Search Results for: business

It’s not a skills gap, it’s a diversity gap

It’s not a skills gap, it’s a diversity gap

by • Comment, Workplace

As digital transformation impacts organisations in every industry, the workplace as we know it is evolving fast. For IT leaders, the accelerated rate of technological change means the pressure is on to deliver, manage and secure new platforms. But the wider ramifications of digitalisation projects are proving profound, leaving business executives facing a dilemma. (more…)

Less time spent commuting is key to workplace wellbeing

Less time spent commuting is key to workplace wellbeing

by • Flexible working, News

Lenovo has released a study on ‘Britain’s evolving workplace’ (registration). It claims that more than three quarters (76 per cent) of those that have no commute by working from home are overall satisfied with their job and a third (37 per cent) of those surveyed admit to choosing their current role based on its close proximity to their home. The report claims that the changing nature of the modern workplace benefits both workers and employers, with one in ten workers most productive outside of typical 7am to 6pm working hours and a quarter (26 per cent) wishing to work more flexible hours.

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Designing a better workforce: how workplace design can impact wellbeing

Designing a better workforce: how workplace design can impact wellbeing

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

A cartoon of a man painting a mountain to de-stressIn a recent survey, 95 percent of office workers said their physical work environment is important for their wellbeing and mental health. However, half believe their current working environment does not have a positive effect on their mental health, wellbeing, mood and productivity. The issue of employee wellbeing has risen up business’ agendas in recent years, and, as part of the drive for better mental health support for workers, companies are looking at ways in which the physical workplace can improve the mental health of their employees.

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Filtering out the noise, the pathology of work, busy doin muffin and some other stuff

Filtering out the noise, the pathology of work, busy doin muffin and some other stuff

by • Comment, Features

We might think that an inability to absorb the vast amount of information generated by our fellow humans and their machines is something of a modern phenomenon, but we’ve always known we can have too much of this particular good thing. Distringit librorum multitude, wrote Seneca in the First Century. An abundance of books is a distraction.

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One Dorset Street becomes first Fitwel certified building in Hampshire

One Dorset Street becomes first Fitwel certified building in Hampshire

by • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace design

One Dorset Street in Southampton has become the first building in Hampshire to achieve Fitwel certification, the system for designing and operating buildings that claims to actively improve occupant health, and also commands the highest commercial rent in Southampton (£24.50psf).  The investment in One Dorset Street aims to support occupiers who understand that employee wellbeing is critical to their commercial success.

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National Employee Appreciation Day? What a joke!

National Employee Appreciation Day? What a joke!

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

Today is (apparently) a hot new date for all employers’ calendars as we ‘celebrate’ National Employee Appreciation Day. This US import seems to be finding feet in UK workplaces as employers plan to hand out freebies, gifts and perks to their hard-working staff. We all like to receive a thank-you, and likely won’t turn down free cakes, boxes of chocolates, or an early-finish. However, ‘moments’ like these do nothing to improve employment conditions. They are often nothing more than hollow gestures, designed to show the outside world how great an employer is rather than demonstrate true appreciation.

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Radical new environmental approach is needed to fix the global system, claims report

Radical new environmental approach is needed to fix the global system, claims report

by • Environment, News

Entire systems change and fewer ‘sticking-plaster’ solutions from world leaders are urgently needed to address global challenges, reveals a report from sustainability non-profit, Forum for the Future. The report calls for urgent collaboration between governments, businesses, NGOs and investors to avoid climate change disaster and secure the future of our society and economy. The Future of Sustainability 2019: Driving systems change in turbulent times reveals a ‘perfect storm’ of seven factors that are set to impact sustainability in the future – including climate migration, nationalism, plastics and biodiversity loss. (more…)

UKGBC claims built environment members are leading the way in sustainability

UKGBC claims built environment members are leading the way in sustainability

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

UKGBC reports ambitious approach to sustainability by built environment membersMany built environment businesses are adopting increasingly ambitious sustainability commitments reports the UK Green Building Council in its third annual report ‘Leading the Way’. This presents trends and analysis from research conducted as part of UKGBC’s annual Sustainability 360 Reviews, which look at sustainability trends and insights amongst UKGBC’s 50 industry-leading Gold Leaf member businesses.

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Communication skills trump experience as quality employers look for in candidates

Communication skills trump experience as quality employers look for in candidates

by • News, Workplace

New research from The University of Law Business School has analysed over 700 keywords from the job specifications of 30 common business roles (across three popular job sites), to reveal what employers are looking for from candidates. The research highlights the crossover in skills and requirements across roles and industries, helping encourage those considering a career move, or just starting out in the world of business by showing how qualified they may already be for a new career. Its key finding is that employers are hugely more interested in people’s interpersonal skills than their work experience.

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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Workplace

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Workplace 0

by • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

the_hitchhikers_guide_to_galaxy_don_panic_desktop_1920x1080_hd-wallpaper-805696We know, and have for a long time, that the workplace is in a state of near constant flux and so we often fall into the trap of assuming that there is some sort of evolution towards an idealised version of it. That is why we see so many people routinely willing to suspend their critical facilities to make extravagant and even absurd predictions about the office of the future or even the death of the office. This is perniciously faulty thinking. However we can frame a number of workplace related ideas in terms of evolutionary theory, so long as we accept one of the central  precepts about evolution. Namely that there is no end game, just types progressing and sometimes dying out along the distinct branches of a complex ecosystem. As a nerdy sort of guy of a certain age, I’ve tended to frame my thoughts on all of this with reference to an idea from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by the great Douglas Adams.

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Asian firms have more focused digital vision than European counterparts

Asian firms have more focused digital vision than European counterparts

by • News, Technology

For any business looking to remain competitive, having a cohesive, well-defined digital vision and the strategy to properly implement it is essential. However, new research by PerformanceWorks and Bridges Business Consultancy claims that just 51 per cent of European organisations have a digital vision for the future, compared to 60 per cent in Asia and 65 per cent in North America. In addition to this, European organisations are playing catch-up when it comes to a general readiness to digitally transform. (more…)

Larger organisations will become main adopters of flexible workspace this year

Larger organisations will become main adopters of flexible workspace this year

by • Coworking, Property

Corporations are this year set to become the driving force within the flexible workspace industry as the way they view their office portfolios continues to change, according to research by Instant Offices. The flexible workspace sector has ridden the crest of a wave for the past five years with global demand increasing by 50 percent and more market supply of flex space than ever before. Instant now estimates the global market to incorporate 32,000+ centres, which represents 521 m sq. ft. This is an increase of 15 percent year on year since 2013.

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