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NEWS Workers average 1.5 days in the office UK office workers are only spending an average of a day and a half in their workplace even though social distancing regulations have been scrapped, according to a new survey. Consultancy firm Advanced Workplace Associates (AWP) surveyed 43 offices in the UK with a total workforce of nearly 50,000 people during June and July. The day the least number of staff attended the office was Friday when just 13% of workers turned up, followed by Mondays (19%). AWP said that similar patterns in terms of office attendance, desk use and homeworking are being observed in other countries surveyed, suggesting that hybrid working appears to be here to stay. A spokesperson said: Organisations may soon need to recognise that this is the post-pandemic normal and evolve their working practices, processes and skills to support hybrid-working models. Offices in most sectors are underoccupied which, if these trends continue, will result in excess space being repurposed or sub-let. Construction output shrinks for rst time since October Activity fell by 1.4% in June, following seven consecutive months rise Monthly construction output shrunk in June, the rst fall the sector has suffered since last October, according to new ofcial gures. The Ofce for National Statistics (ONS) most recent construction monthly data, released on 12 August, shows that the volume of the industrys output decreased by 1.4% in June. This marked the rst fall since October 2021 and follows seven consecutive months of growth. The gures show falls in both new work (2.0%) and repair and maintenance (0.2%). The main sectoral contributors to the June 2022 decrease were private new housing and commercial work, which saw drops of 6.1% and 4.5%, respectively. The ONS said that Junes gures had been affected by the Diamond Jubilee weekend. The release of the latest output gures follow the publication in July of a new survey showing Should you be getting CROSS? that nearly half of small builders have seen their prot margins hit over the last quarter. The most recent State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) shows 49% of small builders have seen a negative impact on prot margins owing to the current economic climate. Nearly all (98%) builders say they have experienced material cost increases, with 81% passing these on to customers. Further increases in material costs are expected by 95% of respondents in the third quarter of this year. Meanwhile 71% of builders have had to delay jobs because of a lack of materials and 61% are putting off work because of a shortage of skilled tradespeople. Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said the survey made for grim reading. The industry appears to be at a turning point, and without any movement from a government stuck in paralysis, things will only get worse, he said. Home insulation must be a national mission Insulating homes must be priority, says Labour Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures shares knowledge to help create a safer built environment. This information is freely available to read on the CROSS website covering fire and structural safety. Sign up to CROSS and youll receive regular Newsletters and updates on emerging safety issues. Visit www.cross-safety.org or scan the QR code to find out more The next Prime Minister should make home insulation a national mission that could save households 11bn in three years, Labours Ed Miliband has said. The shadow secretary of state for climate and net zero has urged rival Tory leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to embrace the Labour partys plan, announced by its leader, Sir Keir Starmer, on 15 August, to freeze the energy price cap. This includes a fresh commitment to Labours 10-year Warm Homes Plan to upgrade the energy efciency of 19m homes. Each household receiving an upgrade would save an average of 1,000, adding up to a total of 11.4bn in the rst three years. Meanwhile, as pressure builds on the government to cut bills, the National Grid Electricity System Operator was set to unveil plans, as CIBSE Journal went to press, to enable households to receive discounts on electricity bills if they cut use at peak times. Rebates could be on offer for those who avoid high-power activities, such as using washing machines, during the early evening peak hours. The ESO hopes to secure approval from Ofgem for the scheme so that it can be launched by late October. 6 September 2022 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Sept 22 pp06 News.indd 6 26/08/2022 13:10