Search Results for: government

We need to talk about loneliness

We need to talk about loneliness

by • Company news, Wellbeing

From a business perspective, loneliness can be something that is often overlooked, particularly with the growing trend of hybrid workingLast year the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that loneliness is a pressing global health threat. Research has shown that it poses the same health risk as 15 cigarettes a day. According to the ONS, between January and February 2024, one in four adults in the UK reported feeling lonely. The government estimates the cost of severe loneliness per person is roughly £10,000 per year as a result of its impact on wellbeing, health and productivity. From a business perspective, this issue can be something that is often overlooked, particularly with the growing trend of hybrid working. In a connected workplace, employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to contribute their best. (more…)

New studies show need for tougher regulation on air quality, says British Safety Council 

New studies show need for tougher regulation on air quality, says British Safety Council 

by • News, Wellbeing

Exposure to even the smallest amounts of particulate matter and poor air quality can have profound and lasting impacts on human healthThe British Safety Council has responded to two new studies by researchers at Harvard University, which found that exposure to even the smallest amounts of harmful particulate matter can have profound and lasting impacts on human health. The announcement also addresses the regulation of air quality and the new lower limits on air pollution set by the European Union (EU). You can see the full studies here and here. (more…)

New occupational health taskforce will ‘tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivity’

New occupational health taskforce will ‘tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivity’

by • News, Wellbeing

New Occupational Health Taskforce to tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivityBusinesses will be urged to tackle in-work sickness and stop people falling out the workforce, following the appointment of Dame Carol Black as the Government’s new Occupational Health Tsar. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, she will lead a new Taskforce to improve employer awareness of the benefits of Occupational Health in the workplace. (more…)

UK loses 150 million working days due to lack of workplace support for women’s health

UK loses 150 million working days due to lack of workplace support for women’s health

by • News, Wellbeing

A new poll from healthcare provider Benenden Health claims that women in the UK miss an average of nine days of work a year due to health issues, exacerbated by a lack of appropriate healthcare support for female workers. The survey also suggest that four in ten (42 percent) have heard derogatory comments about a female employee’s health in the workplace, often around them taking time off work, being difficult to work with or not able to do their job properly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this has left many women reluctant to discuss their health issues with managers, with almost half (42 percent) feeling uncomfortable doing so. (more…)

State-of-the-art European weather centre headquarters in Reading given go-ahead

State-of-the-art European weather centre headquarters in Reading given go-ahead

by • Company news, Property

The UK Government has been granted planning permission to develop a new cutting-edge headquarters for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) at the University of Reading. Construction of ECMWF’s modern, accessible, and highly sustainable headquarters is scheduled to start towards the end of this year and completion is expected in Autumn 2026, after Wokingham Borough Council approved the development at its February 2024 Planning Committee. (more…)

Status seeking drives non-executive directors to outstay effectiveness

Status seeking drives non-executive directors to outstay effectiveness

by • Business, News

Long-serving non-executive directors (NEDs) who can’t wean themselves off the social status attached to belonging to the corporate board are failing shareholdersLong-serving non-executive directors (NEDs) who can’t wean themselves off the social status attached to belonging to the corporate board are failing shareholders and damaging the companies they are meant to serve, new research from the University of Bath and Queensland University of Technology suggests. Board members who exceed their tenure are putting the identity and self-worth they gain from being a director ahead of their duty to shareholders, compromising board renewal and its financial and strategic performance. (more…)

Whenever I hear the future of work, I reach for my pistol

Whenever I hear the future of work, I reach for my pistol

by • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

the future of workFor years it has been evident that there is no ‘future of work’. There is only a journey with no destination and no single way of not getting to it. That hasn’t stopped people talking about it all endlessly. And each time they have, I’ve reached for my pistol. (more…)

Attendance registration opens for 55th NeoCon

Attendance registration opens for 55th NeoCon

by • Company news, Events

Plans are taking shape for the 55th edition of NeoCon (held June 10-12 at THE MART, Chicago), the world’s leading platform for commercial space designPlans are taking shape for the 55th edition of NeoCon (held June 10-12 at THE MART, Chicago), the world’s leading platform for commercial space design, as show management announces a power-list of thought-provoking speakers, dynamic activations, best-in-class brands, and the newest movers and shakers impacting the built environment. The three-day event offers unparalleled opportunities to connect, learn, and experience the latest trends and innovations across verticals, from office to healthcare. (more…)

London must take better decisions on whether to retrofit its buildings

London must take better decisions on whether to retrofit its buildings

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has published a new report called Retrofit vs Rebuild? which asks how decisions are made to either retrofit or rebuild properties and the carbon implications for bothThe London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has published a new report called Retrofit vs Rebuild? which asks how decisions are made to either retrofit or rebuild properties and the carbon implications for both. In London, buildings account for an estimated 68 per cent of the city’s carbon emissions. These emissions arise from the construction, operation, and demolition of buildings. The report claims that, if London is to meet the Mayor’s 2030 net zero target, there is an urgent need to reduce emissions from buildings and to retrofit both housing and commercial stock. (more…)

Return to office mandates linked to higher business travel costs

Return to office mandates linked to higher business travel costs

by • Flexible working, News, Technology

a key finding in new research by Uber for Business  which claims to reveal a resurgent demand for business travelThe majority of UK travel managers (89 percent) say travel is a growing business priority in 2024, anticipating increased budgets driven by return-to-office policies, inflation and ESG requirements. This is a key finding in new research by Uber for Business  which claims to reveal a resurgent demand for business travel. The research, drawing insights from over 250 corporate travel managers across the UK, sets out to explore the top business travel trends and challenges to watch in 2024. In this landscape of shifting dynamics, where emphasis on ESG requirements is intensifying, there is an increasing need for innovative travel management solutions, the firm says. (more…)

Lab rats – how the UK life sciences sector is struggling to find space to work

Lab rats – how the UK life sciences sector is struggling to find space to work

by • Features, Premium Content, Property

The UK wants to build on its already successful position as a globally important player in the life sciences and pharma sectors. Yet it is struggling to create enough space for growth in the right places and having to rethink wher research and innovation takes place In November 2023, plans to turn part of a golf course next to a motorway into a £340 million science park were refused by South Oxfordshire District Council. Although now classified as greenbelt, the location was the site of a landfill as recently as the 1990s and is just a stone’s throw from both the A40 trunk road and M40 motorway. The developers are expected to appeal. Whatever the details of this story, it is an example of how challenging it can be to meet demand for lab and life sciences space in the so-called Golden Triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge in the South of England. This lack of supply is acting as a brake on the UK Government’s dream of making the country a “science superpower”. (more…)

Chance to retrofit offices is going begging, report claims

Chance to retrofit offices is going begging, report claims

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

significant opportunities are being missed by office investors, owners, and occupiers who do not have clear strategies to retrofit offices in placeThe UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched new guidance on retrofitting large office buildings. Setting out the most cost- and carbon-effective retrofit measures in the immediate and longer term, the guidance reframes retrofit as an iterative process rather than a standalone project. UKGBC has found that significant opportunities are being missed by office investors, owners, and occupiers who do not have clear strategies to retrofit offices in place. Firstly, through missing the “easy wins” –low cost, low disruption measures that reduce energy consumption – and secondly, through missing key “trigger points” in lease and maintenance cycles that facilitate easier, more efficient retrofit. (more…)

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