November 7, 2019

More active lifestyles would have far reaching economic impact

The results of a new academic study on the relationship between global economic growth and physical activity, carried out by Vitality and RAND Europe, reveal significant benefits to the economy and life expectancy if people adopted a more active lifestyle. The study suggests that the world’s GDP would gain more than $100bn (£80bn) each year until 2050 if people adopted a more active daily routine that could involve simple choices such as walking 15 minutes more a day, jogging slowly for half a mile a day, or walking 1,500 extra steps a day. More →

November 5, 2019

The best smart cities focus on people rather than technology

by Arturo Bris • Cities, Features, Technology, Wellbeing

Cities are fast becoming “smart”, and the impact on people’s lives can be immense. Singapore’s smart traffic cameras restrict traffic depending on volume, and ease the commute of thousands of passengers every day. In Kaunas, Lithuania, the cost of parking is automatically deducted from the bank accounts of drivers when they park their cars. In many cities, the timing of public buses is announced at each stop with almost perfect accuracy. And free WiFi is now accessible across entire cities, including Buenos Aires, Argentina (pictured) and Ramallah, Palestine. More →

October 31, 2019

Freelancers say work makes them lonely, anxious and depressed

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Around two thirds (64 percent) of freelancers say they regularly feel lonely due to their work, with a further 59 percent saying they suffer from work-related anxiety, according the new research from office stationery and furniture suppliers, Viking. The survey also suggests that 60 percent say their quality of sleep is negatively affected by work, whilst over half (54 percent) read work emails on holiday. More →

September 27, 2019

Triangulum smart cities project reaches completion

by Neil Franklin • Cities, Environment, News, Technology

The €30 million award-winning Triangulum project is drawing to a close as the participating cities in the pioneering project begin to share the first results from the five-year long future smart cities programme. Triangulum is one of 14 European Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse Projects funded by the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon 2020. More →

September 13, 2019

There is still time to avoid the regrexit of Brexit

by Anthony Brown • Business, Comment

Several months ago when we invited Jonty Bloom, one of the media’s most respected journalists to come and speak to our guest audience, we knew it would be informed, relevant and fascinating. What we didn’t know was that the day before (4th September 2019) Boris Johnson would deliver a stunningly inelegant performance at his inaugural Prime Minister’s Question time, the day after losing his first vote in parliament to prevent a further delay in delivering Brexit. More →

September 4, 2019

Workplace design must address a neurodiverse workforce

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

HOK’s WorkPlace practice has issued its latest report, Designing a Neurodiverse Workplace (registration), exploring how organisations can apply workplace design to create physical environments that support the full range of neurodiversity in employees. HOK’s report includes interviews with experts as well as suggestions for design strategies, operational changes and individual adjustments that can support neurodiverse and neurotypical staff alike. More →

September 3, 2019

Governments should respond to needs of older workers

by Mark Eltringham • News, Working lives, Workplace design

While firms are already being asked to do more to support their older workers by organisations like The Centre for Ageing Better, a new OECD report is arguing that it is an issue that Governments are not addressing as well as they might. It claims that the rapidly ageing population of countries around the world means that governments should promote more and better job opportunities for older workers to protect living standards and the sustainability of public finances.

August 23, 2019

A grey tsunami, three goldfish, the red pill of coworking and some other colourful stuff

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Property, Wellbeing, Working lives

A right leaning think tank’s suggestion that the UK should set a new retirement age of 75 and introduce a range of measures to extend people’s working lives to boost the economy and improve people’s wellbeing sparked an inevitable paroxysm of rage. Immediately followed by an equally inevitable and furious level of what passes for debate these days. A stramash the Scottish would call it. More →

August 21, 2019

Wellbeing challenge known to firms, but they need to up their game

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Wellbeing

A new white paper from Aon argues that while the vast majority of employers are aware of a range of wellbeing issues, they often don’t act in appropriate ways to address poor health behaviours and chronic medical conditions. The white paper Prevention Is Better Than Cure (registration) claims that 95 percent of employers see a correlation between employee health and performance and believe they have a role in trying to educate and improve poor lifestyle behaviours.

August 19, 2019

Firms need to place more value on older workers

by Claire Turner • Comment, Wellbeing, Working lives, Workplace

As we live longer lives, it’s inevitable that more of us want to work for longer. It makes good business sense too: with fewer younger people starting work to replace those set to retire in future years, coupled with uncertainty over Brexit and labour shortages, employers can’t afford to lose older workers.

August 16, 2019

Is London Smart City Initiative as smart as it could be?

by George Adams • Cities, Comment, Technology

It’s been a year since the launch of the Mayor of London’s smart city roadmap, designed to transform the capital into the smartest city in the world. But twelve months later, is the city any smarter? The Mayor of London’s smart city roadmap is proposing to transform the capital into the smartest city in the world, and as part of the initiative, Sadiq Khan appointed his first Chief Digital Officer to help steer the plan to focus on knowledge and technical advancements that will make life easier for London’s citizens. More →

August 8, 2019

Changing nature of work revealed in official data

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Working culture

Many aspects of the changing nature of work in the UK are highlighted in a new official report into the number of hours worked in the country. The UK’s ongoing productivity challenges, highlighted by another ONS report last month, are well known, but the new data suggests that a number of common suppositions about the way we work should be challenged, especially those related to demographics, the types of work people do and who does it. More →