Search Results for: commercial

Europe must do more to bring discoveries to market

Europe must do more to bring discoveries to market

discoveriesAlthough Europe has much scientific research to be proud of, the region falls worryingly short when it comes to commercialising its discoveries, a study has concluded. A fifth of the world’s leading 100 research organisations – as determined by factors such as the number of articles published in academic journals – are based in Europe, experts from IESE Business School, the European Commission and Oxford University, among others, claim. Yet researchers often lack the resources required to find the right market for their discoveries. More →

Two fifths of workers hide health issue from boss

Two fifths of workers hide health issue from boss

health issueMore than 40 percent of workers have a hidden health issue they’ve never disclosed to their employers, with younger employees the most likely to withhold information from their bosses, according to new research. A survey of 1,000 employees, carried out by healthcare provider Benenden Health, revealed 63 percent of respondents aged 23 or under and 60 percent of 24-38-year-olds surveyed haven’t told their employers about a health issue. This is compared to 35 percent of respondents aged 39-54 and 18 percent of those aged 55 or over. More →

Cuts to government estate save £2bn

Cuts to government estate save £2bn

Public Sector EstateWork to reduce the size of the government estate has freed up land for development, including new housing, and secured more than £2bn over the past year, the Cabinet Office has claimed. The ‘State of the Estate 2018-2019’ report shows the government estate, which is made up of buildings across the country, is now 30 percent smaller than it was in 2010. In the past year, 339 former government sites have been disposed of, totalling 277,000 square metres – the equivalent of 39 football pitches. The cost of running the estate has also fallen by £50 million a year. More →

Half of ‘sandwich carers’ keep responsibilities hidden

Half of ‘sandwich carers’ keep responsibilities hidden

carersSome 47 percent of employees who care for both children and elderly relatives (sandwich carers) are keeping these responsibilities hidden from their employer, a survey from BHSF, a not-for-profit health and wellbeing provider, has suggested. With so many choosing to stay quiet about their outside commitments, the researchers warn that employers are left floundering in the dark when it comes to providing the most appropriate employee benefits to support their workforce. More →

Equal pay: women too polite to ask for more money

Equal pay: women too polite to ask for more money

equal payMillions of women could be missing out on higher salaries as 82 percent never negotiate their pay when applying for jobs, new research has claimed. The fear of being “rude” or “ungrateful”, compounded by concerns from 21 percent that asking for equal pay could jeopardise benefits such as maternity leave or flexible working, is silencing women when it comes to money, the survey of 1,000 working women suggests. More →

We might spot patterns in office design, but a global picture is beyond us

We might spot patterns in office design, but a global picture is beyond us

The ongoing evolution in the design of the places we work has much in common with evolution in the natural world. But whereas natural selection is dependent on its ‘Blind Watchmaker’ to indirectly shape creatures in response to the constantly changing forces in their environment own, office design is anything but blind – at least it is when done intelligently and with insight. More →

Energy demand in offices should be cut by 60 percent, report claims

Energy demand in offices should be cut by 60 percent, report claims

Following a consultation exercise with industry and an analysis of the projected zero carbon energy capacity of the UK, UKGBC is recommending that the offices sector should reduce energy demand by an average of 60 percent by 2050 to help the UK achieve net zero. More →

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and we`re not ready for it

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and we`re not ready for it

fourth industrial revolution Cast your mind back a decade or so and consider how the future looked then. A public horizon of Obama-imbued “yes we can” and a high tide of hope and tolerance expressed in the London Olympics provides one narrative theme; underlying austerity-induced pressure another. Neither speaks directly to our current world of divisive partisan politics, toxic social media use, competing facts and readily believed fictions. More →

Other things being equal, this year will see the end of open plan and start of a four day week

Other things being equal, this year will see the end of open plan and start of a four day week

You’ll only get one prediction from me this year and that’s about how all of the other workplace predictions will be cut and paste jobs from the past three decades and more. If you want to take a cynical approach to the whole thing, you’ll find one from your humble servant here. Apart from that, if you only read one set of actual predictions for 2020 or even the Twenties (that’ll take some getting used to), then make it this from an author also jaded and burdened by too many glib pronouncements about work and workplaces in general and the annual parade of predictable predictions in particular. More →

From the archives: Is this the missing piece of the facilities management puzzle?

From the archives: Is this the missing piece of the facilities management puzzle? 0

facilities managementThe IFMA Foundation Workplace Summit of summer 2014 felt like an optimistic time for facilities management and the workspace industry. Heavyweights from the sector were asking searching questions about our organisational contribution, with thankfully less of the internally focused, debate-free hubris typical of much of the industry narrative. The newly announced (and now evidently historical) collaboration between BIFM and CIPD was in full swing, endorsed by social media savvy Twitterati under The Workplace Conversation banner. More →

Toyota to build prototype city of the future at base of Mount Fuji

Toyota to build prototype city of the future at base of Mount Fuji

Toyota city of the futureToyota has revealed plans to build a prototype city of the future on a 175-acre site at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. Announced at CES 2020, the global consumer technology show in Las Vegas, the Woven City will be a fully connected ecosystem, powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Envisioned as a “living laboratory,” the city will be home to full-time residents and researchers who will be able to test and develop technologies such as autonomy, robotics, personal mobility, smart homes and artificial intelligence in a real-world environment. More →

Cushman & Wakefield acquires French design & build firm

Cushman & Wakefield acquires French design & build firm

Commercial property firm  Cushman & Wakefield has announced its intention to acquire Réponse, a design & build contractor in France, subject to regulatory approvals. The deal is expected to complete early in 2020. The acquisition intends to ‘complement and strengthen Cushman & Wakefield’s business in France, adding in-house design & build capability alongside its existing services. More →