April 3, 2023

NeoCon announces impressive growth ahead of its 2023 edition

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Events

The organisers of NeoCon have announced that seven new brands have signed on for permanent showrooms at the show’s venue THE MART in Chicago. Anda number of companies are extending their leases ahead of the 2023 edition of NeoCon, the leading commercial design trade show, which takes place from the 12th to the 14th of June. The brisk leasing activity, alongside a roster of new exhibitors, and a milestone building renovation project helmed by Gensler Chicago, reinforces THE MART as an important strategic hub for both emerging and established brands based in the US and abroad. More →

March 23, 2023

American employees spend 200 hours a year watching adult sites on their work computer

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

American employees are wasting hundreds of contracted work hours a year using their work equipment for personal tasks and activities, according to a new survey from ExpressVPN. The survey, conducted by the consumer privacy and security company, found that some people are spending only 33 percent of annual contracted hours on work tasks. With a steep rise in hybrid and home working in recent years, many companies have provided employees with work devices to use in the comfort of their own homes, including work laptops, desktops, phones, and microphones. More →

March 15, 2023

The UK workplace sector reacts to the Spring Budget 2023

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News, Property, Workplace

Today the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt presented his Spring Budget to the House of Commons. In it he announced what her referred to as his ‘four pillars’ of industrial and productivity strategy, namely: ‘Enterprise’, ‘Employment’, ‘Education’, and ‘Everywhere’. Perhaps the headline element of this announcement was the creation of twelve new investment zones across the UK as well as incentives for older workers to return to the country’s patchy workforce. This includes£63m for programmes to encourage retirees over 50 back to work, “returnerships” and ‘skills boot camps’. Another headline for the workplace sector was the offer of improved childcare arrangements, especially for the parents of very young children, who will see 30 hours of free childcare expanded to include one and two-year-olds. More →

March 9, 2023

More than one in three Americans fear artificial intelligence could take their jobs

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

A survey of 3,000 employees across the United States has shed light on the extent to which workers are concerned about the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on their job security. The research, carried out by FreelanceWritingJobs.com, claims that just over 1 in 3 (35 percent) Americans are worried about the possibility of AI making their professions redundant. More →

March 9, 2023

Connection launches Paulo range for new generation of workplace lounges

by Freddie Steele • Company news

British furniture maker Connection has launched its new Paulo range to meet the growing demand for striking, adaptable workplace lounges as part of the new ecosystem of work. Inspired by the classics of mid 20th Century design, the new range offers an unmistakeably timeless response to a very contemporary challenge; how to make the office the best choice for people who can now work anywhere. More →

March 2, 2023

Best of NeoCon 2023 awards submissions are now open

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Events

The organisers of NeoCon have announced that the submissions portal for the 2023 edition of the Best of NeoCon competition is now open. A NeoCon tradition since 1990, the competition garners hundreds of product entries each year as exhibitors vie for one of the Best of NeoCon awards. Now in its 33rd year, the program will recognise the best new products in 56 categories spanning a range of verticals including workplace, healthcare, hospitality, and education sectors. New for 2023, entries will be considered for a Business Impact Award, in addition to honours for Gold, Silver, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Best of Competition. More →

February 20, 2023

Unlocking the digital frontier: hiring the next generation of tech talent

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace

Any business that is looking to grow its consumer base or expand into new markets is likely to be relying on digital technology to a greater extent than ever before both in their operations and management. This also means that the world of employment, both for workers and enterprises, is necessarily evolving too. An inevitable consequence of this evolution has been that those for whom technology has been an essential part of their life and education — so-called digital natives — are in growing demand. More →

February 13, 2023

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

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing

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.

February 8, 2023

Herman Miller launches height-adjustable tables for home and office use

by Freddie Steele • News, Workplace design

Height-adjustable tables have become a staple in the home and office environment, offering users variety and comfort regardless of the tasks at hand. These pieces offer immense flexibility, but what if that flexibility could be pushed even further? What if a table could naturally provide more mobility, agility and range, broadening its multi-use capabilities—creating an instant workspace? Herman Miller’s Passport Work Table, the brand’s newest table offering, is designed to do all of that—all while keeping space prioritization top of mind. More →

January 17, 2023

A workplace for entrepreneurial mindsets to thrive should be your goal

by John Mullins • Business, Comment

These days it seems like everyone is looking to become more entrepreneurial. It’s a word that’s often used by big companies on the hunt for innovative thinkers and new ways of doing things. But sadly, the workplace doesn’t always work for those with entrepreneurial minds. It is too rigid, too hierarchical, too conventional. Entrepreneurs, by nature, are rule-breakers, always looking for new opportunities and fresh ideas that could change the world. From my research, they differ from other businesspeople in some fundamental ways – six ways, to be exact. More →

December 13, 2022

Getting past the uncertainty of GDP to find something better

by George Muir • Business, Comment, Everything Omni, Wellbeing

The other night, my fourteen-year-old daughter was revising for her Economics exam, and we discussed the Swedish Economic Model and its relevance in our own age of uncertainty. According to the International Monetary Fund, Sweden’s national debt to GDP ratio has fallen chiefly since 1995. We proceeded to discuss the term Gross National Product (GDP). GDP measures the monetary value of final goods and services produced in a country in a given period of time over three months or a year. More →

December 7, 2022

Growing numbers of young people feel alienated by jobs market

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

New research from City & Guilds suggests that the odds are being stacked against young people’s futures and career aspirations – particularly the most disadvantaged. Following a trend of chronically high youth unemployment, the poll of 5,000 18-24-year-olds living in the UK claims that 13 percent are currently unemployed (not in work or studying) and a further 3 percent are economically inactive – equating to approximately 859,000 young adults out of work and education across the UK. More →