February 7, 2020
According to new government figures, the country’s digital sector contributed £149 billion to the UK in 2018, accounting for 7.7 percent of the economy. This is up 7.9 percent on the previous year, meaning growth in the sector is nearly six times larger than growth across the economy as a whole, which increased by 1.4 percent. More →
February 6, 2020
Executives in small and mid-sized businesses in the UK are more anxious about major decisions at work than critical decisions at home that affect their family, a new study has claimed. The new study by Oracle NetSuite, Unlocking Growth, which provides insights from more than 1,000 business executives in the UK, France, Germany, UAE, Benelux and the Nordic countries, found that 92 percent are overwhelmed by data when making decisions. A third of UK executives are putting risk mitigation ahead of potential success to avoid damaging their career, while 23 percent rely on gut feeling to make critical decisions. More →
February 5, 2020
Nearly two-thirds of financial services leaders expect to be mass adopters of AI in two years compared to just 16 percent harnessing it today, a survey from the World Economic Forum and the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) claims. This is despite fears around AI, with 58 percent of the 150 senior executives surveyed expecting it to worsen discrimination in the sector and the same number expecting privacy breaches to increase. More →
February 3, 2020
Time spent in the great outdoors is worth abour£4.5 trillion a year in the improved mental health of people, according to results published by a team of researchers from Griffith University’s School of Environment and Science, Centre for Work Organisation and Wellbeing, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith Business School and School of Medicine. More →
January 29, 2020
Employers worried about rivals poaching their staff should be looking closer to home to spot their next competitor, a new study has claimed. In a survey of 3,000 UK employees by Synergy Creative, nearly half (47 percent) said that they would love to be their own boss, raising the prospect of them setting up in competition to their existing employer. Of those intending to find a new job in 2020, a third said their ideal job is to work for themselves, compared to 25 percent who are looking to move to another company. More →
January 24, 2020
Huge changes to the world of work over the past two decades have made little impact on teenagers’ career expectations, which have become more concentrated in fewer occupations, according to a new OECD report. Dream jobs: Teenagers’ career aspirations and the future of work says 47 percent of boys and 53 percent of girls surveyed in 41 countries expect to work in one of just 10 popular jobs by age of 30. The figures, based on the latest PISA survey of 15-year-olds released last month, reveal a narrowing of expectations as these shares increased by eight percentage points for boys and four percentage points for girls since the 2000 PISA survey. More →
January 21, 2020
Following sustained levels of leasing activity throughout the year, JLL has calculated that over 10.7m sq ft of office space in central London has been transacted so far in 2019 and with over 3m sq ft currently under offer, has suggested that take-up is on track to total 11.6 m sq ft at year-end – which is ahead of the 11.5m sq ft of space that was leased in 2018. Both the City and West End commercial property markets are expected to see take-up levels broadly echo last year’s totals. More →
January 20, 2020
The world’s commercial property markets will be defined this year by low interest rates, socially responsible investing, cautious optimism and climate change as well as six other factors according to Avison Young’s 2020 Forecast. The annual report series claims to provide perspective on how global events, trends and indicators impact commercial real estate in a variety of sectors, including capital markets, office, retail, industrial, multi-family and hospitality, among others.
January 16, 2020
New research from Aon claims that employers have increased their strategic focus on both emotional and financial wellbeing programmes, while physical wellbeing programmes have remained largely static. Aon’s UK Benefits & Trends 2020 Survey (registration) shows that 51 percent of employers now have financial wellbeing strategies in place, up from 21 percent three years ago, while 68 percent have emotional wellbeing strategies, up from 41 percent. These were the least developed pillars of employee wellbeing when Aon asked organisations in its 2017 UK Health Survey. More →
January 15, 2020
A continued disconnect between HR, Finance and business leaders is an important driver of the UK’s enduring low productivity levels, a new report claims. The research commissioned by OrgVue, claims that if better organisational planning was adopted by UK organisations, GDP could be boosted by £10.4 billion due to improved productivity. More →
January 15, 2020
The share of renewables in global power should more than double by 2030 as part of a ‘decade of action’ to advance global energy transformation, achieve sustainable development goals and a pathway to climate safety, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable electricity should supply 57 per cent of global power by the end of the decade, up from 26 per cent today. More →
January 22, 2020
We might spot patterns in office design, but a global picture is beyond us
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design