June 28, 2024
Search Results for: pandemic
After soon-to-be 25 years of serving as Chief Executive for the British Council for Offices, Richard Kauntze will be stepping down in summer 2025. His successor will be appointed by the 
June 26, 2024
Younger people put far less emphasis on flexible working than older colleagues
Demand for flexible working options surged during the pandemic but has since become less important to people, according to ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2024: A Global Workforce View [registration]. Overall, the survey of nearly 35,000 people in 18 countries suggests flexible working hours are important to 25 percent of workers, while 15 percent value flexible locations. Workers of all ages and in all regions rank flexibility of location below salary, job security, work enjoyment and career progression. In Europe, only 14 percent of respondents favour flexible location, a slightly smaller share than in Asia Pacific (15 percent), Latin America (15 percent), and North America (17 percent). (more…)
June 26, 2024
Save the Knowledge Worker – insights and strategies for remote-work success
Undoubtedly, the remote work revolution is in full swing. But it’s messy. Kolekti’s new Save the Knowledge Worker report found a colossal 96 percent of workers desire some form of remote work, and one in three employees is willing to quit if forced to return to the office full-time. And yet, which business leader can say their organisation has perfected the strategy for remote work? Most are still experimenting, tinkering, and tweaking. Even the end destination may be unclear for some. (more…)
June 23, 2024
North American office design lagging behind new working cultures
A report from design firm Hassell and workplace analytics business Density paints what it claims is a concerning picture of North American tech offices. It says that tech firms, once considered pioneers in innovative office design, are lagging behind the evolving work landscape. The report [registration] analysed over 1.4 million square feet of workspace usage between May 2023 and May 2024, revealed what it says is a troubling trend: underutilisation. On average, these tech offices only reached a peak occupancy of 34 percent, meaning a significant portion of the space – potentially costing companies up to $40 million annually in wasted rent – sits empty. (more…)
June 21, 2024
Visit NeoCon, but Chicago has become a tale of two venues
Chicago is a city which never fails to amaze whether you are visiting for NeoCon or for any other reason. It’s the epitome of extroversion, with its magnificent architecture, larger than life people, almost constant, ear-splitting commotion and frantic comings and goings. Annual visits to the city invariably present a profusion of elegant new skyscrapers of different shapes, styles and colours, which seem to be trying to outdo each other. It’s as if Chicago is constantly trying to outperform all other cities, as well as its own past. (more…)
June 19, 2024
Rise of remote work leading to longer commutes in US, study claims
The time and distance Americans spend commuting appears to be increasingly markedly thanks to the increase in remote work, say researchers. According to the new study from Stanford University, the share of “super-commutes,” those 75 miles or longer, is up by nearly a third since the start of the pandemic. Employees who no longer have to trek into the office each day appear to be more willing to tolerate a longer commute once or twice a week if it means a higher standard of living further away, the report concludes. (more…)
June 13, 2024
A new generation of workplace apps is transforming people’s experience of work
Disseminating 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, workplace apps promise a much more sophisticated 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…)
June 4, 2024
London office market sees sharp decline in leasing activity
The London office leasing market kicked off 2024 with a significant downturn, according to a new report from Devono. After a strong end to 2023, leasing activity plummeted by 45 percent in the first quarter, with only 2.3 million sq ft of space leased. This falls short of the 5-year average for Q1 and marks the lowest total since late 2022. The report attributes the decline to a combination of economic factors, including a recent recession and rising inflation. Businesses are cautious about committing to new office space in this uncertain climate. (more…)
June 2, 2024
A brief history of the future of work
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 28, 2024
Rigid return to office mandates and fixed places of work are backfiring
A new study by Great Place To Work claims that obliging employees back to the office with so-called return-to-office mandates and restricting their choice of work location can have negative consequences for the business. The report based on a survey of 4,400 US workers, claims to reveal a strong correlation between work location flexibility and positive employee experiences. Compared to those without a choice, employees with control over their work environment are three times more likely to want to stay with their company, and significantly less likely to become disengaged – a trend that has been referred to as “quiet quitting.” They’re also more likely to put in extra effort, foster good relationships with their managers, and feel their workplace fosters a healthy psychological and emotional environment. (more…)
May 23, 2024
Remote work overseas could lead to double tax for firms, employees and digital nomads
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…)
June 10, 2024
What happens to work when the machine stops?
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology
In 1909, E M Forster – not exactly known for a body of work replete with dystopian fiction – published a novella called The Machine Stops. You can read it here but the story describes a future in which people live below ground, in isolation but with all their needs met by an omnipresent Machine (you can see where this is going). (more…)