Search Results for: interaction

People spending more time in offices in search of social interaction

People spending more time in offices in search of social interaction

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Office workers now spend more time in the office, with the average creeping up to three and a half days per week compared to three days in 2022, according to a new report from international law firm, Gowling WLG. The report, titled Strategic moves: why the office is now a business-critical decision [registration], surveyed senior representatives responsible for making office lease decisions in companies, and a selection of office workers. It identifies that a more permanent approach to office usage is now emerging, as the shadow of the pandemic recedes, as well as demonstrating the changing metrics being applied by occupiers to decisions relating to premises requirements and the more complex environment for landlord asset management. (more…)

Graduates alienated by remote working, with majority wanting social interaction

Graduates alienated by remote working, with majority wanting social interaction

by • Business, News, Working culture

graduates and remote workingGen Z is the largest generation in human history, and over the next 10 years, 1.3 billion of its members will enter the global workforce. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that this new generation of graduates is entering one of the toughest job markets in decades. (more…)

Wellbeing nosedives as people miss interactions with colleagues

Wellbeing nosedives as people miss interactions with colleagues

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

wellbeingWellbeing amongst professionals has taken a dive since lockdown restrictions were enforced in March, according to a new survey by recruiting firm Hays.  From a survey of over 16,200 professionals, close to two thirds (61 percent) rated their wellbeing as positive before restrictions were put in place, but only 35 percent said it remained positive since lockdown. Those who rated their wellbeing as negative rose from 7 percent to 23 percent. (more…)

Office design should take account of the quality of interactions as well as quantity

Office design should take account of the quality of interactions as well as quantity

by • Comment, Workplace design

People in the sort of office design that encourages communication and better working relationshipsEver since technology first made it possible for people to work remotely from their colleagues, there has been speculation not only that office design should change but even that the physical office could be dispensed with entirely, and with it the idea that people should come together to work in the same place at the same time to achieve common goals and to share in a common identity.

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White Paper: intuitive design and the changing face of workplace interactions

by • Briefing, Features, Premium Content, Workplace design

In his famous 1988 book The Design of Everyday Things, the cognitive scientist Donald Norman suggests that the way we interact with objects and our surroundings is determined almost entirely by their design. People cannot be the primary reason things succeed or fail, because they are constant, while the design of the object itself is the variable. People can expect to learn how to use things better, but without an underlying people-centric and intuitive approach to design, the design will fail to some degree or other. He concludes that the designer should focus their attention on the interaction between people and the design of objects and surroundings. This principle becomes more relevant with each passing day, as the number of interactions we have with designed objects increases. This is most obvious with regard to our interactions with technology, but it is also apparent across our entire lives.

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Interaction completes transformation of Grade II listed Victorian castle into new office

Interaction completes transformation of Grade II listed Victorian castle into new office 0

by • Case studies, Company news, Workplace design

Design and build firm Interaction, has completed the design and fit out of a Grade II listed Victorian ‘castle’ in Cirencester as the new head office of financial comparison website money.co.uk. In 2015 the firm was ranked the second fastest growing business in the UK by The Sunday Times and needed its workplace to reflect this growth, convey its culture and attract new talent. The core concept was a juxtaposition of the traditional architecture of The Castle with a contemporary interior. The design features include a bespoke Star Wars themed cinema complete with popcorn machine, two gyms, hand painted suits of armour as well as ‘Rolling Stones’ and ‘Steam Punk’ themed bathrooms. The new office incorporates a number of settings for informal meetings, private work, training, relaxing or socialising. This includes an ‘ice cave’ which can be used for an informal meeting, or to eat and socialise. There is also a ‘ski lodge’, which can be accessed through a secret door. (more…)

Hybrid working could deliver productivity gains from staff retention alone, report claims

Hybrid working could deliver productivity gains from staff retention alone, report claims

by • Flexible working, News

Hybrid working could deliver significant productivity gains by helping organisations retain employees, recruit from a wider talent pool and preserve institutional knowledge, according to new economic modelling from International Workplace Group (IWG) and Arup. The analysis estimates that improved employee retention associated with more flexible working practices could be worth $204.7 billion to the US economy and £10.8 billion to the UK over five years. Retention represents the largest potential source of productivity gains identified by the modelling. (more…)

Over-reliance on Gen-AI may weaken moral insights, understanding, and know-how

Over-reliance on Gen-AI may weaken moral insights, understanding, and know-how

by • AI, News

Generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) has become a routine part of working life but over-reliance on the technology may erode managers’ ability to build moral insights, contextual understanding and know-how to do get a job done, according to a new study from the University of Bath.Generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) has become a routine part of working life but over-reliance on the technology may erode managers’ ability to build moral insights, contextual understanding and know-how to do get a job done, according to a new study from the University of Bath. The research, published in the Academy of Management Review, explores how tools such as ChatGPT may affect what academics call “managerial phronesis” – the practical wisdom managers develop through real-world experience, reflection and human interaction. (more…)

Fixing the open plan noise crisis in the age of hybrid working

Fixing the open plan noise crisis in the age of hybrid working

by • Company news, Workplace design

Research consistently shows that excessive noise is the number one cause of distraction in the modern workplace. Hybrid working has changed how open-plan offices are used, but acoustic design has not always kept pace.Research consistently shows that excessive noise is the number one cause of distraction in the modern workplace. Hybrid working has changed how open-plan offices are used, but acoustic design has not always kept pace. Hybrid workplaces now ask more activities to coexist within the same space. Video calls, informal meetings, collaborative work, and focused individual tasks may all happen alongside one another, while occupancy can change dramatically throughout the week. (more…)

AI could increase the relevance of the physical workplace, Gensler report suggests

AI could increase the relevance of the physical workplace, Gensler report suggests

by • AI, News, Workplace design

Workers who regularly use artificial intelligence are spending less time working alone and more time learning and socialising with colleagues, suggesting that the spread of AI could increase rather than diminish the importance of the physical workplaceWorkers who regularly use artificial intelligence are spending less time working alone and more time learning and socialising with colleagues, suggesting that the spread of AI could increase rather than diminish the importance of the physical workplace. Gensler’s Global Workplace Survey 2026 found that 30 per cent of workers regularly use AI tools in both their professional and personal lives, a group the architecture and design firm describes as “AI power users”. A further 36 per cent are classed as late adopters who rarely or never use AI. (more…)

A beacon of hope in an uncertain world. Works magazine 20 digital edition is here for you

A beacon of hope in an uncertain world. Works magazine 20 digital edition is here for you

by • News, Premium Content, Technology, Workplace design, Works Magazine

The digital edition of issue 20 of Works magazine is now available for you to read here.  The new issue explores a workplace sector that is becoming increasingly confident about its future, even as it navigates rapid technological, social and economic change. The latest edition brings together major workplace projects, design debates and industry commentary that point to a common theme: the enduring value of connection, community and shared experience in an age of uncertainty. (more…)

Giving employees a say over office art may boost wellbeing and job satisfaction, review suggests

Giving employees a say over office art may boost wellbeing and job satisfaction, review suggests

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

visual office art can have a positive effect on employees' psychological wellbeing and workplace experience, with the greatest benefits seen when workers are able to choose or position artwork themselves.Giving employees more control over the artwork displayed in their workplace could improve wellbeing, job satisfaction and engagement, according to a new systematic review from researchers at the University of Roehampton. The review, published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, found evidence that visual office art can have a positive effect on employees’ psychological wellbeing and workplace experience, with the greatest benefits seen when workers are able to choose or position artwork themselves. (more…)

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