Search Results for: office

November 18, 2016

HR directors struggle to devise long term digital workplace strategies ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Technology, Workplace

One of the effects of the UK’s falling unemployment levels is that HR Directors risk becoming so consumed with issues of talent retention and hiring that they are unable to plan effectively and build a long term strategy for their business, especially when it comes to key emerging issues such as the digital workplace. While the latest ONS statistics show that UK unemployment fell by 37,000 to 1.6 million in the three months to September, hitting an 11-year low, in an anonymous survey carried out by The Curve Group, 92 percent of HR Directors say re-designing their organisation in response to the emergence of the digital workplace, new entrants and a flat economy should be their main priority, but only 44 percent feel able to do so.

November 16, 2016

Google confirms it is to go ahead with massive new London HQ ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Technology, Workplace design

Following the announcement in September that Apple was to reaffirm its commitment to the UK with a major investment in the creation of a new headquarters building in London, the latest global tech giant to follow suit is Google. The firm has confirmed it is to open a new HQ in the capital which will see 3,000 jobs created by 2020. In an interview with the BBC, chief executive Sundar Pichai claimed that he is confident that the UK Government will not be throwing up barriers to the movement of skilled labour in the wake of the Brexit vote. Based on this he is moving ahead with the Bjarke Ingels Group and Thomas Heatherwick designed £1 billion Kings Cross development that will allow the firm to expand its UK workforce to 7,000 people. Heatherwick has previously worked with Google alongside Bjarke Ingels Group on the design of their Mountain View headquarters in California. He was drafted in to work on the London project after a previous design was rejected because it was ‘boring’.

November 15, 2016

Penson completes design for artful London HQ of financial services company SEI ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Case studies, Company news, Workplace design

Financial services firm SEI has taken residence at a new London headquarters designed by Penson. Located in Finsbury Square, The Alphabeta Building is spread over three floors. The 6320 sq. m, office incorporates natural materials such as upcycled timber, bold red steel and colourful walls. The office is divided into individual hubs with meeting rooms, chill-out zones, kitchenettes and pods providing a balance between open and private spaces. The new HQ is also set to house part of the West Collection, a contemporary art collection owned by Alfred P. West, Jr., Chairman and CEO of SEI, and curated by his daughter. The works include sculpture, installations drawing, painting, and photography, many of which reflect an environmental theme.

November 12, 2016

Flexible working more important to employees than a company car, claims new BT research ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News, Technology

Flexible working and great mobile devices top employees’ list of perks but businesses are struggling to make it a reality, according to a new study from BT. Two thirds (67 percent) of UK office workers say mobile working is more important than a company car, and half now carry most of what they need to do their job in their bag, according to our latest research. However, despite their employees’ appetite for new flexible ways of working, organisations are still struggling with technology and budget limitations to make it a reality. ‘The mobile multiplier’ research, which independently surveyed 1,500 office workers in large organisations in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, claims we are already in a new era in which mobile and flexible working is no longer a perk but a staple requirement. Results show workers are keen to break away from the static office: Today’s office workers put flexible working top of a benefits package from the ideal employer, with 76 percent including it in their top three priorities.

November 10, 2016

The Room of Requirements: is a flexible workspace even possible? ⁰

by Kerstin Sailer • Case studies, Features, Flexible working, Workplace design

Many of us have ways of framing our ideas about the workplace with reference to the things we love. Because I am a Harry Potter fan that means developing notions of Hogwarts and what it says about how the school building influences teaching and learning practices. J K Rowling’s universe offers rich pickings for this sort of thing and in the case of this feature provides us with an example of how we might consider the current state of thinking about the flexible workspace. One of Rowling’s brilliant ideas is the Room of Requirements. More →

November 10, 2016

Nearly half of HR professionals don’t feel up-to-speed with new workplace legislation ⁰

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

New research from identity data intelligence firm GBG claims there are a startling number of HR professionals (41 percent) who are struggling to keep up with new and changing workplace legislation. Recent changes to UK law, such as those made to the Right To Work in the Immigration Act and Modern Day Slavery Act are met with anxiety by 34 percent of respondents. Only 26 percent feel prepared and just 4 percent feel optimistic that the changes will be advantageous for their organisation. Despite half of HR professionals not feeling prepared to handle legislation changes, 62 percent believe it’s their primary responsibility. Almost one in five (18 percent) said it was their manager’s obligation and 9 percent believed the Board should be in charge of monitoring for change.

November 9, 2016

When art meets brand; James Burke, Acrylicize in conversation with Roger Beckett ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Company news, Events, Workplace design

Following on from the successful collaboration between Bisley and Acrylicize during Clerkenwell Design Week 2016, the two organisations will join forces once more for a discussion about the impact art can have in the workplace. James Burke, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Acrylicize, will be joined by Roger Becket, the launch publisher the iconic design publications Design Week and Creative Review, and most recently founding the international art competition, Pintar Rapidao.

Acrylicize is an Art Collective which examines the relationship between art and brand to design and develop thought provoking and visually exciting statements for, and about, commercial entities and organisations. In the course of his discussion with Roger, James will reveal the creative influences that led him to explore the relationship between art and brand and its commercial currency, sharing insights into some of the high profile projects his team has worked on with brands such as The Office Group, Coca-Cola and Google.

The event takes place at the Bisley showroom in Central London on the 24th November. For further information contact: events@bisley.com or call + 44 (0) 07780 956291

November 8, 2016

Built environment urged to help summit meet climate change commitments ⁰

by Sara Bean • Events, Facilities management, News, Property

Delegates from across the World are gathering in Morocco this week for the 22^nd global climate change summit, known as the Conference of the Parties (COP22), where they will focus on the implementation of the Paris Agreement. This historic agreement was reached last December at COP21 in Paris, France, when for the first time, 191 nations committed to collectively addressing the effects of climate change. The Paris Agreement aims to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It was signed by all negotiating countries and has thus far been ratified by 75 member states. However, despite the fact that the agreement entered into international law on the 4^th November, the UK is yet to ratify it, which according to the UK-GBC’s Campaigns and Policy Director, John Alker, is “pretty poor. We cannot afford to be dragging our heels on this; not only is there a moral imperative to tackle climate change, but the economic case for action is huge.“

November 7, 2016

Global case for healthy green building provided ‘for first time’ ⁰

by Sara Bean • Company news, Environment, Facilities management

A global business case for healthy green building design and management has been provided ‘for the first time’ in a new report from the World Green Building Council with examples of the benefits to employers, building owners, designers and developers. The new report Building the Business Case: Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Green Offices highlights ‘the global momentum behind healthy and green office design and operation’ and showcases over 15 buildings from around the world. The research provides further evidence in the ways that green offices keep staff healthy and happy, improves productivity and boosts business’ bottom line. Steps like improving air quality, increasing natural light and introducing greenery – those which typically have environmental benefits such as using less energy – may also have an impact on the bottom line by improving employee productivity and reducing absenteeism, staff turnover and medical costs, according to the report.

November 4, 2016

Corporate responsibility now essential to attract and retain millennials ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Corporate social responsibility is no longer seen as more than a nice to have, with those working within the built environment for example, appreciating the role it has in reducing greenhouse gases. But it is also being increasingly seen as a positive way of attracting and engaging the right talent. Now according to a new survey carried out in the US, meaningful engagement around CSR is becoming a business – and bottom line – imperative, impacting a company’s ability to appeal to, retain and inspire Millennial talent. Three-quarters (76 percent) of Millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work and nearly two-thirds (64 percent) won’t take a job if a potential employer doesn’t have strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, according to the 2016 Cone Communications Millennial Employee Engagement Study. Because the millennial generation are the most likely to blend their personal and working lives, it’s more important to them than other generations to view their job as a way to make a positive impact on society, the study suggests.

November 4, 2016

Lack of flexible working a major reason for junior staff’s discontent ⁰

by Sara Bean • Comment, Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

As we highlighted last month, it seems that flexible working is becoming the 21st century equivalent of the ‘executive washroom,’ with only the more senior members of staff being afforded that perk. Now a new survey suggests that a lack of opportunity for agile working is one of the reasons why junior members of staff are the least happy people in the workforce. There appear to be a variety of factors contributing to this, including: low pay; individuals feeling overworked yet, significantly, unfulfilled and undervalued and of course the denial of flexible working measures. For Office Genie’s latest research into workplace happiness, UK workers were asked how they felt before and after the working day and junior staff members selected ‘quite negative’ and ‘very negative’ more than any other seniority level. Part of the reason may lie in the fact that 46 percent of junior staff report feeling overworked, however nearly a third admit to not feeling fulfilled (32 percent) or challenged (29 percent).

October 31, 2016

Wellbeing threat for UK workers who don’t see daylight in winter ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The customary debate over putting the clocks back has come and gone, as has the average workers chances of seeing any daylight until the early spring, for according to new research, the average office worker will now only be seeing daylight for less than an hour (52 minutes) a week. Nine in 10 rarely glimpse daylight during the winter months as they arrive at and leave work in the dark, according to a poll of 2,000 workers by Get More Vitamin Drinks. The average person will only leave the building for a total of 52 minutes during the week, although two-thirds admit there are at least two weeks in every month where they don’t spend any time outside at all. Unsurprisingly, just under half of office workers believe their work suffers as a direct result of the lack of sunlight – with productivity dropping rapidly from around 2pm. The study shows two thirds of office workers will start finding it difficult to concentrate by the early hours of the afternoon in winter as a direct result of being stuck inside.