Friday, August 19, 2022

Employees at large firms only in office for 1.5 days a week on average

Standing desks can improve well-being, reduce stress among office workers

Why content rooms are so crucial for the office of the future

News

A global study of nearly 80 offices in 13 countries with nearly 80,000 employees has revealed a seismic shift in working pattens, with people now coming into the office an average of just 1.4 days a week, versus nearly four days a week before the Covid-19 pandemic. The Advanced Workplace...

Two thirds of desks in offices are now unused on a daily basis, and even on the busiest days offices are more than half empty, a global study has found. The Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) Hybrid Working Index study of nearly 80 offices in 13 countries representing nearly 80,000 employees revealed a seismic shift in working patterns, with people now coming into the office an average of just 1.4 days a week, compared to nearly four days a week before the pandemic.

The survey found that if companies have no hybrid working policies, people come in on average less than one day a week. However even if organisations insist people come in three days a week, the policy doesn’t work as attendance averages just 2.1 days a week.

President Biden has signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, a piece of legislation that includes a number of funding measures for sustainable construction in the United States in order to reduce carbon emissions.
Are the clouds finally clearing? The past two years have seen a design industry reshaped by supply chain snarls and out-of-control lead times. The delays have been so bad for so long that designers have gotten used to a new way of working: Order the big pieces first, assume a yearlong wait for appliances and fill in the rest as you go. Oh, and definitely double-check your shipping costs.
Researchers found standing desks can improve workers’ performance as well as cut their time sitting by an hour each day.
Revenue growth and additions to the workforce are positive indicators of overall recovery for at least one business segment.
The telecommunications giant AT&T had issued a statement to workers telling them to prepare to return to the office as soon as September 21st. This

The Workplace

Here are the key takeaways Michelle Weiss and Cynthia Milota learned from attending WORKTECH’s Chicago’s 2022 debut.
SmithGroup explores the personal and professional goals that drive Gen Z and how this affects the future of work.

JLL Global Research: The Future of Work Survey 2022

Five critical challenges ahead for real estate.

As many employees don’t want to return to the office, hybrid work looked like the perfect solution to save it — but is it working?
When John Lennon sang, “Nowhere man, don’t worry/Take your time, don’t hurry” in 1965, it was little known just how relevant these lyrics would be to today’s workforce.

According to author Julia Hobsbawm, we are currently in the Nowhere Office age, where workers can work anywhere, at any time, with more choice than ever before.

Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel discuss how the great retreat from office life could make work better for everyone.
What role does art play in the workplace? Is it merely decorative or, can it inspire creativity and perhaps even increase productivity? Art, and the curation of art, has forever impacted the way we interact with the space around us. Whether you are adding the first brushstroke to a canvas, framing a new piece, or rearranging your existing art collection, art transforms a space, and perhaps more importantly, transforms the way we feel within that space.

Trends

Companies are on TikTok. But where should their staffers film their short videos of branded content? This is one solution.
Heat waves will inevitably continue, leading to a host of problems for employers. Now is the time to safeguard health and productivity.

Hybrid Working

A new report from Poly warns that hybrid working policies could be destined to fail if organisations do not protect company culture while facilitating “a return to office”. The report claims that getting employees back to the office is a challenge being fuelled by a reluctance to return, with employees citing concerns over work-life balance and productivity. This reluctance is exacerbated by rising bills and spiralling inflation, with the cost of living putting increased pressure on employee finances, causing them to potentially choose between traveling to work or spending that money elsewhere.
As businesses continue to evolve their workplaces to best meet the needs of their employees, JLL’s global Future of Work Survey claims that 72 percent of decision makers believe the office is critical to doing business. The research shows that over the next several years companies anticipate hybrid working to become the dominant model and will be looking across their real estate portfolios to re-think their office spaces, invest in new technology and prioritise sustainability.

Remote Work

As a return-to-office showdown looms, experts agree that work-from-home is here to stay.

Design

The co-working and flex office industry has rebounded from the darkest days of the pandemic, and brands have shifted strategies to meet users’ wants and needs. Like most real estate sectors, the pandemic caused short-term and long-term impacts. Some of the field’s most prominent players have had meteoric rises and falls over the last several years, consolidations have taken place, and more recently, major real estate services firms like JLL and CBRE have launched their own co-working and flex office platforms.
It’s easy to be swept up by current trends. Perkins&Will’s Lina Murillo explores how to execute a timeless workplace design plan.

Workplace Tech

Butlr’s thermal sensors track people’s movement through spaces, but without watching you.

The Metaverse

What is the metaverse and why does it matter?

Real Estate

Baker Hughes is set to cut its office space by more than 60% with a new 130K SF Energy Corridor HQ as it adjusts to the era of remote and hybrid work.

Makers

DIRTT Welcomes Richard Hunter as Chief Operating Officer

DIRTT welcomed Richard Hunter as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective August 29, 2022. Based at DIRTT’s headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Rich will lead manufacturing and operational efficiency to drive success for DIRTT’s clients and construction partners.

Rich brings nearly 40 years of manufacturing leadership and experience to DIRTT following a tenured career with large manufacturing companies, including Forterra, Trinity Industries, Terex Corporation, Danaher Corporation, Delphi Corporation, and General Motors Corporation. Most recently, Rich provided consulting services focused on business transformation and growth.

As the pandemic changed the way people work, four small West Michigan furniture businesses found success selling products that resonate with remote workers.

Dealers

Memphis-based Office Interiors joins with Haworth to embrace a shared vision for the future of the workplace Office Interiors, the Mid-South’s largest office furniture dealership, announced its partnership with Haworth.
 
Founded in 2001, Office Interiors is a commercial office furniture dealership providing comprehensive solutions to clients in the Mid-South and across the U.S.

Products

A sleek newcomer, the Pina Pro, is appearing on droves of outdoor tables in the city — and sometimes disappearing, as diners fall for its mellow glow.
Made with CeramicSteel, a durable porcelain enamel surface, Polyvision ICS Wall Systems offer high-performance, engineered architectural panel solutions for a range of interior environments.
Offices are notoriously loud and distracting places, and the noise of others has long been a chief complaint among employees. The key to a quieter office may be hiding inside a can of potato chips. BuzziSpace, a Belgian furniture, acoustics, and lighting company, has just unveiled its latest line of acoustic panels and lights for offices, and according to founder and CEO Steve Symons, the design was “inspired by the playful curved shape of the classic Pringles chip.”
With sinuous geometric lines, Tonda comes from the present but reminds us of the past.
Aeeri is made from a single sheet of steel just 1 millimeter thick, folded to create a tabletop that is rigid and strong, yet adapts to find stability on slanted floors.
To emphasize wool’s deep and varied chromatic expression, each colorway combines three tones including both heathered neutrals and bold accents such as royal blue, canary, and scarlet.

Projects

Los Angeles design studio Part Office has renovated two condominiums on the California coast, as part of the full conversion of buildings into hybrid residential and office spaces.
TPG Architecture created a timeless yet modern design for DZ Bank that features striking views of the Chrysler Building and Midtown.

Last Word

Urs Fischer invites viewers to engage and interact with his kinetic AI installation of nine vibrant office chairs on wheels, dubbed ‘PLAY’.
Find the best Contract Furniture Industry jobs and hire the best talent.
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