Search Results for: management

November 8, 2018

Flexibility of home working must be balanced with a need to connect

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Over half of home workers say they appreciate the benefits that home working offers but nearly a quarter complain of loneliness too, a new survey from BHSF claims. When asked how working from home makes them feel, the top three responses were: free (50 percent), in control (47 percent) and calm (46 percent). However, a significant number of those surveyed chose more negative words to describe their feelings. Just over a quarter (26 percent) said that working from home made them feel remote, 24 percent felt isolated and 21 percent lonely. More →

November 8, 2018

Workers ignore security concerns by bringing own devices to the office

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

Workers are increasingly introducing technology devices, software and other tools into the workplace without their employer’s approval, claims a new report from NextPlane that examines the extent of this growing rift and its impact on collaboration and productivity. Nearly half of professionals (46 percent) said they or their team have introduced new technology into their workplace, and despite IT attempts to remain in control, workers are not standing down, as 53 percent said they or another team have pushed back on IT or management when they tried to dictate the technology they use.

November 8, 2018

CIPD launches new standard and profession map to reflect the changing face of HR

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

The CIPD has launched a new and fully updated Profession Map which sets out the knowledge, behaviours and values underpinning today’s people profession in the modern world of work. The new Profession Map – the first since the 2013 version of the CIPD’s original Profession Map – has been designed to reflect the changes in the world of work and the priorities and role of people professionals. Major trends, from the changing demographics and needs of the workforce to alternative employment models and increasing use of technology, have challenged us to innovate and adapt our people management practices and approaches. The Map will evolve in line with the world of work, updating when the landscape shifts and keeping experts in people, work and change future-fit for years to come.

November 6, 2018

CIPD research argues role of HR is increasingly vital to the world of work

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Workplace

A new report from the CIPD has found that most of those working in the HR and people management sector are confident exercising their judgement, with six in ten (64 percent) agreeing their job gives them the opportunity to fully express themselves as a professional. But more than just providing stimulating work, the people profession in 2018: UK and Ireland report shows the profession enables individuals to contribute to the ‘greater good’ and gives them a sense of purpose. People professionals also enjoy their job, with more than two-thirds of respondents saying their work makes them happy (70 percent) and energised (67 percent).

November 5, 2018

An intersectional approach to trends in workplace design at Orgatec 2018

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design

There are perhaps three characteristics that ensure the European office furniture and workplace design fair Orgatec continues to attract so many exhibitors and visitors to Cologne. Firstly, it takes place every two years, so offers a snapshot of a sector, framing the most important workplace developments in a particular time and place. For those of us who’ve been attending the shows for any length of time (in my case 26 years), we can track the evolution of workplace thought in a measured way, noting key developments like the launch of the Aeron chair (1994), Vitra’s Alcove (2006) and in 2018 – what?

November 5, 2018

Companies increasingly worried that Internet of Things could become a major burden

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

The performance of Internet of Things (IoT) devices could undermine the performance of an entire organisation, according to a new report (registration required) from software firm Dynatrace, based on a poll of 800 CIOs. The report claims that nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of IT leaders are concerned that Internet of Things (IoT) performance problems could directly impact business operations and significantly damage revenues. This is mostly because 78 percent of CIOs said there is a risk that their organization will roll-out IoT strategies without having a plan or solution in place to manage the performance of the complex cloud ecosystems that underpin IoT rollouts. In fact, 69 percent of CIOs predicted that IoT will become a major performance management burden as they struggle to overcome the escalating complexity of their modern enterprise cloud environments.

November 5, 2018

Employees call for radical new approach to address stress at work

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Today marks the start of International Stress Awareness Week, 5th – 9th November 2018, and new research claims that two-thirds of employees (64 percent) have ‘poor’ or ‘below average’ mental wellbeing according to the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). The research, conducted by The Stress Management Society and commissioned by workplace consultants, Peldon Rose found that over a third (36 percent) of people say their workplace stress has been on-going for the past five years.

November 2, 2018

A little local difficulty, treating people as pets, designing for serendipity and some other stuff you might like

by Mark Eltringham • Features

The big news to be on the lookout for this month is the BIFM’s impending name change to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. Now the interesting thing about this development is what it might tell us about the changing world of work and the distinction between the physical office and the places we actually work, including in digital space. So that’s what everybody’s focussed on right?

November 2, 2018

Happiness at work: Lessons from home

by Dr Tracy Brower • Comment, Facilities management, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design

Thanks to technology and mobility, our work has come home with us. So it’s only fair that home should come to work, right? It would seem logical that if people sit in front of a TV on the sofa at home while they work remotely, employees would be thrilled to have a similar set up within their office. However, in the workplaces where we’ve seen companies install couches and big screen TVs, those work spaces are almost never used by employees. Those companies missed the bigger picture. Home is as much an emotional experience as a physical one.

November 1, 2018

CBRE launches its offering for the flexible office sector

by Mark Eltringham • Company news, Property

CBRE, one of the world’s largest commercial property firms has launched a flexible office service that will compete with groups such as WeWork and IWG, who own the Regus brand, for corporate tenants. The company has appointed a former Zipcar executive, Andrew Kupiec, to head Hana, a new wholly owned subsidiary that will operate flexible offices aimed mainly at larger corporate clients. Unlike its competitors Hana will not lease office spaces from landlords; instead, it will partner with them through joint ventures.

November 1, 2018

South American firm to join global workplace design and fit-out network

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Workplace design

South American workplace designer and fit out specialist Contract Workplaces has become the latest organisation to join The United Workplace (TUW). With over 20-years’ experience working across ten countries from Mexico in central America right down to Southern Ocean, Contract Workplaces dramatically increases the reach of the TUW as a global business network of workplace design and fit-out firms. Beginning with its founding partners Fourfront Group in the UK and Amicus in Australia, TUW now has members in the Middle East, USA and South America.

October 31, 2018

Lack of skills investment means businesses miss out on benefits of automation

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace

A new report from the Capgemini Research Institute claims that, in the majority of companies (58 percent), automation is not yet meeting executives’ desired goals of increased productivity. The study, Upskilling your workforce for the age of the machine: Why a workforce upskilling strategy is key to unleashing automation’s productivity potential reveals that while automation does increase productivity to an extent, the key to reaching its full potential is by appropriate upskilling of the workforce.