October 3, 2023

Workers are generally happy at work, but bored by what they do

Happiness and boredom are the most common emotions experienced by people at work, according to a Right Management survey of more than 2,000 British workers and managers. According to the poll, ‘Gen Z’ are most likely to be bored at work (23 percent). But Gen Z leaders worry more than others about reduced employee productivity due to hybrid-working (37 percent). In addition, 70 percent of British employees feel they work better as a team in-person, but only 1 percent claim face-to-face time with colleagues contributes to their wellbeing. More →

October 3, 2023

CIBSE publishes revised maintenance guide

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Facilities management

A new fully revised edition of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Guide M: Maintenance, Engineering and Management sets out the latest technological and legislative developments that will impact facilities managers, designers, building owners and operators, otherwise known as the ‘maintenance bible’. Containing all the information needed for the successful operation of a buildings’ services, while ensuring buildings are safe and optimised for energy performance, this revision has been published to provide guidance on the many areas of change since Guide M was last amended in 2014, including publication of the Building Safety Act and amendments to the Building Regulations. More →

September 26, 2023

‘Levelling up’ development is new home for 1,400 civil servants

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Public Sector

The UK government has purchased land for the permanent site of the new Darlington Economic Campus as a key part of its so-called levelling up programme. The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) was established in August 2021 and currently houses 674 government staff. McLaren Property has now sold its option on a 7,926 square metres site on Brunswick Street in Darlington to the Government Property Agency for a permanent base for the Treasury’s second headquarters and Department for Business and Trade. More →

September 26, 2023

Poor workplace design means a quarter of people may consider quitting job

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace design

A new poll claims that over a quarter (27 percent) of workers would consider leaving their job due to poor workplace design, as an increasing number of companies phase out remote working. Commissioned by design and architecture studio MoreySmith, the survey of 2,000 UK adults by Yonder asked the public about the importance of the office environment for their wellbeing at work. Half of those that responded said that the amenities of a workplace would impact their decision on whether to work for a company, rising to 57 percent of 25-34 year olds. More →

September 26, 2023

Workplace absenteeism soars to its highest level in over a decade

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

UK employees were absent an average of 7.8 days over the past year according to new survey findings from the CIPD and Simplyhealth. This is the highest level the trade body has reported in over a decade and two whole days more than the pre-pandemic rate of 5.8 days. The report claims the upsurge in workplace absenteeism comes at a time when employers are under increasing pressure with recruitment and retention challenges. As a result, the CIPD and Simplyhealth are calling on organisations to have an open and supportive culture where people can speak to line managers about health issues and access helpful support and adjustments such as flexible working options and health services. More →

September 20, 2023

Knowledge workers have a particularly unhealthy relationship with work

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Three quarters of UK knowledge workers say they have an unhealthy relationship with work and two thirds of those say that work has had a negative effect on their health and wellbeing. That is one of the headline findings from a new report into the working lives of 15,600 people worldwide from HP. The report also suggests that three quarters of respondents would take a pay cut to be happier at work or to work wherever they want. More →

September 20, 2023

Most people have no connection to what they do for a living

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Over two thirds of UK employees do not feel a sense of connection and belonging at work, according to a new poll from Reward Gateway. Loneliness, disconnect, and isolation are all in a day’s work, according to the study. It suggests that almost a quarter of respondents (24 percent) often experience loneliness at work. More →

September 14, 2023

Sally Gunnell OBE champions cancer charity Cancer Support UK

by Freddie Steele • News, Wellbeing

Olympic Champion and Health and Wellbeing advocate, Sally Gunnell OBE has announced that she will be supporting national cancer charity Cancer Support UK. Gunnell’s work with Cancer Support UK will focus on helping the charity achieve its mission to help those impacted by cancer in the workplace. More →

September 13, 2023

Half of firms won’t meet 2030 decarbonisation target, report claims

by Jayne Smith • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

A new report from Siemens Infrastructure claims that there is limited agreement amongst businesses on how best to progress towards a decarbonised and resource-efficient world and under half expect to meet their net zero targets based on current thinking. According to the Transition Monitor 2023: The Great Divide on The Path to Net Zero report, whilst more than half of those surveyed believe the infrastructure transition is accelerating in their region, a quarter of senior executives said that progress on decarbonisation is “too slow”, while 29 percent believe progress is “coordinated”, and 31 percent describe it as “on target”. More →

September 8, 2023

Not many people want fully remote work, but nearly everybody wants a better office

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology

Just 7 percent of UK office workers back fully remote work, but eight in ten would like to see significant improvements to their company’s office and more support for flexible working, according to the Sony State of Offices Report 2023 [registration]. The report from Sony Professional Displays and Solutions Europe suggests that over two fifths (41 percent) of UK office workers still prefer to work from a dedicated company office, and across Europe this trend is even more pronounced with over half (53 percent) favouring office-based work. However, eight in ten (79 percent) in the UK call for improvements to offices, and the tech within them, to better suit their new flexible, asynchronous working styles. More →

August 29, 2023

Why does colour psychology make so much difference to us?

by Abi Eskdale • Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

In 2013, two Australian academics set out to discover the answer to a deceptively simple question. Why is there such a thing as colour psychology, but not shape, line or texture psychology? The answers they come up with are complex, arcane and wide-ranging but they manage to sum them up to some extent in the conclusion to the paper they published. “No other visual attribute shares such diverse representations”, they wrote. “Study into shape, line, and texture hardly competes. For this reason, there are no proportion-shape-line-texture prediction agencies, and chromotherapy is not challenged by proportion-shape-line-texture therapies. Colour remains special and, given its rich and complex heritage, is likely to remain so.” More →

August 14, 2023

First look at Sustainable Design China Summit taking place in Beijing this September

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Environment, Events, Workplace design

Following on from its successful launch last year, the Sustainable Design China Summit returns for 2023. The event, an evolution of Design China Beijing, is held at the Beijing Exhibition Center from 21-23 September 2023 and is a must-visit for designers, architects, developers, and decision makers looking to design a sustainable future. More →