August 9, 2023

Want to know what is really happening in the world of work? Don’t miss Workplace Trends

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Events, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

In the ever-evolving discussion around the landscape of work, one established industry event stands as a beacon of knowledge and innovation for workplace professionals: the Workplace Trends Conference. The 2023 conference on 18 October, in London and online, promises a day of enlightenment, inspiration, and connection that’s not to be missed. Workplace Insight is pleased to be a media partner for Workplace Trends Conferences. Our readers may claim a 20 percent discount on their ticket price by using promo code INSIGHT20 when registering at https://workplacetrends.co/events/wt23/ (more…)

August 8, 2023

Industrial action means people are opting for more unconventional work spaces

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

As industrial action continues to affect travel and commuting for millions of people across the UK, office workers have been seeking alternative from which to work. In addition to relatively conventional adopted work spaces, such as coffee shops and cafes (24 percent), more than one in ten (11 percent) people could be logging on from their local pub according to the poll from Uswitch.com. (more…)

August 7, 2023

Wellbeing of HR professionals yet to return to pre-pandemic levels

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The wellbeing of HR professionals has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, with UK HRs in particular lagging at times behind their global counterparts when coping with today’s challenging economic and operating conditions. This is according to a three-year comparative research project by Culture Amp and Thrive at Monash Business School, which found that in 2020, when the pandemic was first starting to bite, 45 percent of global HRs felt equipped to manage their own personal and work life demands. (more…)

August 7, 2023

Rummaging through the workplace memory hole

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

…talking of Orwell, I recently whiled away an idle hour checking which of the more deranged pronouncements from the period of peak workplace hysteria in late 2020 have been memory holed. There was some weird, wild stuff, often coupled with a feverish response to anybody urging caution. At one point somebody (I know who but won’t say) suggested I should be banned from LinkedIn for pushing back on the idea that any firm that didn’t go fully remote would be out of business within five years. (more…)

August 4, 2023

Insight confirms partnership with Material Matters for sustainable design event

by Mark Eltringham • Environment, News, Workplace design

We are part of the London Design Festival for the first time this year, developing an exciting new project that promises to mark a significant shift in the way we think about workplaces and sustainable design. We have partnered with Material Matters to create a space that will showcase the latest and most innovative thinking on sustainable office design, circularity, new materials and innovation. Known as The Works Place, products and ideas will be presented in a range of working settings so that visitors can see how they might be applied in their own offices and other spaces. (more…)

August 3, 2023

Issue 16 of IN magazine is now available for you

by Mark Eltringham • IN Magazine, News, Premium Content

The new issue of IN Magazine is now available to read online. The print edition will be posted shortly. In this issue, we look at the ongoing shift in the way we think about work and workplaces but without falling back on the simple, cliched thinking that defines much of that conversation. We consider what happens now for the world’s fringe business districts as Canary Wharf sets out its plans for the future in the wake of HSBC’s announced departure. We report on how domestic design is changing in response to a rapidly evolving world. We look at how the changing work practices of architects are playing out in buildings and cities. And we announce details of our first major event. (more…)

August 2, 2023

Remote working and mental health: generational divide continues to manifest

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A new study commissioned by Great Western Railway claims to reveal striking generational differences in attitudes towards remote working and its impact on mental health. The research, which explored the effects of remote working on different age groups, highlights a growing concern regarding the isolation experienced by older employees compared to their younger counterparts. (more…)

August 2, 2023

JLL claims it has unveiled the first GPT model for commercial real estate

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Facilities management, Technology

JLL has announced the launch of JLL GPT, which it claims is the first large language model purpose-built for the commercial real estate sector. Developed by JLL Technologies, the firm claims the bespoke generative artificial intelligence (AI) model will be used by its 100,000 plus workforce around the world to provide CRE insights to clients in what it believes will be a whole new way. JLL’s extensive in-house data will be supplemented with external CRE sources, and the company plans to offer made-to-order solutions to clients later this year. (more…)

August 1, 2023

Award-winning WorkBold Podcast returns for a ninth season on space-as-a-service

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Podcasts

Caleb Parker’s award-winning #WorkBold Podcast returned for an industry-leading ninth season, which took the podcast to over 100,000 downloads (117,000 at the time of publishing this article) with an audience from 90+ countries. The only podcast dedicated to Space-as-a-Service (SPaaS), #WorkBold Podcast is in the top one percent of business podcasts globally. Its host, entrepreneur Caleb Parker, is the founder of Bold – a joint venture with NewFlex. (more…)

August 1, 2023

How many fingers am I holding up?

by Mark Eltringham • Comment

Quoting George Orwell is the kind of thing that people who haven’t read Orwell do. The term Orwellian is used by people who have not only not read him, but have latched on to some laundered idea of the themes of his work. They are not only misrepresenting him, but misrepresenting a misrepresentation. If it were true that the dead could spin in their graves, Orwell would solve the world’s energy crisis. He could power the Northern Hemisphere by reacting to the liberties taken with Nineteen Eighty-Four alone. Anyway. I have read him so you and he will have to forgive me for what I’m about to say. (more…)

July 31, 2023

Best practice for maintaining an agile workforce through upskilling

by Kirsty Greene • Company news, Workplace

Workforces need to evolve now more than ever. A report from the World Economic Forum claims that around a quarter of jobs will shift in the next five years. Its ‘Future of Jobs Report for 2023’ notes that though an estimated 69 million new jobs will be created, another 83 million will be eliminated. A few factors contributing to creating and eliminating jobs are macro trends—such as a rise in sustainability efforts among businesses, the localisation of supply chains, high inflation, and slower economic growth. (more…)

July 27, 2023

What Aldous Huxley can teach us about acoustics and distractions at work

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Technology, Workplace design

Over the last few years there has been something of a loud and widespread backlash to the idea that we need to have constant access to information and our colleagues to work effectively. The touchstone for this pushback is of course the open plan office which has become something of a scapegoat for the universal problem of interruption and distraction and a renewed interest in the complexities of acoustics in office design. It is also one of the main reasons people prefer to work anywhere other than offices some or all of the time. (more…)