Search Results for: office

CBI counsels a common-sense approach to managing staff during heatwave

CBI counsels a common-sense approach to managing staff during heatwave

by • Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

CBI counsels a common-sense approach to managing staff in heatwaveAt the risk of stating the obvious, with the Met Office suggesting temperatures could reach their peak on Friday (27 July) in some areas of the UK, Britain’s largest employer organisation is encouraging companies to consider ‘a range of measures to keep employees comfortable during the heatwave’. Matthew Fell, CBI Chief UK Policy Director, said: “While the current hot spell has provided welcome fillip for consumer-facing sectors, large numbers of employees are feeling the heat as they carry out their day-to-day tasks, especially those working outdoors. Responsible employers take the welfare of their employees very seriously, particularly during this unusual weather. Companies can help keep their employees cool by considering a range of measures, from flexible working to help those with punishing commutes to relaxed dress codes, so staff feel more comfortable in their place of work. Ultimately a common sense approach is needed, as some employees will have less flexibility than others, for example those wearing safety equipment on construction sites. In all cases, staff should have easy access to drinking water as temperatures soar to help keep them healthy and productive.”

New study claims to confirm the benefits of sit-stand workstations

New study claims to confirm the benefits of sit-stand workstations

by • News

A new study suggests that height adjustable or sit-stand workstations may be beneficial in reducing sedentary behaviour and supporting health outside the workplace. The study’s results have been published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. Funded by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation’s Transform grant, interim study results were announced on the ASID website last year. The final study, “Stand Up to Work: Assessing the Health Impacts of Adjustable Workstations,” found that sit-stand workstations are linked to increased productivity, better mental concentration, and improved overall health in employees who used sit-stand desks over a 12-month period. Most employees reported that the sit-stand desks had a positive impact on their health outside the workplace.

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Barclays to create up to 2,500 jobs at new Glasgow tech hub

Barclays to create up to 2,500 jobs at new Glasgow tech hub

by • News, Property

Barclays has announced plans to develop a new campus at Buchanan Wharf, Glasgow, which will provide what it claims is a state-of-the-art workplace for the bank’s functions, technology and operations teams. The aim is to create a working environment that will ‘help the bank deliver outstanding services to customers and clients by fostering innovation and collaboration’.  Barclays has agreed to purchase the campus development from Drum Property Group Ltd and is currently working with them to finalise the design of the new facility as part of the wider Buchanan Wharf development. It is expected that, once completed, the campus will be able to accommodate up to 2,500 additional roles, doubling Barclays’ current workforce in Scotland and making the bank one of Glasgow’s biggest commercial employers.

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WeWork launches new brokering service aimed at small and medium sized businesses

WeWork launches new brokering service aimed at small and medium sized businesses

by • News, Property, Workplace design

WeWork’s announcement of a meat ban last week has attracted a great deal of attention in the media but a quiet announcement put out on the firm’s website on Friday will have more profound implications for the facilities management, workplace and commercial property worlds. In September the firm will launch WeWork Space Services which is targeted at small and medium sized businesses including those that are not current members. It claims that the service will be a ‘holistic, one-stop’ that will meet the real estate needs of its target audience, including finding them the most appropriate office space and resources as well as free membership of WeWork spaces around the world.

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New report on the future of work argues we are at an inflection point on the journey

New report on the future of work argues we are at an inflection point on the journey

by • Comment, Technology, Workplace design

Whatever you make of the Brexit vote, the idea put forward by Jacob Rees-Mogg in a Channel 4 interview that it will take 50 years before we can judge its benefits is extraordinary. No doubt, people will be making those judgements in half a century, but long term predictions of this kind are invariably foolish. Especially when you consider that nobody seems to know what is happening with Brexit at all on a day by day basis. Predictions about the long term future of work can be equally foolhardy. This is a reason why it’s best to make them about the short term, while you still have a reasonable chance of looking prescient. A lesson for the authors of this piece of nonsense published in Fast Company last week.

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A round-up of seven of the best workplace stories from around the web

A round-up of seven of the best workplace stories from around the web

by • Features, Technology, Workplace design

toasty workA sizeable majority of us are in jobs that don’t fit our occupational interests

Does workplace design really matter?

The most productive meetings have fewer than eight people

Stories from experts about the impact of digital life

Workplace interventions for reducing sitting at work

The AI revolution will be led by toasters, not droids

If you’re going open-plan for costs, you’re doing it wrong

When it comes to change management, culture sometimes eats strategy for breakfast

When it comes to change management, culture sometimes eats strategy for breakfast

by • Features, Flexible working, Workplace design

21st Century organisations are under constant pressure to evolve. They are beset by a number of forces that demand they change constantly. These include the need to restructure the organisation, adapt to new technologies, respond to competitors and changes in the economy and legislative environment. Inevitably, this constant need to change affects both people and the built environment in very profound ways. However, according to a study of Culture and Change Management published by the Katzenbach Center, only around half of all transformation initiatives meet their objects over time. Among the biggest obstacles to successful change management cited by the study is change fatigue, which is characterised by a lack of empathy and a widespread failure to engage with the change process.

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A quarter of London start-ups have considered relocating to deal with Brexit uncertainty

A quarter of London start-ups have considered relocating to deal with Brexit uncertainty

by • News

It has now been more than two years since the UK voted in favour of leaving the European Union, and new research Studio Graphene in partnership with City Road Communications claims to reveal new information about how Brexit has impacted on London’s early stage businesses. Based on a survey of more than 100 founders of London startups, the study shows that since the EU referendum the vast majority of entrepreneurs have remained loyal to the capital, showing no sign that they want to move to help improve the growth prospects of their business. It also uncovered the way young companies are responding to the challenges posed by Brexit.

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New government estates strategy will see thousands of jobs relocate away from London

New government estates strategy will see thousands of jobs relocate away from London

by • News, Property, Public Sector

estates strategyThe UK Government has announced it latest plans to save around £3.6bn over the next two decades by dramatically scaling back its property estate and relocating thousands of staff as part of its new 12 year estates strategy. The Cabinet Office has outlined the plans to move thousands of public sector jobs, including senior roles, out of London by 2030, reducing Whitehall buildings from around 65 to 20 over the same period. Around 20 so-called Government hubs will be set up in the regions by the end of this parliament in 2022. In total, the strategy commits to reducing the number of government-owned office buildings from 800 to under 200, with an estimated saving of £3.6bn over 20 years.

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British businesses missing key productivity and skills boost by ignoring military veterans

British businesses missing key productivity and skills boost by ignoring military veterans

by • News, Workplace

Businesses are missing out on key opportunities to boost their skills base and productivity by not effectively employing well-qualified former military personnel, according to new information released by The Institute of Leadership & Management. According to The Institute, 86 per cent of veterans say business managers still don’t understand how military honed skills can transfer into boosting businesses on civvy street. Coinciding with both Armed Forces Day and the 100th anniversary year of the ending of World War One, The Institute of Leadership & Management has released its new report Tales of Transition (registration required), which claims to identify the barriers to helping ex-forces personnel enter the civilian workplace. The report also details the steps that business leaders can take to support the transition of around 15,000 people who leave the UK Regular Armed Forces each year.

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First planning application submitted at Haywards Heath business hub

First planning application submitted at Haywards Heath business hub

by • Company news, Property

The Commercial Park Group, a partnership between developer John Baker and leading building and civil engineering contractor Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, has submitted a planning application to redevelop 21-23 Perrymount Road in Haywards Heath to provide 65,000 sq ft of new offices. This scheme is the first phase of a wider project to create a new 400,000 sq ft business hub called Haywards Park formed of multiple office redevelopments on Perrymount Road.
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London’s poor connectivity is holding back commercial property occupiers

London’s poor connectivity is holding back commercial property occupiers

by • News, Property, Technology

Connectivity is more than just broadband speeds and 4G coverage. New research from property consultancy Cluttons claims to reveal the impact it has on everything from the properties we choose to live in, to the places where we can work and our overall happiness both at home and in the office. The research suggests that London is lagging behind other national and global hubs when it comes to good connectivity in both residential and commercial property, failing our needs both as residents and businesses.

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