Search Results for: benefits

January 27, 2014

Cities report highlights skewed nature of UK economic recovery

The Centre for Cities has today published its seventh annual report into the economic conditions in the 64 largest urban areas in the UK. The Cities_Outlook_2014 report paints a picture of a patchy economic recovery across the UK, with many cities such as Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Liverpool and Leeds seeing an upturn in their economies, but one that lags significantly behind that of London. The capital continues to disproportionately attract investment and people from across the UK and overseas, sometimes to the detriment of other towns and cities. The report argues that more power and finding needs to be devolved away from London to ensure that the UK enjoys a sustainable and balanced economic recovery.

January 15, 2014

New study claims vast majority of builders now enjoying advantages of BIM

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

A new report from McGraw Hill Construction claims that contractors in nine of the world’s top construction markets who use Building Information Modelling (BIM) believe that the technology helps them to improve productivity, efficiency, quality and safety on their projects, as well as their own competitiveness. The Business Value of BIM for Construction in Major Global Markets SmartMarket Report reveals that contractors in markets with well-established BIM use, such as Canada, France, Germany, the UK and US, as well as those in markets that are still in the initial stages of BIM adoption, such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea, are seeing a positive return on their investments in BIM, from project benefits like reduced errors and omissions, to process improvements like the ability to enhance collaboration, and internal business benefits such as enhancing their company’s image.

January 9, 2014

Rise in employee wellbeing initiatives in 2014, despite little evidence they work

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

Amidst the plethora of fitness and diet advice which greets the New Year comes discussions on the value of employee wellness programmes in reducing absenteeism and improving staff productivity. A solid link between the two is still to be proved and now a major new piece of US research charting the effects of a seven-year programme on thousands of employees has found that while support for staff with chronic conditions was beneficial, there was no evidence that the fitness and lifestyle component made any difference. This will do little to stem the enthusiasm for wellbeing programmes however, as consultants Towers Watson reports there will be a rise in the uptake of employee wellness programmes over the coming year. More →

January 6, 2014

New SkyCycle route proposed to ease Capital’s transport network congestion

by Sara Bean • Architecture, Environment, News, Property

Demand for London-based workplaces is increasing, but the capital’s transport network is at capacity and ill equipped for a predicted population growth of 12 per cent over the next decade. Despite the Mayor’s efforts to encourage more cycling in the capital, a recent series of accidents has raised concerns about its safety. Architects Foster + Partners together with Exterior Architecture and urban planners Space Syntax have come up with a proposed solution, the SkyCycle network. This consists of a wide, secure deck constructed above the existing suburban railway corridors, to provide over 220 kilometres of safe, car free cycle routes which can be accessed at over 200 entrance points. Each route can accommodate 12,000 cyclists per hour and will improve journey times by up to 29 minutes. More →

December 19, 2013

Team announced to review restoration needs of UNESCO World heritage site

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property, Public Sector

The House of Commons and House of Lords have announced the team which is to carry out an appraisal of the work that needs to be done to restore and repair one of Britain’s most iconic sites. The study will explore a number of ways in which Parliament can remain operational while implementing long overdue essential works to protect the Palace of Westminster, an important Grade I listed building and UNESCO World Heritage site. Deloitte Real Estate, AECOM and HOK have been chosen to undertake an Independent Options Appraisal as part of the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme. The appraisal was commissioned following the publication of a study in 2012 which showed that, unless significant restoration work is undertaken, major, irreversible damage may be done to the Palace. More →

December 13, 2013

One of the most important things we need at work is shelter from the storm

by Nigel Sikora • Comment, Workplace design

The challenge of providing the optimum level of acoustic performance in an office is one of those issues that everybody accepts is very important, has at least some understanding of and has a degree of awareness of the solutions. Yet it has proved to be one of those intractable issues that suffers both from some important misperceptions and which also has to be balanced against other challenges when it comes to designing offices, not least the most significant trend of the past twenty or thirty years, namely the shift to open plan working. At the same time we have seen a shrinking of workstation footprints and the greater use of mobile phones and other technology. All of these changes have focussed attention on workplace acoustics – currently one of the most talked about issues in the workplace, and visual privacy – one of the least talked about.

December 12, 2013

US employees name top 50 firms to work for in 2014

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

Consultancy firm Bain & Company has topped the list of the 50 best places to work in the US. The top five companies in the annual Employees’ Choice Awards, compiled by careers specialist Glassdoor includes the three leading social media companies, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook, which came in fifth, just behind Eastman Chemical. The Employees’ Choice Awards rely solely on the input of employees who elect to provide feedback about their job, work environment and company, via Glassdoor’s anonymous online company review survey. Employees are asked to rate how satisfied they are with their company overall, how they feel their CEO is leading the company, as well as key workplace attributes like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management and work-life balance.

December 11, 2013

Advice to Government to stick to carbon reduction budget welcomed by UK-GBC

by Sara Bean • Environment, News, Property

The Coalition must stick to agreed targets to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the government has been told. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC), the statutory body set up to advise the government on meeting long-term carbon goals says there has been no change in the circumstances upon which the fourth carbon budget (2023 – 2027) was originally set in 2011 that would justify lowering current proposed levels of emissions cuts. Responding to Chancellor George Osborne’s request to review the carbon budget, the committee said if anything, changed circumstances point towards a tightening of the budget. Its findings were backed by the UK Green Building Council, which says that the construction and property sector has been plagued by Minister’s shifts in energy management policies.

December 10, 2013

New guidance on energy management published for facilities managers

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) has published new guidance on energy management for facilities managers. The Energy Audits Good Practice Guide presents good practice for some of the important energy management procedures, ranging from developing an energy policy to deciding which improvements to make. It is designed to enable facilities managers to compare the results of an energy audit with good practice in both energy use and energy related procedures in order to manage their organisation’s energy costs. Part of the BIFM’s series of Good Practice Guides providing practical guidance for facilities management professionals the Energy Audits Good Practice Guide, which is supported by Hoare Lea, also includes practical tips and considerations for improving energy use, managing energy costs, and protecting the environment. More →

December 6, 2013

Businesses missing the potential of property to benefit performance says BCO

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Workplace design

The UK spent an estimated £28.5 billion on offices in 2012 – outstripping business expenditure on legal services (£24.3bn), accounting (£14bn) and insurance services (£23.8bn). Yet despite this, nearly three fifths (57%) of 250 senior executives from large organisations in a recent poll said property issues are not regularly discussed in the boardroom and responsibility for property is still likely to fall outside management teams. The research, carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and Populus, found businesses take a very cost-centric view towards the workplace. Although almost three-quarters of organisations were constantly analysing and assessing whether their space is being used efficiently, cost was still found to be the most important factor in assessing the office’s performance (73%). More →

December 6, 2013

Battle lines being drawn as wearable tech raises privacy and security fears

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Legal news, Technology

We are starting to see the first shots fired in the coming war about wearable technology. The most talked about early salvos related to the very recent and highly publicised case of a diner in a Seattle cafe who was ejected when it was discovered he was wearing and using Google Glass despite being asked not to and reminded of the restaurant owner’s policy regarding wearable tech. The ensuing media storm broke on social media first as it does these days, with the Google Glass owner arguing – perhaps unreasonably – they were his glasses and he should be allowed to do what he wanted with them , while the cafe owner argued –perhaps reasonably – that his other customers don’t want to have a meal out while wondering if they are being filmed or recorded by a complete stranger with the ability to upload it all instantaneously.

December 5, 2013

New report finds lack of consensus in measurement of social sustainability

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News

A lack of consensus on what is to be reported on and measured makes comparison difficult when measuring social sustainability. This is one of the key findings of the first annual Sustainable FM Index report, which examines how sustainability is embedded within facilities management service companies. Compiled by Acclaro Advisory, the University of Reading and Workplace Law; the index provides a comparative assessment of FM providers within the UK market. The results, which can be applied to internal and outsourced organisations, aims to showcase achievement, as well as highlighting areas of weakness to stimulate change and raise the delivery of sustainability. The companies which made the index, including Carillion, CBRE and Vinci facilities, have reported high levels of commitment to sustainability in terms of the governance, social and environmental criteria assessed. More →