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We need to stop misusing the term ergonomic

We need to stop misusing the term ergonomic

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing, Workplace design, Works Magazine

Sedus ergonomic working from homeYou don’t have to search for long to find the word ergonomic; it pops up everywhere, in connection with every sort of product and device for the workplace (and elsewhere). You can – so the marketeers will tell you – buy an ‘ergonomic’ chair, desk, keyboard or mouse. What’s wrong with that? An awful lot actually. The word ergonomic has a particular meaning. Ergonomics (note the crucial addition of an ‘s’ at the end), from the Greek ‘Ergos’ for work or labour and ‘Nomos’, meaning natural law, is the discipline of designing and arranging an environment to optimise the comfort and performance of the individual. (more…)

RICS review promises greater focus on public interest

RICS review promises greater focus on public interest

by • News, Property

RICS logoLord Michael Bichard has published the Bichard RICS Review into the Institution’s Purpose, Governance and Strategy, which RICS Governing Council commissioned last December. The review was a key recommendation of Alison Levitt QC’s critical report into historic issues at RICS, which was published last September. RICS Governing Council said it ‘strongly endorses’ the report and recommendations, which were informed by a global stakeholder consultation process, and will now commence work on their practical implementation. Lord Bichard states in his report that the future success of the organisation “will require nothing less than a transformation of the Institution carried out at pace” and described the need for change as “urgent” and “unarguable”. (more…)

Flexible working options can support women in the workplace

Flexible working options can support women in the workplace

by • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

flexible working womenAs of May 2022, more than one hundred years after the passage of the Sex Disqualification Removal Act – legislation which opened the workplace equally to women – more than half of the UK’s female professionals are at risk of leaving their jobs. As a recent study showed, 52 percent of women in the UK say they are either considering leaving or have already left a role due to lack of flexibility. The widespread nature of this “Flexidus” is chilling. The pandemic has already set back women’s participation in the workforce back 22 years behind men. How can businesses respond with the flexible working choices that many women are seeking? (more…)

London Tech Week kicks off with new Government announcements on future of tech

London Tech Week kicks off with new Government announcements on future of tech

by • News, Technology

london tech weekThe Government’s review into the future of computing and its new UK Digital Strategy were unveiled at the start of London Tech Week as the world’s technology leaders, founders and next generation of tech superstars gather in the capital to collaborate on the future of the industry. Opening day speakers included Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson, Darren Hardman, VP & General Manager, AWS, Theo Blackwell MBE in conversation with New York City’s CTO Matt Fraser, Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemi?tkowski and The Body Coach CEO & Creative Director Nikki Wicks. (more…)

Young people should optimise the time they spend in the office

Young people should optimise the time they spend in the office

by • Features, Flexible working

young people in the officeDuring the pandemic, around 100 million people in Europe switched to working from home – nearly half of them for the first time. This shift was rapid, with employees quickly noticing the benefits of remote work. These can include freedom from commuting, more time for personal wellbeing and increased productivity. As we move on from pandemic restrictions, we’ve seen a strong, global demand for more flexible forms of working, particularly to retain an element of remote work. While some employees want to work from home permanently, most want what’s coming to be regarded as the best of both worlds: hybrid working. Only a minority of workers now want to return to the office full time. (more…)

The Furniture Makers’ Company announces Design Guild Mark 2022 holders

The Furniture Makers’ Company announces Design Guild Mark 2022 holders

by • Company news, Workplace design

design guild mark bisley buddyInnovation of materials and creativity remain at the forefront of British design as 23 outstanding submissions from three categories are to be awarded the coveted Design Guild Mark in 2022. The Design Guild Mark is awarded by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, to drive excellence and raise the profile of British design and innovation. It recognises the highest standards in the design of furnishings in volume production across three categories – Furniture, 2D Design, and Lighting Design. The award is open to designers working in Britain or British designers working abroad. (more…)

Lack of employer support exacerbates male health inequality

Lack of employer support exacerbates male health inequality

by • News, Wellbeing

male health inequalityNew research from Peppy claims that twenty-five per cent of employers do not offer any male-specific health support in the workplace, despite as many as 81 percent believing that not doing so, risks losing their best talent. As working-age men are 32 percent less likely to visit a GP compared to women, serious issues often go untreated for longer, sometimes until it is too late, the report claims, and as a result of this male health inequality, one in five men do not reach traditional retirement age. (more…)

Recruitment challenges are rooted in geopolitical unrest

Recruitment challenges are rooted in geopolitical unrest

by • News, Workplace

recruitment challengesAccording to a new poll from SumTotal Systems 60 percent of learning and development professionals think the current wave of recruitment challenges have their roots in wider political and economic  upheavals. The report also claims that 65 percent of L&D professionals are concerned about their organisation’s ability to meet skills demand over the next 24 months, given the current UK economic outlook. (more…)

Announcing Works: a magazine for, about, and by the workplace design community

Announcing Works: a magazine for, about, and by the workplace design community

by • News, Workplace design

Works magazineWelcome to the new magazine for the workplace interiors community. Works is about the workplace industry, for the workplace industry and by the workplace industry – as you will see from this pilot issue. We want to reconnect this thriving sector (the workplace ain’t dead, baby!). (more…)

Despite low productivity, UK firms still don’t look for ways to improve on past performance

Despite low productivity, UK firms still don’t look for ways to improve on past performance

by • Business, News

low productivity

Despite the UK’s persistent low productivity, less than a fifth of business owners are actively looking back at projects to identify areas for improvement. A large proportion of business owners (65 per cent) and senior managers (82 per cent) have increased their use of project-based methods on everyday tasks, such as introducing measures to identify and manage risk. Despite this, many are still failing to assign enough dedicated project managers to the work. New research from the Association for Project Management (APM)  claims that only 35 per cent of senior managers who participated in the survey regularly assign dedicated project managers to tasks, and only a quarter for business owners. (more…)

ESG ambitions should top organisational agendas

ESG ambitions should top organisational agendas

by • Comment, Environment, Wellbeing

ESGWhen the idea of ESG (environmental, social and governance credentials) first surfaced nearly two decades ago in a 2005 United Nations report, it was just an acronym businesses were trying to understand and get to grips with. But in the last few years, ESG strategies have gathered steam – it has become integral to C-Suite strategy and business purpose, and is a deal-breaker not just for investors but also for those considering new roles. In fact, a recent report revealed that job-seekers are turning down job offers by companies showcasing weak ESG credentials, a sure sign of the importance of substantive ESG policies for potential talent. Most of the larger conglomerates (if not all) have set targets to reach net-zero by a set date – ranging from as early as 2025 to anywhere within the next two decades. But is this going far enough for employees, stakeholders, future talent, and more broadly, for society? (more…)

The truth about motivation, engagement and the employment of motivated idiots

The truth about motivation, engagement and the employment of motivated idiots

by • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace, Workplace design

motivated idiotsThe current obsession with engagement and motivation is evident every time you read the business media these days. This is understandable in many ways, not least because it seems true that firms and employees are often working in an atmosphere of mistrust. But one thing that is often noticeable when a profession such as HR gets itself into a debate of this nature is the gap that can exist between practitioners and everybody else offering a view. So while academics can talk about definitions and suppliers seek to apply their solutions to the issue, it is often down to those who work at the sharp end to dish up the truth, however unpalatable or cynical that can seem to be. (more…)

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