Search Results for: Gen Z

December 4, 2019

A quarter of workers would accept a significant pay cut to work in an eco-friendly role

Rising interest in climate change among the UK population has now reached such a level that our desire to take action is impacting our careers – with over a quarter of workers (26 percent) willing to take a salary cut in order to move to an environmentally conscious company or an NGO (non-governmental organisation), according to a new survey from TotalJobs. An additional 28 percent said they would consider quitting their job to work with for an organisation they considered to be more environmentally friendly than their current one, a figure that jumps to 50 percent when applied to millennial workers, aged between 23 and 38. (more…)

December 4, 2019

Half of self-employed people do not know what IR35 is

by Neil Franklin • Legal news, News

New research from FreeAgent conducted with 2000 self employed people in the UK, claims that more than half (57 percent) don’t know what IR35 is. The sets of tax legislation encompassed by IR35, designed to combat tax avoidance by workers and the firms hiring them, is unknown to over half of the people most affected by it – the self employed. The legislation, which has been heavily criticised by tax experts and the business community as being poorly conceived, badly implemented by HMRC and causing unnecessary costs and hardships for genuine small businesses, has not been well communicated to self employed people, the research reveals. Tax experts have predicted that IR35 could reduce a worker’s net income by up to 25 percent and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, recently announced the Conservative Party’s plan to review IR35 as part of its manifesto. (more…)

December 2, 2019

Planning permission granted for new 13 storey London offices

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Planning permission has been granted for a new 13-storey riverside office building at the Embassy Gardens development on London’s South Bank. Named EG:HQ, the development will provide 217,000 sq. ft. of flexible space in zone 1 Nine Elms, in addition to 18,000 sq. ft. of outdoor amenity space which will include a 9,000 sq. ft. communal terrace and several private open-air terraces. (more…)

November 29, 2019

Seeing red about the only home we will ever know

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Somewhere in the Utah desert, there is a small living pod designed to emulate conditions on Mars for a group of scientists keen to explore how we might colonise that red planet after messing this blue one up. This came as a surprise to me as did the news that Ikea has been on site recently installing some of its furniture for the occupants. Next up perhaps, an installation of Billy bookcases on the International Space Station as scientists explore the effects on people of a lost screw in zero gravity. I am Jack’s unconstrained rage. (more…)

November 29, 2019

HR profession needs to modernise if it is to stay relevant

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Following the recent Gartner study describing the unpreparedness of the HR function for the future of work, another report is exhorting managers to step things up. According to the KPMG International global Future of HR survey, close to 3 in 5 (57 percent) Human Resources executives believe that if their function doesn’t modernise its approach to understanding and planning for the future needs of the workforce, it will rapidly become irrelevant within the modern organisation. (more…)

November 29, 2019

For the love of workplace art, where have all the walls gone?

by Chloe Adams • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

A survey exploring art in the workplace (‘Making Art Work in the Workplace’) conducted by the British Council for Offices (BCO) found that almost 88 percent of respondents felt that “art is more relevant in the workplace than ever before”. Yet, with the arrival of the generic modern office, full of open plan space and glass partitions, we frequently find ourselves rather short of walls on which to hang any workplace art in the first place. “There are no bloody walls left’ and those that are left are glass,” protests Jack Pringle of architects Perkins+Will, pointing to the fact that traditional hanging space is on the decline.

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November 29, 2019

People need to feel comfortable about being themselves at work

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Over a quarter of people (28 percent) in the workplace suffer bullying and/or discrimination on issues such as gender, age or sexual orientation, according to a new study. The Workplace Wellbeing Census, conducted by leading healthcare provider Bupa, found that such actions are the most harmful factors influencing workplace wellbeing at work. Women in the workplace face significant challenges with over a third (34 percent) experiencing bullying or discrimination, compared to 22 per cent of men. Women are also more than four times as likely to suffer negatively from workplace gender discrimination than men (13 percent vs 3 percent). (more…)

November 28, 2019

Surface Design Show 2020 to focus on sustainability and regional differences

by Freddie Steele • Company news

The Surface Design Show, which runs from 11-13 February, has announced its theme for 2020: Close to Home. Held at the Business Design Centre in Islington and celebrating its fifteenth edition, the show’s theme addresses the current climate emergency debate in the context of the surface and materials sector, for both the UK and international markets.

Close to Home will look at a wholly sustainable approach to design. Innovative and thought- provoking products will be highlighted at Surface Spotlight Live, a section of the show curated by trend expert Sally Angharad and forecasters Colour Hive. The theme will look beyond aesthetics and into manufacturers’ impact on the environment, from the processes used in mining or manufacture, through to the carbon footprint sustained during sales and distribution. Designing with a conscience will also be examined, from reusing waste materials to looking at what happens at the end of a product’s life cycle.

There will be a number of home-grown products on display including textiles from the North of England from exhibitors such as New Talent’s The Monkey Puzzle Tree and porcelain in the Midlands from H+E Smith. Several areas worldwide which are renowned for specific materials, will also be represented, from Italian marble to Spanish tiles from Tile of Spain and ceramics from Portugal’s Viúva Lamego. Other issues examined through the theme include why these areas have become market-leaders in their respective material markets, what benefits a project brings to the local area in terms of employment, preserving skills and sustaining the local community, and what challenges there are in continuing to serve the global marketplace.

Further questions to consider include can we ever return to buying locally, with particular reference to the UK post-Brexit, given the fact that we’re so used to being global consumers? Should manufacturers use local designers, as opposed to those based hundreds or even thousands of miles away?

Over the 2½ days, Surface Design Show will host approximately 30 presentations from 50 speakers, including panel discussions and talks centred around this highly topical theme, including Jo Roan, associate strategy director at PriestmanGoode talking sustainability through ‘Get Onboard: Reduce. Reuse. Rethink’ on the Main Stage on from 1:45pm – 2:30pm on Thursday 13 February. Also featured on the Main Stage on Wednesday 12 February is ‘Close to Home: Consciously Creating Spaces from Concept to Completion’ with Nicola Keenan from Boxx Creative ( 3:15pm – 3:45pm) and Hotel

Designs’ editor Hamish Kilburn who highlights the importance of close to home in his presentation entitled ‘Biophilic Materials in Surface Design’ from 12:30pm – 1:00pm on Thursday 13 February.

Tickets are free to professional and trade visitors. Register at https://www.surfacedesignshow.com/register

November 28, 2019

Six cost-reducing benefits of switching to a cloud phone system

by Freddie Steele • Company news

This article comes courtesy of PBX Hosting, a leading UK-based VoIP telecommunications provider. They deliver hosted PBX solutions and VoIP phone systems to businesses of all sizes and specialisms. Switching to a cloud phone system is one of the lesser-known cost savings a business can make, but it’s also one of the most effective. More and more businesses are switching to cloud communications, with a cost reduction of between 50 and 70 percent. (more…)

November 27, 2019

Designers may be ignoring leadership style in quest for productive workplaces

by Jayne Smith • Comment, Workplace design

Leadership styles are not considered in the design process for productive workplaces despite the majority of organisations agreeing they have a major impact on productivity. These are the latest findings in report authored by Leeson Medhurst, Director of 36 Workplace, The United Workplace (TUW) and WORKTECH Academy. Productivity – linking Workplace Design to Leadership (registration) is the next chapter in a research conversation presented and discussed at WORKTECH London this week. The new report builds on “The Puzzle of Productivity: What enhances workplace performance?” that pointed to leadership as the major factor influencing workplace productivity. (more…)

November 27, 2019

Businesses fear that a failure to embrace automation will make them irrelevant

by Neil Franklin • AI, News

The majority of UK businesses fear becoming ‘irrelevant’ within the next five years through failing to make a successful transition to an automated workplace. To avoid this risk, organisations need to collaborate with their workforces to embrace automation and artificial intelligence, a new report from Capita warns. The report Robot wars or automation alliances? People, technology and the future of work calls for an honest dialogue between business leaders and employees – and urgent, multi-stakeholder action to support employees in the transition to a more automated world. (more…)

November 27, 2019

Five German Design Awards for Sedus Office Furniture

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Furniture, Workplace design

After Sedus confirmed its status as one of the most important office design innovators in Europe at last year’s ORGATEC trade show in Cologne, several of the firm’s latest generation of ground-breaking products have won prestigious design prizes in the firm’s native Germany.

The se:flex and se:motion swivel chairs as well as se:fit standing seat and se:cube Office Cubes have each been awarded the German Design Award 2020 – Winner by The German Design Council while the se:spot all-purpose chair went one step further receiving the Gold German Design Award for 2020.

The German Design Award is one of the most coveted design prizes in Europe and is awarded every year by a prestigious international jury. The Award honours innovative products and projects, their manufacturers and designers who have proven themselves pioneers in the German and International design sector.

The five award-winning office furniture pieces were developed by the Sedus Design Team, and launched for the first time to the public at the ORGATEC 2018 trade fair. They went fully into production in 2019 and have also been used in the fit-out of the new office building at the firm’s headquarters in Dogern.

In the Sedus Smart Office around 100 employees from twelve disciplines work together in a uniquely collaborative and flexible working environment. The spaces serves as a test laboratory, prototyping and model workplace for designers and customers travelling to the Upper Rhine location from all over the world.