Search Results for: meeting

Visit NeoCon, but Chicago has become a tale of two venues

Visit NeoCon, but Chicago has become a tale of two venues

by • Features, Workplace design

NeoCon may not be the only show in town now, but both it and Design Days are must attend events in the office design calendarChicago is a city which never fails to amaze whether you are visiting for NeoCon or for any other reason. It’s the epitome of extroversion, with its magnificent architecture, larger than life people, almost constant, ear-splitting commotion and frantic comings and goings. Annual visits to the city invariably present a profusion of elegant new skyscrapers of different shapes, styles and colours, which seem to be trying to outdo each other. It’s as if Chicago is constantly trying to outperform all other cities, as well as its own past. (more…)

A new generation of workplace apps is transforming people’s experience of work

A new generation of workplace apps is transforming people’s experience of work

by • Facilities management, Features, Technology, Workplace design

These days, workplace apps promise a much more sophisticated experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your handDisseminating information about a building to the people who occupy it has come a long way from a basic, intranet desktop interface with warnings about wet floors or notices about charity fundraising. These days, workplace apps promise a much more sophisticated experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your hand. Gartner has a useful definition of workplace apps’ capabilities, stating, “They are used to explore and reserve workspaces, navigate the workplace, find colleagues, plan the best days to attend the workplace, access services and ensure that employees could feel safe in a future post pandemic workplace.” (more…)

How Gulliver’s Travels predicted AI and our attempts to make sense of it all

How Gulliver’s Travels predicted AI and our attempts to make sense of it all

by • AI, Comment, Technology

Gullivers Travels includes a description of a machine that woks very like modern AI systems, and with the same drawbacksGulliver’s Travels is one of those books we assume we know. But what we tend to recall is some stuff about Lilliput, giants, talking horses and possibly something about scientists trying to extract sunbeams from cucumbers. It’s really about one man’s descent into disillusion with the human race. It is acerbic, occasionally tediously detailed, and offers insight into some aspects of the human condition, which makes it timeless. (more…)

Workplace AI usage is rocketing, but are people using it for the right things?

Workplace AI usage is rocketing, but are people using it for the right things?

by • AI, News, Technology, Workplace

Two thirds of people now use AI at work, with44 percent of office workers saying they are 'enthusiastic 'about using workplace AI in their daily tasksThe latest Workforce Index from Slack claims there has been a significant rise in AI usage in UK workplaces. Since September 2023, there’s been a 66 percent increase, with an additional 18 percent jump since the beginning of 2024. This trend reflects growing enthusiasm among employees about the technology, with 44 percent of office workers saying they are ‘enthusiastic ‘about using workplace AI in their daily tasks. However, the survey also uncovers potential problems with wider AI acceptance. Many employees may not have the right training to fully benefit from AI’s potential.  Instead of using the time saved by AI for strategic activities or skill development, most workers say they plan to prioritise administrative tasks. (more…)

What is the role of a change manager?

What is the role of a change manager?

by • Comment, JB

There seems to be a constant debate as to when a change manager should join a project based on the perceptions of what a change manager does. Many change managers feel they are brought onto a change programme only once the programme/project team realise they need to start communicating to the business about the change. The fact of the matter is that although communication is a key element of generating change, it is not the sole element or what enables change to happen. You can literally have thousands of communications of all different kinds from emails, posters, videos and townhalls, to name a few, but none of this will mean that change will actually occur. (more…)

Mismatched technology may be driving down productivity

Mismatched technology may be driving down productivity

by • News, Technology

A new poll from Apogee Corporation claims that current workplace environments are failing to cater to different personality types, leading to significant collaboration challenges, reduced productivity and potentially driving away 'talent'A new poll from Apogee Corporation claims that current workplace environments are failing to cater to different personality types, leading to significant collaboration challenges, reduced productivity and potentially driving away ‘talent’. The survey of 1,001 UK employees in mid-sized businesses suggests that 79 percent of workers struggle with meeting technology when collaborating with colleagues. This is particularly detrimental to extroverts, with 84 percent reporting a drop in productivity while working remotely. (more…)

Forget Cannes. Commercial property sector hits the North to great effect

Forget Cannes. Commercial property sector hits the North to great effect

by • Cities, Comment, Property, Public Sector

Away from London and Cannes, the commercial property sector is holding meaningful forward looking conversationsAn hour or two on the train from that part of the UK that gets talked about most and much better optics for local authorities to chase private investment than the South of France, little wonder the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UK REiiF) proved so popular this year. Over 13,000 attendees descended on Leeds for three days in May this year, a figure all the more remarkable when considering the event only started in 2022 with nearly 4000 attendees, which it nearly doubled the following year. Back to 2024 then and housing was a strong focus but that’s not to say some interesting stories from the commercial property sector didn’t also arise. (more…)

People must take the lead on hybrid working to drive highest returns

People must take the lead on hybrid working to drive highest returns

by • Flexible working, News, Technology

A new report from workplace technology provider Eptura suggests that employee-led hybrid working models and connected technology drive the highest returns for businessesA new report from workplace technology provider Eptura suggests that employee-led hybrid working models and connected technology drive the highest returns for businesses. According to its first half 2024 Workplace Index report [registration], companies with hybrid working models in which employees can choose when to come to the office are seeing the most benefit. This is because employees who work effectively in the office can generate an average revenue increase of 3-8 percent. The study also claims that globally, employees are now spending an average of 3 days a week in the office, with the biggest increase being seen in the Asia-Pacific region. The most common days for office attendance remain Tuesday through Thursday. (more…)

Electric arc furnaces could turn old concrete into zero-carbon cement

Electric arc furnaces could turn old concrete into zero-carbon cement

by • Architecture, Environment, Facilities management, News

commercial propertyConcrete and steel production are major contributors to global CO2 emissions, but a new technology from Cambridge University offers a promising solution: recycling both materials simultaneously. This innovative process involves using old concrete in steel-processing furnaces to not only purify iron but also generate “reactivated cement” as a by-product. When powered by renewable energy sources, this method has the potential to produce entirely carbon-neutral cement, according to the research published in the journal Nature.

(more…)

The Furniture Makers’ Company announces Design Guild Mark 2024 holders

The Furniture Makers’ Company announces Design Guild Mark 2024 holders

by • News, Workplace design

Innovation of materials, creativity and sustainability are at the forefront of British design as 16 outstanding submissions, from three categories, are awarded the coveted Design Guild Mark in 2024, with three receiving the additional accolade the Jonathan Hindle Prize. The Design Guild Mark is a non-profit award programme that was established in 2008 by The Furniture Makers’ Company to raise the profile of British industrial design and to recognise excellence in this discipline. Over time the Mark has grown from just Furniture to include categories for Interior Design Elements, and Lighting. (more…)

Bringing workplaces back to their prime requires a holistic approach

Bringing workplaces back to their prime requires a holistic approach

by • Comment, Workplace design

Enticing employees back to physical workplaces has proved challenging, but there are solutions writes Steve Elliott of BW Workplace Experts The pandemic radically changed the way we work and kick-started the proliferation of the hybrid model and widespread remote work. Now the picture has shifted once more, with headlines pointing to increasing return to the office policies introduced by organisations, with greater productivity and collaboration among their top reasons for doing so. Dubbed the year of the ‘Great Office Return’ by Virgin Media 02 Business Movers Index, 2023 saw four in ten companies mandating a return to the five-day office week and 92 percent enforcing some level of in-office requirement. However, enticing employees back to physical workplaces has proven challenging. According to CBRE, almost half of companies report their office attendance at 40 percent or under. (more…)

Inclusivity, sustainability and user-centric design dominate BCO South West Regional Awards

Inclusivity, sustainability and user-centric design dominate BCO South West Regional Awards

by • News, Property, Workplace design

What are claimed to be the South West of England’s and South Wales’s most outstanding workplaces have been announced, with British Council for Offices Awards going to six office buildings across the region. Held at The Coal Exchange Hotel, the BCO’s annual South of England and South Wales Awards Dinner celebrated the high-calibre of the region’s offices in terms of design, fit-out operation and sustainability. (more…)

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