Search Results for: office

Canary Wharf travel numbers return to pre pandemic levels

Canary Wharf travel numbers return to pre pandemic levels

New figures suggest a sustained return to office working in London’s major business district, with Tube and rail journeys to Canary Wharf reaching their highest levels since before the pandemicNew figures suggest a sustained return to office working in London’s major business district, with Tube and rail journeys to Canary Wharf reaching their highest levels since before the pandemic. An analysis of Transport for London data indicates that an average of 91,000 daily journeys were made to the district’s stations in October on the Underground, Elizabeth Line and Docklands Light Railway. The total exceeded the equivalent month in 2019 and outpaced the recovery seen in the City and West End, where employers in sectors such as media and technology have been slower to insist on full time office attendance. (more…)

Creativity improves company performance, claims new academic research

Creativity improves company performance, claims new academic research

The two-year Creative Leap project found that companies with above-average individual creativity and an organisational culture that supports creativity were more likely to perform betterCompanies that prioritise creativity are more successful, claims new research from Aalto University School of Business. The two-year Creative Leap project found that companies with above-average individual creativity and an organisational culture that supports creativity were more likely to perform better financially than the industry average. The project involved researchers from Aalto University School of Business and School of Arts, Design, and Architecture and corporate partners such as the Finnish Post Office, Health food company Raisio Group and Global chemical company Kemira. (more…)

Lords Committee calls for clearer policy to address the future of home working

Lords Committee calls for clearer policy to address the future of home working

home working is now firmly embedded in the UK’s labour market but requires more coherent policy, better evidence and improved supportA House of Lords committee has called for a more coherent national approach to remote and hybrid work, warning that unclear responsibilities, inconsistent data, gaps in employer guidance and uneven access to flexible work risk undermining the UK’s ability to adapt to long-term changes in working patterns. According to the report, Is Working From Home Working?, published today (13 November) the rapid rise in home-based working since the pandemic has outpaced the Government’s ability to coordinate policy or collect reliable data. Responsibility for remote work is “split across government departments”, the Committee notes, with implications for employment, transport, digital infrastructure and housing policy. (more…)

Most daily behaviours are driven by habits, rather than conscious decisions

Most daily behaviours are driven by habits, rather than conscious decisions

A new study suggests that a significant majority of daily behaviours are driven by habit rather than conscious decision-making, raising important questions for organisations about how routines form and how workplace environments shape behaviourA new study suggests that a significant majority of daily behaviours are driven by habit rather than conscious decision-making, raising important questions for organisations about how routines form and how workplace environments shape behaviour. The research, published in the journal Psychology & Health, was conducted by Amanda L. Rebar of the University of South Carolina alongside colleagues from the University of Surrey and Central Queensland University. The team sought to measure the extent to which people’s daily behaviours are initiated and carried out automatically, rather than deliberately, and how often those behaviours align with personal intentions. (more…)

Government issues new guidance on managing surplus property

Government issues new guidance on managing surplus property

The UK Cabinet Office has published updated functional guidance titled Managing Surplus Government Property, setting out how government departments should identify, evaluate and dispose of surplus real estateThe UK Cabinet Office has published updated functional guidance titled Managing Surplus Government Property, setting out how government departments should identify, evaluate and dispose of surplus real estate within the central government estate. The document was released on 10 November 2025. The guidance replaces the earlier Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land and reflects a broadened scope, placing greater emphasis on reviewing multiple options and combining factors when considering disposal or reuse of property assets. (more…)

Employers increasingly see AI as a way of reducing headcount

Employers increasingly see AI as a way of reducing headcount

UK firms are bullish about the use of GenAI but their employees are not so certain, according to a new pollOne in six (17 percent) employers expect AI to shrink their workforce over the next year, with junior roles most at risk, according to the CIPD’s latest Labour Market Outlook which surveyed over 2,000 employers on their hiring, redundancy and pay plans.  Of those, almost two thirds (62 percent) believe that clerical, junior managerial, professional or administrative roles are most likely to be lost because of AI. The risk is highest in large private sector firms, where one in four (26 percent) expect headcount to fall, compared with 17 percent in the private sector overall and 20 percent in the public sector. (more…)

Canary Wharf leasing activity continues to improve

Canary Wharf leasing activity continues to improve

Office leasing activity at Canary Wharf has risen sharply this year as higher rents in other parts of London prompt more occupiers to consider the Docklands district.Office leasing activity at Canary Wharf has risen sharply this year as higher rents in other parts of London prompt more occupiers to consider the Docklands district. Data from CoStar suggests that the availability of office space at Canary Wharf has fallen to below 10 percent, its lowest level since 2018. Two years ago, vacancy stood at about 23 percent. More than 500,000 square feet of space has been leased so far in 2025, the highest level since 2019, with further deals expected before the end of the year. (more…)

Coworking space numbers rise across UK and Ireland

Coworking space numbers rise across UK and Ireland

The number of coworking spaces in the UK and Ireland has reached a new peak, according to new industry data, signalling the continuing shift in how offices are being used.The number of coworking spaces in the UK and Ireland has reached a new peak, according to new industry data, signalling the continuing shift in how offices are being used. Data from CoworkingCafe’s third quarter 2025 report show around 4,315 coworking locations across the region, of which approximately 4,048 are in the UK and 267 in Ireland. In the UK the distribution is heavily concentrated in major urban centres. Greater London alone hosts roughly 1,191 coworking sites. Manchester follows as a leading regional hub with around 120 spaces, while Glasgow and Birmingham also show significant numbers at 68 and 67 respectively. (more…)

Amsterdam’s Workspace Design Show Unveils Sensory-Driven Feature Spaces

Amsterdam’s Workspace Design Show Unveils Sensory-Driven Feature Spaces

The Workspace Design Show showcases the latest transformative workplace interiors products, from furniture, seating, lighting, acoustics, surfaces, biophilia, tech and moreThis November, Workspace Design Show (Wednesday 5th to Thursday 6th November 2025, RAI Amsterdam) doesn’t just ask what the workplace should be; it lets you feel the answer. Five of the Netherlands’ most creative design studios have turned conversation into atmosphere, theory into tactility, and workplace talk into spaces you can smell, hear, shift and claim as your own. (more…)

There’s a simpler, more natural and diverse approach we can take to workplace design

There’s a simpler, more natural and diverse approach we can take to workplace design

A different approach to workplace design, one that values clarity, quiet and coherence, is being driven more by carbon reductions and overall user experienceOur buildings do more than house activity. They shape our states of mind. Yet many contemporary spaces, whether offices, schools or public buildings, are full of visual noise, synthetic finishes and unnecessary complexity. These elements are often justified in the name of expression or efficiency. But they can leave people disoriented, distracted or exhausted. A different approach to workplace design, one that values clarity, quiet and coherence, is being driven more by carbon reductions and overall user experience than by neurodiversity alone. Through seeking simpler, more durable ways to build: an architecture grounded in natural materials, minimal finishes and thoughtful restraint. (more…)

New (biggest and best ever) digital edition of Works magazine is now available to read free

New (biggest and best ever) digital edition of Works magazine is now available to read free

The new issue of Works magazine sets out as always to highlight the ideas, projects, products and thinking that are shaping the way we live, think and work.The new issue of Works magazine sets out as always to highlight the ideas, projects, products and thinking that are shaping the way we live, think and work. Provocative, lively and wide-ranging, it’s our biggest issue yet, and we think the best. There’s plenty of new products to get your teeth into and while we are on that particular subject, we explore a new generation of showrooms in which big ideas matter as much as products. Our case studies span Munich, Portland, Harrogate and London, showing how occupiers are rethinking the office in very different ways, saunas and nap pods included. (more…)

The evolving workplace in the hybrid working era

The evolving workplace in the hybrid working era

A little over five years ago, most knowledge workers went home — and dialed into the office remotely. The pandemic triggered a massive uptick in the “virtual workforce,” and organizations raced to provide technology to make connectivity possible. The limitations of those early “quick and dirty” solutions became apparent as the majority of the workforce settled into a hybrid model. (According to Gallup, 51 percent of US workers with remote-capable jobs follow a hybrid schedule while 28 percent are fully remote.) (more…)