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Here’s how to support neurodivergent employees at work

Here’s how to support neurodivergent employees at work

Neurodivergent employees can offer many benefits to businesses. Employers should focus on retaining this talentBusinesses have much to gain from neurodivergent employees. According to a recent Deloitte report “teams with neurodivergent professionals in some roles can be 30 percent more productive than those without them”. Benefits of neurodivergent individuals to the workplace – according to the CIPD, range from “problem-solving, to creative insights and visual spatial thinking.” (more…)

The Internet and a pile of turtles that goes all the way down

The Internet and a pile of turtles that goes all the way down

alan_turingIn his 1998 book A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking relates the following anecdote: “A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the centre of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: “What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.” The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, “What is the tortoise standing on?” “You’re very clever, young man, very clever,” said the old lady. “But it’s turtles all the way down!” 

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Emotion tracking tech in the workplace puts people’s wellbeing at risk

Emotion tracking tech in the workplace puts people’s wellbeing at risk

A new report from the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) explores the increasing use of affective computing in the workplace.A new report from the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) explores the increasing use of affective computing in the workplace. Affective computing is a branch of artificial intelligence which focuses on recognising and responding to human emotions through technologies like biometric sensors, emotion-tracking software, and wearable devices. Once primarily used in consumer products, these systems are now finding applications in the workplace, often marketed as tools to enhance safety, productivity, and employee wellbeing. The use of AI-powered technologies that monitor and interpret employees’ emotions and behaviours is known as Algorithmic Affect Management (AAM) and is rapidly transforming the landscape of employment, raising significant questions about privacy, ethics, and the future of work, according to the report. (more…)

That conversation about hybrid working? Same as it ever was

That conversation about hybrid working? Same as it ever was

The term hybrid working may only have been in widespread use for a few years, but the ideas behind it stretch back decadesRecently I wrote a short article based on a 1993 Architects’ Journal interview with IBM’s then design manager of property, Peter Wingrave. It reminded me how discussions about new ways of working – now including that neologism hybrid working – have been a constant throughout my career. In that interview, Wingrave is quoted as saying: “I think there are interesting times ahead for offices. We are already seeing the slow breakdown of the traditional office which people come to in the morning and leave at night…We would like our offices to catch the social spirit of an old gentleman’s club; you just pop in when you need to. You get more out of people that way… we’re lucky if our marketing areas are ever 40 per cent occupied … It’s crazy to build, run, heat, light and decorate a building as if people were there when 60 per cent of the time you know they are not”. (more…)

Workspace Design Show announces Workspace Wellbeing Hero initiative

Workspace Design Show announces Workspace Wellbeing Hero initiative

The Workspace Design Show (26 – 27 February 2025, BDC, London) has announced the launch of the “Workspace Wellbeing Hero” initiativeThe Workspace Design Show (26 – 27 February 2025, BDC, London) has announced the launch of the “Workspace Wellbeing Hero” initiative, recognising and celebrating exceptional individuals in the workspace design industry who go above and beyond to support the wellbeing of others through acts of kindness and resilience in their work environments. This initiative shines a spotlight on those who make a tangible difference in workplace culture through selflessness, compassion, and perseverance. (more…)

The rise of the part time office opens up a new frontier for market growth

The rise of the part time office opens up a new frontier for market growth

The part-time office offers companies the ability to rent office spaces on a part-time basis, writes David RawlenceAs businesses, large and small, continue to adapt to post-pandemic realities, the demand for flexible working solutions continues to surge. The part-time office offers companies the ability to rent office spaces on a part-time basis—often for just one to three days a week— whilst opening a unique opportunity for occupiers, landlords, operators, and investors. (more…)

Manchester joins Horizon CommuniCity Project

Manchester joins Horizon CommuniCity Project

Manchester has become the first UK city outside of London to join the European Union’s CommuniCity initiativeManchester has become the first UK city outside of London to join the European Union’s CommuniCity initiative, a programme designed to empower local people and organisations in developing innovative solutions to social challenges. As the second UK city to participate (following London), Manchester is now part of this three-year initiative led by Horizon Europe, the EU’s primary funding programme for research and innovation. CommuniCity seeks to engage communities, businesses, and organisations to create technical solutions that address social inequalities. (more…)

Bosses are too cocky when it comes to modern risks to their businesses

Bosses are too cocky when it comes to modern risks to their businesses

CEOs face sleepwalking into reputational disaster through over-confidence which masks inadequate crisis planning to mitigate modern day risksCEOs face sleepwalking into reputational disaster through a concerning over-confidence which masks inadequate crisis planning to mitigate modern day risks, according to a new report [registration] from PHA Group. The survey questioned 150 CEOs across the UK’s £240bn professional services sector on confidence and planning in navigating business critical issues. Examining issues from workforce management and whistleblowing to climate change and regulation, CEOs from law firms, insurance, finance and accounting, consultancy and recruitment conveyed confidence but also revealed a lack of investment and planning. (more…)

Employers need to be proactive to address problem of sexual harassment at work

Employers need to be proactive to address problem of sexual harassment at work

In today's evolving workplace landscape, the issue of sexual harassment at work and the work-related environment remains a pressing concernIn today’s evolving workplace landscape, the issue of sexual harassment at work and the work-related environment remains a pressing concern for employers and employees alike. Recent surveys have shed light on the pervasive nature of this problem, revealing that a significant portion of workers continue to experience sexual harassment at work not only from colleagues, but also from third parties such as suppliers, customers and patients. As new legislation approaches, it’s imperative for employers to take reasonable anticipatory steps to prevent sexual harassment at workplace to improve workplace culture, the organisation from expensive and damaging claims and its workforce from such abhorrent conduct. (more…)

Two students just proved that Meta’s new smart glasses are not rose-tinted

Two students just proved that Meta’s new smart glasses are not rose-tinted

By combining smart glasses with AI and face recognition software, two students have exposed something troublingBe honest, did you smirk a little when everyone was posting their ‘legal’ message to Instagram? You probably saw it doing the rounds, after all it was one of the most viral trends ever posted on the app. Stories were flooded with a message reading “Goodbye Meta Al. Please note an attorney has advised us to put this on, failure to do so may result in legal consequences. As Meta is now a public entity all members must post a similar statement. If you do not post at least once it will be assumed you are okay with them using your information and photos. I do not give Meta or anyone else permission to use any of my personal data, profile information or photos”. (more…)

Office design goes to the movies

Office design goes to the movies

What can the movies tell us about office designFollowing our recent attempts to create a rudimentary playlist of songs that tell us something, or perhaps nothing, about office design, office life and office furniture, here’s another look at how the parochial world of the workplace can brush up against popular culture. It does this unnoticed for most people, I suppose, but not for those of us bound up in this world. We’re not the sort of people who can ignore the regular, brief glimpse of an Aeron chair’s ubiquitous mesh without a synapse of recognition sparking up. So, here is a brief rundown of nine movies that use office design to make a plot point or set up a character development.

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Did you hear the one about offices and creativity?

Did you hear the one about offices and creativity?

the places we go for ideas

There is a famous episode of Seinfeld in which the character George is insulted in a business meeting and only thinks of a perfect retort while driving away from the office. This being George, he decides that he doesn’t want to waste his ‘killer line’ so engineers a second meeting so he can use it with the person who had insulted him, only for it to blow up in his face yet again. It’s an example of what the French refer to as l’esprit de l’escalier and the Germans as Treppenwitz, in both languages the wit you develop on a staircase.

It describes the phenomenon we all experience of having our best ideas when we stop trying to have them. When our mind wanders, and especially when the body is wandering too, it is free to have its own moments of insight and inspiration. And, contrary to the idea that structured collaboration leads to good ideas, when we are alone.

Unsurprisingly, there are good reasons why this happens. In his book The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the BrainProfessor John Kounios argues that our brains have essentially two ways of solving problems. One is analytical in which we use a rigid methodology to arrive at a solution. It is based on the frontal lobe of our brains that is responsible for attention, organising information and focus. The other is one where we experience a eureka moment in which an idea seems to pop out of nowhere.

His own insights into these phenomena are based on his research into what happens to the brain when it has ideas or solves problems. Using neuroimaging technology, he and his fellow researchers invited a number of research subjects to solve puzzles. What they found was that shortly before a burst of activity in the right temporal lobe of the brain indicating a moment of inspiration, the brain would shut down its own visual cortex which processes sight and perception.

Kounios and his fellow researchers compare it to the way we might close our eyes or look away immediately before a eureka moment. For a moment we become unaware of our surroundings while the idea flares into being. The brief change in function in the brain allows it to focus inwards and use the subconscious to make links between information it has stored and then present it to our conscious mind.

By contrast, when thinking methodically about a problem, the brain uses the frontal lobe to focus attention outwards to acquire as much information as it possibly can.

 

Eureka!

The process of having creative epiphanies is best served when we are not in a methodical frame of mind and ideally when we are not processing information in a formal way. That is why a walk in the park, a change of activity or setting or doing something routine like taking a shower are conducive to those aha moments. Sitting at our workstation in an office may be a great way of completing many tasks, but it is not necessarily suited to the creative spark.

Merely being in the outdoors or being able to perceive the natural world from our place in the office building can release endorphins and increase our feelings of wellbeing, putting the brain into the right frame of mind for an aha moment. Stepping away from a problem also gives the brain a chance to place less emphasis on its frontal lobe and allows the subconscious to intervene.

A study published in the Journal Psychological Science called Inspired by Distraction: Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation found that when we create the conditions in which our minds can wander, the brain makes connections between pieces of information unconsciously, massively increasing our ability to have revelatory insights and ideas.

We can achieve this by doing simple things like exercising outdoors, going for a walk or simply relaxing, by changing our behaviours but also by changing our surroundings. An office that encourages people to move and be aware of the natural world is not just good for physical and psychological wellbeing, it allows us to work in different ways that are best suited to the ways our brains function.

That includes moments of doing nothing in particular or sitting back or closing our eyes or simply walking up some stairs to tap the potential for creativity we all have hidden within.