May 11, 2021
Search Results for: environment
May 10, 2021
The workplace industry needs to think outside its ever-shrinking boxes
by Andy Lake • Comment, Flexible working
Is the workplace industry stuck in the past, in a 20th century model of how and where work is done? The separation of work and the rest of life during the Industrial Age has shaped the structures of modern life: the houses we live in, the offices, factories and shops we work in, and the transport networks that shuffle us from one location to another for different activities. It has also shaped the planning system, the institutional and financial structures of how places are designed and built, and perhaps most of all the mindsets of just about everyone involved in creating places to work and live. (more…)
May 7, 2021
Office is the new social hub for a third of workers
by Jayne Smith • News, Working lives
May 7, 2021
Societal change is driving businesses to focus on purpose
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Working culture
Increasing pressure from investors, customers and employees are causing CEOs to focus their businesses on purpose, resilience and long-term sustainability, according to a new report from the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) and Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB). The report, ‘People risk – why the need for change is urgent‘ claims a shift in business focus away from short term gains in favour of emphasising long term value creation as one way of managing people risk. (more…)
May 4, 2021
New guidance to increase natural settings into urban spaces
by Neil Franklin • Cities, Environment, News
The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published its ‘Principles for delivering urban Nature-based Solutions’ (NBS), to help developers and owners increase the incorporation of NBS within the construction and operation of built assets. The report claims that the development and function of the built environment has significant impacts upon both climate and biodiversity, locally and globally, and the pressure for our industry to be part of the solution is accelerating. The recommendations of the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) have led to a growing requirement to measure and mitigate the physical risks to built assets from climate change, such as flooding and overheating. (more…)
May 4, 2021
Businesses prioritise tech and outsourcing to overcome front of house challenge
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Technology
Swiss Post Solutions (SPS), has released new research that claims how the pandemic has impacted front of house strategies for UK businesses. Half (50 percent) of UK companies plan to introduce interactive technologies to help overcome new ‘front of house’ (FOH) challenges that have been imposed by COVID19. A further 41 percent of businesses plan to outsource FOH services altogether. (more…)
April 30, 2021
Apple commits to new campus as part of huge investment plan
by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Technology
Apple has announced an acceleration of its US investments, with plans to make new contributions of more than $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs across the country over the next five years. The plans include the creation of a new campus in the Research Triangle in Raleigh, North Carolina. Apple will spend over $1 billion on the campus, where it will employ around 3,000 people working on technology including software engineering and machine learning. Employees are expected to start work at the campus next year. (more…)
April 28, 2021
Employee wellbeing and business results directly linked, research claims
by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Wellbeing
April 27, 2021
UK businesses prepare to shed suppliers that do not live up to their social values
by Jayne Smith • Business, News
UK business leaders are increasingly turning their backs on suppliers who fail to align with their social values, according to new research by Sodexo. The survey highlights the effect the pandemic has had on procurement decisions, with the majority of respondents agreeing that the events of the last year had made it more important to consider environmental and diversity policies when selecting suppliers. (more…)
May 11, 2021
Organisations are finally getting their heads around what the office is really good at
by Gill Parker • Comment, Workplace design