June 13, 2019

Digital transformation plans ignoring role of HR

HR must enhance its reputation amongst senior management teams and business leaders if it is to take a leading role in driving the success of digital transformation projects, claims a new report from MHR. The poll of 250 business leaders at organisations with more than 1000 employees claims that just 5 percent of respondents felt the HR department should be the people to lead or manage a digital transformation project. The full results of the survey are explored in MHR’s report ‘Businesses are not ready to transform (but they don’t know that)… which was launched at the Festival of Work in London this week. (more…)

June 12, 2019

People can hit career dead end in their fifties

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

With a rising retirement age and the prediction that by 2020, a third of UK workers will be aged 50 or over, new research from job board Totaljobs and recruitment firm Robert Walters found that many workers in their 50s find their career options and development opportunities are extremely limited.

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June 11, 2019

Moving the wellbeing debate beyond a fixation on stress

by Matt Weston • Comment, Wellbeing

The world of work is evolving. Geopolitical change, digitalisation of the workplace and increased regulation are just some of the changes that businesses and their employees have to navigate. This disruption can feed into employee stress levels, impacting their happiness at work. Maintaining good mental health in the workplace is vital for employee wellbeing – it’s a key factor in employee retention and in turn, business success. However, it has been reported that between 2017 and 2018, 15.4 million working days were lost to work-related stress.

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June 10, 2019

Coworking disrupts office design ⁰

by Paul Goodchild • Comment, Coworking, Facilities management, Flexible working, Workplace design

In his book How Buildings Learn, the author Stewart Brand outlines the process whereby buildings evolve over time to meet the changing needs of their occupants. He describes each building as consisting of six layers, each of which functions on a different timescale. These range from the site itself which has a life cycle measured in centuries, through to the building (decades), interior fit out (years), technology (months), to stuff (days). The effectiveness of a design will depend on how well it resolves the tensions that exist between these layers of the building, and this is one of the benefits of coworking that isn’t discussed enough.

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June 6, 2019

In defence of open plan office design

by Elizabeth Mixson • Features, Workplace design

Noisy, distracting, toxic and disastrous. These are just a few words that have been used to describe open plan office layouts. Though the open office layout model was originally conceived to promote collaboration, innovation and stronger workplace relationship, if recent press is to be believed, it’s had the opposite effect at many companies. (more…)

June 6, 2019

Flexible working may not enhance productivity

by Marie Hillen • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Workplace

The majority of office employees (84 percent) believe good relationships with colleagues boost their quality of work, yet nearly three quarters (70 percent) admit to not knowing the people they work with very well, claims a new survey from Nespresso Professional. The study suggests that changing office environments and flexible working practices are not improving employees’ relationships with co-workers, or their creativity and output. (more…)

June 5, 2019

Workplaces around the UK are something to treasure

by Richard Kauntze • Comment, Property, Workplace design

The world is changing. Often without sense, often at startling speed. I need not mention the ‘B word’. However, there is a risk that this volatility leads to us being too negative. Today, too many people are speaking with too much pessimism. Don’t believe me? Try logging onto Twitter. In these challenging times, we need to also look at our strengths and celebrate areas where things are going well. The UK’s workplaces sector is one example of this, as shown by the BCO’s recent regional awards. (more…)

June 5, 2019

Most people convinced they can do their job in four day week

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A new report from job site Indeed explores what work means to people in the UK today. The Meaning of Work report analyses trends from the last five years, generated by more than 40 million monthly visitors to the firm’s website alongside the results of a YouGov survey of over 2,000 full-time employees. The report’s headline finding is that around three-quarters of people (74 per cent) already believe they could do their full time job to the same standard over the course of a four day week. (more…)

May 31, 2019

The far reaching impact of empathy in the workplace

by Beverley Nicholas • Comment, Workplace

The average career length is 50 years, and according to Gallup’s State of The Global Workplace report, during this time only 1 in 10 people are actively engaged. This illustrates that within the current landscape there is a need for companies to actively pursue strategies to better engage their employees. Embedding empathy in working culture is one way of achieving actively-engaged workers but it also has the added benefit of increasing productivity and business growth. This was revealed by a piece in the Harvard Business Review, which highlighted the top ten most empathetic companies outperformed the bottom ten by at least 50 percent in productivity, earnings and growth. (more…)

May 30, 2019

Relationships with coworkers matter most for wellbeing

by George Eltringham • News, Wellbeing

A third of your life is spent at work, but what determines your workplace well-being? That’s the question that Dr. Martin Boult, Senior Director Professional Services & International Training, The Myers-Briggs Company, asked before starting a three-year international study on workplace wellbeing. His new report, titled “Wellbeing in the Workplace” from The Myers-Briggs Company explores the most effective activities for enhancing well-being and its benefits for both people and organisations. (more…)

May 29, 2019

Biophilia in the corporate HQ: an historical perspective

by Guzman de Yarza Blache • Architecture, Environment, Facilities management, Features, Workplace design

In recent years, the concept of biophilia and the inclusion of greenery in the working environment has captured the media’s attention, which has depicted it as an important aspect of wellbeing in the workplace, seemingly the crucial indicator of a great office. For this reason, and beyond the superficial or cosmetic use of plants in the office, I would like to analyse the relationship between nature and the corporate world from a historical perspective in an effort to understand the role of greenery within the architecture of the corporate headquarters.

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May 29, 2019

Brits work longer hours but still struggle to make ends meet

by George Eltringham • News, Workplace

Brand new research from CV-Library, an independent job board, suggests that despite 64 percent of Brits working more hours than they’re contracted to, over half (55.1 percent) struggle to make ends meet at the end of each month. The study surveyed 1,200 working professionals and found that over a third (36.7 percent) work 1-3 hours extra per week, amounting to 96 hours per year and meaning Brits are missing out on £1,606.08 unpaid overtime. In addition to this, 11.3 percent work more than 15 hours extra per week, totalling a staggering £12,045.60 unpaid overtime. (more…)