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AI generated ‘workslop’ is destroying productivity, say researchers

AI generated ‘workslop’ is destroying productivity, say researchers

by • AI, News

Workslop is a new term for the flood of low quality content and outputs produced by employees leaning too heavily on generative AIA new analysis published in the Harvard Business Review suggests that the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools is undermining productivity in many workplaces rather than improving it. The article introduces the idea of “workslop”, a term used to describe the flood of low quality content and outputs produced by employees leaning too heavily on generative AI systems. According to the research, the number of organisations adopting AI has risen sharply in the past two years, with many leaders assuming the technology would deliver immediate efficiency gains. Yet a study from MIT Media Lab cited in the article found that 95 percent of organisations have seen no measurable return on their investment in AI. Instead of freeing people from routine tasks, many firms are finding that AI is creating new layers of work. Drafts, reports and proposals generated by software are often superficial, incoherent or riddled with errors, requiring staff to spend additional time correcting or recreating them. (more…)

Employees on a four-day week use their extra day off for housework, hobbies, ‘me-time’ and moonlighting

Employees on a four-day week use their extra day off for housework, hobbies, ‘me-time’ and moonlighting

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

New research claims to shed light on how employees who switch to a four-day week spend their additional day off – and some are using it to take on extra jobs.New research claims to shed light on how employees who switch to a four-day week spend their additional day off – and some are using it to take on extra jobs. As well as housework, hobbies and voluntary work, staff are also devoting time to education, caring responsibilities and side businesses that can sometimes compete with their main employment. The study, led by Dr Mengyi Xu, Dr Daniel Wheatley, Dr Holly Birkett and Professor Tony Dobbins of Birmingham Business School at the University of Birmingham, explored the experiences of employees, managers and executives at UK organisations using the ‘100:80:100 model’, where staff receive 100 percent of their pay while completing their workload in four days rather than five. (more…)

Return to office policies now more common, but raise people’s expectation of better workplaces

Return to office policies now more common, but raise people’s expectation of better workplaces

by • Flexible working, News, Property, Workplace

The news that Microsoft has introduced a formal hybrid working policy has sparked the usual pointless to and fro on social media about return to office policies, but it would seem for a growing number of firms and their employees, the debate is overThe news that Microsoft has introduced a formal hybrid working policy has sparked the usual pointless to and fro on social media about return to office policies, but it would seem for a growing number of firms and their employees, the debate is over. According to new global research from JLL, 72 percent of employees now view attendance requirements in a positive light, but this shift comes with heightened expectations for workplace quality, flexibility and wellbeing. (more…)

Trump appoints Airbnb co-founder as first official government head of design

Trump appoints Airbnb co-founder as first official government head of design

by • News, Workplace design

US President Donald Trump has appointed Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia as the United States’ first Chief Design Officer, a role created as part of the launch of the National Design StudioUS President Donald Trump has appointed Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia as the United States’ first Chief Design Officer, a role created as part of the launch of the National Design Studio within the Executive Office of the President. The new position was confirmed through an executive order signed on 21 August. The initiative, called America by Design, has been established to address the way federal services are designed and delivered. The government says the focus will be on improving the usability and consistency of the government’s digital presence, from websites and forms to broader systems that affect how citizens access services. The National Design Studio says it will work with agencies across government to ‘streamline interfaces and reduce duplication, with the goal of creating a simpler, more coherent experience for the public. (more…)

Younger people want more office time as remote work leaves many feeling isolated

Younger people want more office time as remote work leaves many feeling isolated

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A new poll suggests that younger people are increasingly seeking a return to office working, as large numbers report that remote work has left them feeling lonely and disconnected. The survey from Bupa, based on responses from employees aged between 16 and 24, found that around 40 percent say they feel lonely when working from home. Many of those in this group began their careers during the pandemic, with limited experience of office-based work and the informal social interactions that accompany it. (more…)

Updated: We need to acknowledge the role privilege plays in the ways we talk about work

Updated: We need to acknowledge the role privilege plays in the ways we talk about work

by • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace

Acknowledging our own biases and privileges will help us to have better conversations about work and workplacesOver the weekend of the 9th of August, I listened to two episodes of Andrew Keen’s podcast which feature conversations with a couple of well-known people from our own domain of work and workplaces. One was Julia Hobsbawm and the other Dror Poleg. It seemed that Julia had introduced Keen to Dror so a link between the two existed. Another link formed in my mind as I listened: the unspoken role of privilege underpinning both conversations. albeit in different ways. (more…)

Where are the iconic office furniture products of yesterday?

Where are the iconic office furniture products of yesterday?

by • Comment, Workplace design

Originally published November 2023: Occasionally, this image goes viral on social media. It is of a group of Bauhaus design students from around 1927. They are called Martha Erps, Katt Both and Ruth Hellos. The full image (reproduced below) shows them with legendary office furniture designer Marcel Breuer, who Erps would later marry. The story of the photograph can be found here. On social media, though, the standard response from people of a certain vintage – my vintage admittedly – is to suggest that they were last seen supporting Echo and the Bunnymen at the Barrowland Glasgow in 1984.  (more…)

CBRE reports strong demand for premium office space and record data centre growth in the UK

CBRE reports strong demand for premium office space and record data centre growth in the UK

by • News, Property

the office market is benefiting from strong demand for premium office space and renewed overseas investment, the life sciences sector is seeing steady growth in funding but slower movement in transactions. At the same time, the data centre market is entering a period of exceptional expansionThe UK’s commercial property market is showing sharply contrasting performances across key sectors at the midpoint of 2025, according to CBRE’s latest UK Real Estate Market Outlook Mid-Year Review. While the office market is benefiting from strong demand for premium office space and renewed overseas investment, the life sciences sector is seeing steady growth in funding but slower movement in transactions.

At the same time, the data centre market is entering a period of exceptional expansion, with record levels of take up forecast and new developments extending beyond traditional hubs. The findings highlight how underlying supply constraints, shifting occupier needs and targeted government support are reshaping investment priorities across the country.

(more…)

Workers switch off early on Fridays as hybrid working continues to reshape the week

Workers switch off early on Fridays as hybrid working continues to reshape the week

by • Flexible working, News

A growing number of remote workers in the UK are ending their week early on Fridays, according to new data that highlights the shifting rhythms of hybrid workingA growing number of remote workers in the UK are ending their week early on Fridays, according to new data that highlights the shifting rhythms of hybrid working. Figures from Virgin Media show that broadband usage among home workers drops by around 8 percent between 3pm and 5pm on summer Fridays compared with winter, suggesting that many employees are logging off ahead of the traditional end of the working day. (more…)

People put a value on human connection, even when AI communicates in the same way

People put a value on human connection, even when AI communicates in the same way

by • AI, News, Wellbeing

Human-attributed responses are perceived as more supportive, emotionally resonant, and caring than identically AI-generated responsesHuman-attributed responses are perceived as more supportive, emotionally resonant, and caring than identically AI-generated responses, according to a new study by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers. Published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, the study involved over 6,000 participants in nine different experiments in which chatbot responses were crafted by large language models (LLMs). The research reveals that human-attributed responses are perceived as more supportive, more emotionally resonant, and more caring than identical AI-generated responses. (more…)

Commercial property growth in regional cities driven by financial services firms

Commercial property growth in regional cities driven by financial services firms

by • News, Property

Commercial property markets in regional UK cities are seeing significant growth as major financial institutions reconfigure their office strategiesCommercial property markets in regional UK cities are seeing significant growth as major financial institutions rethink their office strategies to focus on high-value client interactions in London while relocating support functions elsewhere. New research from JLL suggests that financial services firms have accounted for more than 440,000 square feet of inward investment in office space across Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham over the last decade. This is more than the space acquired by manufacturing (238,822 sq. ft) and service industries (224,813 sq. ft), though still behind technology, media and telecoms (TMT) and flexible workspace sectors. (more…)

Material Matters to move to new venue for 2025

Material Matters to move to new venue for 2025

by • Company news, Events

Material Matters, the cross-media platform promoting sustainable material intelligence in architecture and design, returns to the London Design Festival this September with an exciting new venueMaterial Matters, the cross-media platform promoting sustainable material intelligence in architecture and design, returns to the London Design Festival this September with an exciting new venue. Now in its fourth edition, the fair will occupy an entire floor of Space House – one of London’s most iconic modernist buildings – from 17 to 20 September 2025. Set on a one-acre site, its circular tower and block – designed by Seifert & Partners in the 1960s and formerly home to the Civil Aviation Authority – are Grade II listed and have recently undergone a restoration and modernisation programme led by architect Squire & Partners. The building is hyper-connected, with multiple underground and railway stations, including Covent Garden and Holborn, within easy walking distance. (more…)

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