Search Results for: performance

August 30, 2013

UK nominations for European Awards in green building leadership announced

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News

The UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has announced the organisations it will put forward for the European Regional Network Awards, part of the World Green Building Council Leadership Awards 2013, which honour best practice and excellence in green building policy. From the entries it has received, the UK-GBC is nominating; Brighton & Hove City Council for the “Excellence in City Policy for Green Building” award; British Land for the “Business Leadership in Sustainability” award; Cundall for the “Leadership in Building Design and Performance” and “Business Leadership in Sustainability” awards; Sika for the “Business Leadership in Sustainability” award and Tishman Speyer for the “Business Leadership in Sustainability” award. Winners will be announced by the WorldGBW as part of World Green Building week in September.

August 27, 2013

Forget Gen Y – the future workplace is multigenerational

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Knowledge, Legal news

There is quite possibly more guff talked about the impact of Gen Y on businesses and the workplace than any other management topic. However, it’s not only wrong to characterise the people of Generation Y as some homogeneous blob with stereotyped attitudes that set them apart from the rest of humanity, but also to miss the point that the workplace is and will remain multigenerational. In fact, according to new data from the Department of Work and Pensions, there have never been more over 50s in work in the UK than there are right now. There are 2 million more over-50s in jobs than there were 15 years ago and they will form a third of the workforce by 2020. And they will want their own say on things just as much as the much talked about millennials.

August 16, 2013

Healthier people theme for this year’s World Green Building Week

by Sara Bean • Environment, Knowledge, News

The UK Green Building Council has published a calendar of events for this year’s World Green Building Week (WGBW) which takes place from 16-20 September 2013. The theme is ‘Greener Buildings, Better Places, Healthier People’, emphasising the value of green buildings to people – whether higher productivity for office workers, improved learning outcomes for students, healthier workplaces for nurses and teachers, or better homes for people. The key messages are that green buildings make better places to live, work and play; that improving indoor and outdoor environmental quality help us to create healthier places to live and work, and that green buildings can improve well-being and quality of life for everyone in the community. More →

August 12, 2013

Pressure to fill roles as employers struggle to persuade cautious workers to switch jobs

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

More good news on the economy today with the Summer 2013 CIPD/Success Factors Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey report showing that for the sixth quarter in a row, employers expect jobs growth. However, while this means more opportunities for job seekers the pressure is mounting for employers to attract the right talent. It seems that despite employment confidence being at its highest level since the 2008 recession, this isn’t shared by those already in work, who are showing a marked reluctance to change jobs, leading to a struggle for employers to find the right candidates. More →

August 6, 2013

Effective recycling is about good management as much as it is materials and design

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Environment, Furniture, Products

We all like to think we are discerning about what we will and won’t put in our trolleys at the supermarket. Not any old salty, fat-saturated gloop will make the cut these days. That’s why the producers of food like to proclaim its healthiness on packaging, regardless of the nature of the product within. ‘Lower fat’ doesn’t mean low fat. Companies in other sectors follow suit. The office products market is one in which some manufacturers don’t mind a splash of green on product labels. This doesn’t do the customer or the buyer any good and can breed cynicism in the market, undermining the efforts of those suppliers who actually take a sophisticated approach to the environmental performance of their products.

July 31, 2013

Arup helps ensure tallest tower in Latin America is earthquake resistant

by Sara Bean • Architecture, Company news, News

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Arup has disclosed it is currently working on five tall buildings in Mexico City, the most notable of which is the Torre Reforma, a mixed use building, which will be the tallest tower in Latin America. According to the tower’s architect Benjamin Romano, one of the greatest challenges has been in ensuring the building is designed for Mexico City’s high seismic activity. When completed in late 2015 the building will be able to withstand a 2500yr seismic event while achieving a life safety performance level; making it one the most secure buildings in the region. More →

July 26, 2013

Report: How will the future affect us or can we effect the future?

by Sara Bean • Furniture, Knowledge, News

Workplace furniture specialist Kinnarps has published its Trend Report 2013, which is the culmination of detailed research across European markets and thought leaders, conducted in partnership with Stockholm based futurologists Kairos Future. The study distilled a broad overview of emerging and established trends, across Kinnarps’ European markets, to focus on eight key themes that will influence the workplace of the future. According to the report, big changes are already apparent in our society, but these will come to have an altogether greater impact on the way we evaluate our working environment. More →

July 26, 2013

FM must deliver better value to be perceived as strategic role

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News

Clients and suppliers believe that the FM profession still has some way to go before it achieves the recognition given to other professions. According to Workplace Law’s second annual research study into leadership in facilities management (FM), 91 per cent of client organisations still feel that FM is seen as a supporting, rather than strategic, role – while the same number feel that FM will only achieve a higher ranking within an organisation’s hierarchy when it finds new ways to deliver value. FM suppliers strongly agree with the need to professionalise FM and attract more talent into the profession if FM is to continue as a separate discipline. More →

July 25, 2013

New Government department to focus on FM and office supplies procurement

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, Furniture, News, Public Sector

The UK Government’s latest attempt at developing a centralised public sector procurement department was unveiled by the Cabinet Office yesterday. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has been set an annual budget of up to £12 billion to secure a range of goods and services including facilities management and office supplies. It has a target of saving some £1 billion each year by working across a range of government departments to take advantage of a shared purchasing function. The announcement follows last week’s report from a committee of MPs into the failings of the current procurement setup in Whitehall. More →

July 22, 2013

Green shoots detected for UK regional office rental markets

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property

There is evidence of improving fortunes for the UK’s regional office markets, latest figures suggest. CBRE has revealed national rental value grew by 1.7 per cent over the second quarter of this year with offices across all UK regions performing well, and none recording a drop in rents. The highest rate of rental growth over the last twelve months, as we reported earlier this month remains that of Central London at 5 per cent (and 1.7 per cent for the last quarter), but a number of the regions outside London and the South East have started to record rental growth for prime offices, whereas until recently the general trend has been down.

July 19, 2013

Keep up! new “megatrends” could have dramatic impacts on the world of work

by Sara Bean • Knowledge, News, Workplace

We are all aware to some extent or other of the ways in which work has changed significantly over the past few decades, but are employers sufficiently aware of, or prepared for, the future trends that will shape the way we work and the performance of our organisations and economies into the future? This is the question posed by HR body the CIPD in a major new discussion document Megatrends: The trends shaping work and working lives” as it launches a debate on the “megatrends” that are likely to shape the world of work, the workforce and the culture and organisation of workplaces over the next decade.