May 11, 2023

Magenta Associates reports positive first quarter to 2023

Magenta Associates, the communications specialist for the built environment, has reported significant growth in 2022/23 (20 percent) and 2021/22 (32 percent), along with a series of new architecture, design and construction contract wins, and several of its existing clients confirming that they will invest in new service areas of the business. In 2022, the Brighton based firm launched its new dedicated B2E (business to employee) comms division in light of research it commissioned which revealed a gap in the market, particularly for FM firms, many of which are struggling to unite dispersed teams in the era of hybrid working and talent shortages. In the first quarter of 2023, an increasing number of clients have turned to Magenta for support in this area. (more…)

May 10, 2023

How to eliminate tech-shaming in the workplace

by Aaron Taylor • Comment, Technology, Workplace

Technology has impacted our everyday lives – from how we keep in touch with old friends all the way to how we do our weekly shop, as well as our work lives. The skills which are in demand are vastly differently to what they were just a decade ago. As a result, we have seen a rise in the incidence of tech-shaming and the current generation has needed to develop a different skillset to what their predecessors had to learn. Dell Technologies found that 56 percent of respondents between the ages 18 to 26 across 15 countries, said “they had very basic to no digital skills education.” A third of them said their education had not provided them “with the digital skill they need to propel their career” and what they know comes from the apps they use on their own time. (more…)

May 10, 2023

WorldGBC launches Circular Built Environment Playbook

by Jayne Smith • Environment, Facilities management, News

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and its network of over 75 Green Building Councils are launching the Circular Built Environment Playbook. The organisation claims this is ‘a critical guide for the building and construction sector around the world to accelerate the adoption of circular economy and resource efficiency principles’. (more…)

May 10, 2023

Majority of employees see themselves as cogs in corporate machinery

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

A significant majority (85 percent) of employees feel like they are just a cog in the machinery of their organisation and 43 percent have no idea how their performance contributes to business success, according to a new survey of employee experience and expectations. According to the new study [registration] from Oracle, HR leaders are struggling to keep up with changing employee expectations and this can have dire consequences for businesses. The survey of 1,000 employees and HR leaders across the United Kingdom (UK) found that despite current economic uncertainty, worker expectations are higher than ever, and HR leaders need help to get the employee experience right or risk losing profits and market share. (more…)

May 10, 2023

Bisley Home Space to launch at Clerkenwell Design Week 2023

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Flexible working, Workplace design

British furniture maker Bisley is to open the doors of its new Home Space showroom during Clerkenwell Design Week (23-25 May 2023) exploring the theme of People, Wellbeing and Space – at Home and at Work. Making its debut at Clerkenwell Design Week will be the Bisley Home Space, a brand new area of the showroom dedicated to Bisley’s growing range of products for the home. A key festival highlight will be an installation created by interior design writer and stylist Cate St Hill. Bisley x Cate St Hill explores Fern, Bisley’s acclaimed collection of stylish steel lockers, and new pieces for spring 2023 including the versatile Reef wall-mounted shelf, with a special area of the showroom curated by Cate in her distinctive calm, neutral style. (more…)

May 9, 2023

Chance plays a huge role in career success, report confirms

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

If you’ve ever thought that the success or otherwise of a career is a little or largely dependent on getting the right breaks at the right time, new research from academics in the UK and France may confirm it. The study examines the role of chance events, whether positive or negative, on managers’ career success across Europe. While positive chance events typically have a positive impact on careers, 71 percent of those having experienced a negative chance event report nevertheless a positive impact on their careers. (more…)

May 9, 2023

Employees care more about work culture than flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

New findings from Cpl’s Talent Evolution Group suggest employees care less about flexible working than generally thought. The survey, to 1,500 UK employees, reveals Brits are more than twice as likely to leave their job due to negative work culture or a toxic working environment than because of limitations with flexible working. Whilst organisations may be prioritising flexibility for working parents, over 80 percent of 25–44-year-olds would not actually consider limitations to flexible working a reason to leave their position. (more…)

May 9, 2023

Jiecang and Logicdata pioneer dynamic office furniture with new technological solutions

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Jiecang, one of the world’s leading supplier of linear actuators, in conjunction with the Austrian brand Logicdata, a European company that has been part of the Jiecang Group since 2021, is offering a wide range of technological solutions to make office furniture more dynamic, smart, and interactive. (more…)

May 4, 2023

Over two-thirds of office landlords have no sustainability strategy

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Property

The vast majority of UK office landlords do not have a sustainability strategy in place despite evidence showing that it would increase the attractiveness of their properties to tenants, according to a new poll commissioned by infinitSpace in partnership with The Instant Group. The survey defined a strategy as several policies with an overall aim to reduce greenhouse emissions and/or promote environmentally friendly practices. (more…)

May 3, 2023

Around a quarter of jobs will shift over the next five years, WEF report claims

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Almost a quarter of jobs are expected to switch in the next five years according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. Its Future of Jobs Report for 2023 suggests that employers anticipate 69 million new jobs to be created and 83 million eliminated among the 673 million jobs corresponding to the dataset, a net decrease of 14 million jobs, or 2 percent of current employment. The data is an extrapolation of data from 803 employers employing around 11 million people. (more…)

May 2, 2023

BCO Awards winners for North of England again focus on sustainable office design

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Property, Workplace design

Following last week’s announcement of the annual BCO Awards winners for London, the British Council for Offices has announced the winners of its annual Awards for the North of England. In fact all but one of the winners are located in Greater Manchester and the one that isn’t lies within twenty miles of it. The organisers suggest that the theme of sustainable office design runs through the submissions of the winning entries. (more…)

April 25, 2023

Wellbeing and sustainability are defining characteristics of London’s BCO Awards winning offices

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Workplace design

London’s most outstanding workplaces have been recognised with British Council for Offices Awards going to seven office buildings across the capital. Held at the London Hilton on Park Lane, the BCO’s annual London Awards Lunch recognised projects that demonstrate best practice in office design, fit-out, operation and sustainability, setting the standard for excellence across the sector. (more…)