Search Results for: flex

November 9, 2018

Poor support offered to professional women returning from maternity leave

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

A new survey of professional, mainly management-level women has revealed a lack of support for maternity returners by employers. According to the survey by working parents website MMB, more than four fifths of pregnant women begin their maternity leave unhappy and lacking in confidence about work – and over a third feel so isolated when they return that they want to hand their notice in. The survey of more than 1,000 mothers, 72 percent of whom were in jobs at management level or above found that only 18 percent of maternity returners felt happy and confident about work – having seen the way previous maternity returners had been dealt with by their employer. Over a third (37 percent) felt so unsupported and isolated on their return that they wanted to leave and just 17 percent felt they received good communication and support through the maternity process.

November 6, 2018

Third of UK workers find it hard to maintain a work life balance

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

Almost a third (30 percent) of UK workers don’t feel that they have a good work life balance in their current role, despite the fact that the majority (73 percent) would like to keep their work and home lives separate from one another. According to a study of over 2,000 workers across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and the UK from ADP (Automatic Data Processing), UK workers have a tougher time separating their personal and professional lives than European workers. An average of one third (33 percent) of European workers surveyed felt a bad day at work affected their personal life, compared to 38 percent in the UK. Worryingly, almost a third (30 percent) of British workers feel their work does not make a difference. Across Europe, women tended to find a work life balance more appealing, with 62 percent identifying it as a very important feature of their ideal job, and only 52 percent of men doing the same. Interestingly, the younger the employee the less likely they were to identify work life balance as important.

November 5, 2018

An intersectional approach to trends in workplace design at Orgatec 2018

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design

There are perhaps three characteristics that ensure the European office furniture and workplace design fair Orgatec continues to attract so many exhibitors and visitors to Cologne. Firstly, it takes place every two years, so offers a snapshot of a sector, framing the most important workplace developments in a particular time and place. For those of us who’ve been attending the shows for any length of time (in my case 26 years), we can track the evolution of workplace thought in a measured way, noting key developments like the launch of the Aeron chair (1994), Vitra’s Alcove (2006) and in 2018 – what?

November 1, 2018

Digitisation means traditional working day no longer a reality for CEOs

by Sara Bean • AI, Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

The rise of data and digitisation has led to the demise of the traditional working day for many CEOs, with a third now checking business analytics first thing in the morning and last thing before they go to bed. This peaks at 54 percent among 25-34 year olds but drops to just 5 percent for leaders over 45, who are much more fixed to their desk. According to the research by Domo (registration required), 80 percent of these leaders prefer to wait until they are in the office to check in. Three quarters (71 percent) of CEOs across the UK and Ireland believe their business could be at risk from current blind spots in data access and skills, however, there is another demographic split. 84 percent of CEOs age 25-34 said it could be a risk, compared to just half of over 55s.

November 1, 2018

Businesses may be blowing billions on unused office space

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Big businesses in England and Wales are squandering £10 billion a year on under-used office space, a new study claims. The report by flexible workplace specialist Abintra draws together data from its work with more than 100 corporations worldwide. In London alone, it claims that the cost of office space being under-utilised is more than £4 billion annually with large firms in other regions collectively ‘squandering’ billions more. More →

October 31, 2018

What is in a name for the UK facilities management sector?

by Jo Sutherland • Comment, Facilities management

Westminster. Home to fiery debate, unwavering scrutiny, calls for change, and cries of “Order! Order!”. Once again, RICS’s HQ, on Parliament Square, was jam-packed with a passionate and feisty crowd, panellists and audience alike, all set on pushing the industry conversation forward. While some were keen to maintain order during FMJ’s most recent RICS-IFMA debate concerning facility management’s place in the 21st century, others were set on redefining FM in order to pinpoint what this yet unestablished definition means for the future of the profession.

October 31, 2018

Top global industries leading the way in remote work

by Neil Franklin • Features, Flexible working, Property

More business owners are swapping rigid 9-5 schedules and traditional office environments in favour of flexible space and remote work as an option for saving costs, retaining employees and encouraging a healthy work-life balance. With this in mind, Instant Offices has investigated what industries are leading the way for remote working and how to overcome the typical challenges of managing a remote team.

October 30, 2018

The workplace world responds to the UK Autumn Budget

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property, Workplace

Yesterday, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the details of the UK government’s latest budget. While Brexit and austerity inevitably cast their shadows over the whole thing, there were a number of announcements relevant to the workplace, construction, tech and built environment sectors, some of which have been broadly welcomed by commentators, industry bodies and experts. Some are decidedly less popular. Among the announcements in the budget were new plans for infrastructure and property, skills and training, tax regimes for the self-employed, productivity, business rates and mental health.

October 29, 2018

The death of desks, the truth about smart cities and a long list of things architects should know

by Mark Eltringham • Features

You can’t judge an international marketplace by wandering around an exhibition of its products for a day or two. This is a simple fact overlooked by a new piece in Dezeen which declares that desks are finished. This notion is based on a trip to the Orgatec furniture fair in Cologne. Our own review of the show will appear tomorrow, with the hysteria dialled down to a dull roar and with some added facts about what organisations actually buy most from office furniture companies (spoiler: desks and chairs) compared to what makes the sector more interesting.

October 29, 2018

Majority of maternity returners say they lack support when they go back to work

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Lack of support for maternity returners among UK businesses has been uncovered in a new survey of professional, mainly management-level women. More than four fifths of pregnant women begin their maternity leave unhappy and lacking in confidence about work – and over a third feel so isolated when they return that they want to hand their notice in. MMB, a working parents’ website, surveyed more than 1,000 mothers, 72 percent of whom were in jobs at management level or above.

October 24, 2018

Commercial property uptake shows finance sector remains committed to London

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Undeterred by political and economic headwinds in recent years, London remains a world leading financial centre and is by far the most active centre in Europe, according to the latest research from global real estate advisor CBRE. According to the report, 1.1 million people were employed in the UK financial services sector in 2017, of which 34 percent were in London. The industry contributed £119bn to the national economy (7% of UK GDP) – half of this was generated by London, where it accounted for 14 percent of the city’s economic output.

October 22, 2018

Nearly a quarter of London office take up is in financial sector, says CBRE

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property

Despite political and economic uncertainly and the aftermath of the global monetary crisis in 2008, London remains a leading global financial centre, with nearly a quarter (24 percent) of the capital’s office take-up attributed to banking and finance occupiers over the last ten years. London is by far the most active banking centre in Europe, according to the latest research from global real estate advisor CBRE. According to the report, 1.1 million people were employed in the UK financial services sector in 2017, of which 34 percent were in London. More →