January 22, 2024

Woven Image adds five new colours to its acoustic offering

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Furniture

The allure of the natural world is the inspiration for Woven Image’s extended colour palette with 5 new colours: dusk, mint, butter, cayenne and nutmeg. By embracing the ongoing evolution of colour and textural finishes in the built environment, these portfolio refreshments from Woven Image support interior designers and architects to deliver sustainable, acoustic solutions that evoke moods of relaxation and happiness through clever function and aesthetics. (more…)

January 21, 2024

Senator Group opens new showroom in Dubai

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Furniture

Dubai has long been the destination of choice to showcase the most iconic of British Designs, and now it is the home to The Senator Group’s newest showroom. The 3700 square foot space is nestled in Dubai’s Marina Plaza, a 28-story tower with panoramic views of the marina, city, and desert. Visitors to the showroom will fully experience, ‘The Social Office’, which blends the Senator and Allermuir brands to create a fluid and flexible contemporary working space. The concept was developed to address the challenges of every organisation, how can we align people and space efficiently, to nurture productivity and culture? How can we create human-centred environments with the right mix of focus, privacy, and collaboration? (more…)

January 18, 2024

Workplace piffle, humane design and throwing away the blank slate

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The piece I wrote on workplace bullshit came in for quite a bit of attention when it was published and also meant I was pointed to this excellent article on how to spot it when you see it. Lots is said about the skills we’ll need to cope with the challenges of the current Century, but this is perhaps one of the most important. Especially trying to spot it in ourselves. Paradoxically, but understandably, we already seem reasonably able to spot it in our politicians and other people we don’t quite trust. (more…)

January 12, 2024

Landscaping is undergoing its own tech revolution

by Phil Lucas • Company news, Environment

We are living through a revolution in automation in landscaping. It is amazing to see how robots equipped with advanced sensors and imaging technologies are now redefining precision in landscaping design and implementation. Drones, for instance, provide an aerial perspective, enabling designers to visualise and plan landscapes with unprecedented accuracy. These tools help optimise the placement of plants, pathways, and other elements, ensuring that every inch of the landscape is utilised efficiently. (more…)

December 18, 2023

For all its flaws, COP28 still gives us a route to a greener future

by Anna King • Company news, Environment

As COP28 drew to a close, it gave those attending or observing from around the world the chance to reflect on the global commitments towards building a greener future. The UAE played host to two weeks of debate over climate change as COP28 recently rolled into town. While some questioned this region’s suitability – it being a centre of the fossil fuel industry – perhaps there is an argument to be made that this is exactly where you should hold it – to bring the issues into sharp relief. (more…)

December 8, 2023

Ten years of Insight and a few things I think I know (one of our most read pieces this year)

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

This website started in late 2012 as a way for me to explore both a new media format and a new way of thinking about work and workplaces. I’d already been active in various roles in the workplace, design and facilities sector for twenty odd years, but needed a new challenge. And this was it. I was going for a ride with an idea to see where it went. (more…)

December 5, 2023

New academic research identifies the four emotional stages of your career. Spoiler – it ends in disillusion

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Lawyers progress through four distinct emotional stages in their fight to get to the top and secure a coveted partnership role, according to new research from the University of Bath’s School of Management. The study of UK legal professionals showed they progressed from excitement and anticipation at the start of their career, followed by fear and anxiety as they pursue promotion, to pride and joy at having secured a senior post, and finally experiencing disillusionment and disappointment at the lack of further change. (more…)

November 27, 2023

To agility and beyond: what NASA can teach us about strategic change

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News

A new research project from ESMT Berlin and Warwick Business School sets out to find what the history of NASA history can teach organisations about strategic agility, and how organisations can adapt their business models effectively to cater to external challenges. To shed light on how strategic agility is achieved, the study follows NASA’s successful shifts to three different strategic alignments over the past 60 years. (more…)

November 23, 2023

Half of work related illness is down to stress, depression or anxiety

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

Nearly two million workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, according the latest annual statistical report from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive. The statistics reveal that 1.8 million workers reported they were suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, with approximately half of the cases down to stress, depression or anxiety. In the recent years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of self-reported work-related ill health had been broadly flat, but the current rate is higher than 2018/19. (more…)

November 22, 2023

Business leaders who screw up struggle to own up and learn from their mistakes

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

Leaders making mistakes can be costly not only to the organisation, but also to their own job security, which makes it difficult for them to admit when there’s been an error. However, new research from emlyon business school shows that there are some techniques CEOs can use to frame these mistakes, in order to ensure they keep their jobs, but also make changes in their organisation. When there is this clear trade-off between admitting a mistake and potentially losing power and control in the organisation, it is important that CEOs use their language effectively to create a safe space for themselves in the organisation – but how can they do so? (more…)

November 21, 2023

Most business leaders think generative AI will be a boon for employees

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology, Workplace

Four out of five (81 percent) business leaders in the UK say Generative AI will benefit their employees, according to new research from LinkedIn. The top ways that UK executives believe Generative AI will benefit employees is by removing boring, repetitive tasks (64 percent), increasing productivity (52 percent) and freeing up time for bigger and more creative thinking (59 percent), according to the poll. One in three (31 percent) also believe that the rise of Generative AI will create brand new roles at their organisation. (more…)

November 20, 2023

People seconded from other roles come up with the best ideas

by Neil Franklin • Business, News

Seconded employees – employees temporarily assigned to a different role, organisation, or department – develop more innovative ideas and influence permanent staff to do the same, according to new research from ESMT Berlin and published in the Strategic Management Journal. Despite the motivation to select new ideas, individuals and organisations often still reject or overlook them. These ideas can be difficult to understand, risky, and challenging as their inherent uncertainty makes it harder to predict reception and usage. (more…)