Search Results for: Working from home

Report sets out nine ways cities can reduce carbon emissions

Report sets out nine ways cities can reduce carbon emissions

A report published by the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation sets out what its authors claim are best practices developed by pioneer cities that are reducing carbon emissionA report published by the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation sets out what its authors claim are best practices developed by pioneer cities that are reducing carbon emissions from urban development projects. As cities grow in population and importance, urban construction will continue to gather pace. It is estimated that the global floor area is expected to double by 2060, the equivalent of building out New York City every month for the next 40 years. The report, Reducing Embodied Carbon in Cities: Nine Solutions for Greener Buildings and Communities, highlights nine innovative solutions for all phases of construction and demolition. More →

We can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives with simple, small and cost-free changes

We can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives with simple, small and cost-free changes

London, the crouching monster, like every other monster has to breathe, and breathe it does in its own obscure, malignant way. Its vital oxygen is composed of suburban working men and women of all kinds, who every morning are sucked up through an infinitely complicated respiratory apparatus of trains and termini into the mighty congested lungs, held there for a number of hours, and then, in the evening, exhaled violently through the same channels. More →

CIFF Guangzhou 2024 proves a record-breaker and a major boost to international furniture trade

CIFF Guangzhou 2024 proves a record-breaker and a major boost to international furniture trade

An extraordinary edition of CIFF Guangzhou has just concluded, recording the highest number of exhibitors and visitors ever. This success rewarded the strategy of CIFF, an ever-evolving exhibition event with a key role in the development of the global furniture industry, promoting design and innovation, boosting consumption, and fostering international furniture trade. A total area measuring 850,000 square metres; 4,700 exhibitors, 11.8% more than the all-time pre-pandemic peak in 2019; 363,449 trade visitors, 22.06% more than in 2019, including 51,205 international visitors from 178 countries, an increase of as much as +43.11% compared to 2019. More →

MIPIM has changed, and mostly for the better

MIPIM has changed, and mostly for the better

With an estimated 27,000 delegates from 90 countries, MIPIM is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to opportunities to network and learnWith an estimated 27,000 delegates from 90 countries, MIPIM is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to opportunities to network and learn as delegates, with organisations using the week to deliver news, insights and thinking. The theme for MIPIM this year was The Global Urban Community; and it really did feel more international than previous years, the majority of attendees are still from France, Germany and the UK, but there were significant delegations from the United States, Canada, Oman, Egypt and Hong Kong, more from Asia generally and a show stopper from Saudi Arabia, more of which later. More →

Prioritising your phone over your partner affects women’s creativity at work

Prioritising your phone over your partner affects women’s creativity at work

Focusing attention on your mobile phone instead of your partner doesn’t just strain your relationship - it also affects creativity at work, according to researchersFocusing attention on your mobile phone instead of your partner doesn’t just strain your relationship – it also affects creativity at work, according to researchers from the Universities of Bath, Aston, and IESE Business School. The study claims to shed light on the negative effects of ‘phubbing’, the idea of snubbing someone in favour of your phone, which is known for its detrimental impact on relationships and mental wellbeing. Now the study of working couples in the US points to repercussions in the workplace as well, but only for female partners. More →

A just in time lesson about office design

A just in time lesson about office design

The nascent years of new ways of working in the late 80s and early 90s coincided with a widely held but soon to be discarded belief that the Japanese had cracked management practices. So it was perhaps inevitable that the principles of a process called just in time manufacturing – most famously applied in the factories of Toyota – should migrate to new forms of office design and the rapidly developing practice of flexible working.

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What do people really want from an office design? Some peace and quiet

What do people really want from an office design? Some peace and quiet

poor quality office design is now thoroughly out of favour, as one in three people (33 percent) have an issue with a lack of privacy in the workplaceNew research from a survey of 2,000 UK office workers by BW: Workplace Experts suggests that poor quality office design is now thoroughly out of favour, as one in three people (33 percent) have an issue with a lack of privacy in the workplace. In fact, over a third (34 percent) ranked the most valuable spaces in the office as available meeting rooms, adequate amounts of breakout spaces, and social spaces, reflecting a desire to have more varied private and collaborative spaces. 27 percent said that they also value wellness spaces (e.g., exercise room, meditation room) and roughly one in 10 (11 percent) said access to outdoor space would influence them to go into the office more often. More →

Menopause gift bags and monitoring toilet breaks: why are employers getting menopause support so wrong?

Menopause gift bags and monitoring toilet breaks: why are employers getting menopause support so wrong?

What should employers be doing to provide adequate menopause support and why are so many getting it wrong, asks Natasha LetchfordA recent story involving Avanti West Coast, who provided a gift bag to staff experiencing menopause, is the latest in a series of misjudgements of menopause support by employers. The bag contained items such as a fan “for the hot sweats”, a jelly baby “in case you feel like biting someone’s head off” and a paper clip “to help you keep it all together”. The ASLEF Union suggested that rather than “insulting gimmicks” Avanti should focus their efforts on developing workplace policies and procedures that “value and support perimenopausal and menopausal women”. So what should employers be doing to provide adequate support and why are so many getting it wrong? More →

Commuter towns becoming main place of work for many people

Commuter towns becoming main place of work for many people

over the past two years workers have significantly increased their use of office workspaces in rural, suburban and commuter townsNew office footfall data from IWG taken from more than 400 locations across the UK, suggests that over the past two years workers have significantly increased their use of office workspaces in rural, suburban and commuter towns, choosing to forgo lengthy daily commutes and work closer to home. More →

People want to work in an office some of the time, but don’t like mandates and lack of flexibility

People want to work in an office some of the time, but don’t like mandates and lack of flexibility

More than half (51 percent) of UK workers in favour of some form of so-called return to office (RTO) policy, but flexibility is key to any office mandated approachMore than half (51 percent) of UK workers are in favour of some form of so-called return to office (RTO) policy, but flexibility is key to any office mandated approach, according to a new poll from Owl Labs. The survey suggest that while UK workers recognise some benefits when it comes to mandates – where employees are required to be in the office for a set number of days – they want the flexibility to choose when they work from the office. While the majority of UK managers champion RTO mandates in some capacity, they don’t necessarily expect their teams to be in the office full-time. Flexible RTO mandates driven by task-based working are, therefore, key to maintaining an engaged and motivated team, according to the report. More →

Applications open for UK’s leading public health awards scheme

Applications open for UK’s leading public health awards scheme

The Royal Society for Public Health Health & Wellbeing Awards are back and open for applicationsAfter two years, The RSPH Health & Wellbeing Awards are back and open for applications. The Royal Society for Public Health is the oldest public health body in the world and the Awards have been a key date in the sector’s calendar since they first launched in 2014. More →

‘Fun’, great management and culture are what make a firm a great place to work

‘Fun’, great management and culture are what make a firm a great place to work

Great Place To Work has announced its annual UK’s Best Workplaces list, based on feedback from around 250,000 peopleGreat Place To Work has announced its annual UK’s Best Workplaces list, based on feedback from around 250,000 people. Taking into account culture audits and employees’ perspectives the organisers say they have identified what makes these employers the best. More →