Improving education by creating buildings fit for purpose
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A UK population growth spurt has led to a bigger demand for school places than ever. Bob Mortimer, UK & Ireland Sales Manager of leading education flooring provider Heckmondwike, explains how good building design and specifying durable materials can future proof schools and even improve staff retention and productivity.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK population is projected to rise by 9.7 million by 2039. What impact will this increase have on education quality and provision? It is estimated that the number of primary and secondary school pupils will increase by an additional 729,000 by 2020. To cope with this influx, more than 2,000 new schools (24,000 classrooms) must be built in England during the same period.
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IGF constructs £200k funding line for construction firm Rubico
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IGF, the leading commercial finance provider for SMEs, has delivered a £200k invoice finance facility for Lincolnshire-based construction and maintenance firm Rubico.
Rubico sought a new finance partner to provide an injection of working capital into the business, and began working with IGF in July 2017. The facility will allow Rubico to win larger contracts across the wider retail sector, particularly within the food and beverage industry, as well as meet its future ambitions to hire more staff and expand outside of its current premises in Stamford.
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Please mind the office design – how the right carpet can make all the difference
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The third edition of the “What Workers Want” survey, a joint publication from the British Council for Offices (BCO) and Savills, found that neglecting office design can have a negative effect on employer’s well-being and performance. A total of 25% of employees surveyed would be willing to commute an extra 30 minutes to work in the perfect office. This highlights not only the opportunity for occupiers to expand their potential labour pool but shows that employee loyalty increases if businesses fit out the office to their staff requirements.
Absenteeism among the existing staff could also notably decrease when a fit for purpose office is provided, while productivity would be on the up. This notion receives support from the 2015 guidelines of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which stress the link between employee well-being and work output. UK businesses are losing 6.9 days a year per employee due to the absenteeism trend, which could be a contributing factor to the UK’s productivity being 27, 30 and 35 percentage points lower than in France, the US and Germany in 2015. The latest Stoddart Review research has revealed that an effective workplace can improve business productivity by 3.5%, which could add up to £70 billion to the UK economy, according to economist Duncan Weldon.
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Local FD manoeuvres through South America for Charity
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‘Challenge Yourself’ was the task set by Mick George Ltd to its employees, management and directors throughout the business, in an attempt to raise money for its two selected charities of the year.
One person who has certainly embraced that notion, is the companies Finance Director Jon Stump, who is seeking to defy all odds, by trekking across Costa Rica, in what will certainly be a daunting coast-to-coast expedition.
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Half year revenue at Mobile Mini UK hits £33m
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Mobile Mini, a leading hirer of portable site accommodation and secure storage containers, has announced that its UK business grew its half year revenue by almost 14% to £33m, for the first six months of 2017.
Revenue has been bolstered by a further multi-million pound investment, leading to the addition of another 600 new units to its rental fleet. This investment includes the recent launch of the industry-leading, cost effective and energy efficient Groundhog Fusion mobile welfare units. Mobile Mini's growing fleet of rental units now stands at almost 40,000 across its 16 branches nationwide, from Glasgow to Southampton.