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The new digital issue of Works magazine would look just dandy on your screen

The new digital issue of Works magazine would look just dandy on your screen

 

The new digital issue of Works magazine is available for you here.

The new digital issue of Works magazine is available for you here. In this issue: we report from Orgatec with mixed feelings; we have four project stories from Toronto, Salford and London; interviews with Karim Rashid and Oskar Zieta; consider how the 21st Century Office has its roots in 20th Century Holland; ask where all the furniture icons went; profile Future Designs; and all the regular commentary, company news and features you need.  (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…)

Economic and political uncertainty continue to dampen commercial property market sentiment

Economic and political uncertainty continue to dampen commercial property market sentiment

The outlook for the European commercial property market is cautiously optimistic despite growing geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about economic growthThe outlook for the European commercial property market is cautiously optimistic despite growing geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about economic growth, with London, Madrid and Paris emerging as the standout performers, according to a new report by PwC and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The report – Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2025 outlines how market players believe ‘a new normal’ is emerging as valuations have come down and interest rates regain some level of predictability in a market characterised by higher inflation and interest rates, and geopolitical and economic uncertainties. This led to more than 80 percent of survey respondents expecting business confidence and profits to stay the same or rise in 2025, with around half predicting increases in both. (more…)

Why does colour psychology make so much difference to us?

Why does colour psychology make so much difference to us?

In 2013, two Australian academics set out to discover the answer to a deceptively simple question. Why is there such a thing as colour psychology, but not shape, line or texture psychology? The answers they come up with are complex, arcane and wide-ranging but they manage to sum them up to some extent in the conclusion to the paper they published. “No other visual attribute shares such diverse representations”, they wrote. “Study into shape, line, and texture hardly competes. For this reason, there are no proportion-shape-line-texture prediction agencies, and chromotherapy is not challenged by proportion-shape-line-texture therapies. Colour remains special and, given its rich and complex heritage, is likely to remain so.” (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…)

Navigating misconduct in the workplace: a lawyer’s perspective

Navigating misconduct in the workplace: a lawyer’s perspective

Recently, Lloyd’s of London has been in the news because it has proposed significant steps to address the notorious levels of misconduct in its sectorLloyd’s of London has been in the news because it has proposed significant steps to address the notorious levels of misconduct in its sector, as well as tackling bad behaviour across its network. With the Worker Protection Act coming into force on the 26 October 2024, which stipulates new proactive duties on employers to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, precautions taken by Lloyds may have been triggered by the new duties from this Act – but have opened the floor to several questions, including how do we measure misconduct in third party situations generally? And what falls in this remit? (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…)

UK’s best workplaces honoured at BCO Awards. And the winner isn’t an office

UK’s best workplaces honoured at BCO Awards. And the winner isn’t an office

The BCO has announced what it says is a list of the UK's best workplaces this year, with eight projects receiving accolades at its National AwardsThe British Council for Offices (BCO) has announced what it says are the UK’s most exceptional workplaces this year, with eight projects receiving accolades at its National Awards. The TTP Campus, a life sciences facility in Cambridgeshire, was the standout winner, claiming both the Best of the Best and Corporate Workplace awards. The awards, held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London, celebrate excellence in office design, operation, sustainability, and community engagement. The event, attended by over 1,200 industry leaders and featuring guest speaker Clare Balding, highlighted the best workplaces that inspire creativity and positively impact local communities. (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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One in four people have turned down a job because they hated its office environment

One in four people have turned down a job because they hated its office environment

Almost a quarter (23 percent) of people say that they have turned down a job because they didn’t like the office environment, according to a new pollAlmost a quarter (23 percent) of people say that they have turned down a job because they didn’t like the office environment, according to a new poll. This rose to almost a third (32 percent) for 18 – 24-year-olds indicating the need for a high-quality office environment for the younger generation. Geographically, workers in the capital are most likely to pass on a job based on the office surroundings, with a third (32 percent) of London based workers admitting to declining a role for this reason. (more…)

Third of people would like workplace AI ban, half feel jobs are insecure

Third of people would like workplace AI ban, half feel jobs are insecure

A new poll from CYPHER Learning claims that one in three workers would like to see AI banned from the workplace, while nearly half express concern that AI poses a threat to their future job securityA new poll from CYPHER Learning claims that one in three workers would like to see AI banned from the workplace, while nearly half express concern that AI poses a threat to their future job security. The study, suggests that women, workers over the age of 55, and those in clerical or manual labour roles feel most at risk. The survey of 4,543 workers across the US, UK, and Mexico found that AI is reshaping job roles, with 63 percent of respondents reporting that AI technologies has already changed the skills required for their jobs. More than half of those surveyed (52 percent) believe that AI will either completely transform or have a major impact on their roles within the next two years. As a result, 38 percent of workers anticipate the need for retraining due to job obsolescence, and almost half (45 percent) are worried about their future job security. (more…)