July 26, 2015
Insight Weekly on robots at work, agile working, workplace trends and more
In this week’s issue; how the majority of managers are more than happy to welcome robots into the workplace; a survey reveals how much extra work autonomous workers put in each week; Mark Eltringham argues we need to keep a sense of perspective about how important our work is; a groundbreaking UK public sector estate scheme is rolled out nationwide; a recent series of events draws out the key workplace trends from this year’s NeoCon exhibition; a new OECD report calls for more action on the emerging digital workplace; Sara Bean reports on the calls for the Government not to abandon its pledges on zero carbon buildings; and a survey reveals that the vast majority of women don’t feel they are discriminated against at work. Subscribe for free quarterly issues of Work&Place and weekly news here, follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.
August 18, 2015
That story about sexist air conditioning systems…roundly debunked 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Wellbeing, Workplace
The main story of the silly season so far has been that one about the inherent sexism of air conditioning systems from a week or two back. Based on a study published in the esoteric journal Nature Climate Change, it appeared that standards for heating and ventilation in building systems were founded on the metabolic rate of an average man which suggested women were toiling away in unconducive, if not exactly unbearable, conditions. This was a compelling tale picked up worldwide by major media outlets including The New Yorker and The Daily Telegraph. There were only two problems with it all. Firstly, the original study was extremely flimsy, based on a tiny sample and ignorant of some basic facts. Secondly the science behind it has now been roundly rejected by ASHRAE, the main US body responsible for informing debate on such matters.
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