March 3, 2022

Bereaved employees feel added pressure of job insecurity

Empathy, a platform helping families navigate the journey they face after losing a loved one, today released the first edition of its annual Cost of Dying Report (registration). The report reveals results from a new survey exploring the real cost of dying in the US and the impact on bereaved employees. The report includes a foreword from Goldman Sachs, as well as reflections from experts in the end-of-life space including David Kessler, Chief Empathy Officer at Empathy & Grief Expert, BJ Miller, MD, Compassion Advisor at Empathy & Co-Founder of Mettle Health, and Shoshanna Ungerleider, MD, Founder of the End Well Foundation. More →

March 3, 2022

The nature of work has changed permanently for many people, new report claims

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The pandemic has changed the nature of work, which offers opportunities for organisations to adopt more considerate and efficient work practices as offices reopen. The latest study to come to this conclusion has been published by the University of Southampton and funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC). The research considered the longer-term implications of working from home and which new working practices should remain and be encouraged. Its findings offer lessons from lockdown that will guide organisations as they seek to make hybrid working a success. More →

March 3, 2022

Best of NeoCon 2022 awards submissions portal is now open

by Freddie Steele • News, Workplace design

The organisers of US based office design event NeoCon have announce that the submission portal for the 2022 edition of the celebrated Best of NeoCon competition is now open. A hallmark of the show since 1990, the official awards programme recognises exceptional new products in 54 categories from exhibiting companies across a wide cross-section of verticals. More →

March 2, 2022

Quarter of young people don’t want to work for firms with unsustainable practices

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News

Almost a quarter (24 percent) of Gen Z employees (18 to 24-year-olds) would not work at a business that profits from unsustainable practices, according to a a new poll from PLAY. Among British employees more broadly, two-thirds surveyed (68 percent) felt it was important for the company they work for to be committed to acting sustainably, and nearly half (44 percent) want businesses to demonstrate the initiatives or goals that will make the entire business more sustainable (not just one part of the business). However, pay remains the most attractive job feature for most surveyed, inlcuding young people. More →

March 1, 2022

People management role to evolve into guardianship of data, change and culture

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

New research from The Adecco Group and the Center for Leadership in the Future of Work, University of Zurich claims that people management executives are moving further away from being “managers,” toward a dual role as both data scientists and guardians of change and culture. The report, The Chief People Officer of the Future: How is the Top People Management Role Changing as the World of Work Evolves? draws upon the views of 122 senior people management executives from 10 countries and regions, and who are responsible for a total of 3,110,419 employees, to assess how the landscape of people management is changing. More →

March 1, 2022

Mindspace signs up for two new locations in Berlin

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Property

Flexible office provider Mindspace has announced it will occupy 7,000 square meters of office space, a lobby and several roof terraces in Berlin’s FÜRST. The landlord for the project is the FÜRST Projektgesellschaft. The premises are part of the first construction phase of the district development, which was already completed in October 2020 on Berlin’s well-known Kurfürstendammwith a total of 19,000 square meters of commercial space and an additional parking garage with more than 500 parking spaces. In addition, Mindspace has also announced the appointment of its new global VP of Real Estate and Projects, Ana Nekhamkin.

The FÜRST Projektgesellschaft is developing a site of 20,000 square meters in the prime Kurfürstendamm location in an area that extends over 97,000 square meters of commercial rental space for retail, office, lifestyle and art. Based on the design of the architectural firm Kleihues + Kleihues, in addition to the revitalisation of an entire block, a new public square will be created for Berlin’s City West.

With Ku’damm being one of the most important shopping streets in Germany, Mindspace secures yet another flex office of over 7,000 square meters in a AAA Berlin location.

Besides FÜRST, Mindspace is opening a second new location in Berlin on Zimmerstraße, which marks the 10th German location for the company. The two new locations in Kurfürstendamm and Zimmerstraße are scheduled to open in July 2022 and both will be close in proximity to the three existing Mindspace offices on Berlin’s Friedrichstraße, Skalitzer Straße and Krausenstraße (pictured).

The new Mindspace Zimmerstraße can be found at the historic border of the Berlin Wall and covers 4,500 square meters on eight floors.

“Germany is a key market for Mindspace and our expansion in Berlin is one of the many to come. Currently our occupancy rate in Germany is over 95 percent and in some cities, even more. Mindspace is on a path of growth and we’re excited to have such great partners by our side for the journey,” says Oliver Lehmann, General Manager Mindspace Germany.

Mindspace currently operates 32 locations in 17 cities, and following their recent funding of $72 million of equity capital, the company is following through on its promise to continue expanding its proven offerings to meet the high demand. A significant part of the expansion is planned for Germany, and specifically Berlin as it’s a hub for startups, tech companies and creatives.

February 28, 2022

The Workplace Event announces speaker line up

by Jayne Smith • Company news, Events

The Workplace Event has announced its comprehensive conference agenda with renowned industry speakers across three days. Keynote speakers include Geoff White, investigative journalist, author and broadcaster, and technology correspondent for Channel 4 News: Cally Beaton (pictured), comedian writer and business mentor; and Jonny Jacobs, finance director EMEA at Starbucks and Trustee of the Mental Health Foundation. Each day of the conference will take a different theme: technology, future of the workplace and wellbeing. More →

February 23, 2022

We need a growth mindset for buildings to make them adaptable

by Matthias Rebellius • Comment, Environment, Property, Technology

The world is in a race. And it’s a race against time – against rising sea levels, overcrowded cities, and a virus that has shown us a thing or two about being adaptable. Although the current developments around infection rates and the omicron variant are cause for hope that the virus will soon become endemic, the experience of the last two years have emphasized something important: There is an urgent need to transform infrastructure across different dimensions – one of which is the physical space: the changing needs and expectations of people in their buildings, factories, facilities, offices and homes call for adaptability. More →

February 23, 2022

Flexible working takes a back seat to salary as inflation bites

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, Jobs, News, Workplace

Salary is now the most important factor (40 percent) for those looking to make a move as cost-of-living crisis squeezes budgets, claims a new survey from Michael Page. In a week in which UK wage growth was shown to still lag behind the cost of living, the poll suggests that salary is now the number one priority for workers, with flexible working seen as less important. The survey of 2,000 UK office workers claims that over a quarter (28 percent) are currently on the hunt for a new job, rising to 43 percent among those aged 18-34. This points to hopeful times ahead for businesses seeking talent, with recent ONS figures showing that open job vacancies hit a record 1.3m between November and January. More →

February 23, 2022

Employers offering flexible working reap recruitment and retention benefits

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Employers who have embraced flexible working policies have seen a 20 percent improvement in employee recruitment and retention compared to two years ago, according to new global research from Targus. According to the poll, seventy percent of senior business decision-makers say flexible working policies and working environments are positively impacting recruitment and a further 76 percent say it’s positively impacting employee retention. More →

February 22, 2022

A third of businesses plan to scrap self-isolation for workers

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

New research suggests that many British employers won’t require staff who test positive for Covid-19 to self-isolate at home now that the remaining legal restrictions have been lifted. A poll of 250 business owners, CEOs and senior managers, by HR software provider CIPHR, claims that less than half (48 percent) are planning to keep staff with Covid at home and away from the workplace. One in five (21 percent) of those surveyed are still unsure how they’ll deal with the imminent easing of self-isolation restrictions for positive or asymptomatic people. More →

February 21, 2022

Employee mental health not a priority for a quarter of managers, report claims

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new poll claims that than one fifth (21 percent) of managers based in London believe that supporting employee mental health is not a priority for their company this year. The research commissioned by the South Westminster Business Alliance with Kings College London suggests that over three quarters (78 percent) of managers admit they struggle to spot the signs of poor mental health amongst employees. More →