March 5, 2024
Search Results for: people
March 5, 2024
If you want to increase productivity, let an algorithm decide the incentives
by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace
Targeting workers with different incentive schemes based on their individual characteristics leads to greater performance and increased productivity and is much more effective than a one size fits all approach, according to new research from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and published in the Management Science Journal. To study the impact of targeted incentive schemes on performance, Timo Vogelsang, Professor of Accounting at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, alongside colleagues from University of Cologne, ran two large-scale experiments with more than 12,000 participants on Amazon MTurk. (more…)
March 5, 2024
Finding the spark of creativity in the routine and boredom of every day
by Mark Eltringham • Features, Premium Content
Every day, after a leisurely breakfast in bed and the opening of his post, Roald Dahl would wander down his garden to the grubby little hut crammed with personal paraphernalia he had created. There he would sharpen the six yellow pencils that were always by his side while he worked, settle into an armchair, put his feet up on an old suitcase filled with logs, place an American yellow legal pad of paper onto a makeshift board on his lap and work for two hours. (more…)
March 4, 2024
Major built environment institutes renew joint pledge to tackle global instability as cities boom
by Neil Franklin • Cities, Company news, Environment
With almost 70 percent of the world’s population predicted to live in cities by 2050, major built environment professional institutes, including architects, planners, structural engineers and landscape practitioners, have renewed their joint pledge to collaborate to tackle urgent global challenges. Members of the UK Built Environment Advisory Group (UKBEAG), a group first launched in 2016 comprising the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and the Landscape Institute (LI), have committed to work together for at least another 5 years. (more…)
March 4, 2024
A quarter of projects don’t meet their stated goals – but that’s not because of remote working
by Neil Franklin • Business, Flexible working, News
A quarter of all projects do not meet the business goals that their organisations set for them, according to research published by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the 15th edition of its Pulse of the Profession report – The Future of Project Work. The newly released report, based on the responses of over 2,000 project professionals and 300+ senior leaders around the world, paints what the report says is a concerning picture of project outcomes across various industries globally. The report also highlights the reasons for this and excludes remote working as a major factor. (more…)
March 4, 2024
New plans for public sector productivity ‘will deliver up to £1.8 billion worth of benefits by 2029’
by Jayne Smith • News, Public Sector
The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has outlined plans to improve public sector productivity that the government claims will deliver up to £1.8 billion worth of benefits by 2029. The statement focuses on public sector productivity because the government says it is “an alternative to accepting an ever-increasing bill for public services as [it] sticks to its plan to move on from the high spending and high tax approach that was necessary to get the UK through the shocks of Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A new focus is needed on the long-term decisions required to strengthen the economy and give people the opportunity to build a wealthier, more secure life for themselves and their family.” (more…)
March 1, 2024
The only way is ethics … the Workplace Cocktail Hour with David Sharp
by Neil Franklin • AI, Facilities management, Podcasts, Premium Content, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace Cocktail Hour
David Sharp joins Mark Eltringham on the Workplace Cocktail Hour to share a bourbon, discuss a wide range of issues – and avoid one that won’t help either of them. They discuss the ethics of artificial intelligence, why we need more friction in our lives (and less seamlessness), the philosophy of work, how to deal with social media, the importance of making your own life more difficult on purpose, and the pleasures of finding out you are wrong about something.
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March 1, 2024
They call it mellow yellow. Issue 19 of IN Magazine lands
by Mark Eltringham • Environment, Flexible working, IN Magazine, Premium Content, Property, Technology, Workplace design
The new issue of IN Magazine has been published online today. In this issue: we ask why firms are so reluctant to change what they do; a dream of the past and future of work; Andy Lake talks about his new, visionary book; how AI might make cities worse; what inclusive design means; a panel of experts discuss what changing work practices mean for major business districts; why we must rethink how we light our streets and squares; how to strike the right balance when it comes to creating meetings in offices; and we take a grand tour through the Bucharest HQ of the world’s biggest travel group. (more…)
February 29, 2024
Two in five architects say they are already using AI on projects
by Jayne Smith • AI, Architecture, News, Technology
New research by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) suggests that 41 percent of UK architects are already using artificial intelligence (AI) on at least the occasional project, and of those, 43 percent think it has made the design process more efficient. The RIBA AI report includes the findings of a survey asking architects how they are using and plan to use AI. In the next 2 years, 54 percent of architects expect their practice to use AI, and 57 percent think it will improve efficiency in the design process. However, this ambition this doesn’t yet seem to be matched by investment, as 69 percent say their practice has not invested in AI research and development, and only 41 percent expect their practice to invest. (more…)
February 29, 2024
Employee wellbeing advocate shortlisted for Veuve Clicquot Bold Awards
by Jayne Smith • Company news, Wellbeing
Francesca Brady, founder of AirRated who advocates for employee wellbeing and cleaner air in the workplace has been named as a finalist in Veuve Clicquot’s Future Awards, the international awards programme celebrating businesswomen. Previous winners include Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, the inventor of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID vaccine and Jo Whitfield, CEO of Co-Op Food. Francesca’s work highlights the dangers of a polluted workplace, as research shows the link between pollution, cognitive decline, dementia and poor employee wellbeing and mental health. (more…)
February 28, 2024
What do we need offices for anyway? The Greeks had a word for it
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Workplace design
The Greek word anagnorisis describes the sense of having just caught up with a truth that was always waiting for you. It’s a common literary and artistic device found in the plots of everything from Oedipus Rex to Macbeth, Star Wars and Fight Club, but it’s also a word that conveys a useful, complex idea that does not have an adequate English version. The mot juste, if you like. And it’s a useful idea when it comes to framing the current conversation we are having about offices and work more generally. (more…)

















February 29, 2024
We can learn a lot about performance from elite sports
by John McLachlan • Comment, Workplace