Search Results for: coworking

The pace of office downsizing appears to be slowing to a stop

The pace of office downsizing appears to be slowing to a stop

The majority of organisations have already reduced their real estate footprint – but the pace of office downsizing is slowingA new report from Leesman claims that the sharp reductions in office space seen in last five years may now be levelling off. According to the Focus Forward study, which draws on data from 132 senior corporate real estate (CRE) leaders worldwide, the majority of organisations have already reduced their real estate footprint – but the pace of office downsizing is slowing. The report states that 68 percent of organisations surveyed had downsized over the previous 18 months. However, only 49 percent said they intended to reduce space in the next 18 months. Of those, just 11 percent anticipated what the report refers to as “considerable” reductions. (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

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…)

Flexible workspace, cognitive dissonance and lessons learnt from The Shining

Flexible workspace, cognitive dissonance and lessons learnt from The Shining

If you were to take LinkedIn posts as a barometer of market confidence you would get the sense that flexible workspace / coworking is powering ahead. But this initial impression is simply not backed up by the statsAt the start of the Shining, the seminal horror film of the 1970s, the fantastically unsettling orchestral score provides the clue that this happy family of the opening scene is going to end very, very badly. But the key element of the film is the casting of Jack Nicholson in a kind, smiling role as a writer and loving parent – from the minute the camera settles on that jarring smile, it is obvious that something is off. And this is cognitive dissonance – Jack is being portrayed as a loving husband to Shelley Duvall with your nerves jangling and telling you that he is everything but that…… (more…)

Search begins for Britain’s best office dog

Search begins for Britain’s best office dog

The aim of the competition to find Britain's best office dog is to highlight the important role that dogs play in workplace wellbeingBath-based workplace design firm  Interaction is inviting dog owners across the UK to nominate their canine colleagues and share a photo of their pets at work. The aim of the competition to find Britain’s best office dog is to highlight the important role that dogs play in workplace wellbeing. In the UK, households bought 3.2 million pets during lockdown – that’s a lot of new dogs for employees to consider. By supporting dog-friendly policies, the firm believes businesses can encourage these employees back into the office, whilst also reducing stress and improving engagement. (more…)

Accelerating the rise of the adaptable office

Accelerating the rise of the adaptable office

The growth of the adaptable office is one of the most obvious responses to the growing appetite for flexible working and agile property strategiesThe introduction of the Flexible Working Act is another sign that the concept of the ‘workplace’ has undergone a significant transformation. These shifts in work patterns, office usage and approach are all having dramatic knock-on impacts when it comes to the future of the physical infrastructure of the nation’s office environments, and the investor communities behind them. The growth of the adaptable office is one of the most obvious responses to the growing appetite for flexible working and agile property strategies. (more…)

Book review: Workspace Made Easy

Book review: Workspace Made Easy

Workspace Made Easy by Kursty Groves and Neil Usher offers a step-by- step-guide through the complexities of creating and implement a workplace strategy from first principles through to occupying a space and changing it over timeThere’s a dog-eared, yellowing paperback on my bookshelf called Understanding Offices. Written by Joanna Eley and Alexi Marmot, it dates from 1995. It is a handbook for everybody who needed to know how to develop a workplace strategy during the infant phase of the digital and cultural revolution of the late 20th Century. I used to refer to it all the time, but now it serves mainly as a reminder of how much has changed over the past thirty years, and also how little. (more…)

The city and the office have much to teach each other

The city and the office have much to teach each other

It’s common to hear people say that the boundaries between the traditional workplace and the outside world have become blurred but it might be closer to the truth to say that in a growing number of cases they have been eradicated and that the evolution of cities and offices is informed by a two way exchange of DNA. Whatever you might hear, these times are far from unprecedented. History has lessons for us both in terms of how we view the events of 2020 and how we might respond to them, including how we progress as a species and make our lives and the world a better place. In 1832, there was an epidemic of cholera in the UK’s towns and cities. In those with a population of 100,000 or more life expectancy was just 26 years. The reasons for this were picked up on by a government official called Edwin Chadwick as a member of the Poor Law Commission.   (more…)

Sound and vision – Nigel Oseland makes himself heard for the IN magazine profile

Sound and vision – Nigel Oseland makes himself heard for the IN magazine profile

Nigel Oseland opens up about people and places for IN Magazine

Interviewing people involves trying to tease out a bit of personal colour. Sometimes I already know what that is or might be. That is certainly the case with Nigel Oseland who I have known for many years, know to be from Wolverhampton and who studied psychology and computer science at Keele University in my home town. He went on to focus on environmental psychology while working at the Building Research Establishment in Watford in the late 1980s and 1990s. (more…)

People say hybrid working has reduced their risk of burnout

People say hybrid working has reduced their risk of burnout

new poll claims that the vast majority of workers who have shifted to a hybrid working model say that it has helped them to greatly reduce burnout in their working livesA new poll claims that the vast majority of workers who have shifted to a hybrid working model say that it has helped them to greatly reduce burnout in their working lives. The survey of more than 1,000 people, undertaken by hybrid working firm International Workplace Group, suggests that three quarters (75 percent) reported a dramatic reduction in burnout symptoms, defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplaces stress, since moving to a hybrid model. (more…)

A new generation of workplace apps is transforming people’s experience of work

A new generation of workplace apps is transforming people’s experience of work

These days, workplace apps promise a much more sophisticated experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your handDisseminating information about a building to the people who occupy it has come a long way from a basic, intranet desktop interface with warnings about wet floors or notices about charity fundraising. These days, workplace apps promise a much more sophisticated experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your hand. Gartner has a useful definition of workplace apps’ capabilities, stating, “They are used to explore and reserve workspaces, navigate the workplace, find colleagues, plan the best days to attend the workplace, access services and ensure that employees could feel safe in a future post pandemic workplace.” (more…)

Forget Cannes. Commercial property sector hits the North to great effect

Forget Cannes. Commercial property sector hits the North to great effect

Away from London and Cannes, the commercial property sector is holding meaningful forward looking conversationsAn hour or two on the train from that part of the UK that gets talked about most and much better optics for local authorities to chase private investment than the South of France, little wonder the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UK REiiF) proved so popular this year. Over 13,000 attendees descended on Leeds for three days in May this year, a figure all the more remarkable when considering the event only started in 2022 with nearly 4000 attendees, which it nearly doubled the following year. Back to 2024 then and housing was a strong focus but that’s not to say some interesting stories from the commercial property sector didn’t also arise. (more…)

The workplace is no longer about presence. It’s now all about the experience

The workplace is no longer about presence. It’s now all about the experience

a high-performing workplace is no longer solely defined by building efficiency or space effectiveness, it is also measured by the workplace experience — or, how employees feel about the spaceThe Gensler Research Institute has announced the findings from its Global Workplace Survey 2024, offering what it says are fresh insights into the future of work. The comprehensive global study shifts the focus from employee presence in the office to workplace performance. The core argument presented in the report is that a high-performing workplace is no longer solely defined by building efficiency or space effectiveness, it is also measured by the workplace experience — or, how employees feel about the space. (more…)