Search Results for: commercial

November 28, 2018

New report challenges idea that productivity has no link with income

A new IZA World of Labor report published today suggests that workers’ effort may be more responsive to wage incentives and therefore the efficiency costs of progressive labour income taxation larger than previously thought. A fundamental question in economic policy is how labour supply responds to changes in remuneration. The responsiveness of labour supply determines the size of the employment impact and efficiency loss of progressive income taxation for example. The economist Tess Stafford of the University of New South Wales, Australia, summarises a number of recent studies of independent contractors’ labour supply which confirm a key prediction of economic theory: workers work more (in fact, quite a bit more) when earnings are temporarily high.

November 27, 2018

New interior design collective launches in Manchester

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Workplace design

Mix Design Collective in association with Bruntwood, part of Mix Week Manchester, is a brand-new workplace design event that will celebrate the best national and international design products. Created by Mix Group, home to Manchester Headquartered, award winning Mix Interiors magazine and Out There Events, Mix Design Collective will see themed spaces, curated by leading architects and designers including Gensler, Hassell, Faulkner Brown Architects, Incognito, Michael Laird Architects and tp bennett. Heart Space, Health & Wellbeing, Engage, Smart & Connected, New Analogue and Escape will showcase a range of workplace settings incorporating cutting edge design ideas and products. Mix Design Collective is a must attend event and free of charge for those involved in architecture, design, commercial property and construction. Visitors will have access to the design leaders of the future whilst being immersed into the six live working zones.

November 19, 2018

The most common workplace tactics for health promotion may be detrimental for overweight employees

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing

Workplace health promotion programmes that encourage employees to take responsibility for their own weight may have detrimental effects for employees with obesity, reveals a new study. These range from feeling increasingly responsible for their weight but perceiving they have less control over it, to increased workplace weight stigma and discrimination. Ironically, these effects could even lead to increased obesity and decreased wellbeing. Published in Frontiers in Psychology, the study finds these pitfalls could be avoided through programs focusing on the employer’s responsibility to maintain employee health.

November 16, 2018

Biophilic design the key to improving mental health, productivity and stress levels

by Neil Franklin • Architecture, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

An expert panel at this week’s Welcome to the Biophilic Concrete Jungle event in London made the case for incorporating the principles of biophilic design into the workplace, including for health and wellbeing considerations, the promotion of productivity and to address workplace stress and urban disconnection from nature. HOK organised the event. Panellists included Joyce Chan, Head of Sustainability and Trina Marshall, Regional Leader of Consulting from HOK, Professor Derek Clements-Croome from Reading University, Alexander Bond from Biophilic Design and Dr Ed Suttie from BRE.

November 14, 2018

Proportion of flexible space within corporate portfolios to increase dramatically

by Sara Bean • Coworking, Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Property

Despite the proliferation of coworking and serviced office operators the majority of global corporates still occupy office space on a traditional lease model, with two thirds of companies in a survey by Knight Frank reporting that co-working, serviced and flexible office space comprise 5 percent or less of their current office space. Knight Frank’s Your Space report, which surveys senior executives at 120 global companies which collectively employ in excess of 3.5 million people worldwide and occupy an estimated 233 million sq ft of office space, found that just a small minority, less than 7 percent, said that flexible workspace exceeds a fifth of their total workspace. More →

November 8, 2018

Modest goals are more appealing to people than maintaining the status quo

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Thanks to a quirk in the way our brain evaluates goals, people feel it’s easier to achieve a small incremental goal than to maintain the status quo, when both goals are assessed in isolation. This is especially true if the context is seen as unfavourable. This finding, which contrasts with the popular belief that no change is easier than any change, is the main conclusion of research led by marketing professors from INSEAD, IE Business School and Pamplin College of Business.

November 7, 2018

Will technology prove a threat or a godsend in the new workplace?

by Matt Weston • Comment, Technology, Workplace

In the past decade, the business landscape has fundamentally shifted with the emergence of companies like Uber and Netflix, in addition to the rapid growth of large technology companies such as Apple and Amazon. Underlying this shift is the constant evolution and implementation of technology into the workplace. In a recent report, the World Economic Forum stated that digitisation could add a staggering $100 trillion to businesses by 2025.

November 5, 2018

An intersectional approach to trends in workplace design at Orgatec 2018

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design

There are perhaps three characteristics that ensure the European office furniture and workplace design fair Orgatec continues to attract so many exhibitors and visitors to Cologne. Firstly, it takes place every two years, so offers a snapshot of a sector, framing the most important workplace developments in a particular time and place. For those of us who’ve been attending the shows for any length of time (in my case 26 years), we can track the evolution of workplace thought in a measured way, noting key developments like the launch of the Aeron chair (1994), Vitra’s Alcove (2006) and in 2018 – what?

November 2, 2018

Office take-up in Central London looks set to grow despite Brexit looming

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Property

Continuing demand for office space within the Central London commercial property market has helped dispel pessimism about the future of London post-Brexit, according to the latest figures from Savills. Take-up of office space in the City of London reached 5.1 million sq ft at the end of the third quarter of 2018, just 1 percent down on the same point in 2017 and 18 percent up on the 10-year average, while the amount of office space under offer in London’s West End market was 1.9 million sq ft as of the end of September, a new record, which challenges the view that the market is in danger of decline. More →

November 1, 2018

CBRE launches its offering for the flexible office sector

by Mark Eltringham • Company news, Property

CBRE, one of the world’s largest commercial property firms has launched a flexible office service that will compete with groups such as WeWork and IWG, who own the Regus brand, for corporate tenants. The company has appointed a former Zipcar executive, Andrew Kupiec, to head Hana, a new wholly owned subsidiary that will operate flexible offices aimed mainly at larger corporate clients. Unlike its competitors Hana will not lease office spaces from landlords; instead, it will partner with them through joint ventures.

October 30, 2018

The workplace world responds to the UK Autumn Budget

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Workplace

Yesterday, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the details of the UK government’s latest budget. While Brexit and austerity inevitably cast their shadows over the whole thing, there were a number of announcements relevant to the workplace, construction, tech and built environment sectors, some of which have been broadly welcomed by commentators, industry bodies and experts. Some are decidedly less popular. Among the announcements in the budget were new plans for infrastructure and property, skills and training, tax regimes for the self-employed, productivity, business rates and mental health.

October 29, 2018

The death of desks, the truth about smart cities and a long list of things architects should know

by Mark Eltringham • Features

You can’t judge an international marketplace by wandering around an exhibition of its products for a day or two. This is a simple fact overlooked by a new piece in Dezeen which declares that desks are finished. This notion is based on a trip to the Orgatec furniture fair in Cologne. Our own review of the show will appear tomorrow, with the hysteria dialled down to a dull roar and with some added facts about what organisations actually buy most from office furniture companies (spoiler: desks and chairs) compared to what makes the sector more interesting.