Search Results for: environments

Urban environments and buildings needs a transformation, report claims

Urban environments and buildings needs a transformation, report claims

by • Cities, Environment, News

urban environments smart cityAhead of COP26, green business leaders around the world have called for government and industry action on buildings and infrastructure. The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has published a new report, which it claims helps to identify opportunities for how a transformative, integrated approach to urban environments and buildings is essential to deliver change in line with the commitments of the Paris Agreement. (more…)

People struggle with home working environments and solitude

People struggle with home working environments and solitude

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

People are productive at home and want to retain flexible working after lockdown, but struggle with sub-optimal working environments and a lack of interaction with colleagues. That is the main finding from a survey by property technology company, Equiem. The firm has published the results of its most comprehensive global office occupier survey to date, providing landlords and tenants alike with valuable insights into occupier sentiment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)

Toxic workplace environments plague accountancy profession

Toxic workplace environments plague accountancy profession

by • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

The toxic workplace illustrated by a bottle of poisonToxic workplace environments plague the accountancy profession, according to new research from CABA, a wellbeing charity for chartered accountants. The survey of over 250 accountants suggests that over half of chartered accountants think their workplace is toxic. Communication issues, working unrealistic hours and cliquey colleagues are also cited in the study.  The survey found that 55 percent of respondents believe their workplace to be toxic.

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White paper: a new world of learning environments

White paper: a new world of learning environments 0

by • Briefing, Insight Briefings, Premium Content, Workplace design

The traditional structures of work and education were forged in the fires of the Industrial Revolution. They shared many characteristics. They were rigid, hierarchical and based on a patriarchal approach to achieving their aims. In education, this manifested itself in the traditional didactic form that was, until recently, seen as the ideal model, based on teachers, tutors and lecturers imparting knowledge and learning to their pupils and students as part of an agreed curriculum and to an approved timetable. How well this process turned out was checked with periodic testing. For some time now, people have been questioning this structure and, with it, the design of learning environments. Over the past few decades, we have not only developed the technologies to allow us to learn in new ways, we have also developed a far better understanding of the processes involved.

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Local authority staff frustrated by poor quality working environments

by • Public Sector, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Employees at UK local authorities are frustrated at their poor quality working environments and councils are suffering as a result, claims a new study from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Over two thirds (68 percent) of employees polled for the report claim their workplaces need to be upgraded and nearly all (92 percent) said they take the standard of workplace into account when deciding where to work. Furthermore, 80 percent of current employees claim they take the standard of working environment into account when making decisions about whether to remain in the current role. In an interview with LocalGov magazine, Paul Bagust, director of UK commercial property at RICS, also warned that short term cost cutting in the workplace is likely to be counterproductive in the long term.

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British workers suffer in silence in noisy office environments

by • News, Workplace design

Hanging onNew research from Avanta Serviced Office Group claims that noise in the office environment is severely damaging the productivity of British businesses. The study of more than 1,000 UK office workers found that although over 80 percent of employees claim to being regularly distracted by noise in the workplace, fewer than half complain about it. Instead around a third admit they simply take themselves somewhere quieter such as their homes or a cafe or library. The study also identifies the distractions that bother people the most, most deriving directly from their colleagues including overheard conversations, ringtones, loud eating habits, whistling, music and even people talking to themselves. Compared to these human sources, the racket generated by inanimate objects features low down the list of irritants.

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Re-humanising the workplace: why prevention, support and standards matter more than ever

Re-humanising the workplace: why prevention, support and standards matter more than ever

by • Comment, Wellbeing

There is growing recognition that the workplace needs to become more human again, not less.There is growing recognition that the workplace needs to become more human again, not less. For all the talk of performance, productivity and retention, too many organisations still treat stress, ill health and emotional wellbeing as secondary matters. They are not. They sit at the heart of business success. The figures from the Keep Britain Working report, an independent review commissioned by the UK government and led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former chair of John Lewis, are a wake-up call. The value at stake is enormous. Employers face an estimated £85 billion a year in lost output and costs linked to ill health. For government, the additional burden in welfare payments and NHS demand is around £47 billion annually. On top of this lies the wider cost to the economy through lower participation, and the human and social costs of lost opportunity, stalled careers and reduced life chances. (more…)

Global office fit-out costs rise as geopolitical pressure and AI reshape workplaces

Global office fit-out costs rise as geopolitical pressure and AI reshape workplaces

by • AI, News, Workplace design

The cost of fitting out office space around the world has risen by up to 6 percent over the past year, as geopolitical instability and growing technological demands combine to reshape corporate real estate strategies, according to new research from JLL. The firm’s 2026 Global Office Fit-Out Cost Guide, which analyses 68 cities, identifies a complex mix of factors behind the increase, including higher energy prices, supply chain disruption and ongoing shortages of skilled labour. (more…)

Study confirms that digital tools blur boundaries between work and personal life

Study confirms that digital tools blur boundaries between work and personal life

by • News, Technology, Wellbeing

A new academic study confirms something you probably already know: digital tools are eroding the boundary between work and personal life.A new academic study confirms something you probably already know: digital tools are eroding the boundary between work and personal life. According to the new research, things are getting worse and we experience constantly growing psychological strain as a result of an always on working culture. The study, published in the International Journal of Electronic Finance, finds that widespread use of information and communication technologies such as smartphones, laptops and cloud platforms has enabled greater flexibility but also extended work into nearly all aspects of daily life. (more…)

Challenge for workplace is balancing culture with the business’s need for speed and innovation

Challenge for workplace is balancing culture with the business’s need for speed and innovation

by • News, Workplace, Workplace design

A new EU-funded study suggests that many European organisations are struggling to balance strong workplace culture with the need for speed and innovation.A new EU-funded study suggests that many European organisations are struggling to balance strong workplace culture with the need for speed and innovation. The Culture Compass 2026 report, developed by Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University and the Meet Your Purpose think tank, draws on responses from more than 540 managers and employees across Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It identifies what researchers describe as a “productivity paradox”, in which employees feel valued and engaged but are constrained by slow decision-making and limited autonomy. (more…)

Recent events highlight a clear shift in how firms approach workplace strategy

Recent events highlight a clear shift in how firms approach workplace strategy

by • Facilities management, News, Property, Workplace design

Two recent events hosted by HubStar in London and Amsterdam suggest there has been a shift in how organisations now approach workplace strategy, with a growing focus on three core prioritiesTwo recent events hosted by HubStar in London and Amsterdam suggest there has been a shift in how organisations now approach workplace strategy, with a growing focus on three core priorities. The regular quarterly gatherings bring together senior leaders from corporate real estate, facilities management, HR, IT and workplace experience to discuss current challenges and emerging trends. Conversations at the two sessions centred on how organisations are responding to changing expectations around hybrid work and the role of the office. Organisations are increasingly focused on creating workplaces that: justify the commute; develop a clearer understanding of how space is used through better data; and adopt more flexible approaches to planning and design. (more…)

Creativity, thinking and expertise in the workplace should be safeguarded from AI

Creativity, thinking and expertise in the workplace should be safeguarded from AI

by • AI, News

Workplace professionals and general managers should proceed with caution if they want to use AI to improve efficiency and human capital in the workplace, and should take steps to ensure creativity and critical thinking are preserved, new research from the University of Bath School of Management suggests. The research team identified two types of knowledge which appeared partially compatible with AI – encoded knowledge, which encompasses rules, procedures, policies, and datasets; and embedded knowledge – essentially digitalised processes and routines. (more…)

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