Search Results for: workplace

How many fingers am I holding up?

How many fingers am I holding up?

Quoting George Orwell is the kind of thing that people who haven’t read Orwell do. The term Orwellian is used by people who have not only not read him, but have latched on to some laundered idea of the themes of his work. They are not only misrepresenting him, but misrepresenting a misrepresentation. If it were true that the dead could spin in their graves, Orwell would solve the world’s energy crisis. He could power the Northern Hemisphere by reacting to the liberties taken with Nineteen Eighty-Four alone. Anyway. I have read him so you and he will have to forgive me for what I’m about to say. (more…)

Best practice for maintaining an agile workforce through upskilling

Best practice for maintaining an agile workforce through upskilling

Workforces need to evolve now more than ever. A report from the World Economic Forum claims that around a quarter of jobs will shift in the next five years. Its ‘Future of Jobs Report for 2023’ notes that though an estimated 69 million new jobs will be created, another 83 million will be eliminated. A few factors contributing to creating and eliminating jobs are macro trends—such as a rise in sustainability efforts among businesses, the localisation of supply chains, high inflation, and slower economic growth. (more…)

Digital nomads are starting to price out local communities around the world

Digital nomads are starting to price out local communities around the world

Remote working: how a surge in digital nomads is pricing out local communities around the world. For eight years I have studied digital nomadism, the millennial trend for working remotely from anywhere around the world. I am often asked if digital nomads are driving gentrification. Before COVID upended the way we work, I would usually tell journalists that the numbers were too small for a definitive answer. Most digital nomads were travelling and working illegally on tourist visas. It was a niche phenomenon. Three years into the pandemic, however, I am no longer sure. (more…)

What Aldous Huxley can teach us about acoustics and distractions at work

What Aldous Huxley can teach us about acoustics and distractions at work

Aldous Huxley who had some thoughts on acoustics and unwanted noiseOver the last few years there has been something of a loud and widespread backlash to the idea that we need to have constant access to information and our colleagues to work effectively. The touchstone for this pushback is of course the open plan office which has become something of a scapegoat for the universal problem of interruption and distraction and a renewed interest in the complexities of acoustics in office design. It is also one of the main reasons people prefer to work anywhere other than offices some or all of the time. (more…)

Growth of serviced office market doesn’t mean it has bounced back

Growth of serviced office market doesn’t mean it has bounced back

An analysis of the UK serviced office market from Sirius Property Finance, claims that while the sector is set to grow by 17 percent in 2023, a growing acceptance of remote working means it is still struggling to match its pre-pandemic highs.An analysis of the UK serviced office market from Sirius Property Finance, claims that while the sector is set to grow by 17 percent in 2023, a growing appetite for remote working means it is still struggling to match its pre-pandemic highs. (more…)

One-third of hybrid working managers feel they need to prove their worth when working from home

One-third of hybrid working managers feel they need to prove their worth when working from home

Almost one-third (30 percent) of hybrid working managers feel they need to prove their worth when working from home - significantly higher than the non-management populationA poll of 3,000 workers in Europe and North America from Insights Learning & Development claims that managers of hybrid working teams see multiple benefits to a new working arrangement. These include improved team performance, improved team agility and increased ability to deliver on objectives.  However, on a personal level, many managers highlighted the need for more support. Almost one-third (30 percent) of these managers feel they need to prove their worth when working from home – significantly higher than the non-management population. (more…)

Cost of living crisis and other employee concerns are top risk concerns of businesses

Cost of living crisis and other employee concerns are top risk concerns of businesses

The managers and owners of firms across the UK now believe that the cost of living crisis is the top risk to their business, closely followed by a range of employee related issuesThe managers and owners of firms across the UK now believe that the cost of living crisis is the top risk to their business, closely followed by a range of employee related issues, according to a new poll. Employee related risks in the top five include lack of skilled talent, employee retention and cost of salaries. Despite the cost of materials continuing to rise over the last 12 months, this risk has dropped back from first place in 2022. Risks relating to debts, late payments and fraud all make an appearance in the top ten for the first time. (more…)

Two thirds of bosses think people should ask permission before using AI at work

Two thirds of bosses think people should ask permission before using AI at work

68 percent of business leaders think it’s unethical for employees to use AI at work without the permission of a managerA new survey commissioned by Tech.co claims that 68 percent of business leaders think it’s unethical for employees to use AI at work without the permission of a manager. The firms believes that the  rise of generative AI tools has emphasised the need for complex ethical AI frameworks to govern its application in the workplace. Without these ethical frameworks, the technology risks threatening human roles and intellectual property in morally dubious and potentially harmful ways. (more…)

Putting a new approach to office design in the frame

Putting a new approach to office design in the frame

The traditional ways we think about office design need to be rethought in response to the new and emerging challenges businesses now faceIt is now a truism to suggest that the traditional ways we think about office design need to be rethought in response to the new and emerging challenges businesses now face. Most people accept this but are still trying to work out the implications for the way we design and manage the physical workplace. The office needs to tell a new story. And one way to structure this narrative this is to borrow ideas from the movie screenwriting process. (more…)

Office lease lengths may be decreasing but majority of firms will increase their footprint

Office lease lengths may be decreasing but majority of firms will increase their footprint

office lease lengths has fallen to the lowest on record and that vacancies rates had soared, office designers Unispace are suggesting firms should be wary of making 'rash decisions' regarding their office footprintResponding to reports from property management platform, Re-Leased, that UK office lease lengths has fallen to the lowest on record and that vacancies rates had soared, office designers Unispace are suggesting firms should be wary of making ‘rash decisions’ regarding their office footprint over the long term. A study published by the firm – Returning for Good – which surveyed 9,500 employees and 6,650 employers from 17 countries worldwide – claims that while employees in the UK spend the least amount of time in the office compared to any other country, there is an expectation that this will increase as workers face limited access to career progression opportunities while working remotely. (more…)

The office no longer provides ‘separation between life and work’, remote work survey claims

The office no longer provides ‘separation between life and work’, remote work survey claims

office workers are experiencing the highest levels of burnout and lowest levels of happiness and job satisfaction when compared to remote and hybrid workersA new poll from IE University,  the WorkAnywhere campaign and Remote claims that office workers are experiencing the highest levels of burnout and lowest levels of happiness and job satisfaction when compared to remote and hybrid workers. The team behind the survey say this indicates that the office environment isn’t the effective separator between life and work that many believe it to be. According to findings from The Global Life-Work Survey, in the past month alone, 41 percent of full-time office workers experienced signs of burnout compared to 26 percent of fully remote workers and 34 percent of hybrid workers. (more…)

Global prime office rents rise for second continuous quarter – Savills

Global prime office rents rise for second continuous quarter – Savills

An international real estate advisor says the fact that prime office rents are continuing to edge up demonstrates that demand is thereSavills latest global Prime Office Costs (SPOC) analysis claims that net effective costs for occupiers taking top quality office space in key cities around the world rose 0.3 percent in Q2, following a rise of 1.1 percent in Q1. The international real estate advisor says the fact that prime office rents are continuing to edge up demonstrates that tenant demand is still present and landlords are cautiously optimistic in some markets. (more…)