Search Results for: office

New research sheds light on why executives persist in stressful work habits

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

New research sheds light on why executives persist with stressful work habits

There’s a fine line between enjoying the stimulation of a demanding job and feeling burnt out. Lloyds’ chief executive, Antonio Horta-Osorio made headline news in 2011 after being signed off sick with stress and exhaustion. As the recent suicides of two Swiss banking executives have shown, it’s often difficult for pressurised workaholics to admit the job has become too much. A recent US academic study provides some clues as to why senior executives persist in working to unhealthy levels; while research by serviced office provider Business Environment reveals how UK office workers are also prone to stressful work habits. One fifth (21%) take work home at least one to two times a week, and one in five employees (19.6%) have taken time off work due to stress. (more…)

Record number of managers in the UK, but who or what are they all managing?

by • News, Public Sector, Workplace

quis-custodiet-ipsos-custodesThe number of managers in the UK has reached record levels according to a new report. But who or what they are all managing is slightly less clear as structural changes in the UK economy mean there are fewer people in full time and skilled work, especially in the public sector, as well as a growing number of the self-employed. An analysis of ONS statistics by the Jobs Economist reveals the number of people defined as managers in the UK is now 3.1 million, up 7.8% in just two years and now more than 10% of the entire workforce. By contrast the number of skilled trades people has fallen by 2.2%, the number of people working full time has fallen to 21.4 million, public sector employment has fallen by 437,000 in three years while the number of self-employed has grown by 367,000 since the 2008 downturn.

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World Green Building week launches with a breath of fresh air

by • Environment, Facilities management, News, Property

World Green building week launches with a breath of fresh airMaking sustainability sexy is a tall order. Look up the topic “green building” and you’ll invariably come across in depth descriptions of energy saving schemes and achieving a BREEAM rating. All these considerations are of course very important, but they make it difficult to engage building occupants. With the theme “Greener buildings, better places, healthier people”, World Green Building Week, which begins today (16-20 September), should do just that, by concentrating on the tangible benefits to building occupants of a green office. Paul King, Chief Executive of UK-GBC, said: “We often hear about the environmental and financial benefits of green buildings, but less attention is paid to the impact on those who live and work in them.” (more…)

The latest issue of Insight newsletter is now available to view online

by • News, Newsletter

Oof for newsletterIn our weekly newsletter, Insight, now available to view online; a preview [pictured] of 100% Design, (Earl’s Court 18 -21 Sept) featuring the latest designs from some of the world’s most progressive suppliers of office products; BCO research into the way space and budgets within buildings are allocated; how widespread adoption of BYOD can leave organisations’ data vulnerable; confusion amongst FMs at to what BIM actually does; and advice on compiling a list of the world’s coolest offices. Andrew Mawson argues it’s still possible to deliver a pleasurable and effective workplace whilst achieving economic objectives; and reflecting on the BBC Head of HR’s grilling at the hands of the Public Accounts Committee, Simon Heath asks would your business bear the same scrutiny unscathed?

100% Design: Holding a mirror up to the way we design and manage workplaces

by • Comment, Events, Facilities management, Furniture, Products, Workplace design

Hanging Room

Hanging Room at 100% Design

If art holds a mirror up to nature, shouldn’t the design of workplace products hold a mirror up to the way we work? By definition, the things with which we surround ourselves should tell us something about the way we see ourselves and what we do. It should be possible to infer from the design of the products suppliers offer to the market what is changing in the workplace. This isn’t always the case, of course, especially for those firms who see design not so much in terms of putting lipstick on a gorilla as telling you that what you’re looking at isn’t in fact a gorilla at all. It’s Scarlett Johansson.

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UK staff showing higher levels of happiness – except those in finance sector

by • News, Workplace

Happiness at work in increasingFresh evidence that those working within the financial sector must be in it for the money as, following the news earlier this week that they get the least amount of sleep, they’re also the most unhappy with their work. A third (32%) describe themselves as unhappy at work compared to the 78 per cent of those working in sales, media, and marketing who class themselves as happy. Overall, the number of British workers who are happy at work has jumped by a fifth (20%) compared to this time last year according to Office Angels’ ‘Happiness at Work’ study. More than half (56%) of workers stated they were happy at work during quarter two 2013, compared to just a third (36%) during quarter two 2012.  (more…)

Growing commercial occupier demand set to price firms out of the City fringe

by • Facilities management, News, Property

Growing commercial occupier demand set to price firms out of the City fringeA “west-to-east” migration, focussing predominantly on Clerkenwell and the western City core, is continuing amongst media and service sector businesses seeking more affordable London rents. But according to Cluttons’ latest West End Office Market report, many firms seeking the combination of value and idiosyncratic space are set to be priced out of the current City fringe. The area between the City and West End – branded Noho by estate agents – is attracting a new wave of private equity and extraction firms, willing to pay premium rents for new or pipeline space just north of Oxford Street. Meanwhile, prime office rents in Mayfair / St James’s have broken through the £100 per sq ft ceiling once again as a handful of tenants continue to favour location over quality. (more…)

Number of people in work rose 80,000 over last three months

by • Legal news, News, Workplace

Number of people in full time employment rises by 80,000 in three monthsThe number of people in full-time work has increased by 80,000 over the last three months according to figures released today by the Office for National Statistics. Employment growth was accompanied by a 24,000 fall in unemployment between May and July meaning the rate of unemployment in the UK this quarter dropped to 7.7 per cent from 7.8 per cent in the previous three months.  However the figures also showed the number of people in part-time work has risen to 1.45 million, the highest since records began in 1992 and double the number of five years ago, which may put more pressure on the government to address the continued controversy over zero hours working. To download the latest ONS labour market statistics click here.

Research reveals UK’s shrinking workplace space standards and regional disparities

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, Knowledge, Property, Workplace design

Alice growingThe latest Occupier Density Study from the British Council for Offices reveals that London and the South East of England have some of the most spacious workplaces in the UK, in spite of the fact that London has the most expensive office space on Earth. The BCO research found that the South West has the highest density at 8.6 sq. m. per workstation while London (11.3 sq. m.) and the South East (12.7 sq. m.) have lower densities than all UK regions apart from Wales (11.4 sq. m.). Yet recent research from Cushman and Wakefield has identified London as the world’s most expensive city to rent office space and a report last week from BNP Paribas revealed the large disparities in total occupancy costs between London and the rest of the UK.

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Go ahead for Google HQ and Farringdon developments but Smithfield plans back on hold

by • News, Property

Running track at Google's new Kings Cross HQ

Running track at Google’s new Kings Cross HQ

Two landmark developments in London have been given the go ahead at the same time as the troubled plans to develop the iconic Smithfield market are once again put on ice. Google’s plans for a 924,000 sq. ft headquarters building as an anchor of the redevelopment of Kings Cross were waved through by Camden Council, while Islington Council has also granted permission for a 207,000 sq. ft scheme to develop six storeys of office space, with retail units at street level, on the corner of Cowcross Street and Farringdon Road, one of two new office developments located at the new Crossrail station.

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Latest issue of Insight newsletter is now available to view online

by • News, Newsletter

2.Insight_twitter_logo smIn the latest issue of our weekly newsletter, Insight, available to view online: the news that one of the new tranche of landmark buildings in London has become its own death ray; why open-plan offices need to include places of sanctuary; challenging the common misperception that facilities management is a tactical and responsive profession; poll finds UK workers would rather work for a tyrant than a fool; the CBI argues for a more integrated Government approach to energy efficiency policies, including those relevant for the UK’s commercial buildings; new guidance from the BIFM on legislative and regulatory changes for achieving reasonable access for all; and a major new report warns EU countries urgently need to address the particular issues associated with employing older workers.

Worst UK bosses are those trying too hard to be liked, finds poll

by • News, Workplace

Machiavelli's assertion that it's better for a leader to be feared than loved borne out in new poll -

Machiavelli’s assertion that it’s better for a leader to be feared than loved is borne out in a new poll – on this side of the Atlantic at any rate. In a vote for the worst bosses depicted in film or on television carried out by Video Arts, David Brent from The Office was voted Britain’s “boss from hell” while Americans choose Miranda Priestley from The Devil Wears Prada. Martin Addison, CEO of Video Arts, said: “500 years ago, Machiavelli posed the question of whether it is better to be loved or feared as a leader. Interestingly, when asked who they would least like to work for, British workers chose a boss who strives to be loved by those around him, whereas US workers opted for someone who wants to be feared.” (more…)

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