In 1930, John Maynard Keynes wrote an essay titled “Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren”. In this work, Keynes forecasted that in one hundred years hence, we would be working a 15-hour week. Yet today, nearly a century on, we revel in material opulence unimagined by the likes of Keynes, but we still persist with work […]
Standing Desks – A new White Paper
Standing desks are in. Once the province of Scandinavian design magazines, the stand-up desk is extending to the world of corporate drones over here in the rest of Europe. And, as it appears, for good reason — there’s an increasing array of medical evidence that hours of uninterrupted sitting can be surprisingly bad for your health. […]
Hotbox Review – Six mobile storage boxes for agile working
Many organisations are embracing agile working; they’ve said goodbye to the traditional set up of one desk allocated to each employee and have made the transition to having shared workspaces and desk sharing. However, this is not without it’s challenges. The removal of traditional one-to-one desk allocations in the workspace means that many employers are […]
Human behaviour – The future of workplace analytics
Measuring the efficiency of the office environment is about to be revolutionised through the analysis of human behaviour. In recent years, the benefits of understanding exactly how well a workspace functions have become widely recognised and as a result, many forward thinking organisations are already conducting regular studies to monitor utilisation. Over time, the tools […]
Launch of workplace behaviour analysis service ‘ActivityLOOK’
This week we are launching a groundbreaking workplace analysis service- ‘ActivityLOOK’. The service has been designed to monitor and capture details of human working behaviour, empowering organisations with an in-depth insight into patterns of activity. Join us here on Wednesday 11th November from 4-7pm for the launch which will be live blogged and tweeted from the venue […]
Agile Working in the Public Sector
The civil service is currently facing the challenge of meeting increasing demand for provision of high quality services, without allowing tax rates to go through the roof. There is no doubt that to respond to these challenges the government estate must change – and it is changing. The general viewpoint is now very much that […]
Going to work is the new going out!
Work is no longer focused on attendance or the manufacture of grommets. There is now a strong argument for the place of work to be engaging on both a social and an emotional level providing a happier & healthier working environment, that ultimately manifest into a more successful and profitable company. Graham Bird explores what […]
Avoiding the Desk Sentence – the dangers of Sedentary Behaviour
Colin Stuart, Managing Director of workplace consultancy, Baker Stuart, examines the dangers of long-term sedentary behaviour, explaining how changes to the workspace and company culture are vital in getting staff active. Usually when we hear shocking news, its best to be seated – but for the following you may wish to stand. In recent years, […]
Workplace Analysis, Goat Tracks and Muddy Holes
Graham Bird muses on the true nature of our interactions at work, and how we might learn about them. Walking over the Sussex South Downs you can’t but notice the seemingly random well-worn tracks that crisscross the countryside. Often the shortest or easiest route between two points and usually leading to a place of interest, […]
The Sedentary Epidemic: Don’t force people to stand up to work
Following a recent publication by The British Journal of Sports Medicine* of ‘The Sedentary Office’, an Expert Statement commissioned by Active Working CIC with Public Health England, the press in the UK published a number of articles about the ‘sedentary epidemic’ including these in the Guardian, Telegraph, Express and Daily Mail. The Guardian also published […]
