March 7, 2024

There never was a new normal

by Nick Gold • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Four years ago this month, we were all given our first ‘work from home’ mandate. A clear, unambiguous instruction from the UK government that, in the grip of a quickly spreading global pandemic, we should all work from home where possible. And amid the biggest seismic shift of our lifetime, it was an easy instruction to follow. Hunker down and wait patiently until we find a ‘new normal.’ But four years on, the question remains – are we nearly there yet? Are we ever going to find a ’new normal’? More →

March 5, 2024

If you want to increase productivity, let an algorithm decide the incentives

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Targeting workers with different incentive schemes based on their individual characteristics leads to greater performance and increased productivity and is much more effective than a one size fits all approach, according to new research from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and published in the Management Science Journal. To study the impact of targeted incentive schemes on performance, Timo Vogelsang, Professor of Accounting at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, alongside colleagues from University of Cologne, ran two large-scale experiments with more than 12,000 participants on Amazon MTurk. More →

March 5, 2024

Finding the spark of creativity in the routine and boredom of every day

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Premium Content

Every day, after a leisurely breakfast in bed and the opening of his post, Roald Dahl would wander down his garden to the grubby little hut crammed with personal paraphernalia he had created. There he would sharpen the six yellow pencils that were always by his side while he worked, settle into an armchair, put his feet up on an old suitcase filled with logs, place an American yellow legal pad of paper onto a makeshift board on his lap and work for two hours. More →

March 1, 2024

CIFM/interzum guangzhou, the leading trade fair for machinery, materials, and components for the furniture industry returns

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Furniture

The largest exhibition platform dedicated to the furniture manufacturing industry will return to the stage revamped and further expanded during the second phase of the 53rd CIFF Guangzhou, from 28 to 31 March 2024, in conjunction with Office Furniture and Commercial Spaces. CIFM/interzum guangzhou 2024 aims to create a high-level event focusing on the supply chain, showcasing cutting-edge solutions in the production of machinery, materials, and components for the furniture industry, and making a valuable contribution to the development of industry trends. More →

February 25, 2024

Memories of the Office Age

by Mark Eltringham • Cities, Features, Working lives

No author uses the built environment like J G Ballard. In his 1975 novel High-Rise, the eponymous structure is both a way of isolating the group of people who live and compete inside it and a metaphor for their personal isolation and inner struggles. Over the course of three months, the building’s services begin to fail. The 2,000 people within, detached from external realities in the 40-storey building, confronted with their true selves and those of their neighbours, descend into selfishness and – ultimately – savagery. More →

February 22, 2024

Cities worldwide are grappling with the delicate balance between nighttime charm and sustainability

by Helen Parton • Cities, Environment, Features, Lighting

As well as the delights of daytime, cities around the world have long been defined by how their iconic landmarks come to life at night. Think of London’s illuminated riverside or Amsterdam’s canals lit up after dark. These vistas almost come to be synonymous with these places’ very identities. Aston Woodward, co-founder of asset management firm Oxygen also brings one of Australia’s best-known destinations into the mix. “Well-lit buildings at night in any city are attractive. Sydney is a good example and at night is dramatic. Many tourists as well as residents sit and admire a variety of size and colour and interactions generated from the buildings’ lighting.” More →

February 16, 2024

Why changing with the seasons is key to the all-weather workplace

by Russell Glover • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Love it or hate it, weather chat is part of Britain’s day to day – yet in the world of work it’s not just casual small talk. In fact, the seasons have a real impact on how we feel and perform. The change in seasonal characteristics influences what employees need from where they work. Looking after employee wellbeing and putting individuals in the best position to be productive at work means different things throughout the year. Building in flexibility within workplace strategy and office design is a way to ensure working environments remain a magnetic destination that support people all year round…but what does this type of flexibility look like? More →

February 7, 2024

Whenever I hear the future of work, I reach for my pistol

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

For years it has been evident that there is no ‘future of work’. There is only a journey with no destination and no single way of not getting to it. That hasn’t stopped people talking about it all endlessly. And each time they have, I’ve reached for my pistol. More →

February 7, 2024

London must take better decisions on whether to retrofit its buildings

by Neil Franklin • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has published a new report called Retrofit vs Rebuild? which asks how decisions are made to either retrofit or rebuild properties and the carbon implications for both. In London, buildings account for an estimated 68 per cent of the city’s carbon emissions. These emissions arise from the construction, operation, and demolition of buildings. The report claims that, if London is to meet the Mayor’s 2030 net zero target, there is an urgent need to reduce emissions from buildings and to retrofit both housing and commercial stock. More →

February 4, 2024

The Kafka trap of return to office arguments

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working

Recently, I bemoaned how Orwell is often invoked in support of an argument by people who haven’t read him. They are usually drawing on some laundered misperception of his work, and especially Nineteen Eighty-Four. Well, just a few days ago, I witnessed somebody misapplying the work of Kafka in a similar attempt to make a middlebrow point about the so-called return to office. More →

January 25, 2024

Motherhood penalty means many women in tech leave due to care responsibilities

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Almost 40 per cent of female tech leavers cited caring commitments as a decisive factor in their decision to leave the industry, according to research by Tech Talent Charter. Work life balance was ranked the most important consideration, as working parents are juggling careers and full-time caring commitments, prompting the Tech Talent Charter and MotherBoard Charter to join forces to address maternity retention in tech. Women who have flexible working arrangements have a significantly higher retention than those who didn’t. These findings emphasise the damage that the ‘motherhood penalty’ has on the tech industry and its ability to keep women working within it. More →

January 25, 2024

Forty percent of firms expect people to work from the office five days a week

by Neil Franklin • News

Virgin Media O2 Business’ first full-year Movers Index claims that 2023 was the year of the ‘Great Office Return’, with 40 percent of companies returning to a five-day office working week, despite more than half (55 percent) of workers experiencing public transport delays of an hour or more on their commute. The Movers Index claims that businesses and consumers alike are doubling down on getting the most value for every pound spent amid the cost-of-living crisis. More →