June 25, 2019

WELL Building Institute signs up for UN compact

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has signed up to the United Nations Global Compact, the voluntary leadership platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices. The UN Global Compact sets out ten principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. IWBI’s WELL Building Standard, a rating system for the creation of buildings and communities that aim to enhance human health and wellbeing, identifies in its standard how each of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are supported by WELL’s work. To date, over 2,100 projects have registered or certified nearly 400 million square feet of space. More →

June 25, 2019

Dublin EFMC conference brings together the facilities world

by Freddie Steele • Facilities management, News

The Aviva Stadium in Dublin hosted from 13th to 14th June the 27th Edition of EFMC, the European Facility Management Conference. The event, held for the first time in the Irish capital, has brought together international experts of the FM sector and has served as a platform of communication amongst facilities managers, suppliers, Universities and associations. The event culminated with tours of One Microsoft Place and the offices of Google in the Irish capital. In the closing ceremony it was announced that EFMC 2020 will be held in Barcelona. More →

June 25, 2019

Environmental transparency for buildings declared with new initiative

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Environment, Furniture

The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and Living Future Europe Initiative (LFEI) has announced the full details release of a new edition of the Declare product transparency label for the European building and manufacturer market. The Declare Europe launch is taking place in Bolzano during the 2019 Klimahouse conference, which is focused on the exchange of ideas, innovations and insights on the latest trends in the energy-efficiency and sustainable construction sector. More →

June 20, 2019

EDGE enters UK market with project on South Bank

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Property, Technology

EDGE Technologies, the specialist developer best known for its groundbreaking The Edge building in Amsterdam has announced its entrance into the UK commercial property market with the £50m acquisition of 60 St Thomas Street on London’s South Bank. The acquisition is subject to planning permission, which EDGE will pursue in partnership with the seller. The partners will consult closely with Southwark Council and the local community. After completion of the development – four to five years from now – 60 St Thomas Street will be an optimised office environment and a new workspace fit for the future. More →

June 20, 2019

Peace and quiet at work? Here are ten of the best and most far out solutions ⁰

by Neil Franklin • Features, Furniture, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Any survey that sets out to establish what people believe cuts their productivity and annoys them most about their workplace almost invariably throws up the same result; the noise and distractions generated by other people. So it will come as no surprise to learn that the same surveys usually find that employees believe that peace and quiet and freedom from distractions is the most important factor when it comes to getting some decent work done. More →

June 20, 2019

Tech workers prefer to work for larger corporations

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology, Workplace

UK SMEs are losing out to big tech in the battle to recruit top tech talent, according to Robert Half UK’s new report, Recruiting for the future: The challenges for UK SMEs. The white paper, which was based on an independent study of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) across the UK, found that three quarters (75 percent) of CIOs believe that it is more challenging for SMEs to attract tech workers because they prefer to work for larger technology companies. More →

June 20, 2019

Technology driving calls for four day week

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Wellbeing

A majority of European workers (57 percent) believe that technology will help to bring about a four day week in the near future as it improves their productivity and efficiency, according to new research from Ricoh Europe (registration) which looks at employee attitudes towards the continent’s ongoing productivity challenge. More →

June 18, 2019

Freelancers project economy now larger than creative sector

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Freelancers working on projects now contribute more to the economy than the creative industries, new research from the CRSE (Centre for Research on Self-Employment) claims. The ‘project economy’, made up of freelancers brought in for individual projects such as new products, innovation and infrastructure, contributes approximately £104bn to the UK economy every year, according to the CRSE’s Freelance Project and Gig Economies report. That is more than the £100bn of the creative industries and close to the £110bn contributed by the construction sector. The ‘project economy’ accounts for 73 per cent of the UK’s skilled freelancers – nearly five times the 15 per cent working in the so-called gig economy. More →

June 13, 2019

AI is the biggest business disruptor on world stage

by George Eltringham • News, Technology

AI and its transformational effect on the global business landscape was the dominant theme on day one of the UK Asia Tech Powerhouse Conference. Transforming urban mobility thanks to rapidly growing cities, and how Asian cities are leading the march towards a digital future also featured in the first of the two-day event, with influencers from across trade, investment and technology, including Singaporean entrepreneur Annabelle Kwok and Mark Purdy, Accenture’s Group Chief Economist and Managing Director at Accenture Research. More →

June 7, 2019

On target for a toxic workplace culture

by Nick Pye • Comment, Workplace

Setting clear and bold targets has become part of leadership 101. We take it for granted that the first action for anyone taking over the helm of a business or team is to state or re-state targets. The rise of “management by objectives” in the 1970s drove the initial focus on target-setting and, in line with shoulder pads and lapel width, the 1990s saw a shift in management culture to ‘bigger is always better’. In 1994 Jim Collins and Jerry Porras wrote their highly influential best seller Built to Last. In it, they memorably wrote of the power of BHAGs – big, hairy, audacious goals. Targets were no longer for hitting but represented something bigger, a longer-term vision of the future.

June 6, 2019

In defence of open plan office design

by Elizabeth Mixson • Features, Workplace design

Noisy, distracting, toxic and disastrous. These are just a few words that have been used to describe open plan office layouts. Though the open office layout model was originally conceived to promote collaboration, innovation and stronger workplace relationship, if recent press is to be believed, it’s had the opposite effect at many companies. More →

June 5, 2019

Workplaces around the UK are something to treasure

by Richard Kauntze • Comment, Property, Workplace design

The world is changing. Often without sense, often at startling speed. I need not mention the ‘B word’. However, there is a risk that this volatility leads to us being too negative. Today, too many people are speaking with too much pessimism. Don’t believe me? Try logging onto Twitter. In these challenging times, we need to also look at our strengths and celebrate areas where things are going well. The UK’s workplaces sector is one example of this, as shown by the BCO’s recent regional awards. More →