Search Results for: flexible

Government urged to give regions greater power over skills and employment

Government urged to give regions greater power over skills and employment

The Government must give UK regional economies greater autonomy over skills and employment to develop grassroot recovery strategies – or risk levelling down the chances of millions, according to a new report published by City & Guilds Group. (more…)

Organisations shift attitudes on meeting costs of home office setup

Organisations shift attitudes on meeting costs of home office setup

home officeEighty-two percent of US based employers now believe the organisation should absorb the cost of a home office setup for employees that work from home full-time. This is a dramatic increase over those who did so before COVID-19. These and other findings from The Future of Home Office Cost Sharing survey from Global Workplace Analytics and Design Public Group, will lead to profound changes in how companies procure and distribute technology and furniture, budget for workplaces, attract and retain talent, and manage safety risk, according to the report’s authors. (more…)

Trust from the boss outweighs all other factors for employee happiness

Trust from the boss outweighs all other factors for employee happiness

Trust

While some organisations have welcomed remote working with open arms, other employers have struggled to trust their employees to work autonomously with some even ramping up on surveillance to track exactly what their workforce is doing. This may however be problematic for organisations looking to attract and retain talent as, according to a recent report from UK-based tech-for-good developer, Culture Shift, almost all (93 percent) of Britain’s workforce say having an employer that trusts them is important for their overall happiness at work.  (more…)

Bisley launches their new MultiRange

Bisley launches their new MultiRange

Bisley’s award-winning MultiDrawer has firmly established itself as a much-loved piece of furniture since it was designed by Freddie Brown in 1958 and is found in many forms within the traditional office or the home. Now, as part of their new Belong collection, Bisley has launched the MultiRange, a reinvention of the iconic MultiDrawer to reflect the more flexible working patterns we’ve all adapted to in 2020. Accompanied by an accessory range that can be also incorporated into the original MultiDrawer, the MultiRange makes the design classic work even harder in your space. (more…)

It`s not just businesses that need to wake up to changes in the way we work. Governments do too

It`s not just businesses that need to wake up to changes in the way we work. Governments do too

We have come a long way since the government began encouraging home working in March, ahead of the national lockdown. It seems wildly naïve now to assume that we would all be back in the office two or three weeks later as if nothing had ever happened. After many months of mixed messages regarding ‘stay at home’ versus ‘go back to work’, many business owners and employees quite rightly feel that the whole process seems like one step forward, two steps back. And yet, one thing that has become clear for all office-based businesses is that working life has changed forever. (more…)

British Sugar HQ named best corporate office in England’s central region

British Sugar HQ named best corporate office in England’s central region

British SugarCPMG Architects is celebrating success after its designs for the British Sugar head office scooped the title of Corporate Office of the Year at the British Council for Offices (BCO) Midlands and Central England Awards last week. (more…)

KI helps transform RFIB headquarters in The Gherkin

KI helps transform RFIB headquarters in The Gherkin

Insurers RFIB have transformed their workplace strategy to embrace both traditional and new ways of working at ’s the firm’s new global headquarters at 30 St Mary Axe in London. Located on the twelfth floor of this landmark building, the new offices feature panoramic views and generous natural light. Offering an enhanced user and visitor experience, they are bright, open, flexible and high quality. (more…)

The enduring appeal of the office to global employees

The enduring appeal of the office to global employees

OfficeTarkett, a provider of innovative flooring and sports surface solutions, has released the findings of the first of three Rethinking Workplace Surveys, which it is undertaking in collaboration with WKSpace. Questioning global office workers on their perceptions and experience of work and the office, the Rethinking Workplace Surveys will provide valuable insights into how best practice workplace design must adapt to the dramatic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. (more…)

Workplace furniture specialists Sketch launch homeworking portal

Workplace furniture specialists Sketch launch homeworking portal

homeworkingSketch, the independent workplace furniture specialist, has launched Home-Work by Sketch – a homeworking furniture specification service, with an ordering website for the employees of corporate enterprise in the UK. Even before the Coronavirus pandemic, flexible and homeworking were becoming increasingly popular helping organisations to attract top talent and improving employee well-being, as well as supporting business continuity, and allowing an agile response to unexpected challenges. (more…)

BCO London Region Awards winners announced

BCO London Region Awards winners announced

Five businesses have been recognised in London at the annual British Council for Offices’ (BCO) regional awards. This year, the prestigious event was held virtually as part of the BCO’s Festival Awards Week, which recognises the highest quality developments in the UK and sets the standard for excellence in the regional and national office sector. (more…)

Remote work and the risks of employee surveillance

Remote work and the risks of employee surveillance

There has been a gradual shift towards increased flexible and remote work patterns in the last few years. The COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect storm to force organisations to further consider their working practices, with all but essential physical roles usually involving an element of homeworking – nearly half of people in employment in the UK did some work at home in April 2020, according to the ONS. Many businesses are expecting to operate a largely remote workforce for the foreseeable future. The fear of declining productivity and concerns for people wellbeing has encouraged many employers to increase their employee monitoring arrangements. (more…)

Radical reskilling needed to ensure future of economy

Radical reskilling needed to ensure future of economy

reskillingResearch carried out by the CBI prior to the pandemic suggests there is an urgent need for the UK to embark on a radical programme of reskilling that goes further and faster than current plans. According to the CBI, the UK faces a stark choice: invest more in lifetime learning and upskilling of millions of employees, or stick to business as usual, and risk sustained higher rates of unemployment and skills shortages. (more…)