September 10, 2019

Start-ups slump as UK gears up for Brexit

The number of new start-ups in the UK fell sharply last year and established firms scaled back their growth ambitions due to Brexit uncertainty, according to new data looking at the health of the grassroots economy. The findings have emerged from the Enterprise Research Centre’s UK Local Growth Dashboard report, an annual publication that looks at a range of metrics charting the growth of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99 percent of all firms in the UK. (more…)

September 9, 2019

Aping our robot overlords, Instagrammable buildings and some other stuff

by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

What happens to people when their skills become obsolete? If you’re not asking yourself this question already, you probably should. A new study from researchers at MIT and Wharton is the basis for this piece in Quartz at Work which considers the implications for what looks like a small technological change and its consequences for a large number of people who had to reset what they offered employers. (more…)

September 9, 2019

AI revolution means 120 million people need to reskill

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology, Workplace

As many as 120 million workers in the world’s 12 largest economies may need to be retrained or reskilled over the next three years as a result of the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, according to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study. It also suggests that only 41 percent of CEOs surveyed say that they have the people, skills and resources required to execute their business strategies.

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September 9, 2019

Legislation and trading conditions biggest worries for firms

by Neil Franklin • News

Legislation and a difficult economic climate are the biggest challenges facing start-ups in eight major business sectors according to a survey carried out by Safestore. The survey set out to establish the biggest concerns for biggest owners, their most fundamental goals, and what they believe to be the main reasons for a business failing. (more…)

September 6, 2019

Escaping the hell of hot desking

by Tim Oldman • Comment, Workplace design

Hot-desking is a scourge on modern work. That’s the only conclusion you will draw by reading ‘The hidden hell of hot-desking is much worse than you think’ (published in the FT on 28 July 2019) and dozens more like it that continue to appear in national media and top business titles. The piece contends that organisations are using the guise of agile working to excuse their cost-saving prerogative. In reality it is a penny-pinching ploy that “strips people of their own desk and casts them out to the noisy, chaotic wasteland of shared work spots,” or so we’re told. (more…)

September 6, 2019

Avoiding burnout and losing the workplace blues

by Christine Congdon • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Stressed at work? Feeling blue at this time of year? Take a breath. You are not alone. While the World Health Organisation (WHO) is just now recognising burnout, a result of stress, as an “occupational phenomenon,” the conversation around wellbeing at work is not new. If we learn anything from this newest designation, it’s that wellbeing cannot be ignored because the need to focus on it continues to intensify.

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September 5, 2019

The role of gamification in workplace creativity

by Agnessa Spanellis • Features, Working culture

Coming up with a good creative idea is hard. We do not fully understand how this process works, but there are certain techniques that have proved successful in fostering creativity, such as mind-mapping, brainstorming or creating conditions for free experimentation. Many big companies (such as design agencies) embrace these practices in the way they work. (more…)

September 5, 2019

Men and women make different job choices based on commute times

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Women who have an hour-long commute are nearly a third (29 per cent) more likely to leave their current job than if they had a 10-minute commute, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS concludes that this contributes to men doing the majority of higher paid jobs and that it’s likely women prefer short commutes because it allows them more flexibility for childcare and unpaid work. (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

Work-life integration is the new goal for workers

by Nicole Bello • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

The modern world of work is a stressful one, and the goal to progress in our careers brings on even more pressure. Tight deadlines and demanding workloads are the typical order of the day, but just as important is to have the time to wind down and recharge the batteries. Historically, this has been known as work-life balance.

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September 2, 2019

One in three flexible working requests turned down

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

One in three (30 percent) requests for flexible working are being turned down, according to a new TUC poll published today (Monday). The polling – published as children around the UK go back to school this week – reveals that flexible working is not available to many workers, and that people in working-class jobs are most likely to miss out on it. (more…)