April 1, 2020

Humanscale offers new service of online ergonomic consultations

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Insight promotion

Humanscale, the designer and manufacturer of high performance ergonomic products, has built its business by focusing on the health and wellbeing of workers around the world. In these unprecedented times, where employers and employees are unexpectedly working from home full time, Humanscale’s team of board certified ergonomists is offering a new digital service that provides online ergonomic consultations, to ensure a healthy and comfortable home arrangement. ErgoIQ LIVE is a first-of-its-kind online ergonomic consultation tool that provides online, on-demand access to Humanscale’s skilled network of certified ergonomists. More →

April 1, 2020

The lights are on and there is definitely someone home

by Chris Peach • Features, Flexible working, Lighting, Workplace design

As COVID -19 has taken hold and the very necessary lockdown begins, there are A large number of workers thrown into semi-permanent work settings that we hadn’t anticipated a month ago. The transitions will be easier for some than others but we all need a space that feels comfortable AND is conducive to productive working. More →

March 25, 2020

Loneliness has always been a workplace issue

by Nigel Oseland • Comment, Wellbeing, Working lives, Workplace design

Loneliness is increasingly recognised as a serious issue in modern society. In the UK, the Office of National Statistics reported that 5 percent of adults feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’, with further 16 percent of adults reporting feeling lonely ‘sometimes’, equivalent to approximately 9 million adults suffering from loneliness to some degree. More →

March 24, 2020

A shift in the workplace axis might be a welcome outcome of this crisis

by Luke Munro • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

I am not a philosopher. I sell home and workplace furniture. But I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how radically different things will be – both in how we work and how we live – once we get through this dreadful period of our lives. We have the opportunity to embrace a whole new way of working which recognises and gets the best out of all parts of our community. More →

March 13, 2020

The UK is not well enough prepared for working from home

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Figures released today suggest that the UK is one of the least prepared countries to introduce a mass home-working strategy. Leesman has surveyed more than 700,000 employees worldwide. Of the 139,778 UK workers in its index, 55 percent have little or no experience working from home, compared with 52 percent of respondents globally. More →

March 6, 2020

CIBSE issues new guidance on wellbeing in buildings

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

CIBSE has updated its Technical Memorandum 40: Health and wellbeing in building services (paywall), to reflect what it says are “significant changes in the environmental conditions we are exposed to and advances in our knowledge of how these environments affect our health, comfort and cognitive performance.” More →

March 5, 2020

To many major firms, work is becoming just a game

by Eve Grau • Comment, Workplace

Corporate gamification is a growing trend in the business world. This trend uses all of the techniques that make video games so entertaining and engaging to improve day-to-day business functions. From incorporating point awards to leveling up, gamification hacks the most effective qualities of gaming to deliver educational programs and training courses. Because of the success of these methods, gamification has been growing in popularity and is a good policy for businesses to adopt. More →

March 4, 2020

Bisley introduces your new best Buddy

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Bisley has announced the launch of its latest personal storage solution, Buddy. Specifically designed to accompany height adjustable desking, Buddy is an alternative to the versatile free-standing Note pedestal and Caddy by Bisley. More →

March 4, 2020

New smart building suite for a people centric workplace experience

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Siemens Smart Infrastructure has launched a smart building suite designed to create more efficient and flexible workplaces where people are at the core. The suite of IoT (Internet of Things) enabled devices, applications and services turn offices into a competitive advantage for companies. More →

February 28, 2020

Exploring life at the new Siemens Campus in Zug

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Technology, Working culture, Workplace design

When it comes to creating an office to call home, all of the usual challenges are magnified by several degrees for a company like Siemens. It can’t afford to skimp on the building’s services, green credentials, integrated technology and all-round smartness then hold meaningful conversations on the same subjects with its clients. So, the new Siemens Campus in the Swiss town of Zug has to showcase the best the firm has to offer as well as delivering for the people who work there. More →

February 28, 2020

UK workers are greener at home than in the workplace

by Jackie Le Poidevin • Environment, News

Nearly half of UK workers admit to being greener at home than they are in the office, although more and more are realising the importance of green habits, research by Instant Offices has suggested. With the government committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, the workspace innovation company has been investigating what more employers can do to help to lead the way by instituting greener practices. More →

February 27, 2020

R&D sector boosts demand for Cambridge property

by Jackie Le Poidevin • News, Property

While Brexit uncertainty has dented business investment, on which the research and development (R&D) sector is particularly dependent, new research suggests Cambridge remains a popular destination for knowledge-intensive businesses. According to property consultants Bidwells, the property market in the city proved robust throughout 2019, with take-up moving well ahead of the 10-year average. Knowledge-intensive businesses were responsible for more than 80 percent of the space taken, roughly evenly split between the life science and tech sectors. More →