September 9, 2019

Aping our robot overlords, Instagrammable buildings and some other stuff

by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

What happens to people when their skills become obsolete? If you’re not asking yourself this question already, you probably should. A new study from researchers at MIT and Wharton is the basis for this piece in Quartz at Work which considers the implications for what looks like a small technological change and its consequences for a large number of people who had to reset what they offered employers. (more…)

September 6, 2019

Escaping the hell of hot desking

by Tim Oldman • Comment, Workplace design

Hot-desking is a scourge on modern work. That’s the only conclusion you will draw by reading ‘The hidden hell of hot-desking is much worse than you think’ (published in the FT on 28 July 2019) and dozens more like it that continue to appear in national media and top business titles. The piece contends that organisations are using the guise of agile working to excuse their cost-saving prerogative. In reality it is a penny-pinching ploy that “strips people of their own desk and casts them out to the noisy, chaotic wasteland of shared work spots,” or so we’re told. (more…)

September 5, 2019

Workplace experience to be main theme of CoreNet Global

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Events, Property, Technology, Workplace design

Optimising the human workplace experience to achieve greater productivity and creativity will be explored in depth at the CoreNet Global Summit in Amsterdam this September. Over a dozen diverse sessions will examine multidisciplinary approaches to achieving gains in health, productivity and creativity alongside both academic and commercial research showing measurable benefits. (more…)

September 4, 2019

Wellbeing depends on workplace basics more than trivial features

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

A new report supports the idea that when it comes to the workplace and the effect it has on personal wellbeing and productivity, employees want the basics first. According to the Workplace Wellness Study published by Future Workplace, a New York-based research firm, and office technology provider View, the most highly prized features of an office are good air quality, access to natural light, and an ability to personalise immediate workspace. (more…)

September 4, 2019

Workplace design must address a neurodiverse workforce

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

HOK’s WorkPlace practice has issued its latest report, Designing a Neurodiverse Workplace (registration), exploring how organisations can apply workplace design to create physical environments that support the full range of neurodiversity in employees. HOK’s report includes interviews with experts as well as suggestions for design strategies, operational changes and individual adjustments that can support neurodiverse and neurotypical staff alike. (more…)

September 3, 2019

Work-life integration is the new goal for workers

by Nicole Bello • Comment, Flexible working, Technology

The modern world of work is a stressful one, and the goal to progress in our careers brings on even more pressure. Tight deadlines and demanding workloads are the typical order of the day, but just as important is to have the time to wind down and recharge the batteries. Historically, this has been known as work-life balance.

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September 3, 2019

Governments should respond to needs of older workers

by Mark Eltringham • News, Working lives, Workplace design

While firms are already being asked to do more to support their older workers by organisations like The Centre for Ageing Better, a new OECD report is arguing that it is an issue that Governments are not addressing as well as they might. It claims that the rapidly ageing population of countries around the world means that governments should promote more and better job opportunities for older workers to protect living standards and the sustainability of public finances.

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September 2, 2019

One in three flexible working requests turned down

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

One in three (30 percent) requests for flexible working are being turned down, according to a new TUC poll published today (Monday). The polling – published as children around the UK go back to school this week – reveals that flexible working is not available to many workers, and that people in working-class jobs are most likely to miss out on it. (more…)

August 30, 2019

Shaping the workplace of tomorrow

by Richard Glückman • Comment, Technology, Workplace design

The workplace, as we know it, is rapidly evolving and the role of the traditional office is changing. In fact, what current trends are pointing towards is that the whole work culture is shifting, with the employee experience becoming equally important as consumer needs. The new norm of the workplace is being flexible, dynamic, and versatile – yet, more often than not, companies lag behind in providing the right tools to support these trends. We can often see a significant gap between what the workforce needs and what the workplace offers. (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.

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August 30, 2019

Acting like an extravert increases wellbeing (and the reverse is true too)

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

Although researchers have long recognised a correlation between extraversion and general levels of happiness and wellbeing in individuals, the idea that simply acting in more extraverted could make people happier has been a source of contention. Now a new study from researchers at the University suggests that not only does acting in more extraverted ways increase people’s levels of positive emotion, the converse is also true, so merely acting like an introvert can reduce wellbeing. (more…)

August 30, 2019

Artificial Intelligence will positively impact accountancy, according to accountants themselves

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

For many, the thought of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is a daunting prospect. But it seems that the majority of chartered accountants believe it will, in fact, have a positive effect on the industry. According to research conducted by CABA, the charity supporting the wellbeing of chartered accountants and their families, 52 percent believe this to be the case, with 16 percent either unsure or predicating no impact at all. The same research also found that, more generally, the biggest bugbear for chartered accountants was the amount of work expected to be completed in the time available (41 percent). So, it’s encouraging that nearly 1 in 4 (25 percent) agree that AI will let humans add value elsewhere as robots take on more menial jobs. In addition, 17 percent stated that the adoption of AI/automation will increase productivity, with 11 percent also agreeing that it will reduce errors and improve attention to detail. (more…)