Search Results for: environment

UK improves opportunities for young workers, but faces longer term challenges from automation

UK improves opportunities for young workers, but faces longer term challenges from automation

by • News, Workplace

The UK could boost GDP by £43 billion if it reduces the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) to match Germany, the best performing EU country. This is equivalent to a GDP increase of around £7,500 per 18-24 year old, according to estimates in PwC’s latest Young Workers Index. This year, the UK reached its highest position since the Index began in 2006, climbing to 18th out of 35 OECD countries from 20th last year. The UK’s improvement reflects lower youth unemployment and NEET rates as the economic recovery from the financial crisis has continued, but it still lags behind many other OECD countries, with Switzerland, Iceland and Germany leading the pack.

(more…)

Europe does not offer appropriate support for breast cancer survivors

Europe does not offer appropriate support for breast cancer survivors

by • News, Wellbeing

Although the rate of breast cancer diagnoses is rising in Europe and a higher proportion of women are surviving this particular  form of cancer,  returning to everyday aspects of life prove challenging with many survivors unable to return to work in full, due to a lack of support and consideration by employers. A new report by The Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by Pfizer investigates the challenges involved in returning to employment for a growing number of breast cancer patients and survivors of a working age.

(more…)

Businesses could be losing out because their offices are poorly designed and uninspiring

Businesses could be losing out because their offices are poorly designed and uninspiring

by • News, Workplace design

UK businesses could be losing millions of pounds because their offices are ‘poorly designed and uninspiring’, according to a new study. The research of 2,000 office workers claims around three quarters believe their office environment has made them less productive and less effective at work. While a third have been left with no alternative but to take time off from work because their surroundings have directly affected their physical or mental wellbeing. Stale air and lack of airflow is the biggest concern for workers, followed by noisy co-workers and overly hot conditions.

Commissioned by office design firm Oktra, the survey also claims that 34 per cent dread going to work purely because of their office environment. The research also claims 34 per cent of workers would be less likely to take sick days if they worked in a ‘favourable’ office environment. And a third would be willing to stay at a company for longer if they worked in an appealing setting.

Seventy-nine per cent think their employer should do more to improve their surroundings at work. And over half have complained to a senior member of staff about their surroundings because they have affected their physical or mental wellbeing. While 49 per cent have let their concerns be known because their productivity has been impacted.

However the office environment appears to have a greater impact on millennials’ productiveness at work than those from the baby boomer generation. Eight in ten 18-34 year olds revealed their surroundings have made them less productive compared to 65 per cent of those aged 55 plus. While 43 per cent of millennials would be more open to staying with a company for longer if the office environment was appealing, compared to around a quarter of baby boomers.

Seventy-five per cent of 18-34 year olds believe their working environment has negatively impacted their physical and mental wellbeing, while 63 per cent of workers aged 55 plus feel the same way. And almost a fifth of those 34 and under have left a job as a direct result of their office environment – in contrast 10 per cent of those 55 plus have moved on because of their workspace.

Biggest concerns about the office
1. Lack of air ventilation or flow – air feels stale, little circulation
2. Noise made by co-workers – chatter etc
3. Temperature – not being too hot
4. Lack of daylight
5. Temperature – not being too cold
6. Not having a clean office
7. Not having privacy
8. Lack of a nice view
9. Not having a comfortable workstation/desk
10. Lack of space/room – being too cramped
11. Comfort control – not being able to easily adjust the temperature in your office
12. Too much air ventilation or flow – makes you feel chilly/uncomfortable
13. Not having a comfortable desk chair
14. Lack of outside spaces – somewhere to go for your dinner break for instance
15. Dull surroundings in the office
16. Not enough connection with nature e.g. can’t see greenery outside, lack of plants in the office, no green spaces nearby
17. Breeze that makes you feel chilly/uncomfortable
18. Lack of facilities inside the office (no kitchen, meeting rooms, cycle storage, shower facilities, places to store food etc.)
19. Office being too dark
20. Flexibility of your workstation – desks/chairs/screens that can’t be easily adjusted for comfort

Our Twentieth Century approach to ergonomics has to change

Our Twentieth Century approach to ergonomics has to change

by • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

One of the big problems with the way some people talk about the term ‘ergonomic’ is that they tend to use it to describe the design of objects when really it’s about the relationship between a person and the things around them. It’s an abstract idea, about the relationships between design, facilities and management, so is dependent on a number of variables. When those variables change, what we understand to be good ergonomics changes too. The principle of ergonomics as we now understand it first came to prominence in the wake of the intensive growth in the use of computers. The legacy of this fixed view can be an approach based on an idea of desk-bound employees with a computer, whereas how we work now bears little resemblance to how we worked 20 years ago.

(more…)

Flexible ways of working are definitely on the rise and it suits all ages

Flexible ways of working are definitely on the rise and it suits all ages

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Workplace

The majority (94 percent) of workers are open to flexible ways of working such as part-time, freelance, contract, temporary or independent contract work a new report from ManpowerGroup has revealed. Coining the trend as NextGen work, the research suggests this approach to a job is a choice (81 percent) not a last resort (19 percent). Findings from #GigResponsibly: The Rise of NextGen Work – a global survey of 9,500 people in 12 countries – identifies a shift towards this new way of getting work done, and that it works for people and employers. People were asked how they want to work, what motivates them and their views on NextGen Work. More control over their schedule (42 percent), boosting their bank account (41 percent) and developing new skills (38 percent) are top reasons why this flexible kind of work is on the rise.  The report also found that this flexible approach is not just attractive to Millennials, as meaningful work and employer appreciation are valued more by Boomers than any other generation. More than 80 percent of US workers say NextGen Work is a choice, not a last resort, and builds resilience for less predictable futures.

(more…)

Stop whinging about robots taking your job and develop the skills you need for a new era of work

Stop whinging about robots taking your job and develop the skills you need for a new era of work

by • AI, News, Workplace

A report from researchers at Pearson, Nesta and the University of Oxford called The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030 claims that while the new era of robots, automation and artificial intelligence in the workplace will be disruptive, it will not spell the end of work and people need to develop new skills to meet its challenges. The study claims to take an entirely new approach to forecasting employment and skill demands in the US and UK. In contrast to many recent headlines, the study finds that many jobs today will still be in demand by 2030 and beyond. However, while jobs may remain, the skills needed for success are changing. The researchers combined diverse human expertise with active machine learning to produce a more nuanced view of future employment trends. Using this innovative approach, the study forecasts that only one in five workers are in occupations that face a high likelihood of decline.

(more…)

Top UK workplaces honoured at BCO national awards ceremony

Top UK workplaces honoured at BCO national awards ceremony

by • News, Property, Workplace design

London workplaces dominated at this year’s annual British Council for Offices National Awards dinner last night as a record six awards went to offices in the capital. London’s Sky Central was awarded the Best of the Best workplace at the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) annual National Awards in London last night. The office was also recognised as the Best Corporate Workplace in the UK, joining a list of six other award winners recognised for excellence in office space. Sky Central was praised by judges for bringing 3,500 of Sky’s workforce under one roof at their landscaped campus near Heathrow, West London. The judges were impressed by the building’s eighteen 200-person workspace neighbourhoods, arranged around six cores that resurrect ‘Büro Landschaft’ inspired planning rules. Judges also commended the vast array of services and amenities on offer, including six restaurants and cafes, a 200-seat state of the art cinema, 200-person event space and a technology ‘lounge’. We know all about Sky Central and a full write up from Sky’s then Workplace Director Neil Usher can be seen here.

(more…)

Convergence of work and life defines September London workplace design shows

Convergence of work and life defines September London workplace design shows

by • Comment, Events, Flexible working, Furniture, Workplace design

It has always been a characteristic of the 100% Design exhibition that it has segmented along the demarcations of workplace, home, interiors, kitchens and bedrooms. This used to make perfect sense as the same distinctions existed in our lives, reflected in the form and function of the products we allocated to those spaces. This is no longer the case to anywhere like the same extent and consequently, the workplace section of the show is full of products that could make the crossover into a domestic, cafe or hotel setting with not an eyebrow raised. That is not to say that the mainstay products of the workplace – desks, task chairs, storage, screens – are no more. They are still specified in vast numbers. It is just that the interesting aspects of workplace design are to be found in its shared and public spaces. It is here where we witness the convergence that characterises modern working life. We might still talk about work life balance (too much) but there is a growing realisation that the distinction grows more meaningless with each passing year.

(more…)

List of the UK’s most family friendly workplaces announced

List of the UK’s most family friendly workplaces announced

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A list of the organisations across the UK who are ‘leading the way in building flexible, family friendly workplaces’ has been published by the charity Working Families. The list is devised by asking employers to answer questions which are scored in four key areas, to build a comprehensive picture of their flexible and family friendly working environment. These are: integration which looks at culture, attitude and how far flexibility has become embedded; policy which looks at the creation, development and deployment of flexibility; consistent practice which considers how well flexibility is supported and measurement and results which looks at the effects of flexibility on the organisation, and their ability to understand those effects.

(more…)

How smart workplaces increase performance and attractiveness 0

by • Case studies, Facilities management, Premium Content, Technology, Work&Place, Workplace design

The workplace can and should be used as a strategic tool to support work and cooperation, to shape the experience of the brand and to produce competitive advantage for the organization. Even when not used as a strategic tool the workplace still affects all these parts and there is always a risk that the workplace has instead a negative impact if we are not aware of the relationship and really use workplace as a strategic tool to affect attractiveness, productivity, efficiency and sustainability. The workplace makes a great difference and it is becoming an important differentiator between successful and less successful organizations. I also strongly believe that the workplace management area is a key for us in the FM industry to bring FM to a higher level, to shift from cost focus to more value focus, and this is something we need to do together within the FM industry and we really should take the driver’s seat. But, let’s start from the beginning.

(more…)

Nearly a quarter of workers claim work is biggest barrier to being more physically active

Nearly a quarter of workers claim work is biggest barrier to being more physically active

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Work is the biggest barrier to taking regular exercise a new survey suggests, with 20 percent of people citing being too busy with work as the reason why they are not more physically active. The research, which is published by not-for-profit health body ukactive to mark today’s National Fitness Day 2017 also reveals that only 1 in 10 adults (12 percent) know NHS recommended physical activity guidelines and well over half of Brits spend at least six hours each day sitting down. In addition to shunning exercise, more than 64 percent of adults spend at least six hours each day sitting, be it at work, in front of the TV, commuting or on social media. The average UK adult also spends more than twice as much time sitting on the toilet as they do exercising, with the study of 2,004 British adults by ComRes reveals that British adults say they are on the loo for an average of 3 hours and 9 minutes each week, compared to just 1 hour and 30 minutes spent doing moderate exercise such as fast walking or riding a bike.

(more…)

European businesses could save $243 billion by reducing wasted space in office buildings

by • Environment, Facilities management, Lighting, News, Technology, Workplace design

The Edge building in Amsterdam Research published to mark the beginning of World Green Building Week suggests that businesses in Europe could realise savings of up to $243 billion in reduced rental costs alone if their office buildings were refurbished to the most efficient standards. The analysis from Philips Lighting, claims the impact that could be made on rents across the world’s offices if business owners replicated the efficient usage of space achieved in a leading green building. The research suggests that in addition to reducing their carbon footprint, office tenants could see vast financial savings if their buildings were renovated in a way that uses space more effectively, particularly in buildings with a high number of empty spaces. The report calls for a doubling of the renovation rate of offices in developed countries to reach 3 percent per year, which it says will be a key factor in reducing emissions and offsetting increased global demand for energy from population growth and urbanisation.

(more…)

«< 174 175 176 177 178 >»