Search Results for: innovation

Firms get that people want flexible working, but are still slow to act

Firms get that people want flexible working, but are still slow to act

Workers are increasingly demanding autonomy and flexible working options, but employers remain slow to respond, with only a small percentage increasing the number of flexible or remote rolesWorkers are increasingly demanding autonomy and flexible working options, but employers remain slow to respond, with only a small percentage increasing the number of flexible or remote roles, according to a new poll.  Based on a survey of 4,500 people including 500 small and medium-sized business owners, Sonovate’s report, ‘The Future World of Work’ [registration] claims that although 70 percent of businesses acknowledge that the most skilled people will only work under conditions that favour them, they had done little to enable employees to work more flexibly and reduce outgoings. More →

What to expect at next week’s Workspace Design Show

What to expect at next week’s Workspace Design Show

With only a few days until The Workspace Design Show returns to London’s Business Design Centre, on 27-28 February 2023, here is a taste of what to expec With only a few days until The Workspace Design Show returns to London’s Business Design Centre, on 27-28 February 2023, here is a taste of what to expect. The show brings together striking features, a thought-provoking programme of talks featuring a whole host of speakers, from developers to architects and their blue-chip clients, along with accomplished exhibitors showcasing the latest workplace interiors innovations. All of this incredible content aligns perfectly with the show’s theme, Destination Workplace: Places Where People Want To Be. More →

Workspace Design Show returns (and so do we)

Workspace Design Show returns (and so do we)

A few of you may already know this story. It was some 15 months ago and three old friends met up for the first time in quite a while (well, we had been through lockdowns etc). Having caught up with each other’s news, the subject turned to industry journals, what the three friends felt the market was missing and the possibility of collaborating in the not too distant future. That conversation occurred at the inaugural Workspace Design Show – which the three amigos were all hugely impressed by. The result of that conversation (and a few more chats and meets, of course) is Works. So, here we are, all those months later, pulling together a preview of the 2023 edition of WDS, which – we’re delighted to say – we’re very much a part of. And we don’t just partner with any one, you know. More →

Flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for employers

Flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for employers

A survey from CBRE claims that the imposition of more hybrid and flexible working has been an 'unexpected gift' for both employers and employeesA survey from CBRE claims that the imposition of more hybrid and flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for both employers and employees. The poll of 20,000 employees worldwide suggests that flexibility plays an important role for both employee and employer decision making. Other benefits include increased productivity and more innovative thinking. Flexibility about where and when work takes place was particularly important to workers. Around 40 percent of workers both globally and in the UK, noted flexibility as the primary factor in assessing job opportunities, with a company’s commitment to work-life balance another crucial factor. More →

Childhood’s end for work and the need for a grown-up conversation about it

Childhood’s end for work and the need for a grown-up conversation about it

Arthur C Clarke’s finest novel Childhood’s End is the story of an Earth that is invaded by a force of alien Overlords. This is not a destructive colonial invasion, which is why there’s no Hollywood blockbuster in the tale, but a seemingly benevolent intervention which ushers in a golden age for humanity. Although humankind initially does not get to meet the Overlords in person (for reasons I won’t give away here), the aliens unite the world’s governments, eradicate crime, conflict and the nation state and do away with the need for creativity and hard work. It is the literal end of history.

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People are split on whether hybrid working improves or worsens ‘workplace community’

People are split on whether hybrid working improves or worsens ‘workplace community’

People are still undecided on whether remote and hybrid working are having a positive or negative impact on their ‘workplace community’. According to a new poll,People are still undecided on whether remote and hybrid working are having a positive or negative impact on their ‘workplace community’. According to a new poll, 37 per cent of UK employees feel that hybrid work has made it harder to create a workplace community but 41 per cent disagree. These are the findings from O.C. Tanner’s 2023 Global Culture Report which collected and analysed the perspectives of over 36,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners, and business executives from 20 countries around the world, including 4,653 from the UK. More →

Evening Standard SME XPO celebrates new, small and growing businesses

Evening Standard SME XPO celebrates new, small and growing businesses

Building on the success of its launch event, the Evening Standard’s SME XPO 25-26 April 2023 at ExCeL London, once again invites founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders to attend an action-filled two-day programme and exhibition connecting the scaleup community, a vital part of the UK economy. SME XPO has established itself as the UK’s leading event dedicated entirely to ambitious SME founders and decision-makers who are looking to scaleup. The event will appeal to a wide variety of industries from micro businesses to medium and large SMEs, welcoming 4000+ owners, showcasing over 60+ speakers. More →

Multi-tasking managers offer the key to cooperation between rival firms

Multi-tasking managers offer the key to cooperation between rival firms

For rival companies to successfully cooperate in the name of innovation, they need “ambidextrous” managers who can make the most of their pooled resources and exhibit strong multi-tasking skillsFor rival companies to successfully cooperate in the name of innovation, they need “ambidextrous” managers who can make the most of their pooled resources and exhibit strong multi-tasking skills, research from NEOMA Business School claims. Antony Paulraj, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at NEOMA, co-authored a study analysing the approach of over 300 companies that are collaborating with their competitors, known as “coopetition”. More →

Siemens and Skyway collaborate to develop infrastructure to pave way for Vertiports

Siemens and Skyway collaborate to develop infrastructure to pave way for Vertiports

Siemens and Skyway have reached an agreement to work together to determine the electrical and digital infrastructure needed to support vertiportsSiemens and Skyway have reached an agreement to work together to determine the electrical and digital infrastructure needed to support vertiport operations. Vertiports are hubs for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles such as air taxis and drones. The scope of collaboration involves both companies researching energy demands of vertiports and developing sustainable electrical supply, standard charging processes, and a “system of systems” to support aircraft operations. Innovation around vertiport infrastructure will be critical to the future scalability of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) flight operations. More →

AI presents us with a chance to rediscover what it means to be human

AI presents us with a chance to rediscover what it means to be human

We won't beat AI by relying on formulaic thinking and ideas, so we need to rethink creativity and what it means to be humanLike a lot of people right now, I am struggling to get my head around where we are going with AI. Look around and you’ll see the breathless excitement at the sheer amazingness of it all. And examples of its limitations, how it screws up, how military grade AI can be fooled by somebody hiding in a box, and its sense of humour failure. All of this is demonstrably, paradoxically true. More →

A workplace for entrepreneurial mindsets to thrive should be your goal

A workplace for entrepreneurial mindsets to thrive should be your goal

Workplace entrepreneurial mindsetThese days it seems like everyone is looking to become more entrepreneurial. It’s a word that’s often used by big companies on the hunt for innovative thinkers and new ways of doing things. But sadly, the workplace doesn’t always work for those with entrepreneurial minds. It is too rigid, too hierarchical, too conventional. Entrepreneurs, by nature, are rule-breakers, always looking for new opportunities and fresh ideas that could change the world. From my research, they differ from other businesspeople in some fundamental ways – six ways, to be exact. More →

Herman Miller extends use of ocean-bound plastic with Sayl chair 

Herman Miller extends use of ocean-bound plastic with Sayl chair 

The Sayl Chair, designed by esteemed Swiss Designer Yves Béhar will now include up to 1.36 kg (3 pounds) of mismanaged plastic wasteHerman Miller is continuing to increase the use of ocean-bound plastic within the modern furniture maker’s portfolio. The Sayl Chair, designed by esteemed Swiss Designer Yves Béhar will now include up to 1.36 kg (3 pounds) of mismanaged plastic waste found near waterways. This change builds upon the momentum created by the introduction of ocean-plastic in the iconic Aeron Chair in 2021 and will divert 95 metric tons*, the equivalent of approximately 9.6 million plastic water bottles, from the ocean annually. More →