November 12, 2021
Memories of the Office Age
No author uses the built environment like J G Ballard. In his 1975 novel High-Rise, the eponymous structure is both a way of isolating the group of people who live and compete inside it and a metaphor for their personal isolation and inner struggles. Over the course of three months, the building’s services begin to fail. The 2,000 people within, detached from external realities in the 40-storey building, confronted with their true selves and those of their neighbours, descend into selfishness and – ultimately – savagery. More →
Despite their best intentions, most employers are facing difficulties responding to changing employee expectations around employee experience and wellbeing during the pandemic. 69 percent of HR leaders admit that their efforts to improve employee experience are being held back by a lack of a clear strategy, and 76 percent report that they are struggling to adapt their employee experience to meet the needs of a hybrid workforce. 
New research from 
New research released by 
Eighteen months since nationwide shutdowns, the global surge in COVID-19 cases is exacerbating the onset of virtual fatigue for many employees according to 
Since offices reopened, there has naturally been a much greater focus on health and safety. Office managers everywhere have deployed one-way corridors, anti-viral disinfectant wipes, and daily temperature checks in order to ensure that those who have returned to the office feel safe. Globally, businesses have learned to cope with these adverse circumstances, but there are other lessons from the past year that we should use to refresh the workplace as well. 
Almost half of UK employees would not talk to their employer if they were experiencing a health issue, having a detrimental impact on business performance and culture, according to new research from 
There are 38 ways to win an argument. That is according to the 19th Century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer who laid them out in an essay called 
I recently stumbled upon the phrase epistemic trespass, which describes the phenomenon of people making judgements in fields in which they have no expertise. I came across it as it was used to explain the sudden explosion of opinions about Afghanistan from a hitherto unknown horde of experts. Which may or may not be the same horde that has been so very certain about immunology and public health during the pandemic. It’s an old idea and one that needs to be treated with care, for reasons set out by Noah Smith 
The company of your work friends can make a long day fly by, with many of us finding long lasting friendships in the workplace. To find out more about how much people love their colleagues, 
October 13, 2021
Shift to hybrid working highlights the value of weak ties
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design