Search Results for: office

Peace and quiet at work? Here are ten of the best and most far out solutions

Peace and quiet at work? Here are ten of the best and most far out solutions

by • Features, Workplace design

 

Any survey that sets out to establish what people believe cuts their productivity and annoys them most about their workplace invariably throws up the same result; the noise and distractions generated by other people. So it will come as no surprise to learn that the same surveys usually find that employees believe that peace and quiet and freedom from distractions is the most important factor when it comes to getting some decent work done. More →

Scale AI announces plans for new European headquarters in London

Scale AI announces plans for new European headquarters in London

by • AI, News, Property, Technology

 

Scale AI has selected London as the location for its first European headquarters, reinforcing the company’s mission to accelerate the development of AI globallyScale AI has selected London as the location for its first European headquarters, reinforcing the company’s mission to accelerate the development of AI globally. Scale’s United Kingdom (UK) office will serve as the centre of its operations in Europe. The firm is an artificial intelligence company headquartered in San Francisco in the US State of California. The company provides labelled data used to train AI applications. The firm was founded in 2016 by Alexandr Wang and Lucy Guo who had previously worked at Quora. More →

ORGATEC organisers turn their gaze to Middle East markets

ORGATEC organisers turn their gaze to Middle East markets

by • Events, News, Workplace design

Koelnmesse, the organisers of ORGATEC, and dmg events have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing trade exhibitions across the Middle East. The firms say this strategic partnership will ‘combine and leverage their respective brands, creating a dynamic synergy that promises innovative and impactful events’. Both see the Middle East as a growing and increasingly important opportunity. More →

Commercial real estate lending hits ten year low

Commercial real estate lending hits ten year low

by • News, Property

New lending for commercial real estate fell 33 per cent last year to its lowest level since 2013, according to the latest bi-annual report from Bayes Business School, (formerly Cass). Researched and written by Dr Nicole Lux, Senior Research Fellow at Bayes Business School, City, University of London, the report also shows that a significant portion (42 per cent) of the £170 billion of loans outstanding will have to be refinanced within 12 months. Dr Lux expects that will cause ongoing stress in the market. More →

Beware the workplace mouse trap

Beware the workplace mouse trap

by • Comment, Workplace

Life imitates art part 94. Scientists have discovered that lab mice may be conducting their own experiments on us. A paper published in the journal Current Biology and summarised here, speculates that mice seem to be testing their testers. They do this by deviating from simple expected behaviours such as responding to rewards to work out what might happen. More →

BCO London Awards winners focus on sustainability, wellbeing and user-friendliness

BCO London Awards winners focus on sustainability, wellbeing and user-friendliness

by • News, Property, Workplace design

The British Council for Offices Awards for London have gone to seven office buildings across the city. Held at the Park Plaza hotel, the BCO’s annual London Awards Lunch recognised projects that demonstrate best practice in office design, fit-out, operation and sustainability, setting the standard for excellence across the sector. More →

Most firms lack the right tech for hybrid working

Most firms lack the right tech for hybrid working

by • Flexible working, News, Technology

A new poll from Ricoh Europe claims that the majority of organisations lack the technology to support flexible working, with only 30 percent of European employees saying they have all the technology to collaborate seamlessly when working with other colleagues. More →

Hybrid working era means a boom time for workplace apps

Hybrid working era means a boom time for workplace apps

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

A new generation of workplace apps, coupled with a choice of settings, help people tailor their days and their experiencesDisseminating information about a building to the people who occupy it has come a long way from a basic, intranet desktop interface with warnings about wet floors or notices about charity fundraising. These days apps promise a much more sophisticated workplace experience, which can be accessed in the palm of your hand. Gartner has a useful definition of workplace apps’ capabilities, stating, “They are used to explore and reserve workspaces, navigate the workplace, find colleagues, plan the best days to attend the workplace, access services and ensure that employees could feel safe in a future post pandemic workplace.” More →

Stress, anxiety and a beamish response to it all

Stress, anxiety and a beamish response to it all

by • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

Stress, uncertainty and the medicalisation of dissatisfactionWe now have a policy of not offering ourselves as an outlet for any of the deluge of comment pieces and surveys that are published each year to accompany the various days – and increasingly weeks and months – dedicated to certain conditions like stress and anxiety. They are a gift both to and from the PR industry. This is largely because we cover such issues year round so don’t feel the need to add to the PR feeding frenzy they generate. Whatever you make of the findings of the reports and others like them, even cynics would have to acknowledge they tap into an unmistakable feeling that work is not as enjoyable as it should be. More →

Workers may have new rights to request flexible working, but let’s not celebrate too soon

Workers may have new rights to request flexible working, but let’s not celebrate too soon

by • Comment, Flexible working

New flexible working rules are intended to normalise flexible work. However, in reality, they may do the opposite, says Molly Johnson-JonesThe new flexible working rules which came into force this month have been touted as a win – normalising and bringing clarity to the world of flexible work. However, in reality, they will do the very opposite. Under the new rules, workers now have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment. However, employers can take up to 2 whole months to respond to requests, and they do not have to be clear about their stance on flexible work beforehand. This is a huge oversight. Many workers rely on flexible working, and therefore need to know if arrangements are possible before they start new roles. Employers must be clear about their approach to flexible working from the outset, if we want to normalise flexibility in a way that allows both businesses and workers to benefit. More →

Tentative signs of recovery in UK commercial property market, says the RICS

Tentative signs of recovery in UK commercial property market, says the RICS

by • News, Property

The 2024 RICS first quarter monitor for the UK commercial property market indicates tentative signs that the market is moving into a recovery phase, though there is still ample evidence that there remains a challenging backdrop. Higher borrowing rates are holding back investments along with other structural headwinds such as a weak economy, online shopping, working from home (WFH) and environmental concerns. More →

European commercial real estate market stumbles in 2024

European commercial real estate market stumbles in 2024

by • News, Property

Dreams of a swift recovery in Europe's commercial real estate market have been dashed as the first quarter of 2024 witnessed a continued slump, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of decline according to new dataDreams of a swift recovery in Europe’s commercial real estate market have been dashed as the first quarter of 2024 witnessed a continued slump, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of decline. That is according to data released by MSCI Real Assets which paints a concerning picture, with completed commercial property transactions reaching a mere €34.5 billion in the first three months – a 26 percent drop compared to the same period in 2023. This translates to the lowest transaction volume since the third quarter of 2010, with the number of companies buying and selling properties also hitting a 12-year low. More →

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