May 27, 2020

Demand for London office space plummets, but will bounce back (to an extent)

The impact of the measures taken to curtail the spread of COVID-19 have dramatically changed the working landscape, not least of all for the commercial property market, claims a new report from property consultancy DeVono Cresa. Commercial occupier demand for London office space fell by 30 percent across Q1 of 2020, according to the report. However, it also suggests that the market fundamentals at the end of March remain relevant and will dictate heavily on future real estate decisions. More →

May 20, 2020

People miss the office but most do not want to return full time

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The latest report on the attitudes of people towards their working lives after lockdown comes from Okta, Inc. in its report The New Workplace: Re-imagining Work After 2020, which claims to highlight the technological and cultural challenges office workers have faced as well as the lesson businesses can take to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, which was conducted by YouGov, surveyed 2,000+ office workers across the UK, also found differences about the impact our new way of work has had on London based workers compared to workers in the rest of the country. More →

March 19, 2020

Will coronavirus mean the death of the office?

by Mark Eltringham • Comment

Betteridge’s law of headlines declares that “Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no”. And so I simultaneously ask and answer the question of whether the coronavirus pandemic will really lead to the death of the office. So it goes. Of course, I’m not the first person to raise the question over the last few weeks as the world adapts to the threat of the pandemic. But it’s worth reminding ourselves that the demise of the office has been predicted for at least a quarter of a century, although never in such circumstances. More →

December 2, 2019

Knight Frank and Work.Life launch flexible office platform

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Property

Knight Frank is the latest established property business to launch a flexible office offering. In partnership with flexible office provider Work.Life announce the launch of new flexible managed workspace solution, Yours. A joint venture between Knight Frank and Work.Life, Yours claims to “partner with landlords to provide a comprehensive offer, incorporating a sales strategy that addresses both flexible and traditional market demand. The platform streamlines the design and delivery of resalable workspaces, and offers a suite of ongoing services and extras to businesses, including access to Work.Life’s network of coworking spaces and amenities.” More →

December 2, 2019

Planning permission granted for new 13 storey London offices

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Planning permission has been granted for a new 13-storey riverside office building at the Embassy Gardens development on London’s South Bank. Named EG:HQ, the development will provide 217,000 sq. ft. of flexible space in zone 1 Nine Elms, in addition to 18,000 sq. ft. of outdoor amenity space which will include a 9,000 sq. ft. communal terrace and several private open-air terraces. More →

November 27, 2019

Designers may be ignoring leadership style in quest for productive workplaces

by Jayne Smith • Comment, Workplace design

Leadership styles are not considered in the design process for productive workplaces despite the majority of organisations agreeing they have a major impact on productivity. These are the latest findings in report authored by Leeson Medhurst, Director of 36 Workplace, The United Workplace (TUW) and WORKTECH Academy. Productivity – linking Workplace Design to Leadership (registration) is the next chapter in a research conversation presented and discussed at WORKTECH London this week. The new report builds on “The Puzzle of Productivity: What enhances workplace performance?” that pointed to leadership as the major factor influencing workplace productivity. More →

November 26, 2019

Humanscale Summa sets new standard in ergonomic seating for executive offices and boardrooms

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Products

Summa, an executive chair by Humanscale made for today’s dynamic leaders, is now ready to order. An effortless blend of luxury and simplicity, Summa’s defined aesthetic and sophisticated palette is well-suited to high-end executive spaces within the workplace. The executive chair has a single, discrete height-adjustment lever seamlessly designed into the seat, unlike most chairs which have multiple exposed adjustment levers. Complementing its enveloping shape and sculpted materials, Summa features Humanscale’s signature weight-compensating recline mechanism and integrated armrests for exceptional ergonomic comfort and support. More →

November 5, 2019

Bisley and Boss Design announce new partnership for France

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace design

Furniture manufacturers Bisley and Boss Design has announced a new partnership which will see Bisley having the distribution rights for all Boss products in France. Together, Bisley and Boss will be able to showcase British manufacturing excellence and provide a full and versatile range of office solutions and experiences for the French market. More →

October 22, 2019

Many flexible office users would prefer to work in conventional space

by Mark Eltringham • Coworking, News, Property

Joint-research from Gensler and the British Council of Offices (BCO) on the rise of flexible workspace in the UK corporate sector claims that 40 percent of flexible office users would rather work from a conventional office. According to the report, while the future of coworking is increasingly being explored as part of academic and industry research, there has been limited focus on what it means for large corporate occupiers. The 2019 Rise of Flexible Workspace in the Corporate Sector Report (choir members only) aims to identify the drivers of and the barriers to – the use of flexible space and coworking by large corporate occupiers. More →

October 14, 2019

What people want from an office is pretty basic

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Following recent reports from the likes of Boss and Leesman as well as the work of Neil Usher in his book The Elemental Workplace, a new study from Workthere confirms that what people want from an office is primarily basic stuff such as comfort and privacy. More →

September 26, 2019

The office of the future should be circular

by Phil Oram • Comment, Environment, Workplace design

Minimising the impact of business on the wider environment is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a business imperative. Pressure is coming from all stakeholders including employees, investors, customers and clients, government and the media. According to the Leadership in Corporate Sustainability – European Report 2018, three quarters of European business leaders believe that ignoring sustainability will affect their company’s ability to create long-term value. More →

September 16, 2019

Offices iQ launches flexible corporate space solution Enterprise iQ

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Promotion

Offices iQ, the broker of flexible office and coworking space, has announced the launch of Enterprise iQ, a global end-to-end service that includes ongoing customer support. With flexible working spaces set to grow by up to 30 percent annually for the next five years across Europe, Enterprise iQ will service the growing number of corporate companies looking for flexible office space. More →