Search Results for: people

The answer to poor ergonomics isn’t buying different stuff for people to sit on

by • Furniture, Legal news, Workplace design

A new survey from Fellowes suggests that poorly equipped workstations and a lack of training and risk assessments by employers contribute to the range of ergonomic problems that cost the UK economy an annual £7 billion. Their PR people have done a good job on this survey because they’ve managed to get the Daily Mail stirred up, amongst others. This will be a short comment because we’ve covered the matter so extensively in a number of ways before here, here, here, here, here and here. The primary answer to the problems associated with sitting at work is to stop sitting, not merely to sit on different things. We need a working culture that gives people the right chairs then encourages them to stop using them them at the first opportunity. Ergonomics is about the relationship between people and stuff, so we should change the relationship and not just the stuff.

Video: people feel good at work when they know it has meaning

by • Facilities management, Workplace, Workplace design

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More evidence stacks up about what motivates people, including in the workplace. One thing that all the research shows about how to help people feel good at work is that motivation is a complex issue. It is not about money or joy or fun or an easy life. The things that are important include the challenge of overcoming difficult problems, a sense of achievement and an understanding that the work they do is acknowledged and makes a genuine contribution. The one thing to avoid is futility and the thing to aim for is meaning even in small ways. All of this research challenges the assumption that people are essentially economic creatures and that we can make them feel better by making isolated changes to their working environment.

Office design goes to the movies. Part 2 – 24 Hour Party People

by • Furniture, Products, Workplace design

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Warning: contains strong language.  Factory Records’ Rob Gretton disagrees somewhat with Tony Wilson’s purchase of an expensive table for the firm’s new offices in Michael Winterbottom’s wonderful take on the Madchester scene of the 1980s. But what really sets him off is the word ‘London’. Particular disdain is reserved for the fact the table is made of MDF. Deskheads will recognise the unmistakable application of a CNC machine in its manufacture and the inevitable iconic seating. And the morals are these – involve everybody in purchasing decisions and don’t fall into the trap of believing what they do in London is cool.

Video: how networks of engaged people can achieve more than nations

by • Architecture, Comment, Facilities management, Property, Technology, Workplace design

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In spite of all its flaws, the Internet can empower people to address specific issues in ways that exceed the abilities of nation states. In this energising talk for the Royal Society for the Arts, Don Tapscott, a Canadian businessman and now one of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on people and societies, explores the idea that engaged and connected people can work together to innovate and solve issues that can seem intractable to the world’s governments and international bodies, including the most serious demographic and environmental challenges we all face.

Whatever the office of the future is, it should be there to serve people

Whatever the office of the future is, it should be there to serve people

by • Comment, Facilities management, Furniture, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

Larkin BuildingFuturology is notoriously a mug’s game. Especially when it comes to making predictions about technology. Just ask Ken Olson, the founder of DEC who in 1977 pronounced that ‘there is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home’. Or Bill Gates himself who once claimed that Microsoft ‘will never make a 32 bit operating system’. But that shouldn’t make us blind to those predictions that we know will largely come true, not least those based on what we know is happening in the present. This is typified by research carried out by Cass Business School and Henley Business School and presented in a book called Future Work: How Businesses Can Adapt and Thrive in the New World of Work. It found that two-thirds of the 360 managers it surveyed believe that there would be a revolution in working practices over the coming decade. Ninety per cent said that staff were more productive when empowered to decide when and where and how to work.

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Call for accessible design for laboratories to make sure organisations don’t miss out on talent

Call for accessible design for laboratories to make sure organisations don’t miss out on talent

by • News, Workplace design

The Royal Society of Chemistry has called for urgent changes to the accessible design and culture of laboratory spaces after a new report revealed widespread barriers facing disabled researchers.The Royal Society of Chemistry has called for urgent changes to the design and culture of laboratory spaces after a new report revealed widespread barriers facing disabled researchers. The organisation warns that the chemical sciences could lose out on major discoveries unless universities, industry and policymakers act to create more inclusive environments. The Disability-Inclusive Laboratories in the Chemical Sciences report draws on contributions from more than 400 chemists and sets out a detailed picture of the physical, cultural and organisational obstacles that shape disabled scientists’ careers. According to the findings, almost a third of disabled chemists have experienced bullying or discrimination linked to disability, while more than a quarter say they do not feel a sense of belonging at work. Three-quarters report a lack of awareness among colleagues about their support needs. (more…)

Health Secretary orders review into acceleration in mental health diagnoses

Health Secretary orders review into acceleration in mental health diagnoses

by • News, Wellbeing

The UK government has commissioned an independent review into the rise in mental health and neurodevelopmental diagnoses, reflecting growing concern about the number of people leaving the workforce because of conditions such as depression, anxiety, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.The UK government has commissioned an independent review into the rise in mental health and neurodevelopmental diagnoses, reflecting growing concern about the number of people leaving the workforce because of conditions such as depression, anxiety, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The announcement signals a renewed focus on welfare spending and the wider economic impact of long-term sickness, with ministers arguing that too many people are becoming detached from work for reasons that may not always require formal medical intervention. (more…)

Time to admit we were wrong about Canary Wharf and other business districts

Time to admit we were wrong about Canary Wharf and other business districts

by • Features, Flexible working, Property

There was a time during and after the pandemic when it looked like time was up for the world’s major business districts. For a start Canary Wharf looked like it would need to completely reinvent itself as firms started to relocate to smaller more central premises. Instead of housing tenants such as HSBC it would focus on becoming a mixed-use space with more homes and leisure facilities. Hell, we even published a feature setting that all out ourselves. But it’s funny how things turn out. The latest news is JP Morgan’s announcement of a vast new headquarters building in the area. The bank, already one of the largest employers in the UK financial sector, has confirmed plans for a three million sq ft tower on the waterfront that will accommodate 12,000 staff and represent an investment estimated at £3 billion. (more…)

The UK’s most influential workplace design event is open for registration

The UK’s most influential workplace design event is open for registration

by • News, Workplace design

Registration is now officially open for Workspace Design Show London, returning to the Business Design Centre on 25–26 February 2026Registration is now officially open for Workspace Design Show London, returning to the Business Design Centre on 25–26 February 2026 with its most forward-thinking edition yet. The 2026 show will push even further under its new theme, Connected Realities, exploring how physical spaces and digital layers are increasingly merging to shape the workplaces of tomorrow. Across two days, the event will transform the BDC into a dynamic landscape of ideas and innovation, featuring leading UK and international brands unveiling the latest in furniture, lighting, acoustics, flooring, sustainability, digital workplace tools and materials for next-generation environments. Visitors can expect a show floor rich with new launches from companies including König + Neurath, Sedus, Kvadrat, Pedrali, Interface, Forbo and more, alongside a wider range of workplace product innovators shaping the future of work. (more…)

Are you a leader of the first workplace?

Are you a leader of the first workplace?

by • Company news

If you work with young people, whether you’re in the classroom, in district leadership, or pursuing an educational doctorate degree, you’re already shaping how they’ll experience work for the rest of their lives. The first real workplace they know isn’t a cubicle or a Zoom call, it’s the classroom, and when leaders get the learning culture right, students become more hopeful, more engaged and more ready for what comes next. You’re effectively running their first organisation, with norms, expectations and feedback loops that feel very similar to what they’ll encounter later in their careers. (more…)

Four built environment projects named the winners of the 2025 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence

Four built environment projects named the winners of the 2025 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence

by • News, Property

This week, four real estate projects were named the overall winners of the 2025 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe Awards for Excellence from this year’s ten finalists. The winning projects include a social housing project in Milan situated on an abandoned office development site, a new secondary school in Brussels developed in a former brewery, a new flexible life sciences hub in Stockholm, and an acute healthcare facility in Birmingham which is intended as a catalyst for community regeneration. (more…)

Why smarter scheduling is becoming workers’ favourite benefit

Why smarter scheduling is becoming workers’ favourite benefit

by • Company news

In late 2023, The Conference Board asked more than 1,500 US employees which non?salary benefits matter most. 65 percent put workplace flexibility at the top of the list, above bonuses, paid time off, retirement plans and even healthcare.  In 2025, Gallup found that among over 10,000 US workers, 59 percent rated “greater work–life balance and better personal wellbeing” as a very important reason for taking a new job, more than any other factor for the third year running. (more…)

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