July 10, 2019
Search Results for: workplace
June 28, 2019
Office taxonomy and an increasingly diverse workplace ecosystem 0
It is perhaps the most common misconception of evolutionary theory that all animals are somehow evolving towards some end point – meaning us. This notion is perhaps best summed up when a sceptic asks: “If we have evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?” The lesser of the two problems with this is its solipsistic assumption that humans are the pinnacles of life and that, if evolution were true, all species would eventually evolve into people. (more…)
June 28, 2019
New drive to tackle workplace barriers faced by disabled people
The day to day challenges and injustices faced by disabled people in the workplace, at home and in the wider community will be tackled head-on through a new package of measures announced by the UK Government. Higher accessibility standards for homes and buildings, an overhaul of statutory sick pay, and greater workplace support including the right to request modifications are part of renewed efforts to ensure disabled people can fully participate in society. (more…)
June 11, 2019
What is workplace technology really for, anyway?
It’s a hot day on the Savannah, and our hero Jon picks up the tool that he uses to hunt and cut his food, and marches across the plain to complete the next big task of the day—survival. Even though Jon lived 2.5 million years before basic writing was developed, the tools he’s invented are the difference between eating or starving. Jon is one smart Ape, and he wasn’t even doing it for likes or followers. Of course, big Jon’s tool is not workplace technology as you might think about it, but it is in the truest sense. (more…)
June 7, 2019
On target for a toxic workplace culture
Setting clear and bold targets has become part of leadership 101. We take it for granted that the first action for anyone taking over the helm of a business or team is to state or re-state targets. The rise of “management by objectives” in the 1970s drove the initial focus on target-setting and, in line with shoulder pads and lapel width, the 1990s saw a shift in management culture to ‘bigger is always better’. In 1994 Jim Collins and Jerry Porras wrote their highly influential best seller Built to Last. In it, they memorably wrote of the power of BHAGs – big, hairy, audacious goals. Targets were no longer for hitting but represented something bigger, a longer-term vision of the future.
June 5, 2019
Workplaces around the UK are something to treasure
The world is changing. Often without sense, often at startling speed. I need not mention the ‘B word’. However, there is a risk that this volatility leads to us being too negative. Today, too many people are speaking with too much pessimism. Don’t believe me? Try logging onto Twitter. In these challenging times, we need to also look at our strengths and celebrate areas where things are going well. The UK’s workplaces sector is one example of this, as shown by the BCO’s recent regional awards. (more…)
June 3, 2019
The best workplace events to look forward to in June
As the workplace sector raises its profile and that of the key topics that define it and the world sets out to address the wide range of challenges for the way we live and work, some of them even vital for our existence, this might prove to be something of a seminal year and so it’s important to be out and about sharing ideas. Fortunately, you can find a full list of relevant happenings around the world on our Events page, the most comprehensive calendar of workplace related events in the world, in partnership with Herman Miller.
This upcoming month, June 2019 see a range of key topics addressed including wellbeing, sustainability, office design, coworking and acoustics. Here are a few of the best:
BCO Annual Conference
05 June 2019 – 07 June 2019
Copenhagen
RICS Digital Built Environment Conference 2019
05 June 2019
London
Wellbeing at Work
06 June 2019
New York
The Association of Noise Consultants annual conference
06 June 2019
Manchester
The Smart Conversations Workplace Conference
06 June 2019
Barcelona
BRE Wellness and Biophilia Symposium
06 June 2019 – 07 June 2019
Watford
Condeco Workplace Innovation Forum
06 June 2019
London
Neocon
10 June 2019 – 12 June 2019
Chicago
CIPD Festival of Work
12 June 2019 – 13 June 2019
London
Future of Work Summit 2019 – Embrace Change to Manage the new Workplace Reality
13 June 2019
London
Personal preferences in the modern office – with Dr Nigel Oseland
18 June 2019
London
IWFM Annual General Meeting (AGM) June 2019
20 June 2019
London
Workplace Week – New York
24 June 2019 – 28 June 2019
New York
Coworking London Conference 2019
27 June 2019 – 28 June 2019
London
May 31, 2019
The far reaching impact of empathy in the workplace
The average career length is 50 years, and according to Gallup’s State of The Global Workplace report, during this time only 1 in 10 people are actively engaged. This illustrates that within the current landscape there is a need for companies to actively pursue strategies to better engage their employees. Embedding empathy in working culture is one way of achieving actively-engaged workers but it also has the added benefit of increasing productivity and business growth. This was revealed by a piece in the Harvard Business Review, which highlighted the top ten most empathetic companies outperformed the bottom ten by at least 50 percent in productivity, earnings and growth. (more…)
May 30, 2019
Burnout recognised as a workplace phenomenon by WHO
Although still not classified as a recognised medical condition, burnout has been included in the World Health Organization’s 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon. It is described in the chapter: ‘Factors influencing health status or contact with health services’ – which includes reasons for which people contact health services but that are not classed as illnesses or health conditions. (more…)
May 28, 2019
A sophisticated eye on workplace design
Each day you can generally find somebody or other sharing their thoughts on ‘the office of the future’ or ‘the death of the office’. My view is that you should steer clear of taking most of this sort of stuff head-on, on the basis that hardcore deskheads have heard most of it before and already concluded that there are more important things to worry about in a fit-out than what a pool table and a second hand armchair tells us about workplace design.
May 28, 2019
Majority of workers think their workplace is unpleasant
Many of the UK’s workplaces are unpleasant, uncomfortable and at risk of driving down productivity, according to a new survey from Aspect.co.uk. The poll of 2,000 people claims that 83 percent of UK adults consider their workplace to be an “unpleasant” environment, with many citing uncomfortable temperatures, lack of natural light, unpleasant smells, damp and mould, poor ventilation and even vermin and insects among their complaints. The study set out to identify the most common causes of employee discomfort at work. On the whole, issues related to physical comfort were the most common complaints. 46 percent complained of workplaces that were “too hot”, 43 percent complained of workplaces being “too cold” and 28 percent complained of workplaces having poor ventilation.
July 2, 2019
A Turing Test for the workplace 0
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design