Data on Lifts Usage Suggests Rising Office Attendance in London (but Not Elsewhere)
Lift traffic data from KONE shows an 11 percent rise in elevator journeys in London’s large office buildings in January 2025 versus a year earlier, indicating a notable return to physical workplaces. The upward trend has continued throughout the year, contrasting sharply with flat or declining lift usage in other major European cities such as Frankfurt, Rotterdam, Barcelona and Berlin. Supporting the occupancy signal, London office rents have jumped 8 percent in the City and over 15 percent in the West End, while vacancy rates have fallen below 1 percent. Analysts view the pattern as evidence that remote‑work adoption is receding faster in the UK capital than elsewhere.
AI Users Report Stronger Workplace Connections, According to Gensler Survey
Gensler’s 2026 Global Workplace Survey of 16,400 office workers across 16 countries finds that AI power users—about 30 % of respondents—spend less time alone and more time learning and interacting with colleagues, contradicting the notion that AI isolates workers. These users...
Most People Managers Would Prefer Not to Manage People
A YouGov survey commissioned by SafetyCulture found that 69% of frontline managers in the UK and Ireland would rather not manage people if their pay remained unchanged. The reluctance is strongest among younger workers, with 73% of Gen Z and...
Refurbishment Dominates UK Cities Office Development Pipeline
Refurbishment projects now dominate the office development pipeline across the UK’s Big Nine regional cities, representing the majority of space under construction. The volume of refurbishment space rose 12% year‑on‑year as new‑build starts remain subdued due to rising construction costs...
Government Office Closures Deliver over £17 Million in Annual Savings
The UK government announced that closing three central London office buildings has generated more than £17 million in annual savings, with the latest closure of 10 Victoria Street delivering around £8.8 million in rent reductions. The closures are part of a broader...
The ROI of Predictive Property Management with IoT Sensors
A six‑month pilot at Langvout Court retirement complex in the Scottish Borders equipped the site with unobtrusive IoT sensors linked to an ambient assisted‑living platform. The deployment generated a 4.4 to 1 return on investment, meaning each £1 spent produced £4.40 of...
