Search Results for: office

Designer creates soundproof helmet to deal with noisy surroundings 0

by • Furniture, News, Workplace design

Cork HelmetWe’re used to seeing intriguing solutions to the much talked about problem of noisy offices. This year’s Milan International Furniture Fair (see our preview here) will be no different. None, however, will be quite so intriguing as this Cork Helmet from Belgian designer Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte.  According to the designer’s website this is a ‘helmet made out of cork allowing a person to insulate himself from noise. A mechanism devised with a counter-weight, a rope and two pulleys helps to move the helmet up or down one’s head.’ We can’t help but see the parallels with the thinking behind the Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy which feature lenses that turn completely black at the first hint of trouble, thus preventing the wearer from seeing anything alarming.

Central London occupiers prepared to pay more for upper floors and terrace 0

by • Facilities management, News, Property

London occupiers prepared to pay to access upper floors or terraceThere is a growing trend for London occupiers prepared to pay more for upper floors, particularly with access to a terrace, as according to the latest research by Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), unprecedented rental rates are being paid for tower floors and roof gardens. Central London office leasing activity overall, was 2.4 million sq ft for the first quarter of 2015, which equals the same period in 2014, which marked the highest first quarter volumes since 2007. Momentum in the City of London office market has also continued, with a total of 1.8 million sq ft let, up 34 percent for the same time last year. The West End recorded a relatively quiet quarter, with leasing volumes down to just over 600,000 sq ft – the lowest level since mid-2013. However, this is against a backdrop of falling vacancy rates, leading to the increasing migration of commercial occupiers out of the West End.

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Video: Perry Timms lays down some thoughts on the future of work

Video: Perry Timms lays down some thoughts on the future of work 0

by • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace

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Regular readers will know we’re not too fond of the F Word at Insight. This isn’t because we think there is nothing to talk about when it comes to the future (what else did you think we meant?) of work and workplaces. We just believe that the word is now routinely misapplied to justify an endless effluvia of simplistic nonsense, absurd generalisations, undisguised commercialism and wishful thinking. Not to mention the eternally tedious idea that the ‘office of the future’ can be defined in very specific ways based on a few supposedly cool but actually infantile features borrowed from primary schools. Fortunately, all this misdirection makes the informed, wise and sober reflections of Perry Timms all the more powerful when he spoke recently at TedX in Bucharest to outline the challenges and opportunities of the future of work.

“Toxic” employees create stressed co-workers, with over half more likely to quit

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Toxic employees can make over half of co-workers more likely to quit finds reportMembers of staff who have a negative influence on those around them, and create a poisonous atmosphere in the office, do not affect the overall productivity of their colleagues, but are more likely to make them want to leave. “Toxic employees” make their teammates 54 percent more likely to quit and cost employers up to three times more in hiring fees, finds “Toxic Employees in the Workplace” a new US-based report by Cornerstone. The indirect costs of toxic employees, as measured by the toll they take on co-workers, can have a far greater overall impact and create an even larger financial burden on the business than the direct costs of an employee’s misbehaviour. While these individuals have a negligible effect on the performance of their co-workers, the research suggests they have a stronger influence on stress and burnout than on day-to-day task completion.

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New masterplan submitted for £5bn East London development

by • Cities, News, Property, Technology

East London masterplanDevelopers have submitted a revised masterplan for the £5 billion Greenwich Peninsula mixed use development in East London. The new plans not only increase the number of homes on site but also include a greater focus on digital arts and media studios as well as more high rise buildings in keeping with London’s current predilection for tall buildings and emphasising the shift in London’s centre of gravity eastwards. The original plan, created by Farrell & Partners and dating back to 2004 are described as outdated by developers Knight Dragon, who have submitted the new mixed use plan for around 15,000 dwellings, 59,000 sq.m. of hotel, retail and recreational space and 60,000 sq.m. of office space as well as a design district, space for healthcare buildings, educational facilities, transport hubs, visitor attractions, parking, cycling paths, community facilities and parks.

UK labour productivity continues to flatline in spite of upturn

by • Knowledge, News, Workplace

flatline_8205UK labour productivity continues to flatline in spite of the recent economic upturn, according to a new report from the Office for National Statistics. Overall productivity as measured by output per hour fell by 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the previous quarter. In 2014 as a whole, labour productivity was little changed from 2013, and slightly lower than in 2007, prior to the economic downturn. As ever, the devil is in the detail. There were notable increases in productivity in both manufacturing and construction but the modest gains in service industries obscure the fact that there is a great deal of variation across sectors and also the fact that any gains reflect a greater number of hours worked rather than an increase in the overall number of people employed or their underlying productivity.

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New study explores link between workplace design and productivity

by • Flooring, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

workplace designThe latest report linking specific workplace design elements with increases in productivity and wellbeing has been published by flooring manufacturer Interface and organisational psychologist Cary Cooper. The Human Spaces report into The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace, claims that employees who work in environments with natural elements report a 15 percent higher level of well being, are 6 percent more productive and 15 percent more creative overall. The report is based on a study of 7,600 office workers from 16 countries. It concludes that office design is so important to workers that a third (33 percent) of global respondents believe it would ‘unequivocally’ affect their decision whether or not to work somewhere. Design is particularly important in India (67 percent), Indonesia (62 percent) and the Philippines (60 percent).

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Facebook moves into new California campus headquarters

by • Case studies, News, Technology, Workplace design

facebook1Facebook has moved into its much discussed new headquarters building and campus in Menlo Park, California. As is the way these days, the relocation to the Frank Gehry designed HQ was announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on his own Facebook page and heralded by a number of images shared on social media by staff. Zuckerberg also shared an aerial view of the 22 acre location included its landscaped roof and has promised that more images and video will emerge ‘once we’re fully unpacked’. Controversially – maybe – the building features what is claimed to be the world’s largest open plan office space which will be home to many of the new building’s 2,800 inhabitants. In this regard, the design is resolutely mainstream as are the array of breakout spaces and cafes used to supplement the open plan and give people the chance to take some time away.

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CBRE acquires facilities management business from Johnson Controls

by • Company news, Facilities management, Property

facilities managementProperty giant CBRE has reached an agreement to acquire the facilities management business of Johnson Controls for $1.47bn. The deal will see CBRE acquire the Global WorkPlace Solutions (GWS) FM arm of the business, allowing the new enterprise to manage nearly 5bn sq ft of commercial real estate worldwide consisting of 2.3bn sq ft in North and South America, 1.2bn sq ft in EMEA and 1.4 bn sq ft in Asia Pacific. GWS, currently employs around  16,000 people worldwide, and had a turnover of around $3.4bn in 2014.The deal also see the two firms enter into a ten year strategic relationship, with CBRE offering a range of real estate services with Johnson Controls offering HVAC equipment and a range of building automation systems and other products in return. Both firms will also share investment in research and development.

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Time to move on from the anachronistic display screen equipment regulations

Time to move on from the anachronistic display screen equipment regulations

by • Comment, Legal news, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Not much of a guide to milking a Fresian

Not much of a guide to milking a Friesian

The European Display Screen Equipment Regulations were introduced in 1992 as a way of improving the posture and wellbeing of people working on computers in the office. That’s a long time ago. Too long, in fact. Here’s a list of thing that have happened since then – 1. The Internet. Actually, we can stop there. Any piece of workplace legislation that predates the Internet almost certainly won’t be fit for purpose, not least one that is based on how we should work with computers. Yet there it all is on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website. It’s all so hopelessly out of date, it’s like starting a farm using an Altamira cave painting as your guide. At the most straightforward level, you can take an image from one of the published guides such as this (below) and play a little game of spot the anachronism.

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Gamification remains a mystery to employees and unused by many firms

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

gamificationAlthough it’s currently one of the most talked about workplace ideas, gamification remains a mystery to many workers and even HR professionals keen on the idea are probably not doing much about it. Those are two of the findings of a report from consultancy Penna based on interviews with 2,000 HR directors and employees. The study set out to explore how well senior HR professionals understood gamification, its uses and their perception of the barriers to adoption. Researchers also asked employees about their level of ‘everyday engagement’ with gamification and whether they recognise it as a concept. Over half (52 percent) of HR directors claim to be ‘massively interested’ in the idea although 44 percent also agreed that their organisation was ‘not at all interested’. Remarkably the survey also found that 89 percent of employees don’t even know what it is.

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Civil service addresses work conditions and careers of disabled employees

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace, Workplace design

disabled employeesThe UK Cabinet Office has published a report in partnership with Disability Rights UK to look at ways the Civil Service can better support the careers of its 27,000 staff with disabilities and health conditions. The report claims that ensuring that disabled employees ‘fulfil their potential makes basic business sense and would significantly enhance the Service’s performance.’ It claims that there has been some progress since the last report on the subject in 1998, but that barriers remain. Nearly 9 percent of civil service employees now claim to have a disability which is more than double the reported rate of 4.1 percent in 1998. The report identifies the underlying challenges and looks to share best practice. It notes that while there is strong commitment to disability equality from senior champions, this has not been translated into line manager action and cultural change.

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