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People are pushing back against so-called return to office mandates

People are pushing back against so-called return to office mandates

A poll by Skillshub suggests there is a potential clash between firms issuing so-called return to office mandates and people unwilling to give up the flexibility and wellbeing benefits they say they have gained through remote and hybrid workA poll by Skillshub suggests there is a potential clash between firms issuing so-called return to office mandates and people unwilling to give up the flexibility and wellbeing benefits they say they have gained through remote and hybrid work. The survey claims that a significant proportion of UK employees (nearly half – 42.6 percent) are prepared to consider quitting their jobs if forced back to full-time office work. This sentiment extends even to hybrid models with a majority office presence (3+ days a week) – almost a fifth (18 percent) would consider leaving, with a significant number (10.1 percent) strongly considering it. (more…)

Secret AI cameras have been tracking the emotions and demographics of rail passengers

Secret AI cameras have been tracking the emotions and demographics of rail passengers

Thousands of unsuspecting train passengers in the UK have had their emotions and demographics recorded by hidden AI camera systems at major stations, a new report revealsMany thousands of unsuspecting train passengers in the UK have had their emotions and demographics recorded by hidden AI camera systems at major stations, a new report reveals. The news, raising serious privacy concerns, comes after a freedom of information request by Big Brother Watch. For over two years, Network Rail, the company overseeing Britain’s railway infrastructure, conducted a covert trial program at key stations like London’s Waterloo and Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, and others across the country. (more…)

We only have to look at the natural world to boost our mental health

We only have to look at the natural world to boost our mental health

A new study shows that you don’t have to actually be in nature to reap the reward to your mental healthIt is becoming increasingly clear that spending time in nature can benefit our mental health and wellbeing. But a new study shows that you don’t have to actually be in nature to reap the rewards. Simply directing your gaze towards natural elements, even in the middle of a city, can enhance wellbeing. Our paper, published in the journal People and Nature, used eye-tracking technology to explore how focusing on natural versus man-made elements affects mental health. (more…)

What happens to work when the machine stops?

What happens to work when the machine stops?

Newton at work

In 1909, E M Forster – not exactly known for a body of work replete with dystopian fiction – published a novella called The Machine Stops. You can read it here but the story describes a future in which people live below ground, in isolation but with all their needs met by an omnipresent Machine (you can see where this is going). (more…)

A brief history of the future of work

A brief history of the future of work

The future of work has always existed but never arrives. It is best seen as a way of thinking about current and emerging issues The past few years and our current predicaments should serves as a reminder of that tragic, unchangeable feature of the human condition, best expressed by Kierkegaard, that we are doomed to live our lives forwards but only understand them backwards. Retrospect is particularly important when we look back on sudden, large changes that knock us off our normal path. It’s important to remember this as we continue to grapple with the nature of the present and future of work in the wake of the pandemic. (more…)

More content! New themes! New font! Same old team! It’s all there for you in this issue of Works magazine

More content! New themes! New font! Same old team! It’s all there for you in this issue of Works magazine

 

The digital issue of Works magazine is now available for you here. And it's bigger, and dare we say better, than ever.

The digital edition of the new Works magazine is now available for you here. And it’s bigger, and dare we say better, than ever. In this issue: we look back on Milan Design Week and forward to Clerkenwell Design Week; there are no fewer than four projects highlighting the latest design trends and thinking; we present the award winners from the Sustainable Design Collective; explore how biophilia shouldn’t just be about a plant in the office and a picture of field on the wall; set out the most important office trends; consider the always thorny issue of office acoustics and distraction, and showcase a new generation of products that help to address it; catch up for a drink with our friends at Modus; pay tribute to the great Gaetano Pesce; and there’s all the news, launches and projects you need.

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Remote work boom creates risk of professional isolation, study finds

Remote work boom creates risk of professional isolation, study finds

Researchers from the US have concluded that remote work can make people feel isolated and at risk of burnoutWhile the pandemic ushered in a wave of remote work with benefits for both employers and employees, a new study warns of a hidden risk: professional isolation. Researchers from Colorado State University found that remote employees experiencing isolation reported feeling less engaged and more depleted at work, potentially leading to burnout. The study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, surveyed 445 participants across two points in time. It measured professional isolation, schedule flexibility, and the level of support supervisors provided for work-life balance.

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Event explores how the government is setting new office standards for civil servants

Event explores how the government is setting new office standards for civil servants

At a recent event, the Government Property Agency brought together Civil Service leaders to exchange ideas, debate trends and inform how the GPA delivers its property services. The GPA is leading one of the country’s biggest and most ambitious workplace renewal programmes for its clients – delivering a smaller, better connected, better quality, and greener property estate to support the work of Civil Service teams and bring them closer to the communities they serve. (more…)

Hybrid working ‘allows organisations to cut energy use by a fifth’

Hybrid working ‘allows organisations to cut energy use by a fifth’

Hybrid working has enabled UK businesses to cut energy usage by a fifth as they replace large city centre office space with smaller, more energy efficient spaces including flexible workspaces, according to a new report from IWG, whose brands including Spaces and Regus.  surveyed more than 500 leaders and facilities managers at businesses that have adopted hybrid working policies. The findings revealed that average energy consumption in those companies has fallen by 19 percent since the introduction of hybrid working policies, benefiting both the environment and their bottom line. (more…)

We can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives with simple, small and cost-free changes

We can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives with simple, small and cost-free changes

London, the crouching monster, like every other monster has to breathe, and breathe it does in its own obscure, malignant way. Its vital oxygen is composed of suburban working men and women of all kinds, who every morning are sucked up through an infinitely complicated respiratory apparatus of trains and termini into the mighty congested lungs, held there for a number of hours, and then, in the evening, exhaled violently through the same channels. (more…)

A definitive new book on the madness of hybrid working goes one step beyond

A definitive new book on the madness of hybrid working goes one step beyond

Andy Lake's new book is called Beyond Hybrid Working but he could have called it “Way Before, and Way Beyond the fuss about Hybrid WorkingIn any crisis, there are people who spot an opportunity. One such opportunity, in early 2020, was to seize the term “hybrid” and apply it to the world of work and place. And for the past four years, we have seen the emergence of polarised commentators, arguing over two extremes; work from home, and ‘back to the office’ and the nominally new construct ‘hybrid working’. Mostly, entirely missing the spectrum of work and workstyles which can co-exist. (more…)

New issue of IN Magazine + All you need to know about new flexible working rights + A warning from history about office design

New issue of IN Magazine + All you need to know about new flexible working rights + A warning from history about office design

Insight Weekly includes a round up of the best stories and commentary from the past seven days. It includes free premium content including features, podcasts, supplements and a link to the digital editions of IN Magazine and Works Magazine. In this week’s issue: it now costs more to commute by train than car in the UK; everything you need to know about flexible working rights and other new legislation; the new issue of IN Magazine; what remote work is doing to people’s pay and careers; and a thirty year old take about an office design that has lessons for today; our Events diary; and much more. You can subscribe to this and our magazines here.