December 12, 2022
A new poll from Barco claims that a third of people who mostly work in the office found it easier to tell when a colleague is overworked or stressed when seeing them face to face, leaving some remote workers at risk of struggling under the radar of management teams. This comes as over a quarter of staff report experiencing burnout over chronic work-related stress that has not been managed successfully. More →
December 11, 2022
Lambeth is set for London’s biggest increase in sustainable office space over the next decade with an estimated six million square feet of extra space for business set to be created. A report commissioned by Lambeth Council details this expansion, how it supports the borough’s growth priorities and delivers space fit for the future of work. The report ‘Lambeth: The Future of Sustainable Work’ sets out how expansion supports the council’s bold ambitions to foster well-paid jobs in growth sectors for the borough’s young people, to achieve its Net Zero by 2030 outcome and to create an environment for local entrepreneurs to flourish. More →
December 2, 2022
A new poll claims that ‘hybrid employees’ in the UK are worried about how healthy their work environments are as we approach the winter season, with 53 percent saying they’re concerned poor air quality and ventilation will impact their general health, rising to 70 percent amongst London-based hybrid workers. The survey of 2,000 UK people by OnePoll, on behalf of Infogrid, claims that hybrid workers are facing a Catch-22 moment as we enter the colder months; balancing worries over the cost of working from home with concerns about their own wellbeing in the office as a result of poor indoor air quality. More →
November 28, 2022
KI has confirmed that Postura+ will begin its transition to a product for the circular economy, with all one-piece chairs manufactured from December 2022 set to contain at least 30 percent recycled polypropylene. Following over 3 years of trials and testing, this achievement sets an important milestone on KI’s journey towards taking a leading position in the circular economy. Over the coming years, KI will work towards increasing this percentage to future milestones 50, 80 and ultimately 100 percent, bringing all standard colours into line with the increasingly popular Jet Black chairs which are already made with 100 percent recycled content. More →
November 28, 2022
Positive interventions that distract us from difficult tasks actually help to reduce our stress levels, according to new research published in the Journal Work & Stress. The study, conducted by an international team of researchers at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management and Trinity Business School suggests that short positive work distractions can help people to overcome daily demands like dealing with annoying emails or the tasks they dread. In turn, this allows them to be more engaged, creative, and helpful toward their coworkers. More →
November 28, 2022
Office furniture giant Herman Miller has launched its iconic Aeron Chair in Europe with ocean-bound plastic (OBP) in all available colours. This change builds upon the momentum created by the successful introduction of ocean-bound plastic in Aeron exclusively for Onyx, the ultra-black shade, in September 2021. the Herman Miller Aeron with ocean-bound plastic is now available in a harmonious colour palette which centres on elements pulled from the earth. Onyx is a dramatic ultra-black shade, Graphite is a distinctive dark grey, Carbon is a balanced neutral that works equally well in warm and cool environments, and Mineral is the lightest shade illuminating Aeron’s finer points, ideal for open floor plans and spaces. More →
November 21, 2022
The Workspace Design Show returns for the second time, unveiling an exciting speaker line-up as part of its 2023 edition. Taking place once again at London’s Business Design Centre, the show brings together the UK’s workplace interiors community to explore the experience of tomorrow’s workspaces. The show will take place from 27- 28 February 2023, with the theme being Destination Workplace: Places Where People Want To Be. One of the highlights from the inaugural 2022 edition was the Show’s talks programme, which was well received by the workplace design community. More →
November 17, 2022
A new report from the UK’s Department for Education claims that over half of adults in England (52 percent) would consider developing a portfolio career if they had more confidence in their own abilities. The figure rises to 71 percent for those working in HR, and 45 percent of workers would do so if they suffered less from so-called imposter syndrome. The research comes as the Department for Education launched a new campaign earlier this year calling for skilled workers to pass on their valuable experience by teaching in further education (FE). The campaign promotes the flexibility of teaching part-time in FE, enabling industry professionals to ‘change lives without changing careers’ by passing on their work-based skills and knowledge to the next generation of learners in their field alongside their current job. More →
November 10, 2022
BDP has published its results for the financial year ended 30 June 2022. The practice achieved revenues of £136.6m and an operating profit of £13.2m. The multidisciplinary practice won a number of prestigious projects in the financial year and expanded into new locations by establishing new presences in New York, Lima and Edinburgh to create a network of integrated, collaborative studios with global reach. The organisation’s employee numbers have also returned to pre-pandemic levels as it welcomed talented people back to its workplaces across the globe. More →
November 4, 2022
Corporate real estate business confidence and expectations of profitability have dropped to a low level, reflecting widespread industry concerns across an array of indicators for the business, political and real estate environments. Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2023 is the twentieth annual survey by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and PwC UK of European real estate sector leaders’ expectations for the year ahead. Based on the views of around 900 real estate leaders from across Europe, the report claims that 91 percent concerned about inflation, closely followed by interest rate movements (89 percent) and European economic growth (88 percent). Political uncertainty at the global, regional and national levels are of high concern as well. More →
October 26, 2022
The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has launched a new industry guide on ‘Climate Change Resilience in the Built Environment’, collating effective and practical steps that can be taken on a building, community and city scale in order to adapt and build resilience to the changing climate. Under the inevitable impacts of climate change, which are affecting at least 85 percent of the world’s population, bringing acute hazards such as droughts, rising sea levels, heat waves and floods increasing frequency and severity, resilience action is essential to build community capacity to survive and thrive in our built environments. More →
October 25, 2022
An idea that has never really gone away, but which seems to be enjoying a new lease of life is the tabula rasa. The conception of people as a blank slate is something a that has crept back into mainstream political and social thought for a variety of reasons. Arguably, it is also behind many of the most misleading notions about work and workplace design, perhaps most importantly that a change to some single element or characteristic of a working environment will lead to a specific outcome in the behaviour of people. More →
