Search Results for: business

British Property Federation urges government to create coherent proptech strategy

British Property Federation urges government to create coherent proptech strategy

The UK is well placed to capture the lead as a global hub for real estate technology and innovation a report from the British Property Federation claims. But the country needs to develop a joined-up proptech strategy and roadmap to remain competitive globally, according to the report published jointly by the British Property Federation and Liquid Real Estate Innovation. The LIQUID Report: Leading the Digital Transformation of Global Real Estate claims that the UK is already a leader in terms of its capacity for innovation, data infrastructure, market transparency and quality of education, but falls behind other countries in terms of venture capital investment and technology infrastructure.

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Firms must break bad habits if they want to improve relationship with employees

Firms must break bad habits if they want to improve relationship with employees

To select, engage and retain the best talent, companies are going to have to break their entrenched bad habits, according to a new report from The Myers-Briggs Company. It claims that its Global Trends Report (registration) sets out how businesses can select the best employees, provide effective leadership and help their people to work together efficiently and harmoniously, despite a rapidly changing and increasingly complex business landscape.  (more…)

Beware the great apex fallacy of workplace design

Beware the great apex fallacy of workplace design 0

workplace designOf all the memes and narratives that corrupt public discourse about workplace design, the most pernicious is the one that suggests there is a linear evolution to some grand end point called the Office of the Future. There is a natural human inclination to buy this sort of idea, fed by an assumption that what we find most interesting, aspirational and hence what we read and talk about forms a goal. Read any style magazine and you’ll see the same process at work in every facet of our lives. This is why so many people are quick to consume and then regurgitate the idea that what we see happening in the world’s great tech palaces and creative offices represents the apogees of design to which the rest of us must one day succumb. (more…)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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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