Search Results for: economic

November 28, 2018

Employers to prioritise career development, wellbeing and flexibility

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The majority of employers (97 percent) are planning to maintain or increase how much they spend on employee benefits over the next two years, according to new research published today by the CIPD and LCP. In the latest ‘Reward management’ report, released today, 8 in 10 employers (81 percent) said they intend to spend the same amount on employee benefits over the next two years as they currently do, while 16 percent plan to increase their investment to address staff wellbeing and career development.

November 28, 2018

New report challenges idea that productivity has no link with income

by Mark Eltringham • News, Workplace

A new IZA World of Labor report published today suggests that workers’ effort may be more responsive to wage incentives and therefore the efficiency costs of progressive labour income taxation larger than previously thought. A fundamental question in economic policy is how labour supply responds to changes in remuneration. The responsiveness of labour supply determines the size of the employment impact and efficiency loss of progressive income taxation for example. The economist Tess Stafford of the University of New South Wales, Australia, summarises a number of recent studies of independent contractors’ labour supply which confirm a key prediction of economic theory: workers work more (in fact, quite a bit more) when earnings are temporarily high.

November 28, 2018

New report puts the case for FM contribution to sustainability

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News

A new report has been published which argues that FM has the power, and responsibility to contribute towards social, economic and political betterment, but to do so the sector needs to be more explicit in the value it offers. Sustainability in facilities management: A Holistic View’ from Active Workplace Solutions claims to explore sustainability within the built environment, analyses how the facilities management (FM) sector can impact wider environmental, social and economic goals and build a holistic strategic picture of sustainability. More →

November 26, 2018

Reducing commuting times could drastically reduce CO2 emissions

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, Flexible working, News

A decrease in commuting times in the UK will reduce levels of carbon dioxide by 7.8 million tonnes per year by 2030, according to a new study by Regus. The economic study, carried out by independent researchers, found that if the growth in flexible workspace continues to increase, commuters in the country could save 115 million hours of commuting time per annum by 2030 from a turn to flexible working. Meanwhile, the nation which would see the largest annual carbon emission saving by 2030 is the United States. It is predicted to save nearly 960 million hours in commuting time, and with US commuters relying heavily on cars, this time saved translates to over 100 million tonnes of CO2.

November 25, 2018

Mental health problems are rife across Europe

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Greater efforts to promote mental health and improve early diagnosis and treatment of those with mental illness would improve the lives of millions of Europeans and contribute to stronger economic and employment conditions, according to a new joint OECD/European Commission report. Health at a Glance: Europe 2018 says that mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety disorders and alcohol and drug use disorders, affect more than one in six people across the European Union in any given year. Besides the impact on people’s well-being, the report estimates the total costs of mental ill-health at over EUR 600 billion – or more than 4 percent of GDP – across the 28 EU countries.

November 19, 2018

Business leaders call for legislation ensuring compulsory mental first aid at work

by Sara Bean • Legal news, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Business leaders have called today for the Government to update health and safety legislation to protect mental health in the workplace. In an Open Letter to the Prime Minister signed by more than 50 leaders of some of Britain’s biggest employers including PwC, Royal Mail, WHSmith, Mace, Ford and Thames Water calls on the Government to prioritise its manifesto pledge to amend health and safety legislation to put mental and physical first aid on an equal footing. With mental health issues estimated to cost the UK economy almost £35 billion every year as 15.4 million working days are lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety the letter, signed by the Chairman of Mental Health First Aid England and the CEO of Bauer Media Group, along with leaders of some of the UK’s biggest employers, are asking that workplaces are required to make provision for mental as well as physical first aid.

November 16, 2018

Biophilic design the key to improving mental health, productivity and stress levels

by Neil Franklin • Architecture, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

An expert panel at this week’s Welcome to the Biophilic Concrete Jungle event in London made the case for incorporating the principles of biophilic design into the workplace, including for health and wellbeing considerations, the promotion of productivity and to address workplace stress and urban disconnection from nature. HOK organised the event. Panellists included Joyce Chan, Head of Sustainability and Trina Marshall, Regional Leader of Consulting from HOK, Professor Derek Clements-Croome from Reading University, Alexander Bond from Biophilic Design and Dr Ed Suttie from BRE.

November 16, 2018

New report writes an obituary for the commercial office lease

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

A new white paper from Magenta Associates (registration required) explores the fate of the traditional commercial office lease in the context of deep social, political and economic changes. Earlier this year, a group of senior corporate real estate (CRE) and facilities management professionals were invited to participate in a roundtable, led by author of The Elemental Workplace Neil Usher, to discuss whether time is up for the traditional commercial office lease and how viable alternatives might look in the future.

November 14, 2018

Proportion of flexible space within corporate portfolios to increase dramatically

by Sara Bean • Coworking, Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Property

Despite the proliferation of coworking and serviced office operators the majority of global corporates still occupy office space on a traditional lease model, with two thirds of companies in a survey by Knight Frank reporting that co-working, serviced and flexible office space comprise 5 percent or less of their current office space. Knight Frank’s Your Space report, which surveys senior executives at 120 global companies which collectively employ in excess of 3.5 million people worldwide and occupy an estimated 233 million sq ft of office space, found that just a small minority, less than 7 percent, said that flexible workspace exceeds a fifth of their total workspace. More →

November 9, 2018

Amazon dupes the world, the mystery of AI, a workplace zoo and some other things you may like

by Mark Eltringham • Features

Sometime over the past few years, the search for possible locations for the latest tech giant palace has become something of a media preoccupation. Typical of the stories this quest generates is this piece in the New York Times about Google’s search for new property in the city. But the apotheosis of all this has been Amazon’s quest for a new HQ in the US, leading to an unedifying scrabble between municipal authorities keen to attract the lair of OmniCorp to their turf.

November 7, 2018

Will technology prove a threat or a godsend in the new workplace?

by Matt Weston • Comment, Technology, Workplace

In the past decade, the business landscape has fundamentally shifted with the emergence of companies like Uber and Netflix, in addition to the rapid growth of large technology companies such as Apple and Amazon. Underlying this shift is the constant evolution and implementation of technology into the workplace. In a recent report, the World Economic Forum stated that digitisation could add a staggering $100 trillion to businesses by 2025.

November 6, 2018

Employers struggle to understand what motivates people in new generation of megacities

by Neil Franklin • Cities, News, Workplace

Mercer has published the results of an extensive study that examines the needs of workers in the world’s fastest-growing cities across four key factors – human, health, money and work. The study provides insight into the motivations of workers against the backdrop of fierce competition for their talent. The study, People first: driving growth in emerging megacities (registration required), is based on a survey of 7,200 workers and 577 employers in 15 current and future megacities across seven countries, namely Brazil, China, India, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco and Nigeria. As defined by the United Nations, these 15 cities will have a combined population of 150 million people by 2030 and share strong, projected GDP.