November 30, 2021
A new guide to decarbonising public sector buildings and creating a net zero public estate has been launched by the Cabinet Office. The authors of The Net Zero Estate Playbook claims it will ensure consistent approaches, such as using solar panels, LED lighting and greener building materials, are applied across public buildings as they help decarbonise Britain’s largest property portfolio. More →
November 29, 2021
Whilst driving through Zürich in a hailstorm I passed a Mercedes with a plastic bin liner taped over a missing window. Two thoughts struck me. First: this must be the result of the owner locking himself out of the car, as car crime is a fictional event in Switzerland (bike theft is preferred). The second was how utterly pointless this flapping piece of plastic served as an attempt to seal the broken window. More →
November 29, 2021
International law firm, Kingsley Napley, have recently moved to Twenty Bonhill Street, London. The new space has been designed with an ‘activity-based’ flexible working model in mind. This entailed creating a range of spaces which suit the various tasks that are necessary in a modern law firm. More →
November 26, 2021
There is a classic saying which has shaped our job choices for years: “Do what you love, the money will follow.” New research suggests this may be true, although not in the way it was originally conceived. The typical logic train has suggested job interest shapes satisfaction and, in turn, satisfaction may drive better performance. However, new research published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior provides some fresh perspectives. It turns out satisfaction has many facets. While interest is one component in job satisfaction, it is not the primary component. Elements such as the organization, relationships with colleagues, leadership and compensation are actually more important than interest in predicting satisfaction. More →
November 26, 2021
New research commissioned by Vodafone Foundation ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November 2021 claims that a third of workers experienced domestic abuse during the last 12 months, with more than half of those saying that abuse had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. More →
November 26, 2021
Employers looking to retain talent during the so-called ‘Great Resignation’ may benefit from investing in more management training for their staff, according to Digits. New research suggests that managers who haven’t received any management training are 36 percent more likely to leave their current jobs in the next year, than managers who receive regular management training (38 percent compared to 28 percent). More →
November 25, 2021
The London Office Crane Survey Winter 2021 suggests dramatically improved confidence about London in the developments that are being undertaken in the office market. The survey, compiled by Deloitte, claims the volume of new starts has increased from 3.1 million to 3.4 million sq ft, above the long-term average of 2.4 million sq ft. More →
November 25, 2021
A new report ‘Has work become less secure?’ from the CIPD claims that, overall, employment in the UK has actually become more secure on most measures over the last decade – despite the impact of the pandemic. Compared with 2010, there are proportionally fewer people today working variable hours, working part-time involuntarily, or wanting to work more hours. More →
November 24, 2021
Architects and designers have always a had a thing for door handles. It’s the kind of detail they like and one of the most genuinely tactile features of a building. Architects from Frank Gehry to Zaha Hadid have worked on the designs of door handles for manufacturers. It was the Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa who described the door handle as ‘the handshake of the building’ in his architectural theory book?The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses in 2005. This was cute before last March but now looks slightly menacing. More →
November 24, 2021
A survey of hybrid-office and home-based UK workers gives insight for employers into some of today’s biggest needs for office workers to carry out their roles. 73 percent of UK workers believe that the provision of ergonomic work conditions, as well as support for their health, will play a bigger role when choosing a company to work for. More →
November 24, 2021
British workers took the seventh lowest number of sick days in Europe last year, according to new
December 1, 2021
There are thirty-eight ways to win an argument, but this ain’t one
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working