June 3, 2024

Forget Cannes. Commercial property sector hits the North to great effect

by Helen Parton • Cities, Comment, Property, Public Sector

An hour or two on the train from that part of the UK that gets talked about most and much better optics for local authorities to chase private investment than the South of France, little wonder the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UK REiiF) proved so popular this year. Over 13,000 attendees descended on Leeds for three days in May this year, a figure all the more remarkable when considering the event only started in 2022 with nearly 4000 attendees, which it nearly doubled the following year. Back to 2024 then and housing was a strong focus but that’s not to say some interesting stories from the commercial property sector didn’t also arise. More →

June 2, 2024

A brief history of the future of work

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Flexible working, Technology, Working culture

The past few years and our current predicaments should serves as a reminder of that tragic, unchangeable feature of the human condition, best expressed by Kierkegaard, that we are doomed to live our lives forwards but only understand them backwards. Retrospect is particularly important when we look back on sudden, large changes that knock us off our normal path. It’s important to remember this as we continue to grapple with the nature of the present and future of work in the wake of the pandemic. More →

May 31, 2024

Make my day, punk. With Will Easton

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, Features, Flexible working, Podcasts, Workplace Cocktail Hour

Will Easton joins me for a chat over a drink on the Workplace Cocktail Hour podcast. We discuss many things including: the scope of facilities and workplace management and why it offers so many career opportunities for people; punk approaches to work; what presence means and why it can be found in mosh pits as well as when touching grass; the emerging role of UX in designing offices; and why you should take the claims of iconic office designs with a pinch of salt. We even come up with an edgy but surprising playlist in the course of the conversation, which you can find below. More →

May 31, 2024

People must take the lead on hybrid working to drive highest returns

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Technology

A new report from workplace technology provider Eptura suggests that employee-led hybrid working models and connected technology drive the highest returns for businesses. According to its first half 2024 Workplace Index report [registration], companies with hybrid working models in which employees can choose when to come to the office are seeing the most benefit. This is because employees who work effectively in the office can generate an average revenue increase of 3-8 percent. The study also claims that globally, employees are now spending an average of 3 days a week in the office, with the biggest increase being seen in the Asia-Pacific region. The most common days for office attendance remain Tuesday through Thursday. More →

May 30, 2024

Four simple ways to embrace neurodiversity in the workplace

by Mark Catchlove • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design

It is thought that up to 20 percent of the UK population is neurodivergent and while many companies now are more educated on the need for diversity, many still have some way to go to adapt their workplaces both culturally and physically to ensure these individuals feel they are truly supported, valued, respected and able to the excel in their role. Sadly, a recent study by Birkbeck found that 65 percent of employees with a form of neurodiversity fear discrimination at work, despite companies increasingly recognising the need for inclusivity. More →

May 29, 2024

Two-thirds of menopausal women say they face workplace discrimination

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing

A new survey claims that over two-thirds (69 percent) of people in the UK believe women face discrimination at work when going through menopause. According to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, almost 8 out of 10 menopausal people are in work. Forth, which provides hormone tests for women surveyed over 2,000 people to reveal attitudes towards discrimination against women with menopause in the workplace. More →

More content! New themes! New font! Same old team! It’s all there for you in this issue of Works magazine

May 28, 2024

‘The Big Stay’ – it’s time to invest in employees, not to cut costs

by Roger Philby • Comment, Workplace

The Great Resignation is over. That’s according to the latest Labour Market Outlook report from the CIPD, as reported by Workplace Insight. But we could have told you this was simply a post-Covid correction in any case. Data from the report shows 55 percent of employers are looking to maintain their current headcount, while analysis of turnover from the ONS Labour Force Survey points to lower staff attrition in 2024. Declining staff turnover is being dubbed The Big Stay. More →

May 24, 2024

One in six people fall out with colleagues over politics

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Following the recent confirmation of a date for the UK General Election, a new poll from HiBob claims there has been a sharp rise in the number of people who want to banish political chats from the office. The report also suggests there is a major generational split, with younger workers significantly most in favour of holding political discussions at work while also being the group far and away most likely to fall out with others. More →

May 23, 2024

Remote work overseas could lead to double tax for firms, employees and digital nomads

by Marvin Gort • Flexible working, News

The rise of remote work, fuelled by the pandemic, may serve up a hidden danger for employees. Accountants warn that employees who relocate abroad while working for a UK-based company could end up paying income tax in both countries, on top of social security contributions in their host nation. More →

May 22, 2024

Some questions about AI, a world drowning in content and the human centipede of creativity

by Mark Eltringham • AI, Comment, Technology

One unintended but welcome result of the new fixation with AI is that many of the people who became experts on the workplace in 2020 are now experts on AI. You’ll find them on social media and they’ll have written a book about it by May to sit on the shelf alongside the one about hybrid working and The Great Resignation. So, if you want some certainty about where generative AI taking us, go talk to one of them because people who know about the subject seem to have little or no idea or raise even more questions. More →

May 20, 2024

Bringing workplaces back to their prime requires a holistic approach

by Steve Elliott • Comment, Workplace design

The pandemic radically changed the way we work and kick-started the proliferation of the hybrid model and widespread remote work. Now the picture has shifted once more, with headlines pointing to increasing return to the office policies introduced by organisations, with greater productivity and collaboration among their top reasons for doing so. Dubbed the year of the ‘Great Office Return’ by Virgin Media 02 Business Movers Index, 2023 saw four in ten companies mandating a return to the five-day office week and 92 percent enforcing some level of in-office requirement. However, enticing employees back to physical workplaces has proven challenging. According to CBRE, almost half of companies report their office attendance at 40 percent or under. More →