Search Results for: financial

Third of firms plan to reduce office space

Third of firms plan to reduce office space

office spaceMajor UK employers plan to reduce their office space by up to nine million square feet, equivalent to 14 Walkie Talkie buildings – the 37 floor high rise on London’s Fenchurch Street – according to PwC’s Occupier Survey of 258 of the UK largest companies. The fresh figures show half of the organisations surveyed expect to reduce the size of their real estate portfolio and, of these, one third believe they will reduce their office footprint by more than 30 percent. (more…)

The bullshit jobs theory may turn out to be, well…

The bullshit jobs theory may turn out to be, well…

a charging bull depicting bullshit jobs

The so-called ‘bullshit jobs theory’ – which argues that a large and rapidly increasing number of workers are undertaking jobs that they themselves recognise as being useless and of no social value – contains several major flaws, argue researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Birmingham. Even so, writing in Work, Employment and Society, the academics applaud its proponent, American anthropologist David Graeber, who died in September 2020, for highlighting the link between a sense of purpose in one’s job and psychological wellbeing.

(more…)

Ending the commercial rents stalemate can help economy rebound, claims CBI

Ending the commercial rents stalemate can help economy rebound, claims CBI

Occupiers and landlords of commercial property should partner on a path towards full economic reopening by taking decisive action to address commercial rent challenges, says the CBI. The CBI believes commercial property tenants should resume paying rents as normal when emergency coronavirus legislation protecting businesses from evictions and statutory demands ends on June 30, except in cases of extreme financial difficulty caused by this year’s lockdown measures. (more…)

A warning to employers that hybrid working will disproportionately impact their younger workforce

A warning to employers that hybrid working will disproportionately impact their younger workforce

hybrid workingAs the UK lockdown eases and the nation slowly returns to the office, energyhelpline.com has conducted research into the cost of hybrid working. With the nation settling into a mix between office and home-based working, workers are expecting to pay out £890 a month on various work-related expenditure, with outgoings such as travel, after work socialising and rising energy bills set to ramp up monthly expenses. (more…)

Is the time right for office furniture as a service?

Is the time right for office furniture as a service?

office furniture financingThe focus on creating a more sustainable workplace is increasing. Many designers, specifiers, manufacturers, suppliers and, of course, users are pledging their allegiance to the cause. Some are driven by a genuine recognition of the climate crisis whilst others are appreciating that commercially, it’s an essential direction.  ‘Zero to landfill’ has been given ‘green bragging rights’ for some time. In reality, due to the significantly lower cost of incineration versus recycling, most material isn’t reclaimed, it is burnt. Whilst ‘energy from waste’ might alleviate some guilt, it is still contributing to pollution. (more…)

Single parents in danger of being locked out of work and forced into poverty

Single parents in danger of being locked out of work and forced into poverty

povertyA report published by single parent charity, Gingerbread, and the Institute for Employment Studies highlights how the world of work simply doesn’t work for single parents and warns things are set to get worse before they get better – putting even more single parent families at risk of poverty and creating a two-tier society, with single parents firmly at the bottom. (more…)

Employee optimism dampened by pandemic, but majority of UK workers remain positive

Employee optimism dampened by pandemic, but majority of UK workers remain positive

optimismOptimism among workers in the UK has been shaken in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, claims the ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View. Nevertheless, two-thirds still have a positive outlook on the world of work for the next five years, mirroring the sentiment of people across the world. (more…)

The workplace industry needs to think outside its ever-shrinking boxes

The workplace industry needs to think outside its ever-shrinking boxes

People are outgrowing the boxes the workplace industry offersIs 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…)

New guidance to increase natural settings into urban spaces

New guidance to increase natural settings into urban spaces

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…)

Employee wellbeing and business results directly linked, research claims

Employee wellbeing and business results directly linked, research claims

employeeA survey released by Aon plc (NYSE: AON) in partnership with IPSOS, suggests there is a link between wellbeing and company performance. (more…)

UK businesses prepare to shed suppliers that do not live up to their social values

UK businesses prepare to shed suppliers that do not live up to their social values

social valuesUK 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…)

Pandemic drives shift in attitudes to sustainability

Pandemic drives shift in attitudes to sustainability

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated consumers focus on sustainability and willingness to pay out of their own pockets – or even take a pay cut – for a sustainable future, according to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) survey of over 14,000 consumers in nine countries. (more…)