Columnists
December 15, 2015
Focus on women on boards masks other determinants of female leadership 0
by Sara Bean • Comment, Legal news, News, Workplace
High profile initiatives such as Lord Davies’ report are doing their bit to increase gender composition, but according to the latest research, based on current “business as usual” trends, women are unlikely to comprise 30 percent of directorships in publicly held companies until 2027. This is despite the fact that the latest research of companies in the […]
December 10, 2015
When performance management really can produce positive results 0
by Stuart Hearn • Comment, Knowledge, Workplace
Performance management processes have come under regular fire for being ineffective, time consuming, and quite frankly not fit for purpose. And it’s no surprise to discover exactly why employers are so justifiably disappointed in outdated performance management processes. Recent research from Towers Watson demonstrated that only 36 percent of companies consider their performance management process […]
December 8, 2015
Six human resources costs you might avoid by choosing the right office 0
by Darren Bilsborough • Comment, Property, Workplace, Workplace design
According to a report from Colliers International, the majority of commercial office space in Australia and New Zealand is occupied by government departments and firms working in the business services, finance and insurance sectors. Other than government and the Not for Profit (NFP) sector, a prime motivation for every CEO, business owner and manager is the […]
December 8, 2015
Linear equations are no longer enough to determine the size of offices
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Furniture, Technology, Workplace design
In 2013, the US Census Bureau announced that the official human population of the Earth had exceeded 7 billion for the first time. This provoked people to raise concerns that were couched in Malthusian pessimism. Although people might have assumed we’d left behind this kind of flawed thinking, there is obviously something appealing about the […]
December 2, 2015
Lack of talent will hold back any investment in infrastructure and building 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, News, Property, Workplace
When faced with inconvenient facts, there is always a temptation to just ignore them. It’s a temptation to which the big thinkers of the political class readily succumb, especially when they’re selling an idea. So it was with George Osborne’s Autumn Statement, which maintained the Chancellor’s commitment to using public sector spending on infrastructure to […]
December 1, 2015
How our preconceptions can lead us to fail the office design bench test
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Furniture, Workplace design
The office furniture design scene certainly came alive in the early 1990s. New ideas and new technologies wove themselves into the grand narrative of new ways of working. Everything was possible and there was no longer one best way of doing things. In New York, Chiat Day’s offices featured touch-down desks, garish crimson floors and […]
December 1, 2015
Despite its drawbacks, LiFi has the potential to revolutionise office design 0
by Paul Goodchild • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace design
During 2016, we can all expect to be hearing a lot more about a new technology called Li-Fi, which uses light to transmit high speed data. Li-Fi has already been trialled extensively in lab conditions and now for the first time it has been installed in an office in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It […]
November 25, 2015
This might be the reason why firms are failing to fully engage their employees 0
by Matias Rodsevich • Comment, Knowledge, Technology, Workplace
One of the enduring quests organisations continue to undertake is that for the fully engaged employee. They do this for very good business reasons. Managers who understand the benefits of employee engagement can expect to reap the substantial benefits of a more collaborative work environment. In turn, this will lead to an engaging and productive […]
November 23, 2015
The benefits of peeling back the layers of the workplace onion 0
by Darren Bilsborough • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design
The onion metaphor is normally used to describe the layers which must be peeled away to get to the all-important “core” of a problem or issue. The biggest question that is normally asked with respect to choosing office space based on the promise of improved productivity, is quantifying the value of the various initiatives that […]
November 18, 2015
Women earn less than men because they make different choices, report confirms 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, News, Workplace
In spite of its own attempts to link it to the gender pay gap a new report, Opportunities and outcomes in education and work: Gender effects, released yesterday by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), merely confirms that the key factors that determine how much people earn are the jobs they do and the […]
November 12, 2015
The three workplace professions need to face up to a new reality 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace
The modern workplace consists of an often unholy trinity of people, place and technology and each of these facets has its own associated profession; HR. IT. FM. Six letters. Three disciplines. One big mess. When life was simple, with people generally going to work in the same place and at the same time, each of […]
December 15, 2015
Seven essential workplace design trends to keep an eye on during 2016 0
by Dan Callegari • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design
What has become increasingly apparent over recent years is that the office isn’t just a place to work, but also a driver of competitive advantage. We’ve always known this to a greater or lesser extent, but the dynamic and ever shifting nature of the modern world is presenting organisations with new and evolving challenges that […]