September 23, 2019

Having data about people and their behaviour does not create a science

by John Rapley • Comment, Technology, Workplace

Two questions: is it good or bad that professional athletes earn 400 times what nurses do, and is string theory a dead end? Each question goes to the heart of its discipline. Yet while you probably answered the first, you’d hold an opinion on the prospects of string theory only if you’ve studied physics. More →

September 19, 2019

Design what you like, but people may have different ideas ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Technology, Workplace design

The story goes that, when Rem Koolhaas was appointed to design the McCormick Tribune Campus Center at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2003, the legendary architect noticed how students had created their own pathways between the buildings as they had made their way around the site. The site of the new building included a field on which their footprints had worn down the grass to such an extent that distinct grooves had been carved out that reflected their movements.

September 18, 2019

Automation will boost productivity, but risks leaving people behind

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace

Unless the Government steps up efforts to manage the transition to automation, many people and entire regions of the UK face being left behind and British businesses could find themselves becoming less competitive, says the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee in a report published today.
More →

September 13, 2019

Natural imagery can improve wellbeing of people at work

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

A new study from University of South Australia PhD student Bridgette Minuzzo suggests that workplace art that depicts natural imagery can improve levels of wellbeing even in offices that lack windows. Minuzzo installed nature-themed artworks at three university campuses and a hospital in Adelaide, measuring the mental wellbeing of participants beforehand and after. More →

September 12, 2019

People cannot focus for length of most meetings

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

An overwhelming majority (83 percent) of UK office employees are unable to concentrate in meetings for over 45 minutes, yet research from Sharp reveals that the average meeting lasts 49 minutes. This finding was supported by 55 percent of those surveyed, who claimed that work meetings are too long. This dissatisfaction appears to be caused by the difficulty in sustaining concentration in long meetings, with only 36 percent of UK employees indicating they are able to concentrate for a full 30 minutes. More →

September 9, 2019

AI revolution means 120 million people need to reskill

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology, Workplace

As many as 120 million workers in the world’s 12 largest economies may need to be retrained or reskilled over the next three years as a result of the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, according to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study. It also suggests that only 41 percent of CEOs surveyed say that they have the people, skills and resources required to execute their business strategies.

September 3, 2019

Half of people have quit job due to poor work relationship with boss

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

New research published by Totaljobs claims that nearly half (49 percent) of workers claims that they have quit a job due to the work relationship with their boss going sour and fewer than one in five (18 percent) feel they can trust their boss. Only a third (34 percent) of workers said they felt confident they could approach their manager about a work-related issue, dropping to just 1 in 5 (20 percent) when raising a personal problem. More →

August 30, 2019

Back to workplace basics, the joy and pain of work, squeezing people in and some other stuff

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Let’s get the inevitable WeWork story out of the way first. A supposed news item in Crain’s New York Business has claimed that WeWork is ‘squeezing’ people into half the space recommended in the BCO’s Specification Guide; “roughly the size of two standard doors laying side by side”. You can see the editorial cogs at work here, combining a story about WeWork with one about how people are crammed into the workplace like cattle these days.

August 28, 2019

Two thirds of people with fixed hours want flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Two thirds (65 percent) of office workers that don’t currently have options for flexible working claim that they would be more motivated and productive in their jobs if given the option to choose their working hours, according to a new poll from coworking company, The Brew by rent24. The poll also claims that only 18 percent of workers at small and medium-sized businesses already have flexible working arrangements, falling to just 14 percent for 18-34-year olds.

August 23, 2019

Two-thirds of people say work damages their mental health

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A new survey from CV-Library suggests that the UK’s professionals have a problematic relationship with work, with three-quarters (74.2 percent) claiming that their job is damaging their mental health. The research, which surveyed over 2,000 professionals, claims that four in ten (43.9 percent) workers even consider resigning from their job because of this, with a further 52.6 percent stating that their workplace doesn’t do enough to support employees. More →

August 20, 2019

Businesses should focus on the greater good of people and society

by Mark Eltringham • News, Working culture

Modern corporations should work in the best interests of society and people rather than focusing primarily on making money for shareholders as they may have in the past, according to an influential group of chief executives. The body Business Roundtable, which represents the heads of some of America’s largest companies, including Apple, Amazon and Exxon Mobil, has issued a statement of its updated corporate governance principles. More →