September 22, 2020
Let’s face it: there can’t have been many workplaces left untouched by the coronavirus pandemic. On the busy trading floors at the major stock exchanges and investment companies – and the big financial districts as a whole – life has changed considerably. (more…)
September 22, 2020
More than 11 million UK working adults have taken time off work for poor mental wellbeing, costing businesses an estimated 40 million working days each year, claims new research from healthcare provider, Benenden Health. As many as a third (35 percent) of UK employees took time off work due to poor mental health in 2019, with workers absent for between two and five days on average, costing UK businesses an estimated 4o million individual days of work. (more…)
September 22, 2020
Water cooler chats and the buzz of office life is set to remain on hold until at least the New Year as businesses look to restructure their office needs from January. A government drive to see more office employees return to work in the workplace has seen a rise in commuters to more than 60 percent according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. (more…)
September 21, 2020
It almost goes without saying that this year has seen a rapid shift towards remote working, with many companies now moving to a flexible working model. From a business perspective, many employees are proving that they can still get their work done working from home. But what is the psychological impact of this? And are companies doing enough to research and prevent any negative psychological effects of remote working? (more…)
September 21, 2020
Singapore, Helsinki and Zurich have taken the top three places positions in the 2020 IMD-SUTD Smart City Index Report, a collaboration between IMD and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). The 2020 Index ranked 109 cities, 7 more than in last year’s inaugural edition, by using both economic and technological data, taken together with citizens’ perceptions of how “smart” their cities were. It is published under the aegis of the IMD Smart City Observatory (SCO). (more…)
September 21, 2020
High-status political figures and senior executives are only influential if their own ideologies are seen as mainstream and not too extreme, claims new research from business school ESMT Berlin. Those with high-status in an organisation have greater influence, making it easier for them to get their ideas and initiatives adopted by the organisation. Their views often carry greater weight due to the greater attention paid to them, the higher likelihood they are seen in a positive light, and the strong support networks around their ideas. (more…)
September 21, 2020
Take-up of office and laboratory space in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc has remained resilient during the first half of 2020, according to a new report from property consultants Bidwells. The firm claims that 117,600 sq ft was taken in Oxford between January and July, reaching 85 per cent of the city’s ten-year average despite the Covid-19 pandemic. (more…)
September 18, 2020
We have very clearly arrived at a point of inflection in the world of work right now, with more time than ever spent pondering some of its bigger questions. Like what will individuals expect from their place of work? What will employers be willing to offer them? How will the culture – the very fabric – of our offices change as a result of the pandemic? In the midst of all the head scratching and soul searching over what this brave new world of work might look like, there is an increasingly vocal minority arguing that a new, better path has already been paved. Where? In Scandinavia, of course. (more…)
September 18, 2020
More than half of UK workers – 53 percent – plan to make a change to their career in the next 12 months as a direct result of the Coronavirus pandemic according to a new study from Aviva. The How We Live report claims the most popular career aspiration emerging from the crisis is the desire for flexibility. One in 10 (10 percent) UK workers say that in the next 12 months, they aim to find a role that will allow them to work from home. (more…)
September 18, 2020
As the UK is in the midst of the traditional ‘back to school’ period, many workplaces are debating over when to return to the office, and how. The sudden move to remote working during lockdown has proven that a new hybrid way of working is in fact possible for numerous organisations, but this has come at the expense of face to face communication and in person collaboration. (more…)
September 18, 2020
Cornerstone OnDemand have published a new workforce trends report from the Cornerstone People Research Lab (CPRL) titled A License to Skill: Embracing the Reskilling Revolution. The research report claims that while organisational leaders and employees have rallied around the importance of skills, there remains a confidence gap in the efficacy of skills-based learning programmes that advance careers and innovation in the business. (more…)
September 22, 2020
No need to sideline form in our quest for function
by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Comment, Facilities management, Furniture, Workplace design