Search Results for: hybrid

Rigid return to office mandates and fixed places of work are backfiring

Rigid return to office mandates and fixed places of work are backfiring

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

A new study by Great Place To Work claims that forcing employees back to the office with so-called return-to-office mandates can have negative consequencesA new study by Great Place To Work claims that obliging employees back to the office with so-called return-to-office mandates and restricting their choice of work location can have negative consequences for the business. The report based on a survey of 4,400 US workers, claims to reveal a strong correlation between work location flexibility and positive employee experiences. Compared to those without a choice, employees with control over their work environment are three times more likely to want to stay with their company, and significantly less likely to become disengaged – a trend that has been referred to as “quiet quitting.” They’re also more likely to put in extra effort, foster good relationships with their managers, and feel their workplace fosters a healthy psychological and emotional environment. (more…)

Some questions about AI, a world drowning in content and the human centipede of creativity

Some questions about AI, a world drowning in content and the human centipede of creativity

by • AI, Comment, Technology

 

We still don't even know what questions to ask about AI, so the idea we can provide answers is a bit premature

One unintended but welcome result of the new fixation with AI is that many of the people who became experts on the workplace in 2020 are now experts on AI. You’ll find them on social media and they’ll have written a book about it by May to sit on the shelf alongside the one about hybrid working and The Great Resignation. So, if you want some certainty about where generative AI taking us, go talk to one of them because people who know about the subject seem to have little or no idea or raise even more questions. (more…)

Bringing workplaces back to their prime requires a holistic approach

Bringing workplaces back to their prime requires a holistic approach

by • Comment, Workplace design

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…)

Inclusivity, sustainability and user-centric design dominate BCO South West Regional Awards

Inclusivity, sustainability and user-centric design dominate BCO South West Regional Awards

by • News, Property, Workplace design

What are claimed to be the South West of England’s and South Wales’s most outstanding workplaces have been announced, with British Council for Offices Awards going to six office buildings across the region. Held at The Coal Exchange Hotel, the BCO’s annual South of England and South Wales Awards Dinner celebrated the high-calibre of the region’s offices in terms of design, fit-out operation and sustainability. (more…)

People are spending more time in the office, but no sign of a full return for many

People are spending more time in the office, but no sign of a full return for many

by • Flexible working, News, Technology

Many of the UK’s tech workers are embracing a structured return to spending more time in the office, according to a new report. According to the survey of 2,000 people from Techspace, there has been a ‘notable shift’ towards embracing structured office time, with Monday to Wednesday emerging as the top choices for in-office workdays. The report claims that this preference indicates a growing recognition of the benefits of face-to-face collaboration and a desire for a more traditional office environment. (more…)

BCO London Awards winners focus on sustainability, wellbeing and user-friendliness

BCO London Awards winners focus on sustainability, wellbeing and user-friendliness

by • News, Property, Workplace design

The British Council for Offices Awards for London have gone to seven office buildings across the city. Held at the Park Plaza hotel, the BCO’s annual London Awards Lunch recognised projects that demonstrate best practice in office design, fit-out, operation and sustainability, setting the standard for excellence across the sector. (more…)

Commuting costs continue to put strain on office worker finances

Commuting costs continue to put strain on office worker finances

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

UK employees are suffering higher cost-of-living expenses, especially due to transportation costs and tensions may rise as many companies enforce return-to-office policies. That is according to the latest study conducted by Capterra on 248 U.K. employees, the majority (69 percent) say their work-related costs have increased over the past 12 months, especially the price of groceries (95 percent), utilities (85 percent), eating out (78 percent), and petrol (63 percent). (more…)

US employee engagement plummets to lowest level in over a decade

US employee engagement plummets to lowest level in over a decade

by • News, Workplace

A report by Gallup claims that employee engagement in the U.S. has sunk to its lowest point in more than a decadeAmerican workplaces are facing a crisis of disengagement. A report by Gallup claims that employee engagement in the U.S. has sunk to its lowest point in more than a decade, marking a concerning trend with significant implications for businesses across the country. The study, which began tracking employee sentiment in 2023, identified a growing disconnect between workers and their employers. Employees reported feeling a lack of clarity in their roles, lower overall satisfaction with their organizations, and a weaker connection to their companies’ missions. They were also less likely to feel valued and supported by their colleagues and superiors. (more…)

Stress, anxiety and a beamish response to it all

Stress, anxiety and a beamish response to it all

by • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

Stress, uncertainty and the medicalisation of dissatisfactionWe now have a policy of not offering ourselves as an outlet for any of the deluge of comment pieces and surveys that are published each year to accompany the various days – and increasingly weeks and months – dedicated to certain conditions like stress and anxiety. They are a gift both to and from the PR industry. This is largely because we cover such issues year round so don’t feel the need to add to the PR feeding frenzy they generate. Whatever you make of the findings of the reports and others like them, even cynics would have to acknowledge they tap into an unmistakable feeling that work is not as enjoyable as it should be. (more…)

Event explores how the government is setting new office standards for civil servants

Event explores how the government is setting new office standards for civil servants

by • Company news, Facilities management, Property, Workplace design

At a recent event, the Government Property Agency brought together Civil Service leaders to exchange ideas, debate trends and inform how the GPA delivers its property services. The GPA is leading one of the country’s biggest and most ambitious workplace renewal programmes for its clients – delivering a smaller, better connected, better quality, and greener property estate to support the work of Civil Service teams and bring them closer to the communities they serve. (more…)

A look back at The Stoddart Review: the once and future guide to workplace productivity?

A look back at The Stoddart Review: the once and future guide to workplace productivity?

by • Comment, Workplace design

A new edition of the Stoddart Review would offer a deep dive into the realities of working from home and what the measurement of ‘productivity’ means in the 2020sThe Stoddart Review, published in 2016, was one of the most significant reports of recent years to explore the role of the workplace for employee productivity in extensive detail and why the office environment was key for productivity purposes. There has been a huge shift in the world of work since then. What we once knew as the workplace has changed forever. (more…)

Don’t worry, be ‘appy. IN Magazine issue 20 is here for you

Don’t worry, be ‘appy. IN Magazine issue 20 is here for you

by • Environment, Facilities management, IN Magazine, News, Premium Content, Property, Technology, Workplace design

The new digital edition of IN Magazine is now available to read online.The new digital edition of IN Magazine is now available to read online. In this issue: reviews of both MIPIM and the Workspace Design Show; a reappraisal of scientific management; what the new generation of workplace apps tell us about how we work; a case study that prompts the question of why office designers don’t make more use of reused products; the road to hell is paved with bad information; Domino Risch on the workplace’s Kodak moment; why facilities managers are the goalkeepers of the workplace; the final word on self-awareness; and much more.  (more…)

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