April 26, 2023
A new poll from AA Driving School suggests that around half (51 percent) of British parents find their job prevents them from finding a healthy work life balance, due to childcare and cost of living pressures. Increases to the cost of childcare have driven UK parents to work either additional hours in their current job (18 percent) or even take another job (12 percent) to financially support their family. (more…)
April 25, 2023
Analysis by workplace consultancy Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) claims that on average hybrid workers deliver nearly two extra weeks of work a year for their employer as well as working harder and better in a hybrid environment. The results of the analysis — which shows the benefits of hybrid working for organisations — are a combination of academic research and studies by AWA itself. They are included in AWA’s latest report, ‘Why Employers Benefit From Hybrid Working’, which also found that employees often work better when in a distraction-free environment, with more than half their time dedicated to working alone or focussed work. (more…)
April 21, 2023
Mace has published a new report into workplace trends which claims that hybrid working with a collaborative central space is (brace yourselves) the new normal for a preferred post-pandemic working style. The Mace Operate Workplace Survey looked at the enduring role of a central office for businesses and considered what an office space needs to offer in an era of hybrid working. The majority of respondents (87 percent) said that interaction with people and workplace culture are the main benefits of going to the office with employees and employers seeing eye-to-eye on the need for collaboration for motivation, resilience and effective hybrid working. (more…)
April 19, 2023
Hybrid working can facilitate major carbon savings and has the potential for significant impact on the climate crisis, according to a new study by IWG and Arup. The study measured the environmental impact of hybrid working on six cities across the US and UK with a deep dive on two major carbon contributors – London and LA. Others examined were New York City, Atlanta, Manchester and Glasgow. All six cities showed the potential for huge carbon savings through the widespread adoption of hybrid working, which has rapidly expanded amongst white collar workers, who are now using the available technology to work where is most convenient and they are most productive. (more…)
April 18, 2023
Organisations that lack explicit norms around hybrid working can increase the likelihood of an employee leaving by 12 percent, according to a new report from Gartner [paywall]. The report claims that the most successful hybrid models encompass three main categories of explicit norms that increase visibility, enable flexibility, and foster connections. (more…)
April 10, 2023
The digital edition of issue 14 of IN Magazine is now available to read free, here. Print copies are in the post. We think it’s the best issue we’ve done so far, but please don’t take our word for it. It’s visually stunning, as always. It offers you the usual eclectic mix of content, covering everything from technology to urban design, management issues, property, office design, the environment, wellbeing and transport as well as all the usual interviews, news, events and commentary. All back issues of IN are available here. (more…)
April 7, 2023
Since we are now very much in the age of uncertainty being the new certainty, with all the old playbooks out the window and no cookie cutter approach in the ways we work, since one size doesn’t fit all – what the hell do we do? Curl up in a ball and die? Go into panic mode and go around shouting ‘We’re doomed! We’re doomed’ manically? Or just ostrich the problem and hope it all goes away or at least reverts back to how it was before? (more…)
April 3, 2023
The organisers of NeoCon have announced that seven new brands have signed on for permanent showrooms at the show’s venue THE MART in Chicago. Anda number of companies are extending their leases ahead of the 2023 edition of NeoCon, the leading commercial design trade show, which takes place from the 12th to the 14th of June. The brisk leasing activity, alongside a roster of new exhibitors, and a milestone building renovation project helmed by Gensler Chicago, reinforces THE MART as an important strategic hub for both emerging and established brands based in the US and abroad. (more…)
March 31, 2023
In 1989, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, performed a TV sketch called Information. You can watch it below. It featured Stephen Fry sitting at a desk with a placard displaying the word “INFORMATION”. He asks, “Can I help you?” to which Hugh Laurie replies, “Oh, I would like some information, please”. Though, in the discussion, Hugh Laurie expects to get information without asking any questions, Stephen Fry explains that he has lots of information, such as “the average weight of a rabbit”. In response comes the statement, “Well, I didn’t know that, that there was an average weight of a rabbit!” (more…)
March 30, 2023
The announcement by Apple that it wanted its employees to work in an office for three days a week sparked the usual, tedious pile-on about how many days people should spend in a physical workplace each week. This included the columnist at Grazia who joins the tens of millions of people around the world who not only know where Apple is going wrong, but also how to run every other organisation in the world and what’s best for everybody who works for them. (more…)
March 29, 2023
The 2023 business rates revaluation will come into effect on the 1st of April 2023, the first of its kind for six years and according to business rates experts at Colliers could have a material impact on the provision of affordable workspace in the capital, historically located in the “fringe” locations. Colliers claims that this is because rents and hence rateable values in fringe locations such as Hackney, Southwark and Hammersmith & Fulham have increased at a greater pace than in historic ‘core’ office locations such as the City, Islington and the West End, and those fringe locations have now become equally or in some cases more expensive locations than those in the Central London core. (more…)
April 19, 2023
We shouldn’t be deterred by the wonky start to the circular economy
by Becky Gordon • Comment, Environment, Workplace design