists
July 27, 2016
Seven ways managers and employers can build trust in the workplace 0
by Matias Rodsevich • Comment, Knowledge, News, Wellbeing, Workplace
How many people in the workplace genuinely trust their managers and employers? It’s a question that we should ask because the answer unfortunately is not as many as you might think. It’s almost certainly well below what an organisation supposes or expects. For example, a recent study by strategic communications firm Edelman found that one […]
July 22, 2016
The people centric urge to personalise space helps firms to engage employees 0
by Paul Goodchild • Case studies, Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design
In America at least, the great symbol of corporate conformity is the office cubicle. Satirised in the Dilbert cartoons and a staple in any movie about the degrading aspects of modern working life, the cubicle provides a perfect shorthand way of portraying an individual crushed by the corporate jackboot. Yet what these things miss is […]
July 20, 2016
We need to keep a more open mind about open plan office design
by Maciej Markowski • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design
Most people will be aware that there has been an historic and enduring debate about whether open plan offices are a good or a bad thing. Past articles whether in the Guardian, Dezeen or across the pond in the Washington Post would typically suggest that they diminish productivity and foster a number of other workplace ills. However […]
July 19, 2016
UK should avoid severe recession and property crash after Brexit vote 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Knowledge, News, Property
UK growth had already eased from around 3 percent in 2014 to around 2 percent before the EU referendum due primarily to slower global growth, but the Brexit vote to leave the EU is likely to lead to a significant further slowdown. UK GDP growth is forecast to decelerate to around 1.6 percent in 2016 […]
July 11, 2016
Multi-tasking and workplace distractions don’t allow us to focus on the essentials
by Charles Marks • Comment, Knowledge, Workplace, Workplace design
Although the structure of our brains is largely the same as that of our hunter-gatherer prehistoric ancestors, that does not mean they are immutable. Research shows that the way our brains change in response to technology and the changing workplace suggests they are subject to a certain degree of ‘rewiring’. For example, a recent study found […]
July 6, 2016
Which aspects of workplace design are most important to personal wellbeing? 0
by Marc Bird • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design
There is no doubt that the UK’s office based knowledge industry is facing a crisis in the form of a ‘wellbeing deficit’. Both the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have reported record levels of absenteeism, with the latter attributing 23.3 million lost working days to work-related ill-health, such as […]
July 5, 2016
Sea and space: the final frontiers for remote working and connectivity 0
by Neil Franklin • Case studies, Comment, Knowledge, Legal news, Technology
Tim Peake’s recent return home from space at the end of a six month stay in the International Space Station highlighted just how essential it is for people to stay in contact with their friends, family and the rest of the world, literally from wherever they may be. Of course, back on Earth we now […]
July 5, 2016
LBGT inclusion in the workplace relies on FM and HR best practice 0
by Peter Holmes • Comment, Facilities management, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design
Much has been written about the business case for diversity and inclusion with one overarching theme; people perform better when they can be themselves. This is especially true for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans employees. Have you ever hesitated before talking about your partner to a colleague at work? Anticipated how they will react when they […]
July 5, 2016
Employers need more help in navigating the Apprenticeship Levy 0
by David Allison • Comment, Workplace
According to the latest governmental statistics, apprenticeships reached a record high in 2014/15 with over 871,000 apprenticeship participants within the UK. The majority of these were in the service sector, and almost three quarters were concentrated in three sectors: Business, Administration and Law; Retail and Commerce Enterprise and Public Services and Care. Last year the government announced its […]
July 4, 2016
New office market briefing remains cautious about impact of potential Brexit 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Company news, Knowledge, Property
JLL has published a new briefing document to look at the possible impact of the recent Brexit vote on the UK’s office market. The report’s main claim is that the underlying economic fundamentals in the UK remain solid in comparison to previous downturns, and, while expectations are unsurprisingly being downgraded, Â there is still no need […]
July 28, 2016
Working in an office is NOT as bad as smoking, whatever you might read 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Knowledge, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design
There is a lurid headline in today’s Telegraph proclaiming that ‘Working in an office is as bad as smoking’. It’s been picked up by a number of other news outlets, has been splashed all over search engines and will no doubt join the stream of misleading narrative that distorts the subject and encourages designers to […]