November 6, 2023
What does it take to make hybrid working a success? Many workplace leaders are asking themselves this question as real estate portfolios shrink and companies struggle to get employees back in the office. The answer is a data-powered framework for making high-impact workplace decisions like: how much space workplaces actually need; how workplaces should be designed; and what hybrid working policies should look like. More →
November 6, 2023
The ongoing challenges that come from balancing childcare with work have forced over 249,124 working mothers of children aged 4 or under to leave their employer due to a lack of childcare support, according to new research. The new report from Totaljobs and the Fawcett Society, Paths to parenthood: Uplifting new mothers at work, claims to demonstrate the disproportionate impact childcare responsibilities have on women and their careers. More →
November 6, 2023
As part of their ongoing commitment to doubling their UK revenue, Norwegian office furniture giant Flokk have further strengthened their presence in Clerkenwell, London with the expansion of their showroom. Previously the sole home of Flokk brand Connection, 31 Great Sutton Street has been expanded with the addition of a new floor to support the integration of all Flokk brands: HÅG, Profim, RH, OFFECCT and Giroflex. The reimagined space, which now spans across three floors, totalling 6,000sqft, has been curated as an experiential design centre for colleagues and guests to provide a unique space to showcase a series of work settings with products across the whole Flokk portfolio ‘House of Brands.’ More →
November 3, 2023
Miller Knoll has introduced a new framework that helps organisations uncover the purpose of their workplace. The approach addresses the human needs of employees to improve their wellbeing, fosters a sense of community and connection, and helps organisations navigate, prepare, and design for change. The firm sets out its thinking here. More →
October 31, 2023
We are highly sensitive to people around us. As infants, we observe our parents and teachers, and from them we learn how to walk, talk, read – and use smartphones. There seems to be no limit to the complexity of behaviour we can acquire from observational learning. More →
October 26, 2023
A new report from wellbeing consultancy Robertson Cooper claims to have debunked the accepted wisdom which classifies all instances of working whilst unwell as ‘presenteeism’. The authors argue that this paves the way for a change in how organisations manage employee ill health and its relationship with productivity and absence. The research, which included consultation of the existing research on presenteeism and analysis of new data collected by the firm, categorises three types of working whilst unwell, only one of which it says should be classed as presenteeism and eradicated from businesses. More →
October 23, 2023
British workers who come into the office every day to work now outnumber those who spend part of the week working from home, for the first time since the end of pandemic restrictions, according to a new survey from recruitment firm Hays. Of nearly 15,000 white-collar staff and employers who took part in the poll last month, around 43 per cent said they were now working entirely from the office, up from 36 per cent a year earlier. Meanwhile the proportion of people who said they spend some time working from home, fell to 39 per cent from 43 per cent in 2022. Fewer than one in five now work entirely remotely. More →
October 19, 2023
Caleb Parker, the high profile Founder of Bold has announced the launch of Brave Corporation, a “next generation” real estate company that aims to “bridge the gap between office supply and demand to mitigate the rise of stranded assets amongst the world’s largest asset class”. Brave Corporation will work with investors to “reposition buildings to meet ESG standards and dynamic customer demand” before they risk becoming “stranded”. The company says it will target and reposition assets in high demand markets with space-as-a-service led asset management strategies. More →
October 16, 2023
Feuding and conflicting colleagues account for nearly half (47 percent) of all workplace grievances, according to a new poll from employment law and HR consultancy firm, WorkNest. Nearly four in ten (38 percent) businesses believe this is down to employees becoming less tolerant, with factors such as mental health and stress (24 percent) and organisational change (24 percent) also suspected to be contributing to conflict between employees or between employees and line managers. More →
October 13, 2023
One of the unintended consequences of the era of online meetings is a chance to gain an insight into people’s actual lives. So it is that as Despina Katsikakis and I are talking, she spots my whippet Luna wandering into shot in the background and lets out an exclamation. She too has a whippet by her feet. And as a result, this abnormal, formal situation becomes a lot more normal and relaxed. More →
October 12, 2023
Remote and hybrid workers are being excluded in the workplace, according to a new poll from workingmums.co.uk. Figures from the organisation’s annual survey suggest that 43 percent of mothers who work remotely feel they have been overlooked for promotion and work opportunities, whilst almost a third (29 percent) say they don’t feel fully included at work. The research also reveals that whilst pay is now the biggest retention driver for mums, flexible working comes in a close second, significantly more important than both benefits and rights. Almost three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) say flexible working is a deal breaker in taking a new job, and over half (52 percent) have turned down a position due to lack of flexibility. More →
October 16, 2023
London Real Estate Forum makes the right noises, but will be judged on action
by Helen Parton • Comment, Events, Property