Search Results for: brexit

UK office design should look to Europe for inspiration

UK office design should look to Europe for inspiration

The word ‘office’, based on the Latin term officium, wasn’t originally used to describing a building, or a space: instead it was used primarily as a term for a position: a role that was occupied by a person. So it seems only right with this etymology to take inspiration from Europe. And when considering office design, use that inspiration to build workspaces that reflect the needs of the people working within them. More →

Half of Brits would resign if forced to return to the office during the pandemic

Half of Brits would resign if forced to return to the office during the pandemic

pandemicWith current government advice encouraging all those who can work from home to do so, it’s no surprise that Britain’s businesses and employees are navigating a new normal. New research from Owl Labs, sheds light on Britain’s attitudes to work during, and after, a Global Pandemic. More →

Uncompetitive companies pose threat to future prosperity

Uncompetitive companies pose threat to future prosperity

uncompetitive companiesA new model of competitiveness devised by academics at Goldsmiths, University of London in partnership with Microsoft scores almost half (46 percent) of UK firms in the lowest quadrant, posing a threat to Britain’s prosperity as organisations rally from the impact of COVID-19, and prepare for Brexit as UK-EU negotiations reach their conclusion that such uncompetitive companies pose a serious threat to the country’s future prosperity . More →

Second cities safeguard the UK from future economic crises

Second cities safeguard the UK from future economic crises

Second citiesSingapore, Helsinki and Zurich have come top in the 2020 Smart City Index, a study carried out by the Institute for Management Development (IMD). In a year that saw many European cities fall in the rankings, London, managed to jump five places compared to 2019, though it still stayed well outside of the global top 10 at 15, followed closely by the UKs second cities. More →

People plan to retain sustainable new habits after lockdown

People plan to retain sustainable new habits after lockdown

Britons are keen to continue with low-carbon lifestyle choices adopted during lockdown, according to research by Cardiff University and The University of Manchester. Two wide-ranging surveys conducted by the UK Centre for Climate and Social Transformation (CAST), which is coordinated by Cardiff University, suggested lockdown had upended people’s habits, from buying and travelling less, to reduced energy use and cutting down on food waste. More →

Graduates feel their education leaves them wholly unprepared for work

Graduates feel their education leaves them wholly unprepared for work

graduates setting outMany of this year’s graduates finished their degrees online and are due to enter the workplace amidst a tumultuous jobs market, however, fewer graduates felt like their university had prepared them for the workplace this year, with only 15 percent reporting that they felt completely prepared (down from 18 percent last year). Graduate jobs board Milkround’s survey of nearly 3,000 students, graduates and young workers has revealed that 10 percent of the next generation of workers feel wholly unprepared for the workplace after their degree. More →

Demand for workspace in Oxford-Cambridge Arc set to soar

Demand for workspace in Oxford-Cambridge Arc set to soar

New research from Property Consultants Bidwells claims that up to 20 million sq ft of new lab and office space will be required in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc within the next two decades to keep pace with demand, twice the volume of the previous 20 years. The new report, ‘Oxford-Cambridge Arc Beyond the Covid-19 Crisis’, also estimates that the Arc will represent almost 11 percent of UK GVA by 2050, up from 6 percent today, equivalent to £100bn a year. More →

Wellbeing of overwhelming majority affected by events of 2020

Wellbeing of overwhelming majority affected by events of 2020

wellbeingA new study commissioned by Perkbox of 13,271 employees claims that 93 percent of employees have faced new wellbeing challenges in 2020. The most common being feeling less connected to the company/colleagues, increased loneliness/feelings of isolation and increased financial concerns.  The study looks at the wellbeing impacts of the events of 2020. Nearly 73 percent state that coronavirus has negatively impacted their mental health, followed by Brexit (29 percent) and Black Lives Matter (27 percent). More →

Demand for London office space plummets, but will bounce back (to an extent)

Demand for London office space plummets, but will bounce back (to an extent)

London office spaceThe impact of the measures taken to curtail the spread of COVID-19 have dramatically changed the working landscape, not least of all for the commercial property market, claims a new report from property consultancy DeVono Cresa. Commercial occupier demand for London office space fell by 30 percent across Q1 of 2020, according to the report. However, it also suggests that the market fundamentals at the end of March remain relevant and will dictate heavily on future real estate decisions. More →

Coronavirus crisis drives freelancer confidence to unimagined lows

Coronavirus crisis drives freelancer confidence to unimagined lows

Freelancers’ confidence in their businesses and the wider economy has been driven to record lows by the Coronavirus crisis, according to research by IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) and PeoplePerHour, Europe’s largest freelance marketplace. Freelancers’ three month confidence in their businesses had already fallen to a six-year low last quarter because of concerns about the changes to IR35 tax regulations. More →

Employee confidence plunges amid economic and workplace uncertainty

Employee confidence plunges amid economic and workplace uncertainty

Employee confidence

Employee confidence in U.K. business conditions has fallen to its lowest level on record on the back of Brexit and rising fears around the coronavirus, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner’s latest Global Talent Monitor report claims that the U.K. business confidence fell to an index score of 44.5 in 4Q19, a decrease of over 11 index points from 4Q18. The figure puts the U.K. more than 6 index points below the current global average. More →

Digital transformation becomes number one skills issue

Digital transformation becomes number one skills issue

Digital transformationOrganisations across Europe are facing a skills challenge caused by digital transformation, with many struggling to keep pace with learning and development (L&D) needs, claims research from Skillsoft. Carried out in the UK, France and Germany, the research suggests that reskilling in the face of changing and increasingly digital working environments is the biggest single issue for L&D professionals across all three countries (42 percent of respondents on average). More →