Search Results for: society

While most people feel they belong at work, many also complain about being silenced

While most people feel they belong at work, many also complain about being silenced

Although two thirds of people feel a sense of belonging in the workplace, half also think they are unable to share their opinions freely at workAlthough two thirds of people feel a sense of belonging in the workplace, half also think they are unable to share their opinions freely at work, according to a a new poll of 4,500 individuals working for large organisations around the world and commissioned by facilities management firm ISS. While the poll found that 69 percent of workers do feel a sense of belonging at work, it also discovered that feelings of not belonging were linked to “decreased productivity, worsened mental health and an increased risk of employee turnover”. More →

Most people now at risk of poor mental health as a result of social exclusion

Most people now at risk of poor mental health as a result of social exclusion

More than half of people in the UK have experienced social exclusion in the past year, leading to poor mental health and wellbeingMore than half of people in the UK have experienced social exclusion in the past year, leading to poor mental health and wellbeing, according to a new report from BUPA in partnership with ParalympicsGB. The poll suggests that 58 per cent of British people have felt excluded at some point in the past year – leading them to feel shut out when going about their daily life (28 percent), at work (27 percent) or within society (24 percent). Bupa’s survey also claims that 30 per cent of people have felt a negative impact on their general mental health due to their experience of social exclusion, with many left feeling isolated (41 percent), sad (41 percent) and anxious (33 percent). More →

Works roundtable explores the changing face of wellbeing and how to deliver it

Works roundtable explores the changing face of wellbeing and how to deliver it

we looked to lift the lid on the strategies used to foster wellbeing, productivity, and employee satisfaction in the workplace

The first day of Clerkenwell Design Week also marked the first birthday of Works, and we celebrated with a number of industry friends at the Goswell Road showroom of Andreu World. Before we could enjoy a birthday drink, however, we had to earn it, and did so by hosting a panel discussion on the subject of Designing Wellbeing at Work. Together with our elite panel of industry greats – comprising Alice Aldous – Associate at Squire and Partners, Beatriz Gonzalez – Director at Scott Brownrigg, Chris Crawford – Studio Director and Senior Associate at Gensler and Alejandro Pardo – North Europe Area Manager for our generous hosts, Andreu World – we looked to lift the lid on the strategies used to foster wellbeing, productivity, and employee satisfaction in the workplace. More →

Lockdown continues to affect people’s mental wellbeing

Lockdown continues to affect people’s mental wellbeing

The Covid lockdowns have left a lasting impact on our mental wellbeing, according to recent polling and an academic studyThe Covid lockdowns have left a lasting impact on our mental wellbeing, according to recent polling and an academic study. Events company Hyve Group has partnered with Barbara Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge, to uncover the ways in which the pandemic has transformed our brains and how it has impacted our working lives. The study claims to highlight the significance of in-person professional social interactions and their essential role in rebuilding lost connections. More →

Most people don’t worry that they are about to be replaced by artificial intelligence

Most people don’t worry that they are about to be replaced by artificial intelligence

Most people don't worry that they are about to be replaced by artificial intelligence, a new report claims. Artificial intelligenceDespite all of the recent debate around the rapidly increasing abilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a new poll from ID Crypt Global, suggests that more than 80 percent of people have no concern that the technology is going to replace them in the workplace. Thanks to the recent rise of Chat GPT and other rival chatbots, the debate around AI has heated up with people all over the world debating both the good and bad of allowing autonomous technology into our lives, homes, and workplaces. More →

Work-related stress costing UK economy £28bn a year

Work-related stress costing UK economy £28bn a year

New data and economic modelling from AXA UK and Centre for Business and Economic Research (Cebr) claims that people are struggling with burnout and work-related stressNew data and economic modelling from AXA UK and Centre for Business and Economic Research (Cebr) claims that people are struggling with burnout and work-related stress, with an estimated £28bn lost last year due to poor mental health at work. The majority of this cost is due to loss of working days because of stress, burnout and general poor mental health, with businesses losing 23.3m working days as a result of these issues.  More →

Leesman partners with MIT Center for Real Estate to explore long term impact of hybrid working

Leesman partners with MIT Center for Real Estate to explore long term impact of hybrid working

Workplace analyst Leesman has joined the MIT Center for Real Estate (MIT/CRE) as a Strategic Partner and will be working with its Real Estate Transformation Lab to examine issues related to hybrid workingWorkplace analyst Leesman has joined the MIT Center for Real Estate (MIT/CRE) as a Strategic Partner and will be working with its Real Estate Transformation Lab to examine issues related to hybrid working. This collaboration will support Leesman’s three year investigation into the impact of hybrid working on people, places and societies.  The Leesman project, entitled ‘The Hybrid Future’, will survey over 10,000 participants from around the world, to explore the impact of hybrid working on everything from productivity, diversity and urban centres to the environment, wellbeing and even our love lives. With 24 surveys set to be issued every six weeks, the volume and diversity of data, length of study, and breadth of topic range, make The Hybrid Future the most comprehensive study of hybrid working ever conducted. More →

Lighting is just as important for those working from home as it is in the office

Lighting is just as important for those working from home as it is in the office

Working from home now constitutes a part of many office workers' lives so the latest revision to The Society of Light and Lighting Guide  now includes guidance for those creating an office in their homeWorking from home now constitutes a part of many office workers’ lives so the latest revision to The Society of Light and Lighting Guide  now includes guidance for those creating an office in their home through the conversion of a bedroom or other room. This revision to The Society of Light and Lighting’s Lighting Guide 7: Lighting for Offices [paywall] is the most significant in a long time. Not because of the amount of information that has changed or been introduced, but because home working now constitutes a part of many office workers’ lives. Such a dramatic change for many could not have been foreseen when the previous edition of LG7 was published. More →

The rise of the pods shows how the workplace pendulum swings

The rise of the pods shows how the workplace pendulum swings

Workplace designers removed the walls. And the furniture industry is selling them back to us; now portable and demountable.Long before the office died (I read its obituary in several publications) there were hotly contested debates about open plan offices. That is of course before those debates were eclipsed by more current workplace rantings (ask the editor). Skimming through the open-plan office timeline, Herman Miller launched action office, L-shaped desks with screens became shared benches, and decades later tech brands rolled out efficient open-plan workspaces around the globe, with Facebook creating the biggest open-plan office of all time with 2,800 employees. Gulp. Open plan officer workers and workplace professionals moaned about acoustics, stress, and more recently, germs in large open workspaces. More →

What happens to work when the machine stops?

What happens to work when the machine stops?

Newton at work

In 1909, E M Forster – not exactly known for a body of work including dystopian fiction – published a novella called The Machine Stops. You can read it here but the story describes a future in which people live below ground, in isolation but with all their needs met by an omnipresent Machine (you can see where this is going). More →

People will leave jobs that don’t align with their values, author claims

People will leave jobs that don’t align with their values, author claims

Pay and benefits are no longer the only critical factors in deciding where to work, with a majority citing their employers’ values (80 percent) and commitment to the environment (76 percent) and social equality (75 percent) as key criteria, claims a survey commissioned by advocate and author Paul Polman. More →

Childhood’s end for work and the need for a grown-up conversation about it

Childhood’s end for work and the need for a grown-up conversation about it

Arthur C Clarke’s finest novel Childhood’s End is the story of an Earth that is invaded by a force of alien Overlords. This is not a destructive colonial invasion, which is why there’s no Hollywood blockbuster in the tale, but a seemingly benevolent intervention which ushers in a golden age for humanity. Although humankind initially does not get to meet the Overlords in person (for reasons I won’t give away here), the aliens unite the world’s governments, eradicate crime, conflict and the nation state and do away with the need for creativity and hard work. It is the literal end of history.

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