Search Results for: environmental

The workplace industry needs to think outside its ever-shrinking boxes

The workplace industry needs to think outside its ever-shrinking boxes

People are outgrowing the boxes the workplace industry offersIs the workplace industry stuck in the past, in a 20th century model of how and where work is done? The separation of work and the rest of life during the Industrial Age has shaped the structures of modern life: the houses we live in, the offices, factories and shops we work in, and the transport networks that shuffle us from one location to another for different activities. It has also shaped the planning system, the institutional and financial structures of how places are designed and built, and perhaps most of all the mindsets of just about everyone involved in creating places to work and live. More →

Societal change is driving businesses to focus on purpose

Societal change is driving businesses to focus on purpose

focusIncreasing pressure from investors, customers and employees are causing CEOs to focus their businesses on purpose, resilience and long-term sustainability, according to a new report from the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) and Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB). The report, ‘People risk – why the need for change is urgent‘ claims a shift in business focus away from short term gains in favour of emphasising long term value creation as one way of managing people risk. More →

UK businesses prepare to shed suppliers that do not live up to their social values

UK businesses prepare to shed suppliers that do not live up to their social values

social valuesUK business leaders are increasingly turning their backs on suppliers who fail to align with their social values, according to new research by Sodexo. The survey highlights the effect the pandemic has had on procurement decisions, with the majority of respondents agreeing that the events of the last year had made it more important to consider environmental and diversity policies when selecting suppliers. More →

Pandemic drives shift in attitudes to sustainability

Pandemic drives shift in attitudes to sustainability

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated consumers focus on sustainability and willingness to pay out of their own pockets – or even take a pay cut – for a sustainable future, according to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) survey of over 14,000 consumers in nine countries. More →

WiredScore launches SmartScore – global certification for smart buildings

WiredScore launches SmartScore – global certification for smart buildings

WiredScore, is announcing the launch of a new certification for smart buildings aimed at providing clarity, definition and measurement for the growing smart building industry. SmartScore certification was developed in response to increasing demand for guidance around what ‘smart’ really means in relation to commercial buildings, and how it can and should be implemented. More →

Nearly a million workers struggling with mental wellbeing due to remote working

Nearly a million workers struggling with mental wellbeing due to remote working

mental As April is Stress Awareness Month, Instant Offices researched how the last year has affected employees mental health also what business and individual employees can do to improve and support mental wellbeing. More →

IN Magazine issue 6 has been published

IN Magazine issue 6 has been published

IN Magazine cover artIt’s now a year since we launched IN Magazine and what a year it’s been. Issue 6 is now out. IN continues to explore the latest ideas from the world of work, speak to the most interesting people and feature the most pioneering ideas. In this issue: Kerstin Sailer casts a spell on the workplace; Microsoft’s Experience Centre in Amsterdam; what we can learn about the workplace experience from app design; the new emphasis on fresh air; the problem of managing people across borders; what happens to spaces when people abandon them; and why we must take the environmental impact of commercial property far more seriously. And, of course, much more. All back issues of IN Magazine can be found here. Illustration: Ian Pearsall

The digital world is not necessarily greener than the physical world

The digital world is not necessarily greener than the physical world

No sooner had the world learned about the existence of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) than we also learned how much of a problem they could be for the environment. An NFT is digital token in a similar way to Bitcoin, except there’s only one of each NFT. It is associated with a piece of content, guaranteed unique and so is worth whatever somebody will pay for it. In the case of a digital artist called Beeplewho had only ever previously sold a piece for $100, this was $69 million for an NFT for a digital collage of images called Everydays: The First 5000 Days sold at Christie’s in MarchBought by a collector in Singapore, this made him one of the world’s “top three most valuable living artists,” according to the auction house.  More →

‘Healthy buildings’ enjoy a surge in demand worldwide

‘Healthy buildings’ enjoy a surge in demand worldwide

healthy buildings SiemensA new survey of many of the world’s leading real estate investors finds that 92 percent of respondents expect demand for healthy buildings to grow in the next three years. The report claims that this is a compelling signal of the direction the real estate sector is heading. This finding, among others, is captured in a report titled A New Investor Consensus: The Rising Demand for Healthy Buildings (registration) which claims to be a comprehensive health and wellness study of global real estate investment managers and stakeholders representing aggregate AUM of $5.75 trillion and portfolio investments in real estate totalling approximately US$1.03 trillion. More →

FM industry favours quick wins over long-term strategic climate change planning

FM industry favours quick wins over long-term strategic climate change planning

climate changeResearch by VINCI Facilities claims that the UK facilities management sector does not possess a thorough, detailed strategic approach to combatting climate change. In the autumn of 2020 VINCI Facilities asked over 200 decision-makers how far their organisations have progressed in developing a coherent strategy for the environment. More →

Tarkett iD Inspiration, the cutting-edge modular vinyl flooring inspired by nature

Tarkett iD Inspiration, the cutting-edge modular vinyl flooring inspired by nature

Tarkett is revealing its new ultra-realistic modular vinyl collection, iD Inspiration. Reimagined for a rapidly changing world, iD Inspiration harnesses the power of nature to create feel-good interiors. Tarkett’s unique high-definition digital printing technology captures the beauty of wood and stone, revealing the most subtle details in grain, texture and colour. iD Inspiration will be available across Europe from May 2021 onwards. More →

Employees more likely to resist change if it contradicts firm’s traditional values

Employees more likely to resist change if it contradicts firm’s traditional values

employeesEmployees are more likely to resist beneficial organisational changes if they contradict historic firm values according to research from Imperial College Business School. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organisations all over the globe to rethink how they do business, yet it may not be easy to make lasting change if new organisational practices grate against traditional, deeply-held values. More →