Search Results for: change

May 9, 2013

UK authorities win exemptions from offices to homes planning changes

Following our report in February that the majority of London’s boroughs had applied to be exempt from plans to relax planning laws on the conversion of offices into homes, the government has today exempted most of central London and some UK regions from the new rules. Local authorities were asked to apply for exemptions earlier in the year and now cover areas within the jurisdiction of 17 local authorities including the City of London, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Westminster, Newham and Kensington and Chelsea. Nationwide, exemptions have been granted for parts of central Manchester, the Vale of the White Horse, Stevenage, Ashford in Kent, Sevenoaks and East Hampshire.

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May 1, 2013

Resistance to workplace change marks the passing of the old order

by Martin Brooker • Comment, Facilities management, Technology

When Vodafone announced in March that the UK’s businesses could save up to £34 billion with the more widespread application of flexible working models, the research to support the claim had two very familiar components. The first was a crystal clear business case, the second an admission that the message was still not quite getting through to those at the top. In fact, Vodafone claimed, around two-thirds of business leaders continue to insist their business can’t afford to reduce the number of workstations they use despite all evidence to the contrary. A third haven’t even considered the idea of reducing the number of workstations they use as a way of cutting costs.

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April 15, 2013

UK firms want to stay in EU but majority favour employment law changes

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Workplace

A new report from the British Chambers of Commerce shows that while the majority of businesses still favour the UK’s ongoing membership of the European Union, the majority would like to see significant changes in certain key legislative areas including employment law, health and safety regulations and regional development. The EU Business Barometer from the BCC gathered responses from around 4,400 firms of all sizes and from a range of sectors and found that over half (54 per cent) wanted changes to employment law, a similar proportion wanted changes to Health and Safety laws (46 per cent) and a third changes to policies related to regional development.

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February 21, 2013

“Groundbreaking” guidance on drivers for social change

by Sara Bean • Environment, Knowledge, News

Network for business sustainability

Businesses can play a key role in driving social change according to a groundbreaking new report. Whether through product labelling, supply chain management, employee volunteerism and partnerships with non-government organisations (NGOs), companies have the power to help people get active, eat healthy foods, use less energy and live more sustainable lives. Now a new guide based on a review of 123 studies from the last 20 years, released by the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) provides the evidence for any business interested in cause marketing, social innovation or responsible consumption. (more…)

February 15, 2013

Change of ways needed to tackle ailing UK workforce

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

Staff ill health

The best way of tackling ill health is to stop workers from getting ill in the first place, suggests new guidance from the TUC. It may seem as if the union is stating the obvious, until you reflect on the news, reported exclusively by HR magazine earlier this week that the UK was among the 10 worst performing countries for employee wellbeing last year, according to the Workforce Quality of Life Index (WQLI) report by Kenex, which measures wellbeing from the employee’s perspective. Now the TUC report, Work and well-being, provides evidence that employers who create healthy workplaces can reduce employee absence and boost productivity. (more…)

January 17, 2013

Changes to Construction and Design Regs delayed

by Sara Bean • News, Property, Workplace, Workplace design

Proposed changes to the Construction and Design Management Regulations (CDM) 2007 have been delayed. The draft changes will now only be presented to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board for consideration in March 2013 at the very earliest. The CDM regulations, apply to all construction work in the UK, comprising construction, alteration, fitting-out, commissioning, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance, decommissioning, demolition or dismantling, underwent a review last year, with industry practice found to have a significant influence on how the regulations are implemented. (more…)

January 9, 2013

Show stomping change as Maze prison site plans approved

by Sara Bean • News, Property, Workplace design

The notorious Maze Long Kesh prison site in Northern Ireland where the ‘H’ block hunger strikes took place is to be redeveloped into an international standard showground designed by London-based firm Studio Egret West.
The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) was granted planning permission to relocate the Balmoral Show, (Ireland’s largest Agricultural and Food Show) to the site of the former Maze prison, after the Balmoral show outgrew the Kings Hall site where it has been held for 100 years. (more…)

January 8, 2013

Clarification complaints on changes to EPCs

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News

Important changes to the requirements regarding Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are effective from tomorrow – 9 January 2013.

But according to RICS (The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) many of these changes have not previously been discussed and RICS has been asking the DCLG for clarification on some of the amendments, including whether or not listed buildings are now excluded. (more…)

January 8, 2013

WWF launches Green Game Changers Report

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, Facilities management, Knowledge, Legal news, Lighting

When it comes to the development of meaningful and innovative approaches to the environment, companies are often way ahead of legislation and prepared to do far more than is expected of them by Governments. Best practice is lauded by the WWF in its Green Game changers initiative which has just launched a new report highlighting those organisations that have pushed the envelope on environmental thinking. The latest Green Game Changers Report can be viewed and downloaded here. (more…)

September 11, 2025

Merck scraps plans for £1 billion London research centre in blow to life sciences sector

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

US pharmaceutical company Merck, known as MSD in Europe, has withdrawn a planned £1 billion investment in a new discovery centre in London, citing the UK’s challenging environment for life sciences. The decision will result in the closure of discovery research operations in the country and the loss of 125 jobs, although other research activities will continue. The facility, a 25,000 square foot headquarters in the Knowledge Quarter near King’s Cross, had been under construction and was due to open in 2027. The cancellation comes at a time when the government has identified life sciences as a key growth sector in its industrial strategy, with ambitions to make the UK Europe’s leading life sciences economy by 2030 and the third most significant globally by 2035. (more…)

September 9, 2025

Large companies see slowdown in adoption of AI tools

by Neil Franklin • AI, News

New analysis from Apollo Academy suggests that large organisations may be losing momentum in their use of artificial intelligence tools. Drawing on the US Census Bureau’s fortnightly survey of more than one million firms, the research shows a downward trend in reported adoption among businesses with 250 or more employees. The survey asks firms whether they have used AI tools in the previous two weeks, including machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents and voice recognition. While overall use of AI across the economy has grown steadily in recent years, the latest figures indicate that the largest companies are no longer leading the charge. Instead, their adoption rates appear to have stalled or declined slightly. (more…)

September 5, 2025

In spite of some headlines, hybrid working is not in decline in the US

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Gallup’s latest research on working patterns among remote-capable employees in the United States suggests that hybrid working is proving far more resilient than some headlines about a wholesale return to the office would imply. The data shows that hybrid work remains the dominant arrangement and has not significantly declined, even as political and organisational pressure grows to increase in-person attendance. The survey finds that just over half of employees who can work remotely are now in hybrid arrangements. This represents a slight decline from the previous two quarters, falling from 55 percent to 51 percent. (more…)