Search Results for: air quality

People are worried about the impact of new tech, but many feel confident it will benefit them

People are worried about the impact of new tech, but many feel confident it will benefit them

by • AI, News, Technology

With over a third (36 percent) of workers concerned about the impact of technological changes and what this might mean for them, a new report from Virgin Media O2 Business claims that many people believe new tech will offer them a better work-life balance. According to the report, the pandemic accelerated remote and hybrid work, mostly benefitting desk-based workers. Meanwhile, deskless workers like teachers, nurses and engineers saw limited long-term change despite many organisations comprising both types of workers. More →

The words we borrow from other languages to talk about work and wellbeing

The words we borrow from other languages to talk about work and wellbeing

by • News, Wellbeing

We are prone to borrow words from other languages to express ideas that otherwise need some explaining in English. This includes the way we talk about work, and specially the way we talk about wellbeing and happinessWe are prone to borrow nuanced words from other languages to express ideas that otherwise need some explaining in English. This includes the way we talk about work, and especially the way we talk about wellbeing and happiness. Perhaps most famously, there was a lot of talk about hygge a couple of years ago. A straight dictionary translation of hygge would be something like cosiness, but the word also embodies an emotion and an approach to life that embraces a certain degree of slowness and an enjoyment of the present moment. It’s no coincidence that it became modish in a distracted and hurried world. Although the concept is usually referred to as Danish, the word itself is shared with Norwegian, which also offers us the word koselig, which means cosiness but also hints at it being best enjoyed at a fireside. More →

Sedus office cube solutions: a symbiosis of proximity and distance

Sedus office cube solutions: a symbiosis of proximity and distance

by • Company news, Furniture

The office cube solution is one way of insulating people from interruptions and unwelcome noise. As an enclosed cubicle and thanks to its acoustically effective components, se:cube from Sedus can minimise acoustic and visual disruption.Open space concepts, flexibility and new working styles will continue to be defining characteristics of the office of the future. They offer a number of advantages by eroding entrenched structures and supporting collaboration and communication. When people work in close proximity, with flexible meetings and spontaneous exchanges, they are able to determine the shape of each working day. Employees are increasingly deciding for themselves where and how they can best manage their tasks. Concentrated individual work shifts seamlessly into collaborative work and teamwork precedes periods of retreat or relaxation. For certain tasks, focus, silence and a sense of distance from the outside environment are essential. The office cube solution is one way of insulating people from interruptions and unwelcome noise. As an enclosed cubicle and thanks to its acoustically effective components, se:cube from Sedus can minimise acoustic and visual disruption. More →

Biophilic office design has a clear business case, report claims

Biophilic office design has a clear business case, report claims

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

A new report, Reap What You Sow: Valuing Workplaces that Grow Good Ideas from PLP Labs sets out to explain the process of measuring and monetising the wellbeing and environmental value of biophilic office design.A new report, Reap What You Sow: Valuing Workplaces that Grow Good Ideas from PLP Labs sets out to explain the process of measuring and monetising the wellbeing and environmental value of biophilic office design. The report argues that in corporate real estate, the environment impacts the bottom line. PLP’s study – run in collaboration with academics from Loughborough University, the University of Reading, and Benholm claims to enable real estate clients to fairly evaluate the worth of investing in nature alongside other project costs. More →

Zürich named as world’s leading smart city in list dominated by Asia and Europe

Zürich named as world’s leading smart city in list dominated by Asia and Europe

by • Cities, News, Technology

Zürich has been named as the world’s leading smart city according to the latest annual Smart City Index published by IMD business schoolZürich has been named as the world’s leading smart city according to the latest annual Smart City Index published by IMD business school. Asian and European cities dominate this year’s top twenty. Among them, IMD names six “super champions” because they have been continuously improving their performance since 2019: Zürich, Oslo, Singapore, Beijing, Seoul and Hong Kong. More →

BCO announces overhaul of specification guide

BCO announces overhaul of specification guide

by • News, Property, Workplace design

BCO specification guideThe British Council for Offices (BCO), has released a position paper proposing updated key design criteria, as part of its most recognised publication, the BCO Guide to Specification. The guide, which is normally published every 4 or 5 years, provides expert best practice advice on how to specify office space, helping industry practitioners provide space that meets the needs of occupiers, helping them to conduct their business in safe, healthy, comfortable, and productive workspaces. More →

BCO honours the best workplaces in South of England and South Wales

BCO honours the best workplaces in South of England and South Wales

by • News, Property

BCO South West AwardsSix South of England and South Wales workplaces have been recognised at the annual British Council for Offices’ (BCO) Regional Awards. The South of England and South Wales Awards Dinner returned in-person at We the Curious at Bristol Harbourside, recognising the highest quality developments in the South of England and South Wales and setting the standard for excellence in the office sector across the UK. More →

British Council for Offices honours the North’s best workplaces at annual Regional Awards

British Council for Offices honours the North’s best workplaces at annual Regional Awards

by • News, Property, Workplace design

Six workplaces across the North of England and Northern Ireland have been recognised at the annual British Council for Offices (BCO) Regional Awards today. The Northern BCO Awards dinner returned in-person to the Kimpton Clocktower in Manchester, recognising the North’s highest quality developments and setting the standard for excellence in the office sector across the UK. More →

Facilities Managers should be seen as stewards of corporate culture

Facilities Managers should be seen as stewards of corporate culture

by • Comment, Facilities management

hybrid working facilities managersThe pandemic has irrevocably changed the way we work. Once considered a place simply to do business, the office is fast becoming a ‘lifestyle choice’ among young people who value more than just a desk. Instead, they want an engaging, healthy, and resilient working environment where they can socialise, make friends, and build connections to help their career and wellbeing thrive. In fact, an EY study found that 90 percent of Generation-Z value the human connection in the workplace above salary when it comes to their at-work communication. A recent Gallup survey even found a tangible link between having a best friend at work and productivity: those who have a best friend in the office are twice as likely to be engaged in their role and company. More →

The compadre of teleworking, with Jack Nilles

The compadre of teleworking, with Jack Nilles

by • Features, Flexible working, Podcasts

teleworking Jack NillesIn episode four of Workplace Geeks, Chris and Ian cross seven time zones to learn from the father of teleworking and environmental activist, Jack Nilles, about the multi-disciplinary research project that led to his 1976 book ‘The Telecommunications-Transportation Trade-off: Options for Tomorrow’. Teleworking has been proven to be an effective and valued part of hybrid working solutions since the 1970s. The barriers to implementation are rarely, if ever, technological or economic: they are cultural, often specifically managerial, and always have been. Despite this, tried and tested change methodologies can overcome these challenges. Now, more than ever, we need to embrace the many benefits of teleworking, not just for organizational and personal gain, but also as part of our strategies to address the climate emergency. More →

New RICS framework aims to “put people at heart of commercial property”

New RICS framework aims to “put people at heart of commercial property”

by • Flexible working, News, Property

commercial property and peopleA new framework from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has been designed to improve building use, support flexible working and put people at the heart of decision making about commercial property. RICS says the International Building Operation Standard will provide organisations an interactive easy-to-use framework, supported by an assessment tool, to measure and benchmark building performance, by collecting consistent data to satisfy the latest needs of occupiers, investors, advisors and end users. More →

Councils can meet net zero targets with help of building renovation

Councils can meet net zero targets with help of building renovation

by • Environment, News, Property

Public Sector Estate and net zeroThe UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), together with the World Green Building Council, several European Green Building Councils, Climate Alliance and the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, has published a framework to support cities and local authorities to measure the impacts and wider benefits of building retrofit as a way of meeting their net zero targets. More →

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