August 8, 2023
As industrial action continues to affect travel and commuting for millions of people across the UK, office workers have been seeking alternative from which to work. In addition to relatively conventional adopted work spaces, such as coffee shops and cafes (24 percent), more than one in ten (11 percent) people could be logging on from their local pub according to the poll from Uswitch.com. More →
July 27, 2023
Over the last few years there has been something of a loud and widespread backlash to the idea that we need to have constant access to information and our colleagues to work effectively. The touchstone for this pushback is of course the open plan office which has become something of a scapegoat for the universal problem of interruption and distraction and a renewed interest in the complexities of acoustics in office design. It is also one of the main reasons people prefer to work anywhere other than offices some or all of the time. More →
July 27, 2023
An analysis of the UK serviced office market from Sirius Property Finance, claims that while the sector is set to grow by 17 percent in 2023, a growing appetite for remote working means it is still struggling to match its pre-pandemic highs. More →
July 12, 2023
If there were an algorithm to create a word cloud in response to searches for ‘What millennials want in the workplace?’, you’d expect to see Google spew out terms such as ‘flexibility’, ‘meaning’, ‘fairness’, ‘equality’, ‘inclusivity’, ‘opportunity’, ‘connections’, ‘socialising’ and ‘experience’. Do the same with ‘Gen Z’ replacing ‘millennials’ and – guess what – you’ll see the exact same word cloud, although perhaps in a different colour and order so you don’t think it’s based on the same homogeneous assumptions about younger generations. More →
July 11, 2023
Even though people who belong to so-called Generation Z are often described as digital natives, it is actually ‘Baby Boomers’ who are most focussed on workplace technology, a new poll claims. The report from interior design and fit-out business Claremont claims that firms are having to work increasingly hard to address the needs and priorities of different workplace generations. It claims that Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) want better technology in the office to help them be more productive. They also want more face-to-face collaboration and team spirit more than any other generation. More →
June 28, 2023
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 →
June 21, 2023
A recent survey conducted among LABS members shows that the physical office space still has a valuable place in the mindset of how they want to work. More than seven in ten of those questioned said the office is a strategic device for their businesses, and more than 74 percent of members questioned use the office for two days or more per week.
However, working culture is still developing rapidly following the pandemic and its government-mandated full time working-from-home set up, with employers and employees carefully navigating a path that tees up with company expectations as well as staff’s desire to work remotely for part of the week, which in some cases allows them to better deal with issues such as child or elder care or just attain a better work/life balance. Companies are clearly grappling with the complexities of managing diverse teams with varying needs and preferences. The seniority of employees and their distinct working styles play a crucial role in determining the feasibility and desirability of remote work.
While the Office for National Statistics reveals that 40 percent of civil servants in the UK are still working from home there is a definite flip side in the private sector. In the spring of this year, Bloomberg reported that, following a large-scale layoff programme in the tech sector, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has asked its staff to “find more opportunities to work with your colleagues in person.” This is the latest in a long line of high-profile firms to reverse their work-from-home policies including Starbucks and Walt Disney Co. Other firms in the pro-return to the office camp include Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Apple, and Peloton with the CEO of JP Morgan stating that he doesn’t believe working from home works for managers or younger members of staff. Bloomberg itself has set a minimum presence in the office of three days per week.
Amazon too has a thrice weekly attendance policy which kicked in last month in light of CEO Andy Jassy saying on the firm’s blog that “There is something about being face-to-face with somebody, looking them in the eye and seeing they’re fully immersed in whatever you’re discussing that bonds people together.” General Motors’ management shares Amazon’s three days per week requirement which came into force at the beginning of 2023, which some staff took as a U-turn in company policy from encouraging colleagues to ‘Work Appropriately’.
Making the office the destination of choice
As well as incentives such as free food and drinks, access to facilities including gyms and opportunities to come together at work socials, the chairman of PwC believes that AI has its part to play in luring people from their home offices. The Times recently reported that Kevin Ellis thinks that as people feel pressure from the capabilities of the likes of Chat GPT, they are more likely to want to be in the office near colleagues they can collaborate and learn from.
In a company-wide presentation, the professional services giant explained to staff how AI has the potential to fast-track trainees by a couple of years but with that accelerated knowledge base comes a responsibility to be able to coach and manage others that traditionally would have taken place over a longer period. Ellis said at the time that “people are going to want to learn from others face-to-face and the best way a human can differentiate themselves from a robot is in person.”
It’s fair to say then that the mood may well be shifting from the ‘work from anywhere’ easy come easy go attitudes of 2021 and last year. As companies continue to navigate the choppy waters of political unease in Ukraine, the continuing impact of Brexit and the worldwide inflation rates not to mention the global cost of living crisis so they are increasingly calling for near full-time attendance, symbolising a return to pre-pandemic norms, to stay competitive.
Being present in the office has many well-documented advantages such as fostering creativity, encouraging and engendering a sense of culture. And there are positive signs among LABS members too, with over three quarters of them enjoying working from the office most of the time with over half citing colleague relationships as the most important aspect of an office, up by 4 percent year on year.
Given the aforementioned global political uncertainty and economic strife, flexibility and choice for occupiers as well as employees are key components of our current work culture. In this way, workplace strategies can easily shift to address sudden changes. Which is where LABS’ turnkey solutions, available in various shapes and sizes, come in with flexible tenancy arrangements and inspiring amenities. In this way LABS can help optimise a workplace model that works for everyone.
June 20, 2023
I recently received a copy of the book Office Shock by ‘prominent futurists’ Bob Johansen, Joseph Press and Christine Bullen. Described as a guide to creating better futures for working and living, the book imagines the future of work and the workplace. While reading a passage aimed at leaders, I was suddenly aware that a number of the words were simultaneously being spoken aloud in the background. There was a break in the cricket I had been watching that morning (cricket has a few of these breaks!) and the England captain, Ben Stokes, was being interviewed about his own leadership style. More →
June 16, 2023
Daily monitoring can lead to remote workers feeling that their managers have less trust in them, research from NEOMA Business School reveals. Birgit Schyns, Distinguished Professor of People and Organisations at NEOMA, co-authored a study analysing survey data on 450 employees at UK-based firms. According to the researchers, when working from home, employees can feel that they have less autonomy and are under constant surveillance if monitored too frequently. These feelings can be exacerbated if managers’ behaviour is unpredictable, they say. More →
June 14, 2023
A new poll suggests a workplace jargon language barrier may be driving a wedge between generations, with half (48 percent) of Millennials and Gen-Z saying it makes them feel less involved in the workplace. The research from LinkedIn and Duolingo claims that jargon such as “blue sky thinking”, “move the needle on a deadline”, or “circling back to take something offline” is off-putting for younger workers, as 69 percent say their colleagues use too much jargon at work. More →
June 13, 2023
The 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 →
July 31, 2023
Digital nomads are starting to price out local communities around the world
by Dave Cook • Cities, Comment, Flexible working