According to fashion psychologist Dr. Karen Pine, a professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, dressing casually can make a person feel less focused and alert. A study of work attire by Hajo Adam and Adam Galinksky found that subjects wearing physician’s lab coats were better at tasks that required attention. Interestingly, when the subjects […] Read more
Student & designer John Wetzel researched the elements needed when designing spaces for creativity. His search involved a literature review and work with expert designers at Steelcase and Haworth, plus observational research on creative office space use in Michigan and California. He looked at how physical environments influence people’s creative potential and distilled his thoughts […] Read more
Research by real estate firm CBRE suggests that organisations need to create a new executive position in the C-Suite: Chief of Work. This position would align talent (HR), technology (IT) and place (facilities/real estate) toward a common purpose. “The experience of work needs to be understood and curated inside and outside corporate office space, in […] Read more
Global design consultancy IDEO has developed a series of concept vehicles that imagine how autonomous vehicles could transform the way we work, shop and travel. As part of its Future of Automobility project, IDEO produced three concepts exploring the potential of driverless vehicles, including on-demand delivery services and workplaces that commute to employees. One of the oncepts rethinks […] Read more
A couple years ago, after research about the health risks of prolonged sitting came to light, a wave of standing desks hit the market. Big companies like Ikea and Steelcase have rolled out standing desk designs; others are even attached to treadmills or recumbent bikes. While these certainly get workers up and off their derrieres, […] Read more
The past 35 years has seen the transformation of the everyday things that surround us traverse from tangible to virtual. A digital app exists for everything from world mapping to paying bills, completely recontextualizing the tools we use in the workplace. A team at the Harvard Innovation Lab has encapsulated this history of technology, as […] Read more
New Ways of Working or NWOW is no longer considered new in the Netherlands, but is considered the norm. This is the outcome of a national survey into New Ways of Working, in which 4,858 companies participated. Last year, 42% of the respondents indicated NWOW as the future work norm, this is reduced to only […] Read more
In September 2013, U.S. commercial real estate firm Vornado/Charles E. Smith challenged architects with creating offices of the future—with no design restraints whatsoever. The only direction was to create the office of the future that could be used today—and to keep it within a reasonable budget. The six firms—FOX Architects, OTJ Architects, Perkins + Will, […] Read more
Wasted time in the workplace is a massive problem. How big is exactly unclear, but from recent research by Staff.com, the cost to business is in the millions (if not billions) in lost productivity every year. The infographic below explains just how much time we waste at work, the ways we waste it, and how […] Read more
A ground-breaking report on the future of work published by the U.K. Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) highlights the dramatic changes that the U.K.’s workers and most likely those in many other countries can expect to see in the next two decades. The report analyses the trends and disruptions shaping the U.K.’s labour market. […] Read more
