Search Results for: wellbeing

The six most important dimensions of wellbeing in the workplace

by • Facilities management, News, Workplace design

B-Free working choiceDesigning an office environment using six key elements of wellbeing will benefit both employers and their staff, leading to a healthier, more productive workplace finds a new report. Steelcase’s WorkSpace Futures global research team, which included a psychologist, a designer and an ergonomist conducted an in depth study on existing wellbeing research, surveys, indicators and theories and found that the key to physical and mental wellbeing is the emotional experience, which can be influenced by a person’s surroundings, actions, and way of perceiving the world. The six dimensions of wellbeing that can be impacted by the design of the physical environment are; optimism, mindfulness, authenticity, belonging, meaning and vitality. Together these create what Steelcase refers to as an “interconnected workplace,” that offers employees choice and control over where and how they work.  (more…)

Happiness and wellbeing more important to people than economy

by • News, Workplace

International Happiness DayWhatever their opinion on yesterday’s Budget, the vast majority of Britons think levels of happiness and wellbeing matter more than the size of the economy. In a YouGov poll commissioned to mark today’s United Nation’s International Day of Happiness, a majority (87%) of UK adults were found to prefer the “greatest overall happiness and wellbeing”, rather than the “greatest overall wealth” (8%), for the society they live in. And despite the Conservative Party’s much lampooned attempts to appeal to working class people who they presume enjoy bingo and beer, this majority was found to be broadly consistent across all regions, age groups and social classes. LSE economist and co-founder of Action for Happiness, Lord Richard Laya says the results show that more priority should be given to mental health and wellbeing. (more…)

Morgan Lovell to research impact of the workplace on wellbeing

by • Facilities management, Workplace, Workplace design

sas-8_740_492_s_c1One of the latest pieces of research to explore the possible links between the workplace and individual wellbeing is to be carried out by office fit-out firm Morgan Lovell in conjunction with the British Council for Offices (BCO) and workplace analytics tool HATCH. The firm hopes to create an original piece of research that will help to quantify the impact the workplace has on wellbeing and identify the causal links. The firms says it hopes to use this to create a business case for occupiers who would like to invest in designing offices in a way that fosters wellness and productivity and  is inviting interested people and firms to take part. The firm says the survey takes less than 10 minutes and can be found here. To say thank you to respondents to the survey for their time, Morgan Lovell will donate £1 to Comic Relief for every person that completes the questionnaire.  The findings will be published in April.

Over three quarters of staff say employers play equal role in their health & wellbeing

by • News, Workplace

Over three quarters of staff say employers play equal role in their health & wellbeingNearly 80 per cent of UK workers believe responsibility for managing staff health and wellbeing should be shared between both employer and employee. The ‘Employee View – Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace’ survey, conducted by health insurance provider Westfield Health, found the majority (79%) of respondents felt there should be an even balance between them and their employer when it came to taking care of their wellbeing. Nearly three-quarters (74%) also said knowing their employer cares about their health would make them more likely to be satisfied, loyal and motivated at work. And almost a third (30%) asked for better communication in the workplace about the types of wellbeing programmes on offer to them. (more…)

Rise in employee wellbeing initiatives in 2014, despite little evidence they work

by • News, Workplace

Rise in employee wellbeing initiatives in 2014, despite little evidence they work

Amidst the plethora of fitness and diet advice which greets the New Year comes discussions on the value of employee wellness programmes in reducing absenteeism and improving staff productivity.  A solid link between the two is still to be proved and now a major new piece of US research charting the effects of a seven-year programme on thousands of employees has found that while support for staff with chronic conditions was beneficial, there was no evidence that the fitness and lifestyle component made any difference. This will do little to stem the enthusiasm for wellbeing programmes however, as consultants Towers Watson reports there will be a rise in the uptake of employee wellness programmes over the coming year. (more…)

Better reporting required on employee engagement and wellbeing

by • Knowledge, News, Workplace

Wellness reporting could be improved by FTSE 100

There is a need for more open reporting on employee engagement and wellbeing by FTSE 100 organisations according to an inaugural report into wellness by Business in the Community. The first Workwell FTSE 100 benchmark, which analysed how FTSE 100 organisations manage their 6.3 million employees gave an average score of just 21 per cent, which said BITC was “not unexpected” at this first stage of development.  The highest scoring Workwell indicators were Diversity and Inclusion (at 50 per cent of total marks) and Health and Safety (at 44 per cent), showing how compliance drives measurement and reporting.

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Regional inequalities in the quality of work continue to widen, new report claims

Regional inequalities in the quality of work continue to widen, new report claims

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new report from the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) shows that while employment levels across the UK remain high, the quality of work available to people varies sharply depending on where they liveA new report from the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) shows that while employment levels across the UK remain high, the quality of work available to people varies sharply depending on where they live. The 2025 edition of the Good Work Time Series suggests that regional inequalities in job quality are widening. Although people are in work, they are not necessarily in good work, with the study highlighting issues such as low autonomy, poor pay, unsocial hours and limited opportunities for development in many parts of the country. (more…)

Cities must embrace the radical retrofit of buildings to meet future challenges

Cities must embrace the radical retrofit of buildings to meet future challenges

by • News, Property, Workplace design

The Radical Retrofit report by Economist Impact, supported by JLL, argues that making cities more sustainable and resilient will depend on retrofits that improve safety, health and accessibility, while also driving economic valueAs cities continue to grow, the pressure on infrastructure, resources and the environment is intensifying. A new global study warns that urban centres must move beyond new construction and reimagine the buildings they already have. Retrofitting – enhancing and upgrading existing structures -is emerging as a key strategy to cut emissions, improve energy performance and boost urban liveability. The Radical Retrofit report by Economist Impact, supported by JLL, argues that making cities more sustainable and resilient will depend on retrofits that improve safety, health and accessibility, while also driving economic value. Though still in its early stages, the movement is gaining traction across global cities such as Singapore, New York, Paris and Dubai. Yet the pace must accelerate dramatically from today’s retrofit rate of 1 percent per year to at least 3 percent to align with net-zero goals. (more…)

Office utilisation reaches equilibrium, and demands a rethink of workplace strategy

Office utilisation reaches equilibrium, and demands a rethink of workplace strategy

by • News, Property, Workplace design

The British Council for Offices (BCO) has published a new report which claims that while office utilisation rates have stabilised, there has been a fundamental shift in how offices are usedThe British Council for Offices (BCO) has published a new report which claims that while office utilisation rates have stabilised, there has been a fundamental shift in how offices are used, with major implications for developers, investors and occupiers. The report, authored by Nigel Oseland of Workplace Unlimited, shows that the long-standing benchmark of 80 percent office utilisation is no longer fit for purpose. Post-pandemic data suggests a more realistic, but nevertheless conservative, figure of 66 percent equating to an effective density of 15 sq. m per occupant, up from the previous 12.5 sq. m. This recalibration reflects a maturing flexible working model that empowers organisations to right-size their space, reduce waste and enhance employee experience. With high-profile organisations in financial services and the public sector under the spotlight for space misalignment, the report offers timely, evidence-based guidance for the sector. (more…)

Workspace Design Show returns to Amsterdam with focus on sensory workplace design

Workspace Design Show returns to Amsterdam with focus on sensory workplace design

by • News, Workplace design

The Workspace Design Show 2025, returns to Amsterdam in November with a focus on how sensory workplace design is influencing the modern officeRegistration has opened for the Workspace Design Show 2025, which returns to Amsterdam on 5–6 November with a focus on how sensory workplace design is influencing the modern office. Held at the RAI exhibition centre, the event will bring together over 5,000 workplace professionals, including architects, designers and commercial interiors specialists. This year’s theme, Activate the Senses, explores how sight, sound, scent and touch can influence how we feel and function at work. (more…)

Navel gazing may not be the answer to the challenges facing workplace professions

Navel gazing may not be the answer to the challenges facing workplace professions

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace, Workplace design

An adherence to strongly held beliefs can make people think and behave in peculiar ways and get them tangled up in peripheral issues that take on a great deal of significance. Early religious artists, for example, spent centuries wrestling with the seemingly intractable problem of whether to depict Adam and Eve with belly buttons or not. (more…)

ROOM Launches The Room Collection: flexible architecture for today’s hybrid workplace 

ROOM Launches The Room Collection: flexible architecture for today’s hybrid workplace 

by • Company news, Flexible working, Workplace design

ROOM, the leading modular architecture company behind the award-winning Phone Booth and pioneer in hybrid workplace design, has introduced The Room Collection: a new series of scalable and adaptable rooms, designed to provide privacy in open floorplans and meet the dynamic needs of today’s businesses and office workers.ROOM, the leading modular architecture company behind the award-winning Phone Booth and pioneer in flexible workplace design, has introduced The Room Collection: a new series of scalable and adaptable rooms, designed to provide privacy in open floorplans and meet the dynamic needs of today’s businesses and office workers. A major pain point for employees is working in an office that hasn’t yet been optimized for the hybrid workplace. Simultaneously, businesses may find it difficult to swiftly adapt to changing workplace needs. While insufficient meeting spaces, poor acoustics and back-to-back virtual meetings plague workers, inflexible leases and hefty construction costs prevent business leaders from adapting accordingly. The Room Collection helps solve this through its easy-to-assemble, soundproof modular office system that can evolve to meet the needs of businesses at any stage. (more…)

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