Search Results for: interaction

Bigger and better than ever, Workspace Design Show London returns

Bigger and better than ever, Workspace Design Show London returns

In just a few days, the eagerly-awaited Workspace Design Show, the trade show that brings together the UK workplace interiors community, will open its doorsIt’s back. The Workspace Design Show London is bigger and better than ever, with over 5,000 workplace professionals, including architects, designers, developers, and end-user occupiers, joining together to explore the present and future of workspace design and management. In just a few days, the eagerly-awaited Workspace Design Show, the trade show that brings together the UK workplace interiors community, will open its doors. Held at London’s Business Design Centre, handily placed in the heart of Islington, from 26-27 February 2025, the event offers attendees the chance to explore the latest industry trends, see the latest products, and find inspiration in the thought-provoking talks programmes. More →

Getting Zoom fatigue? Chances are you’re tired of looking at yourself

Getting Zoom fatigue? Chances are you’re tired of looking at yourself

New research suggests that excessive self-monitoring during virtual meetings leads to dissatisfaction with appearance and Zoom fatigueThe rise of virtual meetings has transformed workplace communication, offering flexibility and global connectivity. However, this shift has not come without challenges, particularly in the form of virtual meeting (VM) fatigue, commonly referred to as “Zoom fatigue.” A new study published in the journal PLOS One examines how facial appearance dissatisfaction, impression management behaviours, and VM fatigue contribute to the adoption—or rejection—of virtual meeting technologies in professional settings. More →

The constant craving to put numbers on working relationships

The constant craving to put numbers on working relationships

The answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything is not 42, as you may have been led to believe. It’s 1/137 (or near enough). This is the greatest of the two dozen or so universal constants. According to current thinking, without the physical and quantum relationships it describes, the universe as we know it could not exist. More →

We still display status in office design, but in new and subtle ways

We still display status in office design, but in new and subtle ways

There was a time, not so long ago, that one of the most important factors to consider when designing an office was the corporate hierarchy. The office was once the  embodiment of the corporate structure. In Joanna Eley and Alexi Marmot’s 1995 book Understanding Offices, quite a lot of space is dedicated to the idea of the ‘space pyramid’, which means simply that the higher up the organisation you were, the more space you were allocated and the better your furniture and surroundings. Even then, the idea of office design as a signifier of dominance was starting to wear thin, as the authors acknowledge. Ostentatious displays of status were already seen as somewhat gauche, but they were to be fatally undermined by the technological advances to come.

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The Sustainable Design Forum returns

The Sustainable Design Forum returns

The Sustainable Design Forum - a one-day interactive event designed specifically for workplace designers and specifiers – is returningThe Sustainable Design Forum – a one-day interactive event designed specifically for workplace designers and specifiers – is returning to the Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell, London for its third year on Thursday 25th April 2025. With a focus on ‘People and Planet’, this year’s event has been expanded to include additional workplace topics. More →

Measuring and rewarding what people do at work? It’s a rat trap, baby, and you’ve been caught

Measuring and rewarding what people do at work? It’s a rat trap, baby, and you’ve been caught

 

Life imitates art. Scientists have discovered that lab mice may be conducting their own experiments on us. A paper published in the journal Current Biology speculates that mice seem to be testing their testers. They do this by deviating from simple behaviours such as responding to rewards to work out what might happen. “These mice have a richer internal life than we probably give them credit for,” explained Kishore Kuchibhotla, senior study author and an assistant professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. “They are not just stimulus response machines. They may have things like strategies.” More →

Search begins for Britain’s best office dog

Search begins for Britain’s best office dog

The aim of the competition to find Britain's best office dog is to highlight the important role that dogs play in workplace wellbeingBath-based workplace design firm  Interaction is inviting dog owners across the UK to nominate their canine colleagues and share a photo of their pets at work. The aim of the competition to find Britain’s best office dog is to highlight the important role that dogs play in workplace wellbeing. In the UK, households bought 3.2 million pets during lockdown – that’s a lot of new dogs for employees to consider. By supporting dog-friendly policies, the firm believes businesses can encourage these employees back into the office, whilst also reducing stress and improving engagement. More →

Poor job quality leaves people exhausted and at risk of ill health

Poor job quality leaves people exhausted and at risk of ill health

A new report from the Institute for Employment Studies warns that poor job quality is significantly affecting people's health and wellbeingA new report from the Institute for Employment Studies warns that poor job quality is significantly affecting worker health, with 1.7 million people in Great Britain reporting work-related ill health in the last year. The research reveals that half of all workers report having to work more hours than contracted or expected – the highest rate in Europe. Rising work intensity and job strain have left around half of the UK workforce regularly exhausted. The impact of ill-health on spiralling economic inactivity is a focus of an anticipated government White Paper looking to tackle the ‘greatest employment challenge for a generation’ and support more people into good work. More →

Life science interiors: here’s how to create a petri dish for scientific breakthroughs

Life science interiors: here’s how to create a petri dish for scientific breakthroughs

The design of life science interiors is crucial for fostering scientific breakthroughs by balancing precision, functionality, and collaboration. Life science research has grown exponentially in recent years, driving an increasing demand for specialised laboratory spaces. These facilities – including wet labs, dry labs, and their supporting infrastructure – all serve a unique purpose. Like a Petri dish providing the perfect environment for scientific experiments, life science interiors need to balance precision with functionality. When designed well, they create the ideal conditions for innovation, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas. More →

University staff love to connect on campus, but also value time working from home

University staff love to connect on campus, but also value time working from home

A new survey reveals distinct trends in campus work culture and the growing preference for in-person interactions among academic staff, coupled with a desire to continue working from home when needed.A new report from Hassell, the 2024 Education Futures Survey, explores how hybrid working is reshaping the needs and expectations of Australian university staff. Based on responses from 300 university employees and a benchmark group of 500 office workers, the survey reveals distinct trends in campus work culture and the growing preference for in-person interactions among academic staff, coupled with a desire to continue working from home when needed. More →

First impressions count, and they’re harder to achieve through a screen

First impressions count, and they’re harder to achieve through a screen

It appears to be more difficult to form accurate first impressions of a person’s personality during a videoconference compared with a face-to-face encounterAccording to an oft-cited study by psychologists at Princeton, we more or less make our minds about other people within one tenth of a second of meeting them. Experience suggests first impressions are often wrong, or at least incomplete, but at least we can correct ourselves. According to a new study in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, many people says that it’s even harder to form an accurate impression of someone they meet through a screen. Marie-Catherine Mignault and colleagues at Cornell University questioned whether this perception was valid. Specifically, they wanted to know if it was actually more difficult to form accurate first impressions of a person’s personality during a videoconference compared with a face-to-face encounter. More →

If firms want people to ‘return to office’, they should offer a better experience

If firms want people to ‘return to office’, they should offer a better experience

A new report from the British Council for Offices (BCO) argues that if employers want their staff to 'return to office', they need to approach the workplace in the same way they would their customers by creating spaces that offer experiences workers actively seek outA new report from the British Council for Offices (BCO) argues that if employers want their staff to ‘return to office’, they need to approach the workplace in the same way they would their customers by creating spaces that offer experiences workers actively seek out. The report, titled Towards Experience Utopia, claims to serve as a comprehensive guide for creating optimal working environments that integrate the best aspects of both remote and in-office work. Commissioned by the BCO Occupiers Group, which includes major employers like NatWest, PwC, Deloitte, and Goldman Sachs, the report highlights how the shift towards hybrid working has transformed the expectations of employees. More →