May 23, 2019

Demand outstrips supply for Edinburgh office space

by Marie Hillen • Cities, Facilities management, Technology

The majority (90 percent) of Grade A deals for commercial offices in Edinburgh so far this year came from the tech sector, according to Savills, resulting in TMT being the most active business sector of the first quarter of 2019. Key deals included Amazon signing for 30,000 sq ft at Exchange Crescent and Epic Games taking 10,000 sq ft at Quartermile 2. This reflects that fact that over the past five years, Edinburgh has seen employment growth of 7 percent in the professional scientific and tech industries and is forecast to see a further 11 percent over the next five years; resulting in a projected 3,800 net additional jobs in these industries

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May 22, 2019

Young people increasingly sceptical about work and institutions

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace

Younger people across the world are increasingly disillusioned with traditional institutions, sceptical of business’ motives and pessimistic about economic and social progress, according to the 2019 Deloitte Millennial Survey. The survey claims that despite global economic growth, expansion and opportunity, younger generations are wary about the world and their place in it. But they remain hopeful and lean on their values as both consumers and employees. (more…)

May 22, 2019

New guidance on making meetings more accessible

by George Eltringham • News, Workplace design

To mark the launch of its new guide, Meetings Matter, Business Disability Forum is offering advice to all businesses on how to make meetings and events more accessible for disabled employees and clients. The 10-point meeting checklist is adapted from the not-for-profit membership organisation’s new 24-page guide. The practical and up-to-date resource provides advice on arranging meetings which meet the needs of all colleague and attendees. (more…)

May 22, 2019

Rise in employment discrimination claims by new parents

by Marie Hillen • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

Nearly three quarter (70 percent) of employment law experts have seen an increase in women claiming they were fired when on maternity leave; the use of ‘gagging orders’ following pregnancy and maternity related disputes and an increase in men claiming harassment by their employer for taking paternity leave.

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May 21, 2019

Office design stifling creativity, claims study

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

British businesses could be hindering their own innovation and creativity due to poor office design, according to a study carried out by YouGov and commissioned by Oktra. The survey of over 2,000 British employees claims that fewer than half (43 percent) believe the design of their workplace encourages innovation and creativity. Over a third (36 percent) of respondents would be less likely to take sick days if they worked in an inspiring workplace. (more…)

May 21, 2019

Overconfidence can be misinterpreted as competence, claims study

by Mark Eltringham • News, Workplace

The higher a person rates their social class, the more likely they are to overestimate their talents and the more likely they are to be promoted to a level beyond their competence, a new study from researchers at Stanford and the University of Virginia claims. According to the study published by the American Psychological Association in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people who see themselves as being in a higher social class tend to have an exaggerated belief that they are more adept than their equally capable lower-class counterparts, and that overconfidence can often be misinterpreted by others as greater competence in important situations, such as job interviews.

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May 21, 2019

London office building at post Brexit high

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

New office building in central London is at a three-year high, with 13.2 million square feet of space under construction, up 12 percent on the figure six months ago, according to the Deloitte Real Estate’s London Office Crane Survey. Some 55 percent of the office space under construction was already let and for larger schemes of over 100,000 square feet, more than three quarters was already committed to, Deloitte said. The survey covers seven major central London office markets – The City, West End, Docklands, King’s Cross, Midtown, Paddington, Southbank – as well as three emerging submarkets – Vauxhall-Nine Elms-Battersea, White City and Stratford. (more…)

May 21, 2019

Calls for urgent reform of skills policy development and implementation

by George Eltringham • Legal news, News

City & Guilds Group is calling on Government to urgently rethink how skills and education policy in the UK is designed and delivered, in light of a new report launched by the Group today. Sense and Instability 2019 finds that important lessons from the implementation of skills policy over several decades have not been learned, meaning badly-needed training and education programmes are not fit for purpose or delivering the right results for people, businesses and the economy.
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May 21, 2019

CRE investment highest in cities with strong tech culture

by Marie Hillen • Cities, News, Property, Technology

Cities with tech innovation-oriented cultures have a strong competitive advantage amongst those investing in commercial real estate, claims a new report from JLL (registration). Of 109 cities analysed, the nine leading global markets – Boston, London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, San Jose, Sydney and Tokyo, accounted for around 37 percent of total annual real estate investment volumes over the past decade. Like real estate investors, corporate occupiers also search for locations that have advanced innovation ecosystems, the report suggests. These cities sustain highly skilled workforces and are best placed to succeed in the future.

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May 21, 2019

Mental health “epidemic” amongst charity workers

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

A confidential survey of 850 members of Unite, the UK and Ireland’s largest union, claims that there is an epidemic of stress related illness and massive mental health issues among people employed by charities and non-governmental organisations. The survey found that 80 percent of respondents said that they had experienced workplace stress in the previous 12 months, while 42 percent of respondents said their job was not good for their mental health.

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May 20, 2019

Adversity and chaos can help to foster creativity ⁰

by Paul Goodchild • Comment, Workplace design

We may live in a knowledge economy in a world, where the most highly-prized people as far as employers are concerned are knowledge workers, but the thing that sets us apart from the machines is not knowledge at all, but creativity. Acquiring managing and sharing knowledge is essential, but it’s what we do with it that really matters. So it’s no surprise that creativity has become the de facto Holy Grail for many modern businesses.

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May 20, 2019

Working fathers struggle to find time for parenthood

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News

A study of working fathers aged 25 to 40 claims that while the vast majority are closely involved in day-to-day parenting with many sharing responsibility equally with their partner, their employers routinely fail to create a working culture that reflects their needs. According to the report, The Millennial Dad at Work, published by DaddiLife and Deloitte, fathers have to make excuses to get away from their places of work to fulfil their duties and spend time with their children and families. (more…)