Search Results for: technology

Outdated offices are sabotaging ‘return to office’ policies

Outdated offices are sabotaging ‘return to office’ policies

by • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

The debate over whether to return to the office or sustain a remote team has become one of the most significant workplace discussions in recent yearsThe debate over whether to return to office work or sustain a remote team has become one of the most significant workplace discussions in recent years. Companies are struggling to balance remote and in-office work, yet strict return-to-office (RTO) mandates are failing to deliver the intended results. While many assume the COVID-19 pandemic was the advent of hybrid work models, in reality, many businesses had already begun adopting flexible work arrangements before the pandemic accelerated the shift to remote working. More →

An AI divide risks growth for many organisations, new Microsoft research claims 

An AI divide risks growth for many organisations, new Microsoft research claims 

by • AI, News

An opportunity to boost the UK’s economy and improve public services could be at risk if too many organisations don't act on AIAn opportunity to boost the UK’s economy and improve its public services in ‘the coming age of agentic AI’ could be at risk if too many organisations remain ‘stuck in neutral’ on artificial intelligence, ?according to?new research?commissioned by Microsoft. The study, led by Dr Chris Brauer at Goldsmiths, University of London, claims that the highest performing businesses and most productive public sector organisations have a clear strategy in place and are preparing for the next wave of the technology – which the report refers to as agentic AI.?1 More →

Bigger and better than ever, Workspace Design Show London returns

Bigger and better than ever, Workspace Design Show London returns

by • Facilities management, News, Workplace design

In just a few days, the eagerly-awaited Workspace Design Show, the trade show that brings together the UK workplace interiors community, will open its doorsIt’s back. The Workspace Design Show London is bigger and better than ever, with over 5,000 workplace professionals, including architects, designers, developers, and end-user occupiers, joining together to explore the present and future of workspace design and management. In just a few days, the eagerly-awaited Workspace Design Show, the trade show that brings together the UK workplace interiors community, will open its doors. Held at London’s Business Design Centre, handily placed in the heart of Islington, from 26-27 February 2025, the event offers attendees the chance to explore the latest industry trends, see the latest products, and find inspiration in the thought-provoking talks programmes. More →

HLW announces three new managing partners as part of new leadership team

HLW announces three new managing partners as part of new leadership team

by • Company news

Design and architecture practice HLW has announced a new Global Leadership Team as the firm enters its 140th year.Design and architecture practice HLW has announced a new Global Leadership Team as the firm enters its 140th year. Established in 1885, HLW has been led by partnership since 1900, when founder Cyrus Eidlitz joined with Andrew McKenzie to pioneer the design of a new building typology. From that foundation, the firm has grown into a dynamic global architecture practice  headquartered in New York with a flagship international office in London, and steward of the built environment. The new Global Leadership team will advance HLW’s legacy of innovation through collaboration in a historic expansion of its governance, codifying the commitment to integrated leadership at an international scale. More →

Getting Zoom fatigue? Chances are you’re tired of looking at yourself

Getting Zoom fatigue? Chances are you’re tired of looking at yourself

by • News, Technology, Wellbeing

New research suggests that excessive self-monitoring during virtual meetings leads to dissatisfaction with appearance and Zoom fatigueThe rise of virtual meetings has transformed workplace communication, offering flexibility and global connectivity. However, this shift has not come without challenges, particularly in the form of virtual meeting (VM) fatigue, commonly referred to as “Zoom fatigue.” A new study published in the journal PLOS One examines how facial appearance dissatisfaction, impression management behaviours, and VM fatigue contribute to the adoption—or rejection—of virtual meeting technologies in professional settings. More →

Furniture Makers to hold next sustainability event focussed on material choices

Furniture Makers to hold next sustainability event focussed on material choices

by • Environment, Furniture, News

he Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, is hosting its next sustainability event focussed on examining some of the established and widely used materials in the furniture and furnishings sectorThe Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, is hosting its next sustainability event focussed on examining some of the established and widely used materials in the furniture and furnishings sector. The seminar, which is sponsored by the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP), Ocee & Four Design, Panaz and Satra Technology, will be held on Tuesday 4 March at Furniture Makers’ Hall, London. Organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company’s Climate Change and Sustainability Committee, the event will include presentations on foam, fabrics, textiles, leather and wood. In addition, new materials will be discussed and the necessary investigations in relation to recycled content, future recyclability and other implications. More →

A break in the workspace-time continuum

A break in the workspace-time continuum

by • Comment, Wellbeing

The fracturing of time and place underlies every one of the great workplace issues of our time. Everything that springs from this – the where, when, how, what and why of work – is defined by the shattering of any fixed idea we may once have had of a time and a place to work. Because the challenge to these traditional ideas is now so inextricably linked in our minds with new technology, we might often  forget that people have been asking questions about how we can get the most out of each day for thousands of years. Tempus fugit after all, and as a consequence we’ve always known that how we spend our days is how we spend our lives. More →

Most people are happy for AI to inform decisions about work, CIPD claims

Most people are happy for AI to inform decisions about work, CIPD claims

by • AI, News, Workplace

To coincide with National Productivity Week, a CIPD poll suggests that almost two thirds of people (63 percent) would trust artificial intelligence (AI) to inform - but not make - important decisions at workTo coincide with National Productivity Week, a CIPD poll suggests that almost two thirds of people (63 percent) would trust artificial intelligence (AI) to inform – but not make – important decisions at work. According to the poll of over 2,000 people, over a third (35 percent) wouldn’t trust AI to make important decisions at work, preferring to use human intelligence. Just 1 percent of respondents would trust AI to make important work decisions. More →

Half of people would quit their job if they thought their boss were spying on them. (And they are)

Half of people would quit their job if they thought their boss were spying on them. (And they are)

by • News, Technology, Workplace

More than half of British employees would quit their job if they were subjected to surveillance whilst working, but more than half of UK bosses say they cannot trust their employees without monitoring them, according to a new poll from ExpressVPN. The new study explores the views and experiences relating to the ‘workplace surveillance’ of 1,000 employees and 1,000 employers in the UK. While physical surveillance through the use of cameras and badge/pass scanners in the workplace is more widely known, the increase in remote working in recent years has driven the rise of online surveillance, according to the report. More →

Older workers enduring a ‘silent workplace mental health crisis’

Older workers enduring a ‘silent workplace mental health crisis’

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new poll from workplace mental health provider Unmind claims to highlight significant generational, gender, and role-based divides in attitudes towards workplace mental health and emerging technologies like AIA new poll from workplace mental health provider Unmind claims to highlight significant generational, gender, and role-based divides in attitudes towards workplace mental health and emerging technologies like AI. The study of 2,500 employees across the UK reveals that older workers feel particularly excluded from conversations around mental health, with stigma proving the biggest barrier to accessing support among this demographic. More →

Businesses are cautiously optimistic despite economic and technological uncertainty

Businesses are cautiously optimistic despite economic and technological uncertainty

by • Business, News

Nearly three-in-five businesses optimistic about global economic outlook as they plan headcount increases and continued AI rolloutAlmost 60 percent of CEOs around the world expect global economic growth to increase over the next 12 months, according to PwC’s 28th Annual Global CEO Survey, launched during today’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The report, which surveyed 4,701 CEOs across 109 countries and territories, also finds that 42 percent of businesses expect to increase headcount by 5 percent or more in the next 12 months – more than double the proportion who expect headcount decreases (17 percent), and up from 39 percent last year. The percentage is highest (48 percent) among smaller companies (less than US$100 million) and those in the technology (61 percent), real estate (61 percent), private equity (52 percent) and pharma and life sciences (51 percent) sectors. More →

We still display status in office design, but in new and subtle ways

We still display status in office design, but in new and subtle ways

by • Comment, Workplace design

There was a time, not so long ago, that one of the most important factors to consider when designing an office was the corporate hierarchy. The office was once the  embodiment of the corporate structure. In Joanna Eley and Alexi Marmot’s 1995 book Understanding Offices, quite a lot of space is dedicated to the idea of the ‘space pyramid’, which means simply that the higher up the organisation you were, the more space you were allocated and the better your furniture and surroundings. Even then, the idea of office design as a signifier of dominance was starting to wear thin, as the authors acknowledge. Ostentatious displays of status were already seen as somewhat gauche, but they were to be fatally undermined by the technological advances to come.

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