UK Commercial Property News

Hybrid & Flight to Quality – Changing the UK Office Landscape

Posted on October 10, 2022

Numerous key factors have dramatically impacted the UK office space landscape in recent years. Changing employee demands and ever-evolving communications technologies have resulted in a world of work that is much more diversified, decentralised, and agile than seen in years prior.

The adoption of hybrid working practices and the flight to quality seen within the UK office space market stand as two such factors that have undoubtedly altered the landscape across multiple industries. This article will explore these two concepts and provide a general explanation of the way in which these two concepts have changed the market, whilst also providing insight on potential future events.

Tagged downsizing, flight to quality, hybrid work, Office Requirements

UK Regional Office Market Report 2022

Posted on October 7, 2022

How is the UK’s Regional Office Market Performing in 2022?

After two years of uncertainty and upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK regional office market has regained footing in the new, changed working world. Each regional locale is experiencing different conditions, with some faring better than others, making it essential to be aware of key regional variations.

In this article, we assess the overall performance of the regional office market in recent times, whilst also looking into the factors that have defined this market throughout 2022. We’ve generated our insights from the latest data out of market leading sources, such as CBRE, Savills, Avison Young, and Cushman Wakefield.

Tagged 2022, availability, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, office reports, office space, regional office market, Statistics, take up

28 Clever Ways to Organise Your Desk for Maximum Efficiency

Posted on September 16, 2022

A cluttered desk equals a cluttered mind, right? Not necessarily. You can be just as productive with a messy desk as you can be with a clean one – as long as you’re organised! Whilst TikTok, Instagram, and interior influencers like Marie Kondo might tell you that less is more, many office workers simply can’t afford to be minimalists when it comes to their workstations. In this blog post, we’ll discuss 28 clever desk organisation ideas for maximum efficiency. Whether you’re looking to fully optimise your workspace or just want some new ideas, we’ve got you covered! So let’s get started!

Tagged efficiency, office desk, office organisation

UK Businesses Embracing the 4 Day Work Week

Posted on September 13, 2022

calendar outlining a 4 day work week

The 4 day work week has been a hotly debated concept in recent years, particularly in response to ongoing discussions surrounding employee experience and work-life balance. JLL’s 2022 Workforce Preferences Barometer, which delves deep into the desires of post-pandemic office workers, highlights a prominent gap between the flexibility currently being offered by employers and demand from employees. Currently, 56% of employees express a desire for a 4 day work week option, whereas it’s only provided under 29% of companies’ Employee Value Propositions (EVPs).

This 27% gap between workforce expectation and market supply clearly illustrates the need for more businesses to consider leaving the five-day working week behind, or at least attempting to do so through a considered trial period. With various studies highlighting the benefits to business productivity, retention, and overall employee life satisfaction that such a shift can provide, it’s no surprise to see a groundswell of support.

Tagged 4 day work week, employee benefits, employee preferences, four day work week, future of work, uk

Rising Demand in the UK Flexible Office Space Market

Posted on September 2, 2022

empty chair in front of a desk with a half-opened laptop on it The events of 2020 caused substantial disruption to the commercial real estate sector. The office space market in particular was heavily impacted by lockdowns and other pandemic-related restrictions, still struggling to get back to pre-pandemic occupancy levels more than two years on.

Prior to the pandemic, non-traditional working models had already gained some prominence. Having now emerged on the other side into a ‘new world of work’, the adoption of flexible workspaces has accelerated interest in both hybrid and remote working models. An ever-increasing number of businesses are now finding themselves entering the flexible workspace market, increasing uptake in tandem with society-wide changes towards remote working, heightened mobility, and the overhauling of workspace design.

Although demand and activity levels for traditional offices are still lagging behind pre-pandemic expectations, opportunities for growth are emerging in other parts of the office space industry. In this article, we discuss the increasing demand for flexible office solutions seen across the UK, and the impact of this trend on wider CRE and labour markets.

Tagged 2022, Birmingham, Cambridge, coworking, demand, flexible office space, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester

How Long is Maternity Leave in the UK? A Full Guide

Posted on August 30, 2022

If you are pregnant and working in the UK, you may be wondering how long your maternity leave will be. The good news is that UK law entitles most pregnant employees to a minimum of 52 weeks of maternity leave. This leave can be taken all at once, or split into several periods, as long as the total amount does not exceed 52 weeks. In this blog post, we will discuss the length of maternity leave, how to take maternity leave in the UK, the benefits often associated with this time away from work, and what rights you have as an employee.

Tagged 2022, maternity leave, maternity pay, returning to work, workplace rights

10 Common Employee Misconceptions in the Workplace and How to Avoid Them

Posted on August 19, 2022

There are many misconceptions that employees can possess about the workplace and their role in it. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these misconceptions can lead to tension and conflict in the office, potentially harming productivity and damaging relationships with coworkers. It is important to be aware of these workplace myths and learn how to deal with them effectively.

In this blog post, we will discuss 10 of the most common employee misconceptions and how to avoid them.

Tagged employee misconceptions, Office Matters, work myths, workplace

5 Things That UK Employees Want in an Office Environment

Posted on August 12, 2022

The needs and preferences of office workers have changed dramatically in recent years, causing much of the market to shift their offerings to create a positive work environment that stimulates employee engagement. These changes have largely been linked to increased demand for flexibility in the workplace, in addition to more humanistic office design elements and healthy working initiatives.

It’s well known that happy workers are more productive. An extensive study out of the University of Oxford even quantified this boost – with a finding that happy workers are 13% more productive. Employees are undoubtedly the most valuable asset for the vast majority of businesses, making a focus on improving mental health and building a positive working environment extremely vital.

But what exactly do employees want in an office environment? What types of things can employers provide to strike a healthy balance between productivity, positive reinforcement, hard work, and employee happiness? Below, we’ve collated five core things that employees can do to make employees feel happy at work, both inside and outside the office walls.

Tagged communication, Flexible Workspace, office decor, office lighting, Office Requirements, office space, wellness, work life balance

Average Office Worker Salary UK: How Does Your Job Stack Up?

Posted on August 5, 2022

United Kingdom office workers have been forced to accommodate significant changes to their working routines in recent years, with the rise of flexible and remote working models contributing to continued variability in what exactly constitutes a ‘normal’ work schedule. The same can be said for salaries across multiple industries, as employers look to remain competitive in the current jobs market and entice full time employees back to the office.

So where exactly do things currently stand, in real salary terms, for UK office workers? We extensively researched national statistics surrounding this topic to determine the average salary of 10 common office jobs, as well as the averages seen in 2018, to illustrate how compensation has evolved in offices across the UK in recent years.

Most of the salary data we’ve collected has come from Prospects.ac.uk – the UK’s biggest graduate careers website, with more than two million monthly site visitors. The job types we’ve chosen are from a broad enough cross-section across industries to be indicative of what salary your office job might command, even if it’s not specifically listed, so read on to get the full picture!

Tagged 2022, Office Jobs, Salaries, Salary, Statistics, uk

The Top Ten Industries in the UK

Posted on July 6, 2022

Briefcase Decorated with the Union Jack

The UK is Europe’s second-largest economy, recently overtaking France and setting itself up to become the continent’s largest by 2030. Recent data presented in the Office for National Statistics labour market overview indicates there are 29.5 million employees in the UK as of January 2022. The UK remained the world’s fifth-largest economy throughout the challenges of 2020, behind the obvious powerhouses of the United States, China, Japan and Germany. The UK economy has recently expanded at its fastest pace since World War II, and this expansion has made Britain the fastest growing advanced economy, as of 2021. But who are the major economic players in this country, which industries are leading the way? Take a look at some interesting facts and recent data about the UK’s top 10 industries.

Finance and banking

Latest data indicates that the financial services sector comprises 3% of all jobs in the United Kingdom, with 1.1 million people working in the industry as of Q1 2021. The banking industry covers the retail and commercial banking activities of deposit-taking institutions, and the UK’s banks, specifically, employ 278,504 people. Banking’s current market size (raw monetary value from total sales) sits at £92bn. Additionally, economic revenue from the UK’s banks amount to £76.2bn. Outside of London, the UK’s main financial centres are in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, and Birmingham. Currently, banking alone accounts for 4.2% of the country’s GDP.

Information Technology

Nearly every major industry relies on modern technology to function, making the importance of the technology sector difficult to underestimate. As of late 2021, the total market size for computer consultants alone was £58bn in the UK, currently providing an economic revenue of £46.2bn. The most recent data indicates that the IT sector accounted for 4% of all the UK’s jobs. There were 940k Britons employed in IT, software and computer services in 2021, with 418,657 specifically employed in computer consultancy. As the knowledge-based economy becomes a reality, it is expected that nearly half of the UK’s GDP will come from this sector within the next decade.

Tagged Business, Economy, Top Ten UK Industries

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