June 27, 2019

Promotion: How a Yorkshire firm is transforming the way we work

by Jayne Smith • Company news, Insight promotion

What is it that makes (some of) us bound into work, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, in the morning? Is it the promise of a proper coffee from the barista-style machine so many modern offices and studios now boast? Or could it simply be the chance to catch up with a favourite colleague? For many, it may be the lure of work itself that gets them out of bed. Few of us will hum merrily on our morning commute, though, contemplating the comfort of our office chair, or daydreaming about taking five minutes to enjoy the calming ambience of the breakout area. A West Yorkshire-based company specialising in acoustic design is making huge strides to change our attitudes about the workplace, though. After all, why shouldn’t we feel at home in the office? (more…)

June 27, 2019

We are running out of time to find the meaning of work

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Last week’s report from the IFS detailing the ongoing rise in the numbers of working poor in the UK highlights just how dysfunctional work can be in the modern era. While depictions of work in the media tend to consist of diverse Millennials clustering around a single laptop in the sun-dappled offices of tech firms, or chilling on the Chesterfield in a coworking space, the reality for many people is somewhat different. (more…)

June 27, 2019

Bosses overwhelmingly in favour of flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Businesses that fail to accommodate staff looking to set their own work schedule in some way will struggle to attract and retain talent, claims new research from Vistage. The research suggests that nearly two-thirds (73 percent) of UK CEOs and business leaders believe organisations that fail to offer flexible working to employees will face a struggle to attract talent. More than half (59 percent) of respondents said they’ve already written flexible working options into standard employment contracts. A further 36 percent say it’s either something they’re looking at or would consider in the future. (more…)

June 27, 2019

One in four HR teams have no boardroom involvement

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Many HR departments feel they are being left out of strategic boardroom decisions across the UK, according to research published by Reed HR. Around one in four HR professionals surveyed said that their companies did not involve them in key strategic business decisions. In addition, four in five agreed that changing demands for employee benefits has impacted the responsibilities of the HR professional. And, of the 200 HR professionals taking part in the survey, only 10 per cent agreed that technology was having the biggest impact on the industry despite fears about AI replacing jobs. The majority (72 percent) of those asked said Brexit was making an impact on the sector with a quarter (24 percent) saying it was having the most influence. (more…)

June 26, 2019

Flexible working is the new measure of success

by Ben Chatfield • Comment, Flexible working

Professional bragging rights were once the preserve of top earners. Those with massive salaries, huge bonuses, and in some cases, even bigger egos. Money equals success – technology has shifted that long held view. Today flexible working, in terms of hours, location and role, has become an embraced reality and chief workplace priority. Technology has blurred the lines between work and life. The new “digitally native” workforce now expect a flexibility and access in every aspect of their lives. More than ever, work is seen as an adventure which is to be explored, rather than accepted. (more…)

June 26, 2019

WeWork completes largest office deal in Birmingham this year

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

WeWork has agreed a deal to take over all seven floors of Six Brindleyplace in Birmingham. The deal is the coworking provider’s third in the City this month alone, following deals for 55 Colmore Row and Louisa Ryland House, both in the Colmore Business District in the city centre. The deal for the 97,000 sq. ft. of Six Brindleyplace is believed to be the largest office deal in Birmingham so far this year, bringing its total offering in the city to 200,000 sq. ft. (more…)

June 25, 2019

The difference between office design and FM is the difference between sex and parenthood

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design

There is an ongoing feeling within the facilities management discipline that when it comes to office design, facilities managers are not consulted early enough or well enough or consistently enough to ensure that the end result is a workplace that is as functional and as effective as it could be. The reason this feeling persists is that in many cases it is true. Or at least is true to a greater or lesser extent depending on how you view these things. (more…)

June 25, 2019

Leesman and Delos launch wellbeing benchmark

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Wellbeing

Leesman, the workplace experience analysts, and Delos, a wellness real estate and technology firm, have announced a new collaboration to investigate how real estate strategy can better support wellbeing at work. With a variety of strategies being promoted as a secret to ‘wellness at work’, this collaboration aims to test and validate the impact of real estate strategies on worker wellbeing on an ongoing basis, and not only when an office is new.

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June 25, 2019

Office furniture firms take their partners

by Colin Watson • Comment, Furniture, Workplace design

The development of products for the workplace follow many trends, generally aiming to provide that ideal setting for maximum effectiveness and fully tuned to the philosophies of the day. The processes involved can occupy a good proportion of time and energy for the workplace specialist and office furniture maker and feature heavily in the media. But, behind all the product cacophony, there are activities, often unseen, that make more difference to what will become available in furnishing the workplace. (more…)

June 25, 2019

Tech laggards face extinction unless they innovate

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology

Many larger businesses are struggling to implement digital transformation in spite of the dangers to their long term survival, a new joint report from CBI and Oracle claims. According to Bigger, Faster, Stronger, the improved adoption of technology could unlock productivity and wage growth. Research shows that more adoption, coupled with better management practices, could add £100 billion to the UK economy and cut income inequality by 5 per cent. However, only 54 per cent of UK companies believe disruptive technologies play an important role in their organisation, much lower than in countries such as France, Germany, India and Russia. (more…)

June 25, 2019

WELL Building Institute signs up for UN compact

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has signed up to the United Nations Global Compact, the voluntary leadership platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices. The UN Global Compact sets out ten principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. IWBI’s WELL Building Standard, a rating system for the creation of buildings and communities that aim to enhance human health and wellbeing, identifies in its standard how each of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are supported by WELL’s work. To date, over 2,100 projects have registered or certified nearly 400 million square feet of space. (more…)

June 25, 2019

Dublin EFMC conference brings together the facilities world

by Freddie Steele • Facilities management, News

The Aviva Stadium in Dublin hosted from 13th to 14th June the 27th Edition of EFMC, the European Facility Management Conference. The event, held for the first time in the Irish capital, has brought together international experts of the FM sector and has served as a platform of communication amongst facilities managers, suppliers, Universities and associations. The event culminated with tours of One Microsoft Place and the offices of Google in the Irish capital. In the closing ceremony it was announced that EFMC 2020 will be held in Barcelona. (more…)