July 18, 2023

We need better evidence to help protect people at work

We make decisions at work every day and for those in complex roles or in fast-changing situations, it can feel like a continuous process. In business, of course, the choices we make can have a significant impact on the bottom line and, more importantly, our people, the environment and the communities we’re operating in. With so much riding on what we choose to do, our decision-making processes must be designed to maximise our chances of successful outcomes. This is especially so when our decisions involve how to protect people at work so can be literally a matter of life or death. More →

July 18, 2023

Sluggishness in sustainability risks brain drain for businesses

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Workplace

Employers are being urged to shore up their commitments to meeting sustainability and net zero targets or risk an exodus amongst younger workers. Nearly half (48 percent) of Gen Z workers agree they would consider leaving a job that didn’t walk the talk in its promises on sustainability. This is according to the latest Bupa Wellbeing Index, a landmark survey that uncovers the state of the nation’s health and wellbeing. More →

July 14, 2023

Despina Katsikakis elected President of the British Council for Offices

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Despina Katsikakis, Executive Partner & Global Lead, Total Workplace at Cushman & Wakefield, has been elected as President of the British Council for Offices (BCO) with immediate effect. She succeeds Mark Kowal, Partner at Sheppard Robson. Peter Crowther, Managing Director at Bruntwood, becomes Senior Vice President. More →

July 12, 2023

Generations in the workplace: setting the record straight

by Jo Sutherland • Comment, Workplace

If there were an algorithm to create a word cloud in response to searches for ‘What millennials want in the workplace?’, you’d expect to see Google spew out terms such as ‘flexibility’, ‘meaning’, ‘fairness’, ‘equality’, ‘inclusivity’, ‘opportunity’, ‘connections’, ‘socialising’ and ‘experience’. Do the same with ‘Gen Z’ replacing ‘millennials’ and – guess what – you’ll see the exact same word cloud, although perhaps in a different colour and order so you don’t think it’s based on the same homogeneous assumptions about younger generations. More →

June 28, 2023

Workspace Design Show reveals plans to inspire and connect workplace professionals in Amsterdam

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Following the successful creation of its London event over the past three years, the highly anticipated Workspace Design Show Amsterdam is set to take place from October 11-12, 2023, at the RAI. This premier event offers a fantastic opportunity for professionals to explore the latest trends, innovations, and ideas in workspace interiors. With over 2,500 workplace professionals expected to attend, this is an event you won’t want to miss. And Insight, IN and Works are proud to be media partners for the event. More →

June 27, 2023

Early detection of COVID-19 in the workplace

by Susanne Deissenberger and Alex Sauer • Company news

Most workplaces have returned to full operational capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic, with the majority of restrictions being lifted, much to the delight of staff. Unfortunately, the initial relief of newfound freedom has been short lived, as the relaxation of rules continues to result in surges of COVID-19 cases, forcing some production facilities to close down due to high levels of employee sickness. A Thermo Fisher Scientific manufacturing site in Erlangen, Germany, has managed to avoid this situation, thanks largely to the installation of air sampling equipment that flags any positive cases in its vicinity. This article describes how this early warning system allows individuals to test and self-isolate if necessary, and discusses how this has improved employee peace of mind and ultimately contributed to limiting the spread of the disease within the facility. More →

June 26, 2023

Managers struggling with workload in new era of work

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

More than three-quarters of employees report that it has become more important for them to receive support from their manager, according to Gartner. Simultaneously, managers are also facing increasing expectations and a greater workload from the organisation, including new responsibilities brought on by hybrid working. A December 2022 Gartner survey of more than 6,000 individual contributors and managers claimed that managers are twice as likely to report an increase in responsibilities versus individual contributors, compared to before the pandemic. For example, 35 percent of managers say they have more direct reports and 49 percent report that the complexity of their responsibilities has increased. More →

June 26, 2023

Four in ten workers do not feel secure in their jobs

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Almost four in 10 workers (38 percent) do not feel secure in their jobs, as lay-offs across industries continue to bite, claimsthe ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2023: A Global Workforce View. Feelings of job insecurity are highest among the young. According to the survey of over 32,000 workers in 17 countries, half (50 percent) of Gen Z (those in the 18–24-year-old age bracket) say they don’t feel secure in their job. This is double the proportion of over 55s who say the same (24 percent). More →

June 22, 2023

Businesses need to take real action to create a more sustainable workplace

by Ashley Lawrence • Comment, Environment, Workplace design

For the last decade, if not longer, we’ve heard businesses saying they are focused on reducing their environmental impact. It’s been written in annual reports and immortalised in pledges shared with stakeholders, but the question still remains – what action is actually being taken, including in the creation of a sustainable workplace? More →

June 20, 2023

Businesses need three years to prepare for impact of AI

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Workplace

A new survey of 600 UK human resources (HR) managers and directors suggests they will need three years to be ready for the impact of AI on the workplace – yet 99 percent believe artificial intelligence (AI) will deliver benefits. Almost 40 percent said it would take a minimum of three years before they were prepared for the impact of AI on their roles, and fewer than one in six (15 percent) said they would be fully prepared for the potential impact of AI on the workforce within the year. To integrate AI, nearly 40 percent were investing in their tech teams, while 35.5 percent were already trialling AI in their businesses. More →

June 19, 2023

Throwing open the window to a new world of work

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

While at work in a Viennese Obstetric Clinic in the mid 1840s, a Hungarian physician named Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that mothers were far less likely to succumb to a potentially fatal infection called puerperal fever when the medical staff treating them washed their hands. When he started collecting data to confirm his insight, he found that hand washing reduced mortality rates from around 10 percent to as little as 1 percent. Although, his findings predated the germ theory of disease, which left him without an explanation, in 1847 he published a book in which he proposed that the link was so evident that in future staff should always wash their hands in chlorinated lime before treating patients, to protect them from infection.

June 16, 2023

You might be working with a narcissist and not know it

by Birgit Schyns • Features, Wellbeing

Have you ever had the feeling that some of your colleagues are working only for themselves, and are not true team players? If your answer is yes, then it is possible that you are working with a narcissist. Narcissists have a heightened sense of what they are entitled to and have a constant need for attention and admiration. They are arrogant and see themselves as superior to others. More →