Search Results for: air quality

BDP reports on successful year for the design firm

BDP reports on successful year for the design firm

BDP installation at Astra ZenecaBDP has published its results for the financial year ended 30 June 2022. The practice achieved revenues of £136.6m and an operating profit of £13.2m. The multidisciplinary practice won a number of prestigious projects in the financial year and expanded into new locations by establishing new presences in New York, Lima and Edinburgh to create a network of integrated, collaborative studios with global reach. The organisation’s employee numbers have also returned to pre-pandemic levels as it welcomed talented people back to its workplaces across the globe. (more…)

UK will be only developed country in world with lower employment in 2023 than pre-pandemic

UK will be only developed country in world with lower employment in 2023 than pre-pandemic

The cover image of the report into UK employment, consisting of a large arrow made up of numerous peopleA new report claims that the UK is undergoing one of the worst employment recoveries in the world, fuelled by a shrinking workforce and lack of access to effective employment support. Coming the week after the Bank of England forecast that unemployment could rise by half a million next year, and a week before the government announces its new spending plans, the case for reforms to how we help people and employers to fill jobs has never been stronger. (more…)

Disability pay gap rises despite greater awareness and efforts of campaigners

Disability pay gap rises despite greater awareness and efforts of campaigners

A painting of a man in a wheelchair looking out of the window, to illustrate the problem of the disability pay gap Non-disabled employees now earn around 17.2 percent more on average than disabled workers in 2022, an increase from the 16.5 percent disability pay gap last year, according to analysis published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The research suggests that the disability pay gap for 2022 was £2.05 an hour, or £3,731 per year for those working a 35-hour week. The pay gap starts at age 20 at 65 pence an hour and increases to a peak of £3.55 an hour, or £6,461 a year, for disabled workers aged 40 to 44. (more…)

WELL certification may boost occupant satisfaction, perceived wellbeing and productivity

WELL certification may boost occupant satisfaction, perceived wellbeing and productivity

An illustration of three people celebrating to illustrate their wellbeing A new study claims that WELL certification appears to boost levels of satisfaction and perceptions of health, wellbeing and productivity in people. The study claims to show an increase in occupant satisfaction by nearly 30 percent, as well as occupant perceived well-being scores by 26 percent, mental health by 10 percent and productivity by 10 median points in WELL Certified buildings. (more…)

Leading UK employers call for flexible working recruitment by default 

Leading UK employers call for flexible working recruitment by default 

flexible workingA joint letter from 21 leading employers – including several in the FTSE 100 – is calling on employers across the UK to advertise all vacant roles with flexible options by default. The full text is: (more…)

Design Guild Mark launches 2023 call for entries

Design Guild Mark launches 2023 call for entries

design guild markThe Design Guild Mark has launched the call for entries for the 2023 awards, inviting designers and companies to submit entries for three categories: Furniture; Lighting; Interior Design Elements. Entry is open to British designers working in the UK or abroad, as well as designers with UK-based practices. Submissions can be for an individual product or collection of products that are currently in production, that were designed for, and are manufactured by, an industrial design process. The designs can be intended for domestic, office, hospitality, educational or corporate use, and for both interior and exterior environments. (more…)

Gallery: British Council for Offices announces winners of national awards

Gallery: British Council for Offices announces winners of national awards

Sunderland City Hall was celebrated as ‘Best of the Best’ at the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) National Awards at the Grosvenor House hotel in London last night, also taking home the ‘Corporate Workplace’ award. The office was joined by six other award winners recognised as leading examples of excellence in office space across the UK. The BCO’s National Awards programme claims to recognises top quality office design and functionality and says it sets the standard for excellence across the office sector. (more…)

One in four pregnant women reluctant to share news with employers

One in four pregnant women reluctant to share news with employers

An exasperated woman at a desk rests her head on her laptop to show how women, including pregnant women,  can feel let down by outdated attitudes More than one in four (26 percent) pregnant women feel reluctant to share their pregnancy news due to fear of the stigma they may face from colleagues and managers, according to a new poll from Culture Shift. This jumped to almost half (46 percent) for those who had been in employment for less than six months when they fell pregnant. The survey conducted among mothers who worked while pregnant reveals more than one in five (21 percent) know someone who has faced maternity discrimination at work, while one in eight (12 percent) have experienced it themselves. More than one in ten (11 percent) say it was their manager who discriminated against them. (more…)

There is no F in work

There is no F in work

Neil Usher is an energetic, wiry critic of workplaces and offices. Long ago – in 2018, actually – his proposal that the good office is composed of 12 simple elements, beginning with daylight, was also energetic and wiry. Here he widens out from the delicious nitty-gritties of temperature control and lighting in The Elemental Workplace to the wider phenomenon of work. As the title already suggests, the style is laden with expletives: there are no fewer than 25 mentions of the word ‘crap’. He is withering, too, about the ‘easiest fat-arsed squatting duck of targets, the hapless office, with its rituals and theatrics’. On top of a fresh, Elemental-style bow to the nostrum of inclusion, there is a critique of management fads, but also reference made to (white male) privilege, plus, in a lofty manner, ‘our essentially Stone Age cognitive wiring’.

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TOG and Fora complete merger to create new flexible workspace giant

TOG and Fora complete merger to create new flexible workspace giant

flexible workspaceFollowing approval from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), TOG and Fora are proud to announce the completion of their merger, bringing together two highly complementary businesses with similar cultures and portfolios of high-quality, design-led workspaces. The merged business (the ‘Group’) will operate under a parent company called The Office Group with both the TOG and Fora brands retained until a full brand review is completed. The Group has plans to create the premier flexible workspace group in London and other key European cities and is well positioned to draw on the expertise and scale of both companies. (more…)

New Material Matters event offers a transformative insight into sustainable design trends

New Material Matters event offers a transformative insight into sustainable design trends

Material Matters RagnarsMaterial Matters 2022 is a new fixture on the London design calendar. Based on the critically acclaimed podcast of the same name, the event will see its inaugural edition take place during this year’s London Design Festival, from 22-25 September on the capital’s Southbank. The event, which is part of the Bankside Design District, promises to bring together over 40 world-leading brands, designers, makers and organisations to celebrate the importance of materials and their ability to shape our lives. (more…)

Zumtobel create a consistent corporate identity with light

Zumtobel create a consistent corporate identity with light

Zumtobel The Zumtobel MIREL and PANOS infinity luminaires have been chosen for the latest FinTrU office refurbishment. A good brand provides a distinct experience and evokes emotion from its customers, which is why a business needs to care about branding all the way through to its interior spaces. Extending branding to the working environment helps staff and customers understand who the company is and what makes them unique. FinTrU, a multi-award-winning company specialising in the areas of KYC, Compliance, Legal, Risk & Controls, and Operations, works with Investment Banks around the globe designing technology-enabled solutions to help its clients meet their regulatory obligations. (more…)