Search Results for: four day week

Office attendance and desk use are on the rise as firms make most of real estate

Office attendance and desk use are on the rise as firms make most of real estate

office attendance and desk use continue to go up, although the provision of workstations has been reduced as part of an overall rationalisation of corporate real estateA new report from AWA claims that office attendance and desk use continue to go up, although the provision of workstations has been reduced as part of an overall rationalisation of corporate real estate. The report also suggests that this may have reached its optimal point right now as just 13 percent of UK organisations are considering further downsizing, suggesting that most firms think they may have reduced their real estate as far as they can. (more…)

Small businesses are aware of benefits of using AI, but don’t know where to start

Small businesses are aware of benefits of using AI, but don’t know where to start

According to a new poll from hiring platform Indeed, around a third of small businesses are scared to implement AI, despite acknowledging the many apparent benefits of doing soAccording to a new poll from hiring platform Indeed, around a third of small businesses are scared to implement AI, despite acknowledging the many apparent benefits of doing so.  According to Indeed’s survey of 1,000 business leaders at British small businesses, 41 percent of small firms want to integrate the technology into their business, but don’t know where to start. This paralysis means that small businesses – which make up  over 99 percent of the nation’s total businesses – are missing out on improvements to costs, efficiency and overall work satisfaction that they themselves say it can bring about, the report argues. (more…)

What we should learn from the sad story of Denise Prudhomme

What we should learn from the sad story of Denise Prudhomme

Denise Prudhomme died alone at her desk, disconnected from colleagues, but also everybody elseI was chatting to somebody last week about the person in the US who died, alone and ignored at a desk, unnoticed for over four days. Their instinctive and understandable response was to ask whether the story was apocryphal. Sadly, not. Sixty-year-old Denise Prudhomme had clocked into work at the Arizona office of Wells Fargo at 7 am on Friday, August the 16th. Her death some time that day went unnoticed until the following Tuesday afternoon, when a colleague discovered her body slumped over her desk in a cubicle. (more…)

Londoners spending more time in the office, but not as much as people in other global cities

Londoners spending more time in the office, but not as much as people in other global cities

Central London is showing steady progress in the return to a traditional working day, with workers spending more time in the office compared to last yearCentral London is showing steady progress in the return to a traditional working day, with workers spending more time in the office compared to last year, according to a new survey. The data, collected by Centre for Cities in collaboration with Savanta and Focaldata, claims that the average full-time worker in Central London spent 2.7 days per week in the office in June 2024. This marks an increase from the 2.2 days recorded in April 2023. (more…)

People and firms are shifting away from remote work, survey suggests

People and firms are shifting away from remote work, survey suggests

One of the most prominent findings from the report is the pronounced decline in both the practice and preference for remote workThere has been a recent significant shift in working habits and preferences among employees in the post-pandemic landscape, according to the fourth Commuter Census from Mobilityways. One of the most prominent findings from the report is the pronounced decline in both the practice of and preference for remote work. The survey of 10,325 participants suggests that 40 percent of people no longer engage in any form of remote work, despite a mere 15 percent of employees expressing a preference for this arrangement.  Only 26 percent of respondents would consider working from home as an alternative to their current commuting routine, marking a significant 42 percent drop from the previous year. (more…)

Office attendance levels continue to rise across Europe

Office attendance levels continue to rise across Europe

Efforts to bring employees back to the office over the past year have generated high degrees of success, according to the 2024 European Office Occupier Survey from CBREEfforts to bring employees back to the office over the past year have generated high degrees of success, according to the 2024 European Office Occupier Survey from CBRE. According to the research, the proportion of companies reporting average building utilisation of 41-80 percent has risen to 61 percent, up from 48 percent in 2023. Conversely, the proportion of companies reporting lower utilisation has fallen, with only a third of companies reporting utilisation of 40 percent or below, compared with nearly half of the companies surveyed last year. (more…)

Want a creative workplace? Make life difficult and chaotic for yourself

Want a creative workplace? Make life difficult and chaotic for yourself

The best time to launch a magazine about people, technology, work and the creative workplace was not March 2020. We did it anywayWe launched IN Magazine officially on the 4th of March 2020. So, this month marks some sort of anniversary. You could argue that this was the worst day in the history of mankind to launch a new magazine about people, work and workplaces and you’d probably be right. People were already not shaking hands. They had begun deserting public transport and planning for less contact with each other. Lockdown was only a couple of weeks away. (more…)

The rise of supercommuters linked to adoption of flexible and hybrid working

The rise of supercommuters linked to adoption of flexible and hybrid working

New research from Trainline claims that the number of UK “supercommuters” using rail to travel longer distances to work has doubled since Covid. Almost half (47 percent) of current supercommuters surveyed made the lifestyle change either during or post-pandemic, and over four in five (84 percent) of these new supercommuters say hybrid working has enabled this switch in their commuting habits. (more…)

Two thirds of remote workers suffer from something called productivity anxiety

Two thirds of remote workers suffer from something called productivity anxiety

new poll from Workhuman claims that while 61 percent of UK employees report higher productivity when working remotely two thirds of fully remote employees say they suffer from what the report refers to as 'productivity anxiety'A new poll from Workhuman claims that while 61 percent of UK employees report higher productivity when working remotely two thirds of fully remote employees say they suffer from what the report refers to as ‘productivity anxiety’. Of those workers, one in four says they battle feelings of inadequacy or pressure to perform constantly or frequently. The survey suggests that fully in-office workers report the least amount of productivity anxiety, as well as higher levels of motivation than remote workers. Workers who are fully remote are also 69 percent more likely to feel bored while working compared to fully in-office workers. Also of note, hybrid workers report 31 percent less burn out than fully in office ones. (more…)

A new generation of workplace apps is transforming people’s experience of work

A new generation of workplace apps is transforming people’s experience of work

These days, workplace apps promise a much more sophisticated experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your handDisseminating information about a building to the people who occupy it has come a long way from a basic, intranet desktop interface with warnings about wet floors or notices about charity fundraising. These days, workplace apps promise a much more sophisticated experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your hand. Gartner has a useful definition of workplace apps’ capabilities, stating, “They are used to explore and reserve workspaces, navigate the workplace, find colleagues, plan the best days to attend the workplace, access services and ensure that employees could feel safe in a future post pandemic workplace.” (more…)

Bringing workplaces back to their prime requires a holistic approach

Bringing workplaces back to their prime requires a holistic approach

Enticing employees back to physical workplaces has proved challenging, but there are solutions writes Steve Elliott of BW Workplace Experts The pandemic radically changed the way we work and kick-started the proliferation of the hybrid model and widespread remote work. Now the picture has shifted once more, with headlines pointing to increasing return to the office policies introduced by organisations, with greater productivity and collaboration among their top reasons for doing so. Dubbed the year of the ‘Great Office Return’ by Virgin Media 02 Business Movers Index, 2023 saw four in ten companies mandating a return to the five-day office week and 92 percent enforcing some level of in-office requirement. However, enticing employees back to physical workplaces has proven challenging. According to CBRE, almost half of companies report their office attendance at 40 percent or under. (more…)

As hybrid offices continue to evolve, report explores global occupancy planning

As hybrid offices continue to evolve, report explores global occupancy planning

how hybrid offices are actively shifting to accommodate a greater variety of work activities and how companies can look at occupancy planning and workplace design more holistically to reflect these changesFour years after the start of the pandemic, a new survey from JLL claims that hybrid working is now the most common workstyle globally, with 87 percent of organisations operating with a hybrid program today. JLL’s new 2024 Global Occupancy Planning Benchmarking Report claims to outline how hybrid offices are actively shifting to accommodate a greater variety of work activities and how companies can look at occupancy planning and workplace design more holistically to reflect these changes. By investing in new technologies, leveraging utilisation data and prioritizing individual and private seating, companies can ensure they are effectively reflecting the workplace’s changing needs. (more…)