November 26, 2019

UK could receive £83 billion GDP boost by halving regional productivity gap

UK GDP could be boosted by 4 percent – or £83 billion – if local areas with below-average productivity levels could make up half of the gap, according to PwC’s latest UK Economic Outlook. The report examines UK regional productivity, revealing wide variations in domestic productivity per job, as well as from an international perspective. PwC concludes that UK output per worker is around 10-15 percent behind Germany, France and Sweden and more than 30 percent behind the US. More →

November 26, 2019

Human centric office design leads list of “trends” for next year

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Ambius has published its latest annual report (registration) which claims to highlight the top trends in office design for 2020 and beyond. It suggests that the new year will see a continued evolution in the understanding of the human-centric workplace with designs that improve employee performance and wellbeing, integrate innovative technologies, offer multi-functional capabilities, and facilitate an inspiring and engaging environment for top talent. More →

November 25, 2019

Working carers occupy a blind spot and are suffering because of it

by Vivek Patni • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace

The working world has changed almost beyond recognition over the past half century. Historically, employers had to fulfill two criteria to attract the best talent: be large or have a well-known brand and pay well. Of course, priorities have shifted. Growing demand from staff for a healthier work/life balance including for the country’s working carers has resulted in flatter hierarchies and a more relaxed atmosphere, even in the largest firms. More →

November 25, 2019

Commuting and outdated tech are biggest work gripes

by Neil Franklin • News

Commuting, difficult colleagues and archaic tech are among the UK’s biggest office gripes, according to new research from Village Hotel Club. The study, which explores what makes UK workers tick and what ticks them off, also uncovered what benefits workers want to see most, with flexible working topping the list. More →

November 25, 2019

Three quarters of young workers have faced mental health challenges

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

Over three-quarters (77 percent) of young workers in the UK have experienced mental health challenges, Accenture research suggests. In addition, nearly half (48 percent) of younger workers (aged 18-30) say they have experienced suicidal thoughts, but in organisations that are providing the right support, young workers were 37 percent less likely to have recent experience of a mental ill health challenge. More →

November 22, 2019

Contribution of “digital workers” to grow by 50 percent over next two years

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

A new survey from research firm IDC claims to reveal the true extent of software robots supporting humans in the workplace. The IDC whitepaper, Content Intelligence for the Future of Work (registration), sponsored by ABBYY, indicates that the contribution of software robots, or what the report calls digital workers, to the global workforce will increase by over 50 percent in the next two years. These results, from a survey of 500 senior decision-makers in large enterprises, illustrate a fundamental shift to a future of work dependent on human-machine collaboration. More →

November 22, 2019

Office design can be a vehicle for equality and change

by Jeni Durksen • Comment, Workplace design

The way companies design physical environments is a direct reflection of their values and beliefs. Inequality is hardwired into the “standard” office layout, with perimeter offices and fixed desks offering limited settings for unstructured collaboration and recreation, further perpetuating the issue. Modern office design often favours extroversion and emphasises a hierarchy with values that benefit only a small portion of the overall workforce, contributing to organisation-wide imbalance. So how do we create more inclusive workplaces that can be leveraged as vehicles for change? More →

November 22, 2019

Over a third of workers already consider themselves entrepreneurs

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

Forty percent of workers already consider themselves entrepreneurs according to The Myers-Briggs Company research report, Type and entrepreneurship, which investigates the relationship between personality and entrepreneurship in the workplace. The research suggests that entrepreneurial businesses perform better financially, and thus, creating a work environment where employees of all personality types can embrace their entrepreneurial qualities is beneficial to businesses. More →

November 21, 2019

Merging workplace cultures and breaking habits

by Andrew Mawson • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

Human beings are hardwired to be creatures of habit. From birth, we learn behaviours and develop routines that are reinforced over time through repetition. Researchers at MIT claim the neurons in our brains are responsible for this process. When someone begins a new activity a certain part of the brain kicks into gear, helping them to learn the exercise quickly. But once the action is repeated successfully, the scientists found, those same neurons only really come to life at the beginning and end of the activity. This is the reason that mundane tasks, like getting dressed or driving a car often feel like they’re performed on ‘autopilot’ and why breaking bad habits is so difficult, including those we develop in the workplace. More →

November 21, 2019

Nearly half of employers need help to implement flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Eighty five percent of employers think demand for flexible working is likely to increase, with demand coming from across the board, but over four in 10 would like more support to implement it, according to a workingmums.co.uk survey. The results of the survey of around 200 employers are interesting in light of current policy discussions about flexible working which tend to focus on forcing employers to flex more by advertising jobs that are flexible from day one and enforcing employees’ flexible working rights. More →

November 21, 2019

Small coworking providers taking advantage of WeWork woes

by Neil Franklin • Coworking, News

Despite its recent challenges, WeWork remains the most popular coworking space in the US, but smaller, local coworking spaces are catching up, according to a new survey from Clutch. According to the study, 39 percent of coworking employees work in a WeWork space, but local coworking spaces are almost as popular, at 36 percent. More →

November 21, 2019

A side hustle the only way for many young people to make ends meet

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Britain’s graduate debt crisis means that nearly half of current students and recent graduates (42 percent) have taken up a so-called side hustle or joined the gig economy, in order to combat debt, afford rent and the rising cost of living. One in five (22 percent) also cited having two additional jobs, with the next generation of workers concerned about the overwhelming cost of living. More →