Search Results for: business

New BIM initiative announced as report slams dysfunctional construction sector

New BIM initiative announced as report slams dysfunctional construction sector 0

by • News, Property, Technology

slide-image-3Digital Built Britain, the latest stage of the UK’s BIM Task Group programme, has officially been launched at the ICE BIM 2016 conference by Mark Bew, chair of the BIM Task Group. The launch comes in the wake of the publication of the Government commissioned Farmer Report into the state of the construction industry which laid out in stark terms the structural problems that suggest the sector risks terminal decline without innovation and cultural change. The report, subtitled Modernise or Die, suggests that the UK’s construction industry faces ‘inexorable decline’ unless longstanding problems are addressed. In particular, the review highlights the sector’s dysfunctional training model, its lack of innovation and collaboration, and a non-existent research and development (R&D) culture. First announced in the 2016 budget, Digital Built Britain aims to deliver reductions in the whole-life costs and carbon emissions of buildings, while improving productivity and capacity by using intelligent building information models, sensing technology and secure data and information infrastructure.  Digital Built Britain will also continue the work of the BIM Task Group programme, set up in 2011 to deliver a projected 20 percent saving on the costs of major projects.

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Built environment still creates barriers for people with a disability

Built environment still creates barriers for people with a disability 0

by • Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A huge response to the Women and Equalities Committee’s inquiry into disability and the built environment indicates how lack of accessibility is an ongoing issue for many people. Over 150 individuals and organisations have submitted evidence to the inquiry, which aims to explore the extent to which the needs of people with a disability are considered and accommodated in the built environment, and asks whether more could be done to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of both new and existing properties and spaces. (more…)

People with MS face ‘disturbing’ levels of workplace bullying and mistreatment

People with MS face ‘disturbing’ levels of workplace bullying and mistreatment 1

by • News, Wellbeing

bullyingA study by The MS Society claims that people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) are facing ‘disturbing’ levels of disability discrimination at work, as it releases new survey results. In the survey of 1,018 people living with MS, almost a quarter (24 percent) of respondents say their employer has treated them badly as a result of their condition, and a fifth (20 percent) say their work colleagues have done so. Of the people who say they have faced mistreatment from their employer, an overwhelming majority (91 percent) say their employers knew they had the condition. And 85 percent who faced mistreatment from their work colleagues say their colleagues were aware. The survey reveals distressing examples of mistreatment people have faced at work. This includes facing offensive and humiliating comments, feeling bullied, and being accused of looking too well to have an illness or disability. People also say they have lost out on promotions, been forced out of work unfairly, and have had requests for reasonable adjustments denied (adjustments to working practices or practical support to help people to continue to do their role effectively).

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Where are zero hours contracts and the gig economy taking us?

Where are zero hours contracts and the gig economy taking us? 0

by • Comment, Flexible working

gig-economyZero-hours contracts have had a bad time in the press. Mike Ashley, founder of Sports Direct, has taken a pounding after uproar over workers conditions, and after vehemently defending his position, he is remarkably making a U-turn, ditching the controversial zero-hours employment arrangements. A large number of companies new also turning their backs on zero hours, including Cineworld, Greene King and Wetherspoons. Casual work isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, the secure, jobs-for-life of post-war Britain lasted merely a few decades. Prior to the 1940s casual work was the longstanding nemesis of the working class. The welfare state and the much-cherished political mantra of full employment emerged in a post-war, golden age. In the 1980s capitalism found its sway. Margaret Thatcher redefined worker’s rights, and it paved the way for employers to benefit again from a more flexible workforce and ultimately what we now refer to as the gig economy.

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New CoreNet Global / HOK report explores impact of coworking on corporate real estate

New CoreNet Global / HOK report explores impact of coworking on corporate real estate 0

by • Coworking, Flexible working, News

wework-coworking-new-york

The UK Chapter of CoreNet Global, in partnership with HOK’s WorkPlace practice, has released a new report that studies the impact of coworking from a corporate real estate (CRE) perspective. With coworking now one of the fastest-growing sectors of the commercial real estate market, the new report, Coworking: A Corporate Real Estate Perspective, examines the drivers of coworking from the demand and supply side, the industry risks and implications for corporate real estate, as well as information about the owners, coworkers and centres. The CoreNet Global / HOK Coworking report highlights the ideas that changing business priorities and the need to attract talented people, reduce real estate costs, improve speed to innovation and increase productivity are driving corporations to consider different workplace models, including on- and off-site coworking.

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The global uberification of commercial property and the workplace

The global uberification of commercial property and the workplace 0

by • Facilities management, Features, Property, Technology, Workplace design

uberificationTechnology doesn’t just transform the world, it reshapes our language. So, we all need to get used to the word uberification as well as the idea of it. Based on the success of the on demand taxi service Uber, the word refers to the way a product or service becomes available to customers on demand via the Internet. Customers book a service only at the point of consumption. This represents an entirely new commercial model and is the defining characteristic of the new 21st Century economy. Uber may have provided the tipping point, going from start up to market valuation of $66 billion in just 7 years, but its success has given us a name for a process that is reshaping businesses and customer experiences across the entire economy, including in the commercial property sector.

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UK marketers suffering from tech-induced anxiety, survey claims 0

by • News, Technology

More than half (55 percent) of marketers in the UK are struggling to cope with the accelerated pace of digital transformation – up 7 percent since 2015, Adobe’s annual Digital Roadblock study claims. The report – which surveyed 450 marketers in the UK– found that Brits suffer from more tech-induced anxiety than their peers across the region: an average of 44 percent of marketers in Europe worry about their technology-based skill sets, 11 percent lower than the UK. Of the marketers surveyed, three-quarters (74 percent) feel that they need to implement new technologies within their marketing strategies in order to succeed, but just over half (54 percent) feel that they actually have the skills to do so. When it comes to technology skills, there’s an obvious gap between demand and reality: while 41 percent of respondents cited being a ‘tech-savvy’ early adopter of new technologies as the top attribute of being a marketer, only 15 percent actually identify as ‘tech-savvy’ themselves. In fact, more UK marketers identify as ‘tech challenged’ (20 percent) than ‘tech savvy’, and the number of ‘tech-savvy’ marketers has dropped since last year, when nearly one in five (19 percent) identified as so.

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Freelancers are thriving on both sides of the pond, but have politicians noticed?

Freelancers are thriving on both sides of the pond, but have politicians noticed? 0

by • Flexible working, News, Technology

freelancersTwo new reports that highlight the growth of the freelance and self-employed workforce in both the UK and US also suggest that politicians and civil servants in both countries have little real understanding about the changing nature of work. According to the UK government’s regular Business Population Estimates report, the number of private sector businesses is at an all-time high, around 5.5 million, up by a million since 2010. Yet the report fails to distinguish between freelancers, the self-employed and traditional SMEs, except to omit firms that are too small to pay VAT from its numbers. The trade association IPSE estimates that there are some 4.6 million self-employed and freelance workers in the UK, yet the BPE report does not account for the overlap in numbers. Even within the BPE’s own numbers, there are suggestions that its conclusions do not match the data. The annual growth in non-employing businesses outstripped those who employed others by a factor of 6:1 and 76 percent of businesses did not employ anyone aside from the owner. And the growth comes despite the fact that the self-employed in the UK now earn marginally less than they did 20 years ago.

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Creating the workforce of the future; the Barclays perspective

Creating the workforce of the future; the Barclays perspective 0

by • Company news, Workplace

barclays-eagle-logo

Apprenticeships are growing faster than ever in the UK.  This is fantastic to see.  Within our organisations we are making giant strides to re-carve and re-define talent whilst investing in the workforce of the future.  The topic of Apprenticeships remains top of the government agenda and top of the employability agenda and great things are starting to happen.  Yet, how much of the evolution of apprenticeships is understood by those who are seeking opportunities?  Has society evolved in such a way that would-be potential candidates are ‘switched-on’ to the fact that Apprenticeships is both a viable and powerful means to securing a long, sustainable, and credible career? What are we doing to define Apprenticeships to our audiences outside of our own organisations?  How are we marketing opportunities in a way that will ‘connect’ with our audience that will inspire them and others to invest in us?

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Many employees remain reluctant to approach bosses for flexible working, claims study

Many employees remain reluctant to approach bosses for flexible working, claims study 0

by • Flexible working, News

flexible workingThe sluggish uptake of flexible working following the introduction of new parental leave rights last year, may be down to the reluctance of many employees to ask for it. That is one of the conclusions of a new report from flexible working consultancy My Family Care and recruitment firm Hydrogen. It found that over half (54 percent) UK employees surveyed would like to work from home, but just a third (34 percent) actually do. The report surveyed 1,587 UK employees and 310 UK employers to gauge their attitudes towards and experience of flexible working. It found that over a quarter (28 percent) of employees said they did not feel comfortable even talking to their employer about the subject. Respondents claimed their wariness was down to appearing less committed and the implications for the careers and pay.

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London needs to adapt to the changing world of work, claims think tank

London needs to adapt to the changing world of work, claims think tank 0

by • Architecture, Cities, News, Property, Workplace design

changing-world-of-workThink Tank New London Architecture (NLA) which creates a forum for debate on the built environment, has launched its findings and recommendations from its landmark WRK / LDN Insight study on work and workplaces in London. NLA calls on central government, the Mayor of London and other stakeholders in the capital to act to maintain the capital’s position as a preeminent commercial centre. The report claims that, as the digital economy continues to expand, new suppliers of workspace are rapidly emerging – from co-working providers to ‘fab labs’, makerspaces, incubators and innovation centres. The insight study concludes that the affordable business space that currently supports these industries is at risk. London needs new innovative mixed-use models of city planning to support these changes and adapt to the changing world of work.

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