Search Results for: environment

September 21, 2016

Millennials no different from their elders in attitudes to the workplace ⁰

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

The portrait often drawn of Millennials is that of a generation which is keen to stand out from that of its elders, and which is difficult to pin down. They’re said to have difficulty accepting a hierarchical structure and no longer view their salary as the only motivating factor but instead are looking for a sense of accomplishment in their work. Yet as we reported recently, the behaviour and expectations of this younger generation has in fact stayed fairly constant. For them, the ideal company has attributes which are actually fairly similar to those cited by their more experienced colleagues. The result of the latest Edenred-Ipsos barometer into the under 30s suggests that for employers, the issue is not so much about dealing with this generation independently of the others, but rather globally rethinking leadership challenges in an environment which is increasingly digitalized, horizontal and multi-task oriented, taking into account individual countries’ cultural differences.

September 20, 2016

New project invites organisations to explore issue of workplace wellbeing ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Are our offices making us sick? This is the question addressed by a new research project looking at the link between health in the workplace and access to the natural environment. The study is backed by the Soil Association, is endorsed by Kate Humble and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and draws on studies from the past thirty years which have also addressed the issue. The Good Life Project aims to provide evidence-based and cost-effective solutions to the benefits of nature in making businesses happier, healthier and more profitable. The project is led by behaviour expert and author Jez Rose along with a team of psychologists and neuroscientists and is endorsed by the Soil Association. The Project is designed to overcome the problem of workplace absenteeism by trying out a range of workplace initiatives based around the natural environment to see what sort of difference they make to an employee’s feeling of wellbeing.

September 19, 2016

North America leading the way in adopting healthier buildings ⁰

by Sara Bean • Environment, Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

While building owners, developers, managers and investors in North America are showing increasing interest in practices that prioritise the physical, mental and social well-being of tenants and occupants, European buildings have fewer spaces created with wellness in mind. The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings 2016, by Dodge Data & Analytics and the World Green Building Council, produced in partnership with the Canada Green Building Council and Delos, says the top five healthier building features currently in use include better lighting, products that enhance thermal comfort, spaces that enhance social interaction, enhanced air quality and products that enhance acoustical comfort. However, in an analysis of global trends in health and wellbeing, European respondents reported less frequent use of spaces that enhance tenant mood, spaces that enhance social interaction or spaces that create opportunities for physical activity than their North American or Asian counterparts.

September 19, 2016

London firms promote health and wellbeing with Square Mile Relay ⁰

by Tim Playbook • Company news, Wellbeing, Workplace

On the 22nd September, the biggest corporations in the City of London will compete in the iconic Bloomberg Square Mile Relay. The global race series, now in seven cities across the world, is celebrating its tenth anniversary in the capital with a record sell-out of 115 teams taking part in a unique relay in the heart of the square mile, as they attempt to prove themselves to be the fastest in the city. Each team consists of 10 runners, and each runner will be required to complete a one-mile course before passing the baton to the next competitor. While at the heart of this race is its charitable motives, it is also reflective of an ongoing rhetoric surrounding the importance of health and wellbeing in the workplace. The companies who have chosen to compete in this year’s global race series are communicating their desire for employees to embrace fitness as a lifestyle choice. It is a strategy in alignment with the ‘soft’ or ‘Harvard’ model of human resource management

September 16, 2016

CoreNet report sets out how technology will reshape corporate real estate ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Events, Facilities management, News, Property

The speed of today’s technological advances is dramatically reshaping the way that corporations manage and use their real estate. It’s a dynamic that has significant consequences for the workplace, urban development and the overall lifestyle of the average worker. Those are the unsurprising conclusions of a new report from trade association CoreNet Global, which was discussed this week at the organisation’s 2016 Summit – EMEA, held in Amsterdam. As ever, the devil is in the detail so the report is worth exploring to get a sense of just how imminent many of the changes will be, especially because they will converge to create a perfect storm of change for the workplace. This marks the new era out from the past when technology developed in more predictable ways. Several CoreNet Global Gold Strategic Partners contributed to the report including CBRE, Deloitte, ISS, JLL, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Sodexo and Steelcase.

September 14, 2016

New alliance aims to help eradicate maternity discrimination at work ⁰

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

A new alliance between leading businesses and the Equality and Human Rights Commission is being launched today to combat the level of pregnancy and maternity discrimination that affects around 390,000 pregnant women and new mothers each year. A coalition of businesses in the initiative ‘Working Forward – supporting pregnancy and maternity rights’, aims to inspire other organisations to follow their example by working to eradicate discrimination from their businesses and show employers how to attract, develop and retain women at work. The launch follows the EHRC’s recent landmark research, carried out in conjunction with the former Department from Business, Innovation and Skills which highlighted that while the majority of employers say they are firm supporters of female staff during and after pregnancy and find it easy to comply with the law, three in four (77 percent) mothers say they have had a negative or possibly discriminatory experience at work.

September 14, 2016

Study shows how a green city in the desert still has much to teach the world ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Cities, Environment, Facilities management, Knowledge

A much publicised but occasionally troubled green city in the United Arab Emirates without light switches or water taps has much to teach people around the world about saving energy and precious resources, claims a new study from researchers at Birmingham University. With its low-rise and energy efficient buildings, smart metering, excellent public transport and extensive use of renewable energy, the 2,000 citizens of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, are living in a place which is a ‘green’ example to city planners around the globe, claims the report. There are no light switches or water taps in Masdar City. Movement sensors control lighting and water in order to cut electricity and water consumption by 51 percent and 55 percent respectively. Masdar is a mixed use development that is the world’s first city designed to be ‘zero carbon’ and ‘zero waste’. Masdar City is a large-scale mixed use development which lies 17 kilometres south-east of the city of Abu Dhabi.

September 14, 2016

Calls to improve London’s transport infrastructure in Brexit negotiations ⁰

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property, Workplace

London’s property sector has been resilient following the EU referendum, with commercial property rents remaining strong over the summer, though over the next few months the overall direction of the market is likely to become clearer. This is according to the latest CBI/CBRE London Business Survey, which has found that businesses want the city’s mayor to play a leading role in influencing Brexit negotiations, particularly in driving improvements to the city’s transport infrastructure. Two thirds (67 percent) wish to see upgrades to the existing London Underground network, whilst over a half (55 percent) want a commitment from City Hall to start building Crossrail 2 and one third (31 percent) hope for greater investment in the capital’s road network. Unsurprisingly, uncertainty over the UK’s role in the EU is the most significant cause for concern (75 percent of firms), followed by retaining the best people for the job (49 percent) and a lack of appropriately skilled staff (44 percent).

September 13, 2016

The future of London depends on cohesion, flexible working and infrastructure ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Cities, Features, News, Products, Technology

The future of London is the subject of a new and wide ranging collection of essays from Think Tank Localis. It includes contributions from the likes of Boris Johnson, Terry Farrell, Peter Bazalgette and Justine Roberts. Its core theme is that while London has established itself as one of the world’s great financial and cultural powerhouses over the last thirty years, it now faces a number of new challenges and intransigent problems that it must address in a new globalised era. These have taken on a new perspective as the UK prepares to negotiate a new relationship with the EU, something which the report repeats was not the choice of Londoners, but which did perhaps reveal a neglect of the rest of the UK as the Government focused too much attention and investment on the capital. So, while the report focuses on London it also tries to create a vision of a London better integrated with the needs of the rest of the UK and based on a new partnership with the EU.

September 13, 2016

How climate change may be affecting us in more ways than we suppose ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Company news, Facilities management, Knowledge, News, Wellbeing

Just how affected we all are by what is going on in our surroundings is confirmed by a new academic studies which links the environment to to our moods, physical wellbeing and performance. Although we are increasingly aware of the impact the working environment has on our productivity and wellbeing, the new study from researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Joint Global Change Research Institute suggests we are more influenced by the global environment and climate than we might suppose. The meta-analysis of over 200 papers published in Science magazine concludes that while climate change concerns are largely focussed on its long term and worldwide effects, we should also pay attention to the effects over the short term and at local level because of the impact on individuals, businesses, society and the national economy. As well as slowing the global economy by 0.25 percent each year, it also has a profound additional effect at local levels.

September 12, 2016

CoreNet Global 2016 summit to convene in Amsterdam this week ⁰

by Sara Bean • Company news, Events, Facilities management, Property, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design

The Bigger Picture: Geopolitics, Economics and the Environment is the theme of this year’s CoreNet Global 2016 Summit – EMEA, (14-16 September). It will include sessions focusing on issues as diverse as Brexit, terrorism, disruptive technologies in real estate, the impact of geopolitics and economics on occupiers, sustainable buildings, the war for talent, and how the latest findings from neuroscience are contributing to workplace design. The summit, which is being held in Amsterdam, will host more than 500 registered delegates from 25 countries. Confirmed keynote speakers during the three day event include Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group, who will explore the current political and economic state of the EMEA region, and writer, businessman and futurologist Mark Stevenson, who will address the importance of agility and disruption. This year’s programme will also include a guided site tour of the Overhoeks mixed use development project. Registration details are available from the website.

September 12, 2016

Overwork and burnout affects all the generations in the workplace ⁰

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

Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers are all feeling overworked and burned out, which is motivating many to look for another job; and according to the latest Staples Business Advantage 2016 Workplace Index it’s the older workers who are most motivated at work by a sense of purpose, with Baby Boomers (46 percent) and Generation X (32 percent) having more of a sense of purpose at work than their younger Millennial counterparts (24 percent). Fifty percent of Millennials, 47 percent of Gen X, and 35 percent of Boomers however, say burnout is driving them to look for another job; with Boomers wishing their employer would decrease their workload and provide more time to complete tasks, while Gen X and Millennials are looking for a more flexible schedule and work-life blend. Aesthetics in the office are also key, regardless of age, as 51 percent of Millennials, 44 percent of Gen X, and 33 percent of Boomers would like to see more attention paid to office design.