Search Results for: flexible working

March 14, 2019

Mobile working is a recipe for business success

by Sally Elliott • Comment, Technology, Workplace design

Today, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing the face of work as we know it: introducing AI and automation to the workplace and creating a drastic shift in the skills required by organisations today. As automation increasingly frees employees up from the repetitive, process work that can so often dominate their day-to-day, organisations are instead looking to employees to showcase their critical thinking and creativity. Indeed, McKinsey’s Skill Shift confirms that by 2030 the demand for higher cognitive skills, such as creativity, critical thinking and decision making will grow by 14 percent in Europe.

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March 13, 2019

Companies that adopt agile working enjoy improved financial performance, claims report

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Companies that embrace agile working and and a generally more flexible and responsive way of working enjoy a financial and operational competitive advantage over their rivals, according to new research from PA Consulting. Two thirds of the respondents said that their business model is at risk of fundamentally becoming outdated, with agile considered a key method for transitioning to a future-proof strategy. While agile is typically regarded by many as a method geared at streamlining operations, PA Consulting’s research suggests the approach could take things a step further. The consultancy conducted an international study among 500 executives of large companies across a range of sectors, asking them how they view agile working and what they see as the key factors for successful adoption. (more…)

February 27, 2019

Larger organisations will become main adopters of flexible workspace this year

by Neil Franklin • Coworking, Property

Corporations are this year set to become the driving force within the flexible workspace industry as the way they view their office portfolios continues to change, according to research by Instant Offices. The flexible workspace sector has ridden the crest of a wave for the past five years with global demand increasing by 50 percent and more market supply of flex space than ever before. Instant now estimates the global market to incorporate 32,000+ centres, which represents 521 m sq. ft. This is an increase of 15 percent year on year since 2013.

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February 17, 2019

Century Office begins experiment into six hour working day

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Flexible working

Century Office will soon be commencing an experiment into a shorter working day. In collaboration with the University of Essex, Century Office will be shortening the working day down to 6.5 hours. They expect that, although it remains to be proven, that employees will become more focussed and productive as the desire for more leisure times and time for self-care, family, hobbies etc outweighs the tendency for idle chat and periods of low productivity. It is also hoped that participants will feel less anxious or tired as they have more time to pursue personal endeavours and come out of work mode.

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February 12, 2019

UK workers demand better remote working options, claims Airbnb report

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

UK employers need to provide more flexible and remote working options in order to attract the best talent, according to new research released by Airbnb for Work. Airbnb’s Future of Work report, the first of its kind from the platform, has revealed that the modern trend of remote and flexible working shows no sign of slowing down, and companies embracing this change stand to make the best hires. Workers in the UK are demanding more flexibility than ever, with 77 percent of respondents – and 84 percent of Millennials – agreeing that companies need to provide more remote options to attract talent.

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January 31, 2019

Third of employers now offer agile working and this is set to rise

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Just over a third of employers now have an agile working policy, claims Aon’s Benefits and Trends Survey 2019 (registration required), with 98 percent of respondents saying employees now expect more flexible working hours and 89 percent saying staff expect agile/home working to be available. While currently a third (36 percent) of employers have agile working policies in place, where business requirements allow, Aon expects this to increase in popularity. Almost one-third of respondents do not know how many requests have been made for flexible working, but among the rest of the respondents, it is common for around 20 percent of employees to make a request. (more…)

January 30, 2019

Working mothers disproportionately more stressed, study claims

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Biomarkers for chronic stress are 40 percent higher in women bringing up two children while working full-time than for women with no children, new research suggest. Working from home and other forms of flexible working have no effect on their level of chronic stress – only putting in fewer hours at work helps, says an article in the journal Sociology.

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January 23, 2019

Landsec becomes latest major property firm to offer coworking space

by Mark Eltringham • Company news, Coworking, Property

Landsec has launched its new flexible office brand, Myo, which it claims will provide customised office space for businesses looking for flexibility to enable future growth from April of this year. Coworking in other words. The move is the latest example of a major commercial property firm entering the market for flexible offices and coworking space in the wake of its recent boom. Myo will operate as a standalone brand, offers flexible leases ranging from 12 months to three years for businesses that need space for between 15 and 80 people.

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December 12, 2018

Survey claims increased levels of productivity amongst flexible workers

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Flexible workers claim to work more effectively than those working a traditional ‘nine-to-five’, with a quarter of respondents (27 percent) in a recent poll saying they work longer hours in their new flexible working routine than they did when they worked normal office hours. The research, which was commissioned by the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) found that flexible workers think they put in almost seven hours more each week on average than they did previously. The research, which looked at the productivity of a group of workers who set their own hours or working location against a group of those who are not doing so, found that the former benefit from feeling happier and less stressed. (more…)

November 27, 2018

Coworking and creative sectors help boost London office space

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property

Take-up of office space in Central London has shown a year-on-year increase of 30 percent, reaching 1.3m sq ft in October, according to CBRE. Take-up was strong from creative firms, representing 18 percent of all deals, including the largest deal of the month which saw McCann Erickson take 146,400 sq ft at 135 Bishopsgate EC2. Flexible office operators took 122,300 sq ft of space during the month, bringing the proportion of take-up represented by the flexible office sector in the last 12 months to 19 percent. The largest flex acquisition in October saw Landmark Spaces acquire 37,800 sq ft at Portman House in the West End. (more…)

November 23, 2018

Communities are the key factor to rapid growth of coworking

by Petr Boruta • Comment, Coworking, Property, Workplace design

London, New York, Los Angeles. These are top three cities in number of coworking centres globally. But as coworking map is evolving rapidly, you might as well read about Warsaw and Prague as new hotbeds for shared offices soon. And the surprising reason behind that is not flexibility, but the power of communities.

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November 15, 2018

Are you ready for the world of agile working we will experience in the 2020s?

by John Eary and Paul Allsopp • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

Some organisations believe they have ‘done’ Agile Working. They have increased the ratio of people to desks and achieved a saving in accommodation costs. They have provided flexible working arrangements across the organisation and have enabled their people to work at home for part of their working week. Staff surveys show employees are pleased with the opportunities and benefits this provides them. But organisations cannot afford to become comfortable or complacent, there are greater opportunities to grasp. As in any transformation initiative, Agile Working is more than a project it is a cultural journey involving continuing change to achieve continuous improvement. Agile Working is moving on.