November 4, 2020
According to new research from Pluralsight, Inc. (NASDAQ: PS), the technology skills and engineering management platform, 43 percent of UK office workers are worried they will be left behind as companies seek new skills to cope with the rapid pace of change. Yet, despite these upskilling concerns, 47 percent have neglected learning any new skills since the lockdown began in the UK on March 23rd. (more…)
November 4, 2020
New research from CWJobs claims the UK tech skills gap is set to narrow. Surveying over 2,000 professionals, comprising of 1,120 tech workers and 1,026 non-tech workers, the report suggests that over half (55 percent) of non-tech workers contemplating a career change have considered or have begun the process of moving into a tech-based role, with almost one in 10 (8 percent) having already made the move. (more…)
October 30, 2020
Eighty-two percent of US based employers now believe the organisation should absorb the cost of a home office setup for employees that work from home full-time. This is a dramatic increase over those who did so before COVID-19. These and other findings from The Future of Home Office Cost Sharing survey from Global Workplace Analytics and Design Public Group, will lead to profound changes in how companies procure and distribute technology and furniture, budget for workplaces, attract and retain talent, and manage safety risk, according to the report’s authors. (more…)
October 30, 2020
Bisley’s award-winning MultiDrawer has firmly established itself as a much-loved piece of furniture since it was designed by Freddie Brown in 1958 and is found in many forms within the traditional office or the home. Now, as part of their new Belong collection, Bisley has launched the MultiRange, a reinvention of the iconic MultiDrawer to reflect the more flexible working patterns we’ve all adapted to in 2020. Accompanied by an accessory range that can be also incorporated into the original MultiDrawer, the MultiRange makes the design classic work even harder in your space. (more…)
October 28, 2020
We have come a long way since the government began encouraging home working in March, ahead of the national lockdown. It seems wildly naïve now to assume that we would all be back in the office two or three weeks later as if nothing had ever happened. After many months of mixed messages regarding ‘stay at home’ versus ‘go back to work’, many business owners and employees quite rightly feel that the whole process seems like one step forward, two steps back. And yet, one thing that has become clear for all office-based businesses is that working life has changed forever. (more…)
October 28, 2020
Research conducted by NFU Mutual, a commercial insurer, claims that 47 percent of businesses feel more vulnerable to cyber-attack since the increase of remote working. Despite increased concerns, 45 percent of businesses have not taken any action to protect themselves from cyber-crime. Of those who have not taken action, 79 percent think that because their business is small, the threat of cyber-attack is low. The remaining 21 percent were not aware of, or did not understand, the protection measures available to them. (more…)
October 26, 2020
It almost goes without saying that how we work and interact with each other has changed dramatically over the past few months. We have come to rely on technology to replace in-person interactions, be it for a meeting, birthday party, or dinner with friends. Thankfully, most people are able to stay digitally connected through the “three screens of our lives”—a mobile device, a tablet, and a desktop or laptop computer. This would not have been possible in the very recent past and it has profound implications for office design. (more…)
October 23, 2020
Here’s the perfect story for the day the clocks turn back in the UK. Our perceptions of temperature can be affected by the levels of daylight we experience. That is the core finding of a new study from researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne led by Giorgia Chinazzo. The study published in the journal Scientific Reports claims to show for the first time that low levels of daylight can make people feel colder. (more…)
October 23, 2020
Lighting innovator FUTURE Designs has introduced FUZONE500, a unique lighting solution that harnesses all the anti-viral and anti-bacterial elimination qualities of ultraviolet light without any of the harmful effects to humans or physical surfaces. With over 38 million confirmed cases worldwide and over 600,000 in the UK alone, Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the way we live and interact with our surroundings. Cases are increasing at an astronomical rate and finding effective solutions to control its spread has become paramount. (more…)
October 22, 2020
Graduates today are largely considered to be the ‘net generation’. Growing up whilst social media accelerated, their years in higher education have been synonymous with digital literacy, even before COVID-19 turned their studies entirely virtual. This monumental move into a digital workplace also echoed throughout the job market. As offices closed in Spring and millions were furloughed across hospitality, retail and travel, demand spiked by 36 percent for roles advertised in the digital tech sector. (more…)
October 21, 2020
The Future of Jobs 2020 report from the World Economic Forum claims that COVID-19 has caused the labour market to change faster than expected. The research suggests that what was recently considered the future of work has now arrived. By 2025, automation and a new division of labour between humans and machines will disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies. (more…)
November 5, 2020
Leadership in a new age of virtuality
by Andrew Mawson • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Technology, Workplace design