Home work

For many office workers today is the first day back in work since the Christmas break.  However, the prospect of an extended break is just too difficult for some to contemplate.  The standard IT and technology products and services most companies provide to staff to assist them do their jobs and stay in contact during the working week also come with additional costs.

It has become common practice for some staff to regularly check eMail and intranet services long after the working day has finished.  For some, the opportunity to catch up on a few late eMails whilst on the train home has not satisfied the desire.  The temptation to do just one final check before turning out the lights for the evening has led to an increasing number of people turning their bedrooms into secondary working spaces.  In a recently conducted survey, one in three participants admitted checking eMails, finishing reports and checking online work activity from the comfort of their bed, some spending as much as two hours a day doing so.

Apart from health risks with potential problems with posture and muscular damage from a poorly supported working position, there are also relationship perils for couples who do not establish boundaries for what is acceptable behaviour in this regard.

Of course, a downside for one group represents an opportunity for others and one bed manufacturer in the USA is marketing a bed which comes with its own power sockets and wi-fi connection!

So, if you have not faced a mountain of eMails on your return to work this morning, you have spent too much time in bed!

A modular hotel for Western Avenue

Capita Symonds announces that planning permission has been granted for a new hotel on Western Avenue.  The 6 storey 4 star hotel building will have 160 rooms and a bar, restaurant, gym and conference facilities.  Also included in the scheme is an HQ office building and a data centre.

So far so good, but the twist is that the building will be built using off-site modular construction technology.  Designed by architects ESA, part of the Capita Symonds Group, the designers have invested 5 years into the project.  Working closely with a modular construction company the company have developed a flexible solution that allows for the production process to be standardised not the design. 

The scheme which is situated on a site opposite Park Royal tube station will provide an interesting contrast to existing modular built hotels in the London region.  ESA promotes that the hotel will have a unique façade and other high quality design features and we certainly hope the new hotel will help promote the cause of off site modular construction.

It is understood that work will begin on site later in the year.

Picture of the proposed hotel design from Capita Symonds website www.capitasymonds.co.uk

New Working Practices:

We may have said this before, but after staff costs, the cost of the occupied estate is the next biggest expense for any organisation.

The adoption of new working practices can provide organisations with the opportunity to reduce space related overheads, as well as provide staff with options on how their work life is organised.  The opportunities to reduce the cost overhead involved in accommodation for operations are many and varied.  Their suitability for deployment is, amongst other things, dependent upon the individual circumstances of each organisation, these are not one size fits all solutions.

• Footprint:  keeping in mind the essential means of escape routes consider whether the personal footprint could be reduced.  It is recommended that 11m³ per person is achieved, but the reduction of the furniture footprint (smaller workstations) is one way which could help. 

• Working away from the Office:  technological development now means that providing essential staff with the means for mobile communication is within reach of all organisations. This does not work for all job functions and should not be taken as a wholesale opportunity to close the office, but those who are out of the office more than they are in do not, generally, need workstations.

• Technology: developments also mean that less equipment is required to provide desk top solutions for staff, coupled to a reduction in workstation size leads to smaller footprint.  Printing and photocopying devices are now available with much smarter interfaces and options.

• Maximise: have you ever wondered why the meeting and conference rooms are empty for most of the time?  Rethink the strategy and maximise usage, software packages exist to help with this.

• Open Plan:  it’s not new to suggest going down the open plan route, but think about doing away with personal offices.  Research has shown that by careful space planning, suitable provision of meeting rooms, spaces and break out areas the need for personal offices is significantly diminished.

James Alexander Consultants can help you find your way through to the best solution to your accommodation needs.

eMail us on innovation@jaltd.co.uk or see our contact page for our numbers.  We look forward to speaking with you.

It’s Flexible Working Week!

It’s been Flexible Working Week this week and that hasn’t meant you can choose whether to work or not (hard luck!) but this week acknowledges that the office based working week of today is able to be so much more adaptable than ever before.

It is the technological advances that have been made which have enabled the office to come with you wherever you may be.  Mobile devices are pocket sized and, with a generous sprinkling of Apps, can enable work documents and information to be with you wherever you are and to bring the ability to receive and send communications in any number of forms;  eMail, texts, social media, Internet, Intranet all available to put to use.  However, these can only be effective if there are a number of non technological elements brought into play.  These revolve around organisational will and processes.  If the tools are on place, but the supporting structure is not there, things are not going to go well.

www.londonlovesbusiness.com in association with Microsoft has produced a guide to effective, flexible working (download it here: http://bit.ly/JmeaA3 )

To the organisation there exists the opportunity to increase productivity from an existing resource but there are additional advantages to both the workforce and the organisation:

·         It is estimated that 83% of companies are already offering some form of flexible working arrangement to staff.

·         Collaborative working has become easier and more accessible

·         Flexible working can lead to more flexible working hours, no need to be tied to the usual 9-5.

·         New working practices are developed for efficiency and a faster take up by staff.

·         Staff wellbeing increases, with a more equitable work life balance.

·         Reductions in travel in terms of time and cost are significant benefits to the employee, the company, and the planet.

The successful introduction of new working practices that allow for more flexible working patterns rely on a number of factors working in concert.  The employer has to provide the right tools, environment and encouragement, the employee has to adapt and develop new disciplines of their own.  Most will embrace the opportunities, some may need more encouragement but the potential exists to have a significant impact on the company as well as the individual.