July 19, 2019

Smelly food is most irritating behaviour in the office

Research gathered from 2000 office workers across the UK claims that eating smelly food is the most irritating behaviour in the office. The study, conducted by 4Com aimed to discover which habits most get under people’s skin in the work environment. When it comes to the habits workers admit to having themselves, 33 percent say they have no irritating habits at all. 15 percent are aware they speak loudly, and 13 percent claim they have a tendency to sing while they work. (more…)

July 19, 2019

Humanscale appoints new A&D Director

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Humanscale has announced the appointment of Andre Loosemore to the position of A&D Director, International, taking responsibility for the planning, implementation and monitoring of the furniture manufacturer’s A&D programme in international markets. Andre has over 18 years experience throughout the commercial sector. He has held key positions with a number of high profile manufacturers, led business development for a global architecture and design practices; and consulted with furniture and building consultancies.

July 18, 2019

Ergonomics regulations are no longer fit for purpose

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Legal news, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. We can apply LP Hartley’s legendary opening lines from his novel The Go Between to many of the ways the world of work has changed over the last quarter of a century. And perhaps especially to The European Display Screen Equipment Regulations which were first introduced in 1992 as a way of improving the posture and wellbeing of people working with computers in the office.

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July 18, 2019

Demand for four day week continues to rise

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

With a recent report from Henley Business School highlighting that a shorter working week could add to businesses’ bottom lines through increased staff productivity and uplift in staff physical and mental health, a study from ADP (registration) has further emphasised these findings. ADP’s research claims almost two-thirds of UK workers (61 percent) would opt for a four day week at work if they had the choice. (more…)

July 18, 2019

Employment rights to be enforced by new single body

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

The government has launched its latest Good Work Plan consultation which proposes a new single body for employment rights enforcement. The new body would replace the current seven organisations that have responsibility for employment rights enforcement. The proposals include the body having powers to enforce payment of the minimum wage, labour exploitation and modern slavery, along with holiday payments for vulnerable workers and safeguarding agency workers. The consultation considers whether the body should also enforce laws related to workplace discrimination, harassment and bullying. (more…)

July 18, 2019

Govt scheme to retrain people in the age of automation

by Neil Franklin • AI, News

The UK Government in partnership with the CBI and TUC has launched a new scheme to help workers whose jobs change or become obsolete because of advances in technology. Workers will be offered help in retraining or finding a new career amid suggestions that up to a third of jobs could be at risk of changing because of automation in the coming 10 to 20 years. The National Training Scheme will be trialled in Liverpool before being rolled out across England. The CBI and TUC are both backing the initiative as a way of boosting productivity, pay and workers’ skills. (more…)

July 18, 2019

Construction sector loses patience with Brexit indecision

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Activity in the construction sector rose in the second quarter of the year, despite concerns that political uncertainty surrounding Brexit was holding back investment. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors claims that the market has lost patience with the lack of clarity over Brexit and that clients were beginning to push ahead with projects, albeit tentatively. In its construction and infrastructure survey, a balance of 16 per cent of respondents reported an increase in work, up from 9 per cent in the previous quarter. (more…)

July 17, 2019

Rise in employment led by self-employed and older workers

by Tony Wilson • Flexible working, News

As with the last few months, the latest UK employment figures look like a sea of tranquillity. The number of people in work is up ever so slightly (setting another record), unemployment down slightly again (ditto) and earnings continuing to grow. After a couple of months where there were hints that the labour market might be cooling down, today’s figures suggest that it is heating up once more. However beneath the surface, the numbers highlight some big changes in employment trends – with two things in particular standing out. (more…)

July 17, 2019

Offices still failing to support collaborative work

by Mark Eltringham • News, Workplace design

Team-based collaborative work is increasing as people in the UK now spend 55 percent of their time working with others, according to new Steelcase research. This global trend toward collaboration is critical for organisations which need to quickly generate new ideas and solve complex problems; yet, the new study suggests many workplaces do not support this team-based work. (more…)

July 17, 2019

Companies should respect their historic identity to thrive in the future

by Neil Franklin • News

Revisiting a company motto or philosophy is necessary in an ever-changing world, but it can disrupt people’s sense of “who we are” and should be carefully managed to ensure the firm continues to thrive in the future, according to new research from UCL School of Management. The study was based on the study of a large database of corporate mottos of long-established Japanese firms. It focused on 25 cases still in operation today, using a combination of archival and interview data to investigate when, why, and how they had revised their historical mottos in times of change. The findings are reported in an article forthcoming in the Strategic Management Journal. (more…)

July 17, 2019

Employees spend thirteen work hours a week on social media

by Jayne Smith • Technology, Workplace

Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, social media is an inescapable part of modern life and in turn, the modern workplace. New research conducted by Croner, claims that on average UK employees spend 13 hours a week on social media in work time. In addition to this, the study which surveyed over 1,300 UK employees, claims that Instagram was the social media channel of choice for people to pass the time during their working day and the most popular hours for employee social media usage were between 3pm-5pm. (more…)

July 16, 2019

New BCO specification guide addresses “exponential times”

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The British Council for Offices (BCO) has published its new Guide to Specification, which provides guidance on industry standards for workplaces across the UK. The Specification Guide, last published in 2014, sets out to help office developers address the key issues for the UK workforce in the coming decades, namely wellbeing, technology and sustainability. The authors claim that the new edition addresses the “exponential times” in which we now live, with sections focusing on wellbeing, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and sustainability. (more…)