01732 759725 06 NEWS used on average, up from 21% in 2022. With this leap, the IT sector has almost caught up with the average office attendance in financial services (35%). Overall, AWA’s third Hybrid Index study shows that organisations are responding to hybrid working by improving their desk use in offices (up to 48% from 33% a year ago) and reducing their real estate needs. More than one third (37%) of employers said they were planning to reduce their office space through disposals, subletting or consolidation. AWA also found that three years since working practices changed at the start of the pandemic, 46% of offices still don’t have a hybrid working policy. Even where employers do mandate a specific number of days per week when employees must be in the office, employees tend to come in on significantly fewer days, indicating that ordering staff back into the office doesn’t work. Andrew Mawson, Founder of AWA, said: “Most major tech companies are mandating some form of in-office work including Meta, Amazon, Apple, and more recently, Zoom. However, we continue to believe we have reached a steady state on hybrid working. Savvy employers are using the new reality to become more efficient, improving desk use and reducing their real estate needs. We expect this to result in a gradual build-up of empty office space over the next 5-10 years as leases expire, with a resultant downward pressure on rents and asset values.” https://www.advanced-workplace.com/ awa-hybrid-working-index-3 Zoom has opened a new Engagement Hub in Holborn, London where the company’s 200-plus UK employees can connect in-person and remotely with colleagues, customers and prospects. The 15,000 square foot space includes 75 bookable work points, including library-style benches, touchdown spaces, tables for collaboration and traditional desks, as well as community spaces, formal gathering areas and quiet corners for calls. Zoom technology is integrated throughout, from Zoom Rooms technology in meeting rooms to the Zoom Virtual Kiosk in reception. Early next year, Zoom is adding an Executive Briefing Centre (EBC) and demonstration space. zoom.com ······ Cloud adoption is number one challenge Cloud adoption is the number one challenge faced by IT leaders, according to research by Paessler AG, the monitoring experts, followed by resilient infrastructure, data storage, operational technology and automation and robotics. Paessler’s survey of 1,051 IT administrator customers across 100 countries shows that while concern around cloud adoption remains high, actual uptake is low, with just 25% of UK and 19% of global storage infrastructure in the cloud. Technology firms have the highest level of cloud storage, at 24%, followed by financial services (23%), education (21%), healthcare & pharma (17%) and manufacturing (17%). Levels are even lower in Government where 92% of government-related data is still being stored on-premises. Another area where progress has been relatively slow is sustainability. Globally only 37% of companies have started to work on sustainable IT strategies (up from 33% last year). The proportion is higher in the UK (49%) and Scandinavia (56%) and lower in the US (26%). www.paessler.com ······ I’m working from the metaverse today Clockwise, an operator of 15 flexible workspaces across the UK and Europe, is tackling issues of loneliness and lack of community experienced by remote workers by launching the first office space in the metaverse. The Clockwise Campus, when it is launched this autumn, will provide a digital platform where its members and the public (or rather personally designed avatars) can connect, collaborate, interact and socialise. Accessed via a web browser and based on designs by the architecture and design studio MoreySmith, the Clockwise Campus will provide a wide variety of spaces familiar to users of its physical offices including dedicated meeting rooms, desk spaces, breakout spaces, call zones and a contemplation space. There will also be an amphitheatre where people can enjoy large-scale talks and presentations, as well as more intimate panel discussions and fireside chats from industry pioneers and inspirational figures. Alexandra Livesey, COO of Clockwise, said: “We are very excited to unveil our plans to launch our Clockwise Campus, the first ever workspace in the metaverse. Available to our members as an additional space for them to utilise, the Clockwise Campus will also be accessible by the wider public. Operationally, it will work much like our physical Clockwise offices, but on a larger scale. It will be a place where the usual restrictions around sqft and limitations of physical buildings don’t apply, where practical considerations such as weather and maintenance are unnecessary - a sort of Clockwise utopia.” https://workclockwise.co.uk/ Original sketch and concept by MoreySmith ······ A rich mix The average UK company’s workforce is now made up of 57% full time workers and 43% freelancers and part-time staff (21% each). The main reasons for taking on freelancers are to gain skills (52%), to reduce the workload of permanent staff (38%) and to increase productivity (36%). There are more than 4.4 million freelancers and self-employed workers in the UK. (source: Fiverr’s UK Workforce Index) fiverr.com continued...
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