Search Results for: health

Tax breaks for work health schemes welcomed

by • Legal news, News, Workplace

sodexo workplace trends edit

The inclusion in the 2013 Budget of plans to include tax breaks for employers to run health initiatives that help encourage those on sick leave back to work has been welcomed by health and wellbeing experts. The Chancellor has announced that the Government would introduce a targeted tax relief, so amounts up to £500 paid by employers on recommended schemes are not treated as a taxable benefit in kind. The Government’s decision follows recommendations made in its report, ‘Health at work – an independent review of sickness absence’, released in January.

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American Institute of Architects opens design and health project

by • Architecture, News, Workplace design

Via Verde

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is working with the Clinton Global Initiative and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Advanced Urbanism (CAU) to examine the relationships between design, urbanism, and public health. The collaboration is part of the AIA’s Decade of Design Commitment to Action, which aims to make positive changes through design in the global urban environment. Alexander d’Hooghe, director of the MIT CAU explained: “We are investigating the scale of urban design, architecture, as well as planning, in relation to health today, whether related to obesity, or to climate change.” (more…)

Can we all stop shouting about AI (and start listening to each other instead)?

Can we all stop shouting about AI (and start listening to each other instead)?

by • AI, Comment, SF

Next time we see a debate about AI that gets a little heated, maybe we need to ask ourselves, why are we so afraid to admit it isn’t perfectRecently, the conversation around AI has been hotting up. This is not as a result of experts sharing new and innovative developments, but rather through grown adults exchanging insults and name-calling. LinkedIn is flooded with posts shouting about how the only people who don’t support and advocate for AI are running scared. Scared of progress. Scared of technology. Scared of the future. These posts read as childish and bullying and, whilst admittedly likely to be AI generated (or at the very least having had AI cast a glance or two over the content), they are positioning humans in a dichotomous way; for or against. You’re either with AI and therefore in the gang, or you are an ignorant luddite who is unwilling to get with the programme.

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Is a smart building worth it? My research says the answer is an unequivocal yes

Is a smart building worth it? My research says the answer is an unequivocal yes

by • Comment, Property, Technology

Too often, clients have paid contractors for the design and delivery of a smart building whilst ignoring the operational sideFor my book, The Smart Building Advantage, in which I tracked the evolution of the recent built environment, I trawled through more than a decade’s worth of data. I wasn’t short of material. I studied the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, 22 Bishopsgate in London and NEOM in Saudi Arabia, amongst many extraordinary examples of how buildings and technology can work together. From these, I concluded that smart buildings are like chameleons in the way they’ve adapted to meet the shifting demands of the corporate zeitgeist. (more…)

Very few people say they enjoy their work, HP study suggests

Very few people say they enjoy their work, HP study suggests

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Just 15 percent of UK knowledge workers say they have a healthy relationship with work, according to the latest findings from HP’s third annual Work Relationship IndexJust 15 percent of UK knowledge workers say they have a healthy relationship with work, according to the latest findings from HP’s third annual Work Relationship Index [registration]. The poll of more than 18,000 desk-based employees across 14 countries, including 1,300 in the UK, shows an 11-point fall from 2024 and a figure five points lower than this year’s global average. The report suggests that business leaders in the UK influence most of the factors shaping employee wellbeing, yet many workers feel their needs are not being met. Only 14 percent of respondents believe leaders show empathy, and the same proportion say leaders communicate transparently. At the same time, 41 percent feel their company prioritises profit over people, while 61 percent say expectations and demands have increased – the highest level across developed markets. (more…)

Exhibitors to look out for at Workspace Design Show in Amsterdam

Exhibitors to look out for at Workspace Design Show in Amsterdam

by • Company news, Furniture, Workplace design

This November, Workspace Design Show returns to RAI Amsterdam, Hall 5 with the theme Activate the Senses — transforming the exhibition floor into a vibrant journey through sound, light, texture, and space. Over two inspiring days, 5–6 November 2025, the Benelux workplace design community will gather to explore how multi-sensory design is reshaping the way we work. Alongside 150+ international exhibitors, visitors will encounter interactive features and installations created by the likes of Biophilic Design Academy, Casper Schwarz Architects, UNS, Mecanoo, and Tank Design. (more…)

Young people aren’t lazy or disloyal. They just expect different leadership

Young people aren’t lazy or disloyal. They just expect different leadership

by • Comment, Workplace

As they join the workforce in greater numbers, this new cohort is helping to redefine what work and leadership meanFor decades, the idea of a “good job” was measured with a simple formula: a stable contract and competitive salary. That rule does not seem to hold in the same way for Generation Z, broadly understood as those born between 1995 and 2010. As they join the workforce in greater numbers, this new cohort is helping to redefine what work and leadership mean. Salary still matters, of course, particularly when it comes to gaining independence in a time of high living costs, but many young people no longer see pay as the decisive factor in choosing or staying in a job. Instead, they are attentive to whether companies are genuine in their values, whether their work carries purpose, and whether employers are aware of their social impact. (more…)

HIMACS shapes are now SCS-Certified for recycled content

HIMACS shapes are now SCS-Certified for recycled content

by • Company news, Workplace design

Now, the full range of HIMACS standard sinks and basins has been officially SCS-certified for containing a minimum of 8 percent pre-consumer recycled content.HIMACS has long been the solid surface material of choice for architects and designers looking for a refined balance of aesthetics, performance, and versatility. Now, the full range of HIMACS standard sinks and basins has been officially SCS-certified for containing a minimum of 8 percent pre-consumer recycled content. This certification adds to the material’s technical and visual appeal by offering an option with enhanced sustainability, without compromising on quality or functionality. (more…)

Flexible working policies have only a limited effect on how people actually work

Flexible working policies have only a limited effect on how people actually work

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A major UK policy reform to expand workers’ rights to request flexible working has not substantially changed how people work in practice, according to new researchA major UK policy reform to expand workers’ rights to request flexible working has not substantially changed how people work in practice, according to new research from King’s Business School, UCL and City, University of London. The study analysed data from more than 15,000 employees in the UK Household Longitudinal Study spanning 2010 to 2020, focusing in particular on the 2014 policy that extended the legal right to request flexible working to all employees with at least 26 weeks’ service, rather than just parents or carers. It found that while women are more likely to reduce their hours following the reform, there was no corresponding increase in remote working or flexitime among either men or women. (more…)

Ten projects named as 2025 Urban land Institute Europe Awards for Excellence finalists    

Ten projects named as 2025 Urban land Institute Europe Awards for Excellence finalists    

by • News, Property

Ten projects from eight countries across the EMEA region have been announced as the finalists in the sixth annual Urban Land Institute Europe Awards for ExcellenceTen projects from eight countries across the EMEA region have been announced as the finalists in the sixth annual Urban Land Institute Europe Awards for Excellence, which recognise exemplar projects and programmes in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. This year’s finalists comprise cutting edge refurbishment, restoration and new build projects, and include residential, healthcare, mixed use, education, community, laboratory and office projects from Italy, Germany, the UK, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, France and Spain.    (more…)

Merck scraps plans for £1 billion London research centre in blow to life sciences sector

Merck scraps plans for £1 billion London research centre in blow to life sciences sector

by • News, Property

US pharmaceutical company Merck, known as MSD in Europe, has withdrawn a planned £1 billion investment in a new discovery centre in London, citing the UK’s challenging environment for life sciencesUS pharmaceutical company Merck, known as MSD in Europe, has withdrawn a planned £1 billion investment in a new discovery centre in London, citing the UK’s challenging environment for life sciences. The decision will result in the closure of discovery research operations in the country and the loss of 125 jobs, although other research activities will continue. The facility, a 25,000 square foot headquarters in the Knowledge Quarter near King’s Cross, had been under construction and was due to open in 2027. The cancellation comes at a time when the government has identified life sciences as a key growth sector in its industrial strategy, with ambitions to make the UK Europe’s leading life sciences economy by 2030 and the third most significant globally by 2035. (more…)

BCO pilots new office grading system as industry calls for reform

BCO pilots new office grading system as industry calls for reform

by • News, Property

The UK’s office grading system is no longer fit for purpose, according to new research from the British Council for Offices (BCO).The UK’s office grading system is no longer fit for purpose, according to new research from the British Council for Offices (BCO). A report authored by JLL for the BCO found that fewer than three percent of professionals in the sector support the current system, with almost all calling for change. The report, Redefining the Market: Beyond Grade A, proposes a new scoring-based framework designed to reflect the shifting priorities of occupiers, investors and developers in an era shaped by flexible working. It sets out a 100-point matrix across four categories – physical quality, sustainability, technology and amenity – aiming to provide a more transparent and adaptable standard. (more…)

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