March 26, 2021

Tarkett iD Inspiration, the cutting-edge modular vinyl flooring inspired by nature

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace design

Tarkett is revealing its new ultra-realistic modular vinyl collection, iD Inspiration. Reimagined for a rapidly changing world, iD Inspiration harnesses the power of nature to create feel-good interiors. Tarkett’s unique high-definition digital printing technology captures the beauty of wood and stone, revealing the most subtle details in grain, texture and colour. iD Inspiration will be available across Europe from May 2021 onwards. (more…)

March 24, 2021

Women in tech more likely to have career progression impacted by pandemic

by Jayne Smith • News, Technology, Working culture

A survey by Talent Works claims that the pandemic has negatively impacted the career progression for more women (33 percent) than men (21 percent). The research, which surveyed UK developers, also claims that 23 percent of women have seen their potential to earn negatively affected compared to 11 percent of men, with under 35s (21 percent) also having more pay cuts than over 35s (11 percent). (more…)

March 24, 2021

Tech companies sign for space at British Land’s London campuses

by Freddie Steele • Company news

British Land has leased over 30,000 sq ft of workspace at its London campuses to tech businesses Vorboss and Anaplan. Fibre provider Vorboss has chosen Broadwalk House, Broadgate for its new headquarters and will take 17,000 sq ft of plug-and-play space until 2025. They will join digital challenger bank, Monzo, who relocated its headquarters to the building in 2019. (more…)

March 23, 2021

UK tech jobs declined in 2020, but AI, cloud and robotics skills are on the rise

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Technology

The number of technology job listings in the UK declined by 57 percent during the past year, with fewer than 55,000 open roles advertised, according to the latest UK Tech Talent Tracker from Accenture (NYSE: ACN). Despite this, demand for skills in cutting-edge technologies such as cloud, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics saw a resurgence in many cities across the country. (more…)

March 22, 2021

The era of work personalisation is upon us

by Gary Chandler • Comment, Workplace design

You may have heard it said that any idea repeated often enough develops some form of legitimacy. We’ve had plenty of reason to reflect on whether this notion is true or nor over the past year, especially as all-encompassing pronouncements about the future of work have proliferated and intensified. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that around 80 percent of people only read headlines. This can be a particular issue when you see a headline like The Death of the Office Desk is Upon Us above an article that suggests the death of the personal desk is upon us, when the reality is rather more about the personalisation of work. (more…)

March 18, 2021

From the archive: Escaping the gravity of the fixed times and places of work

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Working culture

In November 2019, just before that thing happened, there was this… The worst workplace related news story of 2019 is also one of the most widely reported. I’m not linking to it because I don’t want to give it any credibility, but it has been discharged into the ether by Fellowes along with a ‘behavioural futurist’ called William Higham. I will say only two things about it. Firstly, we flatly refused to publish a story about the damn thing and it’s a shame that the mainstream media couldn’t spot it for the utter drivel it is. The fact that they have picked up on it says something about the way such issues are covered in the press. That’s why you’re more likely to see a stress-related story about rats driving cars on the BBC than you are something meaningful. (more…)

March 18, 2021

Moving front-line staff between company locations might be key to boosting innovation

by Jayne Smith • Business, News

Temporary moves boost creativity according to new research from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM). The study suggests, when front-line employees are exchanged between company sites, they contribute more valuable ideas. (more…)

March 17, 2021

Mental health and wellbeing are top of the priority list

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

A new in-depth report by HR and payroll software providers, Natural HR highlights the trends, challenges and priorities facing the HR profession, and the impact of the pandemic. In 2019, the top priority of HR leaders was cited as recruitment and retention, however by the end of 2020 this had shifted to employee health and wellbeing. (more…)

March 15, 2021

Serfs up for the self-employed and gig economy workers (and the middle class)

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Flexible working, Working culture

One of the most significant consequences of the 2008 economic crash was a remarkable shift in the nature of employment. The recession led to a surge in the number of people categorised as self-employed. The numbers have been increasing ever since, albeit at a lower rate. By the end of 2019, the number of self-employed people in the UK exceeded five million people for the first time. Fifteen percent of the workforce. (more…)

March 15, 2021

Workplace anthropology will help us make sense of the now and anticipate what’s next

by Christopher Diming • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

We are scarcely nine months into the Covid-19 pandemic, after a long spring and harsh summer. Social distancing has led to remote working becoming widespread, leading to doubts regarding the office’s long-term relevance. However, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) argues in a recent report that the office’s traditional domain will expand, with new functions including fostering collaboration, facilitating company culture, and promoting human experience. Similarly, experts increasingly characterise the workplace as a hybrid ecosystem combining virtual and physical elements with geographically-dispersed campuses. (more…)

March 11, 2021

BCO offers new guidance on indoor air quality

by Neil Franklin • Facilities management, News, Wellbeing

A new BCO research paper, Thoughts on ventilation design and operation post COVID-19, has called for UK offices to ensure they have adequate ventilation ahead of the return to work. The paper highlights that while most offices that follow good practice guidelines do benefit from indoor air quality, there are also many examples of poorly ventilated offices that fall short of the best practice guidelines set out in the BCO’s 2019 Guide to Specification. Poorly ventilated indoor spaces have been linked to COVID-19 super spreader events and the paper states that ventilation in these offices must be “addressed urgently.” (more…)

March 10, 2021

Siemens commits to making Smart Infrastructure HQ carbon neutral by 2023

by Jayne Smith • Environment, News, Workplace design

Siemens Smart Infrastructure plans to transform its global headquarters in Zug, Switzerland, into a carbon neutral location by 2023. To achieve this, a comprehensive renovation of an existing building on Theilerstrasse 1c will commence in May 2021 for a period of two years. Siemens has earmarked around EUR 63 million (CHF 70 million) for the refurbishment works. (more…)