With more people choosing to split their time between home and the office, the experience of being at work has changed. If people are only in the office twice a week, opportunities to connect with colleagues face-to-face become more important. Even something as simple as sharing a meal gives people a reason to get together. An informal lunch can create conversations that wouldn’t have happened over a Teams call. For new colleagues, more casual conversation can help them settle in and get to know their colleagues better. Moving away from the desk also means a proper break from a screen, which helps everyone to return for the afternoon feeling refreshed and motivated. (more…)

Ask anyone who has managed a poorly executed office move and they will describe it in similar terms: it took longer than expected, disrupted more than it should have, and the final cost bore little resemblance to the original estimate. What tends to be harder to quantify — but is often the most significant expense — is the productivity lost during and after the move. Office relocations are among the most disruptive events in the working life of an organisation. When they go well, barely anyone notices. When they go badly, the effects ripple through the business for weeks. (more…)

The hybrid office has found its rhythm. Teams come together on their anchor days to collaborate, share ideas and meet clients, then spend the rest of the week wherever they work best. It is a model that suits people well, and it is encouraging organisations to take a fresh look at how every part of their office is used. Meeting rooms are a natural place to start. On busy days they are in high demand, often for activities that need far less space: a solo video call, a quick one-to-one, an hour of focused work away from the buzz of the open floor. The good news is that there is a simple, flexible way to create more of the right kind of space. Acoustic office pods like those designed by MEAVO, give every type of conversation a home of its own, creating calm, private spaces exactly where people need them. (more…)

The renewal notice for your business health insurance arrives. The premium is up, as it usually is. You approve it, the policy rolls over, and you move on to the next thing on the list. For most businesses, that is the entire renewal process. And in most cases, it is leaving money on the table. The business health insurance market is not static. Insurers reprice their books every year. New products come to market. Competitors adjust their terms to win business. The gap between what a business is paying on an auto-renewed policy and what it could be paying on a properly reviewed one is often significant, and it widens every year the review does not happen. This guide covers what a proper renewal review involves, what to look at, what questions to ask your broker or insurer, and why it is worth treating renewal as an active decision rather than an annual formality. (more…)