October 2, 2020

Post-COVID environment will drive demand for flexible office space

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Employees are proving keen to return to the office, reporting that they miss the human and social interaction that the office facilitates. At the same time, while employees show a strong affinity for the office, they also desire the ability to have the option to work from home 1-2 days per week on average according to a recent JLL global study of 3,000 workers. The trend towards workplace mobility was not created as a result of the pandemic, but it was certainly accelerated by it. As a result, agile work strategies are expected to increase in a post-pandemic world, reinvigorating demand for flexible space. (more…)

October 1, 2020

Wearable tech that allows people to manage their own COVID-19 risk

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Prolojik remains at the forefront of harnessing the ubiquitous nature of lighting controls to contribute to the measurement and control of the COVID virus. Building on one of its latest innovations, Proxima allows organisations from commercial workplaces to schools and universities to empower people to manage their own risk and exposure to the COVID virus, through wearable technology in the form of a wristband or lanyard that connects wirelessly to Prolojik’s Proxima sensor network. (more…)

September 28, 2020

One way businesses can help employees get back to the office

by Freddie Steele • Company news

One of the many unprecedented things about 2020 is the way that the global COVID-19 pandemic has led to millions of workers around the world staying away from their office or workplace. Either through furlough schemes or temporary ‘working from home’ measures, many people across the job spectrum have had to adapt to a new way of doing things. (more…)

September 24, 2020

The magical limits of workplace design

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace, Workplace design

Derren Brown is clearly on to something. And if you’ve read his books you’ll know that what he’s on to is finding ways to tap in to our fascination with how our thoughts and actions can be manipulated using some well-defined and researched techniques and principles. Add in some showmanship and what you have is something that is indistinguishable from magic. It also gas something to say about some of the ways we think about workplace design and management.

(more…)

September 23, 2020

The stage is set for the next phase of working life

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing, Working lives

The debate about the effects of the pandemic on working life appears to have entered its next phase. Don’t ask me to define it precisely because I’m still coming to terms with the others. But here it is. (more…)

September 22, 2020

No need to sideline form in our quest for function

by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Comment, Facilities management, Furniture, Workplace design

The enduring struggle to improve the working conditions and performance of people through the design and management of workplaces carries more than a whiff of the Enlightenment, a period in which pure reason was seen by its proponents as more than enough to convince the world of the ways in which we could improve the human condition. It’s a battle that was won in some ways but which endures. (more…)

September 18, 2020

The value of tech and talent investment through COVID-19

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Working lives

For middle-market and small businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting the vital importance of investing in new technology, facilitating remote work, and maintaining the tech-savvy workforce needed to make it all happen, according to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll for CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT). (more…)

September 18, 2020

Center for active design launches viral response module

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

Fitwel, the healthy building certification system operated by The Center for Active Design (CfAD), has announced the formal launch of its Viral Response module, with additional commitments for adoption from companies, including BentallGreenOak, Boston Properties, Brookfield Properties, DLC Europe, Hudson Pacific Properties, Kilroy Realty Corporation, Nuveen Real Estate, and The Tower Companies. (more…)

September 15, 2020

We are still overlooking the importance of air quality

by John Swift • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on commercial buildings was immediate – offices emptied overnight as people made the sudden shift to home working. Several months later, and although restrictions are being lifted, an unease about the possibility of localised lockdowns and an uncertainty about the potential health implications of being indoors with larger groups, means fewer people than expected are choosing to go back to office-based working. Something that might help reassure them that the office is a safe place is knowing that the air they’ll be breathing is clean. (more…)

September 15, 2020

The case for net zero carbon buildings explored in new guidance

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published a new report, ‘Building the case for net zero: A feasibility study into the design, delivery and cost of new net zero carbon buildings’. Research earlier this year by JLL suggested that more sustainable buildings can have increased rental value of 6-11 percent and lower void periods. Also taking action now to make buildings fit for the future guards against assets being stranded by future regulation and avoids costly retrofit at a later date. (more…)

September 9, 2020

Resilience is missing for many employees

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing Matters, Working lives

A new report from Aon,examined the views of employers and employees across five major countries in Europe and claim that just 30 percent of employees are resilient while also suggesting that resilience can triple when employers adopt a well-rounded programme of support. Employees with poor resilience have 55 percent lower engagement at work and are 42 percent less likely to want to stay with their employer. In the UK, 29 percent of employees are resilient, and those with poor resilience have 59 percent lower engagement and are 43 percent less likely to want to stay with their employer. (more…)

September 8, 2020

Majority of businesses plan to move to smaller but more focused offices in future

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

According to a new independent survey of over 500 senior business decision-makers, nearly three quarters believe COVID-19 will result in more UK businesses downsizing to smaller office spaces in the coming 12 months. Most also say they value the office and will be more focused on its strengths as part of the shift. The data from property developers Accumulate Capital claims to show how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected UK businesses and their commercial property needs. (more…)