Search Results for: covid

Remote work linked to rising isolation and poorer mental health, study finds

Remote work linked to rising isolation and poorer mental health, study finds

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

The rapid growth of remote work since the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to increased social isolation and worsening mental health among workers, according to a major new studyThe rapid growth of remote work since the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to increased social isolation and worsening mental health among workers, according to a major new study published in the journal Science. Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the University of Virginia and Harvard University analysed data from five nationally representative surveys covering nearly 590,000 American workers between 2011 and 2024. Their findings suggest that the shift towards home working may account for around one third of the rise in mental distress recorded in the United States since the pandemic. (more…)

A word or two on what people tell you about work and workplaces

A word or two on what people tell you about work and workplaces

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

All of those surveys about work and workplaces must be telling us something about people and what they do, mustn't they? One of the many criticisms you could make of us as a business is a reliance on company sponsored surveys to generate news stories about workplaces. We don’t publish all of them, you’ll be relieved to hear. The ones we reject are usually too nakedly self-serving. Even the ones that have some degree of statistical cred must be viewed in the right context, distorted as they might be by loaded questions, self-reporting, deliberate lying and other response biases.  Our attitude towards these polls is that they often contain some element of truth, especially if results are repeated over a period of time. When surveys over many years tell you that noise is the biggest gripe about office life, you should believe them.    (more…)

Fashion has an unexpected influence on commercial interior design

Fashion has an unexpected influence on commercial interior design

by • Comment, Workplace design

Fashion and interior design have always moved in parallel, reflecting both personal identity and the emerging needs of societyFashion and interior design have always moved in parallel, reflecting both personal identity and the emerging needs of society. For example, corporate dress codes shifted to be more relaxed during the Covid-19 pandemic, coinciding with the increase in remote and hybrid working patterns. This relationship is more visible than ever, as the aesthetics of today’s fashion week runways, and the re-emergence of mid-century design come full circle to influence the look and feel of our commercial office spaces. (more…)

The role of local businesses in promoting mental health and wellbeing

The role of local businesses in promoting mental health and wellbeing

by • Company news, Wellbeing

Once seen as an individual responsibility, mental health is now recognised as a shared, community wide issue.Across the UK and over recent years, there has a change in how the general public views mental health and wellbeing. Once seen as an individual responsibility, mental health is now recognised as a shared, community wide issue. Our mental health is both our individual and collective responsibility and requires effort from family members, workplaces and organisations. For many, the workplace is where they spend most of their time. For others, local cafés, gyms, hairdressers, or local shops are their daily social spaces. These are the places that people connect, relax, and interact with other people. It’s in these spaces that local businesses have a unique power to influence how people think and feel as well as their mental health. (more…)

World’s business districts regain strength but face ongoing challenges

World’s business districts regain strength but face ongoing challenges

by • News, Property

The world’s major business districts are recovering their appeal after the disruption of Covid-19, according to new research from EY and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The 2025 Global Business Districts Attractiveness Report shows that nearly two thirds of surveyed stakeholders now consider these districts more attractive than before the pandemic. The study assesses 30 leading districts across Europe, North America and Asia using 2,400 data points measuring macroeconomic performance, talent, real estate, innovation and sustainability. The findings suggest that long-established hubs retain their dominance, with Midtown Manhattan, the Financial District in New York, Tokyo Marunouchi, Paris La Défense (pictured) and the City of London occupying the top five positions. Collectively, the districts generate USD 4.5 trillion in annual GDP and provide more than seven million jobs. (more…)

Is a smart building worth it? My research says the answer is an unequivocal yes

Is a smart building worth it? My research says the answer is an unequivocal yes

by • Comment, Property, Technology

Too often, clients have paid contractors for the design and delivery of a smart building whilst ignoring the operational sideFor my book, The Smart Building Advantage, in which I tracked the evolution of the recent built environment, I trawled through more than a decade’s worth of data. I wasn’t short of material. I studied the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, 22 Bishopsgate in London and NEOM in Saudi Arabia, amongst many extraordinary examples of how buildings and technology can work together. From these, I concluded that smart buildings are like chameleons in the way they’ve adapted to meet the shifting demands of the corporate zeitgeist. (more…)

Not just cuckoo clocks. Why Switzerland is the world’s most innovative country

Not just cuckoo clocks. Why Switzerland is the world’s most innovative country

by • Business, News, Technology

Switzerland retains its long-standing position as the world’s most innovative economy, followed closely by the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and SingaporeIn Orson Welles’ famous scene-stealing cameo in The Third Man, his character Harry Lime comes out with that (in)famous speech about Swiss culture. “In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance,” he says. “In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” This does the Swiss a disservice in a number of ways, not least that a major new report claims that Switzerland is maintaining a long tradition as the most innovative country in the world. (more…)

Public sector productivity gap costs UK economy eighty billion pounds a year

Public sector productivity gap costs UK economy eighty billion pounds a year

by • News, Workplace

A widening gap in productivity between the UK’s public and private sectors is costing the economy around eighty billion pounds annually, according to new analysis from EYA widening gap in productivity between the UK’s public and private sectors is costing the economy around eighty billion pounds annually, according to new analysis from EY. The report, Mind the productivity gap, claims that if public sector productivity had kept pace with the private sector since 2019, the economy would now be three per cent larger. Instead, public sector productivity has fallen by over eight per cent since the pandemic. (more…)

How BPO enables business flexibility in rapidly changing global markets

How BPO enables business flexibility in rapidly changing global markets

by • Business, Company news

What was once viewed as a cost-cutting tool, BPO has evolved into a strategic advantage, providing businesses with the flexibility they require to remain competitive and resilient during volatile periods.Global markets are changing at an unprecedented rate due to economic uncertainty, shifting consumer behavior, and technological breakthroughs. Businesses must be agile and able to adapt to market changes. This is where Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) comes in. What was once viewed as a cost-cutting tool has evolved into a strategic advantage, providing businesses with the flexibility they require to remain competitive and resilient during volatile periods. (more…)

Moments of wonder can help to fend off depression and stress, research finds

Moments of wonder can help to fend off depression and stress, research finds

by • News, Wellbeing

A new peer-reviewed study published in the Journal Nature suggests that brief moments of wonder and amazement can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and stressThere’s a famously apocryphal story about the making of the 1965 biblical epic The Greatest Story Ever Told. During a rehearsal, John Wayne, playing the Centurion at the Crucifixion, was asked by director George Stevens to deliver his line about Jesus Christ being the Son of God “with awe.” So, in the next take, the actor changed the line from the Bible to: “Awe, truly this man was the son of God.” Turns out that a daily dose of awe may be just what we all need. A new peer-reviewed study published in the Journal Nature suggests that brief moments of wonder and amazement can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and stress, even in individuals coping with persistent physical and mental health challenges. (more…)

Office design and the office market are not what you might be led to believe

Office design and the office market are not what you might be led to believe

by • Comment, Workplace design

The future of office design is that the physical workplace will resemble nothing so much as an upscale hotel, right? Right?Over the weekend The Times published an article headlined “The ‘super-prime’ offices designed to lure WFH staff back in”. It described how firms are reshaping offices in the image of upmarket hotels, with enticing features such as gyms, childcare, cinemas, climbing walls, lounges and restaurants (run by Gordon Ramsay natch). These are luxury spaces to make the office worth the commute, as the cliché goes. Although the author concedes that this is largely a London phenomenon in the UK, the implication is that offices everywhere must ape this office design approach to some degree to meet the demands of the post-covid workforce. This is compelling stuff and not the first time you will have heard the argument. But, is it true? (more…)

Co-working spaces bring a whole range of benefits for employees and communities

Co-working spaces bring a whole range of benefits for employees and communities

by • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Workplace design

Today’s co-working spaces have evolved into something more powerful – particularly in a world still reshuffling office work practices in the wake of the COVID pandemic.When you think of co-working spaces – where workers from different industries come together to share a convenient workplace – you might picture a group of young freelancers hunched over laptops. But today’s co-working spaces have evolved into something more powerful – particularly in a world still reshuffling office work practices in the wake of the COVID pandemic. As workplaces adapt to new ways of operating, from hybrid to “digital nomadism”, co-working spaces can do more than simply offer flexibility. They can support workers’ wellbeing and work–life balance by enhancing a sense of community, building trust and new friendships, and encouraging continuous learning. (more…)

«< 4 5 6 7 8 >»