January 23, 2020

Mental health issues force one in six into career break

One in six employees (17 percent) has been forced to take time out from their career due to stress or mental health pressures, a survey of 3,000 people has suggested. According to the research from AIG Life, 19 percent of non-retired women and 15 percent of men have taken time out from their career due to mental health pressures. The research highlights that employers risk the loss of valuable skills and experience, a drop in productivity and extra costs associated with recruiting replacement staff if they fail to support employees dealing with stress or mental health issues. More →

January 22, 2020

We might spot patterns in office design, but a global picture is beyond us

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

The ongoing evolution in the design of the places we work has much in common with evolution in the natural world. But whereas natural selection is dependent on its ‘Blind Watchmaker’ to indirectly shape creatures in response to the constantly changing forces in their environment own, office design is anything but blind – at least it is when done intelligently and with insight. More →

January 22, 2020

Workers reveal their technology pet hates

by Jackie Le Poidevin • News, Technology

Data entry is the world’s most hated office technology task, with workers wasting about 40 percent of their day on this and other ‘digital admin’, a study has claimed. In a survey of 10,500 office workers spanning 11 countries, respondents said they average more than three hours a day on manual, repetitive computer tasks which aren’t part of their primary job and are ripe for human error. More →

January 21, 2020

The vaguery of workplace serendipity

by Neil Usher • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace design

It has become vogue to refer to the workplace as being ‘all about people’. It points in all directions at once. Organisations need fit, healthy, happy, skilled, motivated, engaged and purposeful people being (and feeling) productive and doing their best work every day. They want their people working closely together – they’ve spent a lot of time and money drawing in those they feel can contribute to a whole that is other than the sum of the parts. More →

January 21, 2020

Demand for commercial property in London continues to put upward pressure on rent

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Following sustained levels of leasing activity throughout the year, JLL has calculated that over 10.7m sq ft of office space in central London has been transacted so far in 2019 and with over 3m sq ft currently under offer, has suggested that take-up is on track to total 11.6 m sq ft at year-end – which is ahead of the 11.5m sq ft of space that was leased in 2018. Both the City and West End commercial property markets are expected to see take-up levels broadly echo last year’s totals. More →

January 21, 2020

Workers often care more about income than work life balance

by Jackie Le Poidevin • News, Wellbeing

Financial success is important to employees around the globe but the importance of maintaining a work-life balance differs between cultures, new research from BI Norwegian Business School has suggested. More →

January 17, 2020

HR struggles to develop high-quality leadership talent

by Jackie Le Poidevin • Business, News

More than one-third of HR chiefs are struggling to develop effective senior leaders and only half of 2,800 surveyed leaders believe they are well-equipped to provide the leadership to guide their company in the future, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. Efforts to tackle the emerging issues of the 2020s and beyond – including public pressure for business transparency, the rise of automation and the creation of never-before-seen jobs – will be fruitless unless HR managers find ways to nurture and retain capable future leaders, the research and advisory company concludes. More →

January 17, 2020

Structure of teams could be source of competitive advantage

by Neil Franklin • News

Cass Business School and Slack have published new research into the nature future of teamwork which identifies the relationships between team alignment and execution, drivers for competitive advantage, and the role of new workplace technologies. It suggests that teams are the fundamental building blocks of modern organisations but their role in delivering better outcomes for an organisation is still undervalued. More →

January 16, 2020

Business ethics and morality have their limitations, new analysis suggests

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

Morality has its limitations in the business domain, according to a new analysis of available research by Dr Hannes Leroy from Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) Erasmus University and his co-authors. This is despite the fact that there is a widespread belief that morality and business ethics matter in the way organisations act, although there is also a concomitant belief that there is a general lack of attention to morality in the world of leadership. This appears to be true regardless of industry, firm size, or the status and level of a leader in a company. More →

January 16, 2020

HR leaders feel completely unprepared for the future of work

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Most chief people officers (CPOs) in the US realise they need new skills to meet the demand of the 21st century role, but few are prepared, citing a lack of development and investment from the C-suite, meaning they feel unprepared for the future of work. This is according to a new study by HR People + Strategy (SHRM’s Executive Network of business and thought leaders in human resources) and with Willis Towers Watson, a global advisory, broking and solutions company. The study, based on direct input from more than 500 executives, examined the key changes shaping the CPO role and identifies a pathway for developing and accelerating this next generation of HR leaders. More →

January 15, 2020

Energy demand in offices should be cut by 60 percent, report claims

by Jayne Smith • Environment, Facilities management, News

Following a consultation exercise with industry and an analysis of the projected zero carbon energy capacity of the UK, UKGBC is recommending that the offices sector should reduce energy demand by an average of 60 percent by 2050 to help the UK achieve net zero. More →

January 15, 2020

Renewable energy should make up half of all supply by 2030

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News

The share of renewables in global power should more than double by 2030 as part of a ‘decade of action’ to advance global energy transformation, achieve sustainable development goals and a pathway to climate safety, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable electricity should supply 57 per cent of global power by the end of the decade, up from 26 per cent today. More →