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Calls for standardised product assessments address growing concerns about greenwashing

Calls for standardised product assessments address growing concerns about greenwashing

by • Environment, Facilities management, News

Built Environment Sector Calls for Standardised Product Assessments Amid Growing Concern Over GreenwashingA new industry-wide study has revealed widespread support for the introduction of mandatory Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs) on products used in the UK’s built environment to address widespread concerns about greenwashing. The findings, published in the report Greenhushing: Silence is Costing Credibility, show that 86 percent of professionals surveyed believe that LCAs are essential to reduce confusion and rebuild trust in environmental claims. Produced by Futurebuild in collaboration with The Anti-Greenwash Charter, The Carbon Literacy Project and communications agency Hattrick, the report draws on responses from over 3,000 people, including nearly 300 professionals in the built environment. It provides insight into the sector’s growing demand for standardisation and transparency in sustainability communications. (more…)

Regional inequalities in the quality of work continue to widen, new report claims

Regional inequalities in the quality of work continue to widen, new report claims

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new report from the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) shows that while employment levels across the UK remain high, the quality of work available to people varies sharply depending on where they liveA new report from the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) shows that while employment levels across the UK remain high, the quality of work available to people varies sharply depending on where they live. The 2025 edition of the Good Work Time Series suggests that regional inequalities in job quality are widening. Although people are in work, they are not necessarily in good work, with the study highlighting issues such as low autonomy, poor pay, unsocial hours and limited opportunities for development in many parts of the country. (more…)

Office utilisation reaches equilibrium, and demands a rethink of workplace strategy

Office utilisation reaches equilibrium, and demands a rethink of workplace strategy

by • News, Property, Workplace design

The British Council for Offices (BCO) has published a new report which claims that while office utilisation rates have stabilised, there has been a fundamental shift in how offices are usedThe British Council for Offices (BCO) has published a new report which claims that while office utilisation rates have stabilised, there has been a fundamental shift in how offices are used, with major implications for developers, investors and occupiers. The report, authored by Nigel Oseland of Workplace Unlimited, shows that the long-standing benchmark of 80 percent office utilisation is no longer fit for purpose. Post-pandemic data suggests a more realistic, but nevertheless conservative, figure of 66 percent equating to an effective density of 15 sq. m per occupant, up from the previous 12.5 sq. m. This recalibration reflects a maturing flexible working model that empowers organisations to right-size their space, reduce waste and enhance employee experience. With high-profile organisations in financial services and the public sector under the spotlight for space misalignment, the report offers timely, evidence-based guidance for the sector. (more…)

Commercial property growth in regional cities driven by financial services firms

Commercial property growth in regional cities driven by financial services firms

by • News, Property

Commercial property markets in regional UK cities are seeing significant growth as major financial institutions reconfigure their office strategiesCommercial property markets in regional UK cities are seeing significant growth as major financial institutions rethink their office strategies to focus on high-value client interactions in London while relocating support functions elsewhere. New research from JLL suggests that financial services firms have accounted for more than 440,000 square feet of inward investment in office space across Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham over the last decade. This is more than the space acquired by manufacturing (238,822 sq. ft) and service industries (224,813 sq. ft), though still behind technology, media and telecoms (TMT) and flexible workspace sectors. (more…)

Half of school leavers think they are unprepared for work, poll claims

Half of school leavers think they are unprepared for work, poll claims

by • News, Workplace

Two in five 18- to 24-year-olds have never completed any work experience and feel unprepared for work as a resultA new poll from the IPPR think tank claims that only 47 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds felt ready for work when they left education, compared with 60 per cent of over-26s. Despite more schools claiming that they offer high-quality work experience, two in five 18- to 24-year-olds have never completed any work experience and feel unprepared for work as a result. By contrast, earlier generations – those in their late 20s, 30s, and 40s – are significantly more likely to have done so. The report argues that the number of young people missing out on these opportunities could have implications for social mobility, with 60 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds agreeing that work experience opportunities usually rely on who you know, not what you know. (more…)

AI tools are widening the workplace divide between management and employees, report warns

AI tools are widening the workplace divide between management and employees, report warns

by • AI, News

New research suggests there is a widening gulf in the use of AI tools between senior leaders and junior staff, raising concerns that productivity gains from the technology are being unevenly sharedNew research suggests there is a widening gulf in the use of AI tools between senior leaders and junior staff, raising concerns that productivity gains from the technology are being unevenly shared. According to the Work that Works report from employment platform Employment Hero, nearly three-quarters of senior managers in the UK use AI tools each month. Among entry-level staff, that figure falls to just 32 percent. (more…)

Navel gazing may not be the answer to the challenges facing workplace professions

Navel gazing may not be the answer to the challenges facing workplace professions

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace, Workplace design

An adherence to strongly held beliefs can make people think and behave in peculiar ways and get them tangled up in peripheral issues that take on a great deal of significance. Early religious artists, for example, spent centuries wrestling with the seemingly intractable problem of whether to depict Adam and Eve with belly buttons or not. (more…)

Generational divide emerges on workplace AI

Generational divide emerges on workplace AI

by • AI, News, Workplace

Gen Z workers are not only the most enthusiastic users of workplace AI but also the most likely to be self-taughtAs artificial intelligence continues to reshape the world of work, younger employees are taking the lead in adopting and experimenting with new tools. According to a new survey by UKG and The Harris Poll, Gen Z workers are not only the most enthusiastic users of workplace AI but also the most likely to be self-taught. The research highlights a growing generational divide. While 84 percent of U.S. employees overall say they want AI to handle workplace processes, Gen Z – those aged 18 to 28 – are particularly eager. Ninety percent believe AI will save them time at work, with nearly a third expecting to reclaim up to 90 minutes a day. They’re also the most likely to have taken the initiative to learn AI skills independently, with 70 percent teaching themselves the tools they use. (more…)

New Accessibility Act sets out to transform workplace inclusion across the EU

New Accessibility Act sets out to transform workplace inclusion across the EU

by • News, Technology

The advocates of the new European Accessibility Act suggest that it will transform workplace inclusion across the EUThe European Accessibility Act (EAA) will come into force on 28 June 2025. It introduces standardised accessibility requirements for a range of products and services across European Union member states. Its advocates suggest that it will transform workplace inclusion across the EU. The act applies to digital and physical services including websites, mobile apps, e-commerce platforms, banking services, ticketing machines and ATMs. Its primary goal is to improve access for people with disabilities and to harmonise requirements across the EU single market. (more…)

New study suggests AI could be the key to workplace wellbeing

New study suggests AI could be the key to workplace wellbeing

by • AI, News, Wellbeing

A new report from audio brand Jabra, in collaboration with The Happiness Research Institute, claims that daily users of artificial intelligence tools are more likely to report higher levels of workplace wellbeing.A new report from audio brand Jabra, in collaboration with The Happiness Research Institute, claims that daily users of artificial intelligence tools are more likely to report higher levels of job satisfaction and optimism about their working lives. The study, Work and Wellbeing in the Age of AI [registration] is based on a survey of over 3,700 knowledge workers across 11 countries, including 360 in the UK. According to the report, UK respondents who use AI tools daily, referred to as “AI Advocates”, were 31.5 percent more satisfied in their jobs than those who do not use AI regularly. The researchers describe this figure for overall workplace wellbeing as being more than twice the global average difference between regular and infrequent AI users. (more…)

ROOM Launches The Room Collection: flexible architecture for today’s hybrid workplace 

ROOM Launches The Room Collection: flexible architecture for today’s hybrid workplace 

by • Company news, Flexible working, Workplace design

ROOM, the leading modular architecture company behind the award-winning Phone Booth and pioneer in hybrid workplace design, has introduced The Room Collection: a new series of scalable and adaptable rooms, designed to provide privacy in open floorplans and meet the dynamic needs of today’s businesses and office workers.ROOM, the leading modular architecture company behind the award-winning Phone Booth and pioneer in flexible workplace design, has introduced The Room Collection: a new series of scalable and adaptable rooms, designed to provide privacy in open floorplans and meet the dynamic needs of today’s businesses and office workers. A major pain point for employees is working in an office that hasn’t yet been optimized for the hybrid workplace. Simultaneously, businesses may find it difficult to swiftly adapt to changing workplace needs. While insufficient meeting spaces, poor acoustics and back-to-back virtual meetings plague workers, inflexible leases and hefty construction costs prevent business leaders from adapting accordingly. The Room Collection helps solve this through its easy-to-assemble, soundproof modular office system that can evolve to meet the needs of businesses at any stage. (more…)

The Kafka trap of return to office arguments

The Kafka trap of return to office arguments

by • Comment, Flexible working

This month I witnessed somebody misapplying the work of Kafka in an attempt to make a middlebrow point about the so-called return to officeRecently, I bemoaned how Orwell is often invoked in support of an argument by people who haven’t read him. They are usually drawing on some laundered misperception of his work, and especially Nineteen Eighty-Four. Well, just a few days ago, I witnessed somebody misapplying the work of Kafka in a similar attempt to make a middlebrow point about the so-called return to office. (more…)

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