April 28, 2021

Global real estate CEOs plan for industry transformation

The real estate industry needs to transform to serve the needs of people and cities in the next decade, according to a new report released by the World Economic Forum. COVID-19 has revealed vulnerabilities throughout the real estate industry, ranging from indoor air quality problems to excess supply and accelerated underlying demand drivers, which need to be addressed for buildings and cities to be healthier, prosperous and more sustainable. More →

April 21, 2021

Majority of UK workers don’t want to go back to the office until everyone is vaccinated

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

As lockdown starts to lift, more people are having to think about going back to work as normal. That means commutes, offices, cafeterias, and face to face meetings. CPD Online College, surveyed over 1,000 UK employees to find out how they feel about returning to the office prior to everyone being vaccinated. More →

March 23, 2021

UK tech jobs declined in 2020, but AI, cloud and robotics skills are on the rise

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Technology

The number of technology job listings in the UK declined by 57 percent during the past year, with fewer than 55,000 open roles advertised, according to the latest UK Tech Talent Tracker from Accenture (NYSE: ACN). Despite this, demand for skills in cutting-edge technologies such as cloud, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics saw a resurgence in many cities across the country. More →

March 15, 2021

Herman Miller introduces its ‘most sustainable textile collection yet’

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Design manufacturer Herman Miller, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLHR) announced the introduction of a new sustainable textile collection including fabric made from all recycled and ocean-bound plastic materials and an industry-leading 100 percent post-consumer biodegradable polyester. More →

March 9, 2021

New guidance for renewable energy procurement and carbon offsetting

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published Renewable Energy Procurement and Carbon Offsetting Guidance for Net Zero Carbon Buildings. This guidance provides clarity for the property and construction industry on the procurement of high-quality renewable energy and carbon offsets for net zero buildings and organisations in the UK. More →

March 9, 2021

Working near home could save employees over £2,200 a year

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working culture

Employees could save over £2,200 a year and ‘get back’ 98 mins a day if companies adopted a ‘Work Near Home’ model for offices in the future, claims research from workspace company, The Instant Group and site location company, Hickey. For companies that adopt this approach, they could save upwards of 23 percent by utilising a “Hub and Spoke” model that removes reliance on city centres for office locations. More →

March 5, 2021

From the archive: Flexible working may improve productivity, but does it diminish creativity?

by Maciej Markowski • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace

Originally published in December 2014. Homeworking seems to have become a bit of a hot topic this year, but one sentence published on the www.gov.uk website brought a cold sweat to the brows of many managers and employees across the United Kingdom. “From 30 June 2014, all employees have the legal right to request flexible working – not just parents and carers.” More →

March 5, 2021

London crowned the most desirable city in the world to work

by Jayne Smith • Business, Cities, News, Working culture

A new study on recruitment and workforce trends has crowned London as the world’s most desirable city to work in, with the UK capital holding onto the top spot, despite uncertainty around Brexit and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. More →

February 23, 2021

CBRE acquires 35 percent stake in flexible office provider Industrious

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Property

CBRE Group has announced the acquisition of a 35 percent interest in Industrious, a provider of flexible office space, which will also see CBRE’s existing flexible workplace firm Hana absorbed into Industrious. CBRE is now Industrious’ largest shareholder. In addition, CBRE is expected to acquire an additional 5 percent of Industrious in the coming weeks, which would result in a 40 percent total stake. The investment significantly increases CBRE’s participation in the flexible workplace sector and positions the company to meet rising demand from occupiers for agile space solutions — a trend that is being accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. More →

February 19, 2021

‘Zoom rooms’ and breakout space top of the agenda for post-COVID offices

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Workplace design

New data from real estate consultancy OBI claims that 70 percent of business leaders surveyed across Manchester have said they need to permanently change the design of their offices in order to suit the longer-term needs of their businesses and teams. More →

February 18, 2021

Four new companies join WorldGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News

WorldGBC has announced four new companies as signatories to its Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment), signalling global industry leadership to decarbonise the built environment and combat climate change. The Commitment now has a total of 132 signatories, with 98 businesses & organisations, 28 cities and six states & regions. The businesses and organisations signed up to the Commitment now account for over 5 million (tCO2e) of portfolio emissions. More →

February 8, 2021

Regional office markets show some signs of recovery

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Take-up of office space in the cities outside of Central London during Q4 2020 totalled 1.1m sq ft, an increase of 138 percent compared to Q3 2020. However, the overall take-up for 2020 reached 3.9m sq ft, a decline of 40 percent on the five-year average, according to research from real estate advisor CBRE. More →