May 27, 2020

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

The 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 →

May 19, 2020

People working from home have the same legal protections as they do in offices

by Chris Salmon • Comment, Legal news, Wellbeing

Even as the COVID-19 lockdown eases, it is predicted that many people will continue to work remotely for the foreseeable future. Government advice remains that those who can work from home should do so. This throws up a key question for employers both in the current circumstances and going forward. Namely, what are employers’ ongoing legal obligations for the health and safety of homeworkers? Put simply, as an employer, you have the same legal duty of care for the health, safety and wellbeing of employees working from home as you do for those based in your office. So it’s worthwhile knowing what that means. More →

May 15, 2020

What the humble avocado can teach us about why we will always work in offices

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace

From the archive. Originally published in 2013. People have been talking about the death of the office for at least a quarter of a century. Leaving aside the often misleading conflation of flexible working with homeworking that is often involved, the underlying premise of such talk has been the same for all of that time. The main argument is, and always was, that there is an alternative to the tedium, aggravation and expense of travelling to an office solely to work inside its hermetically sealed and fluorescent-lit, blue-carpeted interior alongside people who can drive you spare, before you schlep home again. More →

April 22, 2020

An optimistic take on the future of work

by Chris Hood • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Setting aside the drastic personal tragedies, the financial devastation and the strain the virus has placed on government infrastructure, business, finance, and healthcare systems worldwide, the coronavirus has been able to achieve what legions of workplace strategists and change managers have been unable to do: encourage middle managers to give remote working a try. More →

April 1, 2020

A revolutionary new approach to design and fit-out for flexible offices

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace design

Innovation in the commercial property market is the driving force behind a revolutionary new approach to the design and fit-out of office space from Modus. Tenant-Ready is a solution aimed at both landlords and operators, to deliver pre-fitted or fitted-to-demand workspace specifically for coworking spaces, serviced offices and other forms of flexible workplaces in which fit-out is not procured by tenants and occupiers. More →

March 19, 2020

Will coronavirus mean the death of the office?

by Mark Eltringham • Comment

Betteridge’s law of headlines declares that “Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no”. And so I simultaneously ask and answer the question of whether the coronavirus pandemic will really lead to the death of the office. So it goes. Of course, I’m not the first person to raise the question over the last few weeks as the world adapts to the threat of the pandemic. But it’s worth reminding ourselves that the demise of the office has been predicted for at least a quarter of a century, although never in such circumstances. More →

March 5, 2020

The theme park of modern office design

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Furniture, Workplace design

Here’s an interesting exercise you may want to try. Off the top of your head and without thinking about it too much, write down the names of five iconic office furniture designs. The kind that your Aunt Sheila might recognise if she saw them but wouldn’t necessarily be able to name. When I did this recently while writing a piece about design trends, the products I came up with automatically were things like Frank Lloyd Wright’s desks for the Larkin building, Action Office, the 3107 chair (pictured), and Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair. More →

March 2, 2020

Flexible offices market in Central London continues to thrive

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

A new report from Office Freedom claims that Central London is enjoying continued growth in demand for flexible offices, with no sign of slowing. Flexible workspaces have seen a dramatic increase in recent years, with Central London seeing particular interest for flex spaces. The London’s growing flex appeal report takes a detailed look at Central London flexible workspace trends. More →

February 10, 2020

Aloof bosses should change their job title to chief elusive officer

by Neil Franklin • News

The bosses of many of Britain’s biggest businesses are so disengaged from their workers and the company hierarchy so embedded, that they should start calling themselves Chief Elusive Officers. That is the key finding of a survey of companies across western and northern Europe and North America into what employees think of their chief executives carried out by HR software firm Unit4. 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

Workers value comfort and functionality over quirky office design

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Employees value physical office design features and amenities that offer them a greater deal of comfort and functionality in the workplace. They especially favour outdoor views, natural light and on-site food services, according to a new report from CBRE based on a survey of 1,600 North American office users. More →

December 10, 2019

Wellbeing is increasingly in the hands of HR and the future looks bright as a result

by Chris Pinner • Comment, Wellbeing

The future of workplace wellbeing is in HR’s hands; hence, the discipline is even more pivotal to organisational success. As admin and payroll become increasingly digitised and automated, time can be spent more effectively, supporting good people to do good work. Influential people are now catching on to the importance of wellbeing. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told More than GDP, “We need to address the societal wellbeing of our nation, not just the economic wellbeing”. Her government will set a budget to measure wellbeing and the long-term impact of policy on the quality of people’s lives. More →