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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

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

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…)

AI and robotics could replace as many as 40 percent of US jobs, McKinsey report suggests

AI and robotics could replace as many as 40 percent of US jobs, McKinsey report suggests

A new analysis from the McKinsey Global Institute suggests that about forty percent of jobs in the United States could be carried out by AI and robots if organisations chose to redesign how work is doneA new analysis from the McKinsey Global Institute suggests that about forty percent of jobs in the United States could be carried out by artificial intelligence (AI) and robots if organisations chose to redesign how work is done. The report claims that existing technology is already capable of automating more than half of all work hours across a wide range of roles, spanning both manual and cognitive tasks. (more…)

Industry charity holding third online Christmas charity auction this December

Industry charity holding third online Christmas charity auction this December

The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, is organising a third annual Online Christmas Charity Auction, with the hope of raising £10,000 to support its education, training, and welfare programmes.The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, is organising a third annual Online Christmas Charity Auction, with the hope of raising £10,000 to support its education, training, and welfare programmes. This year’s auction, running from 1–12 December, features over 25 lots, generously donated by companies and individuals from across the furnishing industry. From premium mattresses and luxury bedding bundles to iconic designer chairs, cultural experiences, and exclusive workshops, bidders will have the chance to secure exceptional items while supporting their industry charity at a key time of year. (more…)

Canary Wharf travel numbers return to pre pandemic levels

Canary Wharf travel numbers return to pre pandemic levels

New figures suggest a sustained return to office working in London’s major business district, with Tube and rail journeys to Canary Wharf reaching their highest levels since before the pandemicNew figures suggest a sustained return to office working in London’s major business district, with Tube and rail journeys to Canary Wharf reaching their highest levels since before the pandemic. An analysis of Transport for London data indicates that an average of 91,000 daily journeys were made to the district’s stations in October on the Underground, Elizabeth Line and Docklands Light Railway. The total exceeded the equivalent month in 2019 and outpaced the recovery seen in the City and West End, where employers in sectors such as media and technology have been slower to insist on full time office attendance. (more…)

For the first time in its history, ORGATEC has an overarching theme

For the first time in its history, ORGATEC has an overarching theme

ORGATEC, the biannual international trade fair for the workplace sector, has announced the first central theme in the event’s history as it prepares for its 2026 edition.ORGATEC, the biannual international trade fair for the workplace sector, has announced the first central theme in the event’s history as it prepares for its 2026 edition. Under the title From rooms to relationships: designing spaces in an ever-changing world, the fair will shift its focus towards the role of human experience in the design of work and contract environments. The event, which takes place in Cologne from 27 to 30 October 2026, aims to highlight how functional settings can evolve into places that support connection, collaboration and a sense of belonging.

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Shift to a low carbon economy could create millions of jobs but risks widening global divides

Shift to a low carbon economy could create millions of jobs but risks widening global divides

The shift to a low carbon economy is expected to reshape labour markets across the world over the next five years, with almost 14.4 million jobs set to be affected by 2030The shift to a low carbon economy is expected to reshape labour markets across the world over the next five years, with almost 14.4 million jobs set to be affected by 2030, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. The research suggests that while 2.4 million roles will be phased out, the emergence of new industries and technologies will generate around 12 million new positions, resulting in a net gain of 9.6 million jobs. Yet the report warns that the scale of disruption, combined with persistent economic and geopolitical pressures, could deepen existing inequalities both within and between countries. (more…)

Stress accounts for a quarter of UK short term workplace absence

Stress accounts for a quarter of UK short term workplace absence

Stress now accounts for more than a quarter of short term workplace absence in the UK, according to new research from Simplyhealth and the CIPD.Stress now accounts for more than a quarter of short term workplace absence in the UK, according to new research from Simplyhealth and the CIPD. The latest edition of the Health and Wellbeing at Work report, one of the most extensive surveys of its kind, shows that 26 percent of short term absences are attributed to stress. The authors also suggest that almost two thirds of HR professionals reported stress related absence in their organisation during the past year. (more…)

Tony Attard named as new chair for British Furniture Confederation

Tony Attard named as new chair for British Furniture Confederation

After ten years in the hot seat, Jonathan Hindle is stepping down as chairman of the British Furniture Confederation (BFC). The new chairman is Tony Attard, OBE, DL, founder and chairman of the Panaz Group. The BFC was set up in 2006 by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers Company (WCFM) to be the voice of the industry to government. Since its formation, its chairs have traditionally been Past Masters of the WCFM– Tony was Master in 2022-3 and President of the Furnishing Industry Benevolent Association (FTBA) prior to its merger with the FMC in 2012. (more…)

Most daily behaviours are driven by habits, rather than conscious decisions

Most daily behaviours are driven by habits, rather than conscious decisions

A new study suggests that a significant majority of daily behaviours are driven by habit rather than conscious decision-making, raising important questions for organisations about how routines form and how workplace environments shape behaviourA new study suggests that a significant majority of daily behaviours are driven by habit rather than conscious decision-making, raising important questions for organisations about how routines form and how workplace environments shape behaviour. The research, published in the journal Psychology & Health, was conducted by Amanda L. Rebar of the University of South Carolina alongside colleagues from the University of Surrey and Central Queensland University. The team sought to measure the extent to which people’s daily behaviours are initiated and carried out automatically, rather than deliberately, and how often those behaviours align with personal intentions. (more…)

Workspace Design Show Amsterdam reports strong growth for second edition

Workspace Design Show Amsterdam reports strong growth for second edition

The second Workspace Design Show Amsterdam drew record attendance to the RAI on 5 and 6 November, marking a notable expansion of interest in workplace interiors across Europe

The second Workspace Design Show Amsterdam drew record attendance to the RAI on 5 and 6 November, marking a notable expansion of interest in workplace interiors across Europe. The event, now in its second edition following its 2023 debut, brought together architects, designers, occupiers and suppliers for two days of discussion, product launches and industry networking. Organisers reported more than six thousand visitors from more than sixty five countries, a sharp rise from the first edition. Attendance was led by the Netherlands, followed by Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. More than one hundred and fifty exhibitors presented products spanning furniture, lighting, acoustics, flooring and workplace technology. The programme also expanded significantly, with more than one hundred and forty speakers taking part across three stages covering occupier strategies, design thinking and workplace experience. (more…)

Employers increasingly see AI as a way of reducing headcount

Employers increasingly see AI as a way of reducing headcount

UK firms are bullish about the use of GenAI but their employees are not so certain, according to a new pollOne in six (17 percent) employers expect AI to shrink their workforce over the next year, with junior roles most at risk, according to the CIPD’s latest Labour Market Outlook which surveyed over 2,000 employers on their hiring, redundancy and pay plans.  Of those, almost two thirds (62 percent) believe that clerical, junior managerial, professional or administrative roles are most likely to be lost because of AI. The risk is highest in large private sector firms, where one in four (26 percent) expect headcount to fall, compared with 17 percent in the private sector overall and 20 percent in the public sector. (more…)