With a creative and innovative approach to working practices taking off around the world, and political correctness still enjoying its heyday in 21st century society, some very strange job titles have begun to spring up.

We bring you five of our favourite new position titles currently in use around the working world...

1. Chief Inspiration Officer

Ah, yes. When I was young I always hoped someone would approach me with a job offer with the headline, ‘To make a difference’. This vague job description is attributed to the Chief Inspiration Officer.

A ‘CIO’ is a company representative whose role is essentially to encourage ‘belief in the company’ and ‘internal evangelism of its values’. Which brings us nicely on to…

2. Brand Evangelist

Brand evangelists are essentially corporate preachers, whose job it is to infiltrate the hearts and minds of the audience and convince them to buy a particular product or sign up for a certain service.

Evangelism isn’t just limited to brands, however. Recently, job titles such as ‘Digital Evangelist’, ‘Social Evangelist’ and the likes of the product-specific ‘Senior Kindle Evangelist’ (Amazon) have also been enjoying CV fame.

3. Conversation Architect

The role of ‘Conversation Architect’ is something of a by-product of the social media revolution and today’s chatty consumerist society. Instead of being told, it is commonly held that people want to ‘find out’ information, or just hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

As such, the term ‘marketing’ is now considered by many new techno workers as old-hat and outdated. You are no longer marketing an idea… you are building a conversation with your audience.

4. Beverage Dissemination Officer

Ever had a really long day at the office and decided to go cry on the shoulder of your local… Beverage Dissemination Officer? You might be surprised to learn that this person is just your friendly old Bartender, disguised under a new name!

We’re not sure when ‘Bartender’ became a politically incorrect term or indeed why, but there you have it. Somehow a ‘BDO’ seems less willing to listen to your troubles…

5. Genius

If you’ve encountered the queues at an Apple store in the past few years, you may have found a Genius waiting for you at the end of it. No, you are not meeting with a new generation of Albert Einsteins.

Part of Apple’s unusual approach to recruitment and company culture is to refer to support staff in retail outlets as geniuses… just so you know your iPhone troubles are in safe hands.

Have you heard of any weird and wonderful job titles? Tell us your favourites in the comments below.

Sprechen sie office? If you understand the phrase ‘This CLM is an 8th-floor decision but not to worry, the alpha geeks are stress puppies’ then we would like to have a word with you. Preferably, in plain English.

A couple of years ago, officebroker.com brought you our Top Ten Jargon Crimes of the Workplace. Since then we can’t help but notice that, as the times have changed, the office language has evolved to new proportions.

Not to let this go unnoticed, we bring you an update of the most-hated office language. Perpetrators, stand by for shame.

1. PAAS

PAAS - otherwise known as ‘pointless, annoying acronym speak’. It’s bad enough if your boss comes to you and says, “I need you to complete that report before lunch – or by the end of the day at the very latest – along with your usual tasks, or you’re in big trouble.”

But take heart if this phrase comes out, “Action that VIR before you’re OFL – or COP latest – without dropping BAU, or you’re 404.” After all, you might be late on your deadline, but at least you can speak English.

2. Getting Your Ducks in Order

There’s an increasing number of metaphorical ducks in business these days. Rife among UK businesses, these imaginary aquatic birds are the only way to get anything done, apparently.

Workers take note – you are not lining up ducks, nor do you need to invoke an image of you doing so, especially if hand gestures are involved. Repeat after me: you are completing a series of tasks in the most logical order. Now, was that so difficult?

3. Expectation Management

If you’re planning to ‘manage your boss’s expectations’ then you’re likely intending to lie to your manager about your progress in the hopes of winning a bit more time before you get labelled a ‘404’ for missing your deadline.

Instead of spending all that time thinking of unnecessary ways to describe cutting corners, you might consider just getting the job done.

4. Workforce Reduction

Perhaps the only thing worse than finding out you’ve just been fired is having to figure the fact out for yourself because your boss keeps talking about a ‘workforce reduction’.

This interesting phrase, presumably adopted to make reality a bit less harsh, has been enjoying popularity during the recession as lots of workforces have been ‘reducing’ to cut the cost of running business.

5. Delayering

If you’re not reduced, you might find yourself the victim of ‘delayering’. Delayering a business basically means making redundancies, which usually involve firing a ‘layer’ of business, such as middle management.

Should you be ‘delayered’, it may be some comfort to you to be leaving the kind of organisation that compares its management structure to a cake.

6. Marzipan Layer

From the same thought process that brought you ‘delayering’, we bring you the sticky, sweet layer of marzipan that lies between you and a million pound bonus. The bizarre ‘marzipan layer’ sits between middle management and the board room.

The phrase reportedly originates from the concept that the marzipan is just below the ‘icing on the cake’ (in this case, the board). It also gestures to the fact that most women get trapped in this sticky layer on their way up the ranks.

7. Thought Showering

Ah, political correctness. The social geniuses who nervously refer to men and women as generically gendered ‘people’ and forbid Father Christmas from saying ‘ho ho ho’ in case it offends women now bring you a gentle ‘thought shower’.

Not only is brainstorming considered too aggressive a phrase, apparently it could also be interpreted as a derogatory reference to mental ill health. We have yet to meet a single person who has ever interpreted the term this way.

8. Blue Sky Thinking

Hey kid, the sky’s the limit! Reach for the stars! Grab that dream rainbow as it arches overhead! Such offputtingly optimistic phrases have been joined by the term ‘blue sky thinking’ which encourages people to ‘think big’ and ‘reject limitations’.

It is such methods of thought that have got us all into trouble at some point in our lives and we’d rather it wasn’t now accompanied with an idealistic phrase that makes us feel like we’re in a slow-motion shampoo advert.

9. Keeping it on the QT

Has someone recently asked you to keep something on the ‘QT’ or the ‘DL’? Be baffled no longer – these stand for ‘quiet time’ and ‘down-low’. They are both ambiguous and pseudo-polite ways of saying ‘keep your mouth shut’.

You might return the phrase with its plain English translation next time someone says it to you, if only in the hopes of stopping it from occurring again in the future.

10. WOMBAT

Far from referring to someone as a cute and fluffy mammal, calling someone a WOMBAT now means that they are ‘a waste of money, brains and time’.

We appreciate the sentiment but we do think there are other, less adorable ways of telling someone what you think of them.

Do you wish you could be delayered just to avoid all these WOMBATS talking in PAAS while getting their ducks in order? Tell us your most-hated office-isms in the comments below.

The Basepoint business centre in Folkestone has celebrated its 10th anniversary, receiving praise from long standing clients for the supportive business environment they have provided over the last decade.

Attended by local MP Damian Collins, the event was marked with a lunch for the Centre’s clients and management team.

In addition to the support provided to businesses and the local economy, the centre’s contribution to local charities was also acknowledged.

“We are delighted to be celebrating our tenth anniversary” explained Centre Manager Lorraine May.

“Despite the difficult economic times we have a strong business community here at the Centre and are confident that this is set to continue. Over the years we have seen commitment, focus and determination from all our licensees and their will to succeed has been inspirational.

Long-term advocate Ray Johnson, Chairman of the Kent Chamber of Commerce explained the important role the Centre had played in supporting its members over the years:

“The Chamber has been at Basepoint Folkestone since it opened in 2002 and was instrumental in assisting with the set-up of the facility.

"It has been a pleasure to work closely with Basepoint, providing a range of business support services that, in turn, has helped both Chamber members and licensees with the excellent facilities that are available.”

It’s a sports edition summer this year, when many a football widow bemoans the double serving of both the Olympics and Euro 2012. But what impact will it have on business?

Combined with an air of festivity nationwide, we charge through a year that sees the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the 30th Summer Olympics of the modern era, Wimbledon and festivals galore.

But the added time off could account for more loss to UK businesses than previously accounted for.

Leaving the well-publicised Olympics aside for a moment, lets consider the impact of Euro 2012. Remember, Britain is a country famed for its multiculturalism and it won’t just be the England matches that draw all the attention from your staff.

When Poland, Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic face each other on the 8th, 12th and 16th of June this year, no less than 125,000 citizens living in the UK will be gripped by the game.

On the 9th, 13th and 17th on the other hand, many of the 370,000 Dutch, Danish, German and Portuguese people who live in the UK may choose to take the time off work. And twice that many Italian, Croatian, Spanish and Irish UK residents will enjoy their match days on the 10th, 14th and 18th of June.

But these numbers utterly pale in comparison to the days on which England plays this summer.

Along with the Swedish, French and Ukrainian groups playing on the same days, the England football team could see as many as 5.5 million fans taking their time or attention away from work to enjoy game days on Monday 11th, Friday 15th and Tuesday 19th of June.

Given the sheer numbers of people invested in this year’s numerous events, the UK is facing a number of unsolicited bank-holiday-type events where few people who turn up to work are actually interested in what’s going on at work - while the rest of the country celebrates summer at the pub, watching the match.

Including the Olympic Game days, the unusual quota of 2012 Bank Holidays and the days on which games of Euro 2012 and Wimbledon are playing - the final bill could cost the UK economy more than previously billed – tens of billions more.

What will it cost your business?

Are you planning to take time off during Euro 2012, or will you be stuck at the office, checking the internet for updates?

We’re bringing back a feature that celebrates our colleagues in the serviced office industry who have recently or frequently gone above and beyond the call of duty to simply be brilliant.

Have you been brought to light as a hardworking, dedicated office provider with whom we love to do business? Check the list of nominations from our Account Managers below to find out!

All winners can expect a surprise gift which will wing its way to you shortly so you can flash your shiny achievement to anyone who stands still long enough to listen! Who says the delivery man isn’t interested?

Mel Schembri - i2 Offices

Nominated by Richard Horwell:

“Mel is likeable, provides great feedback and a fantastic level of service and support to all the clients we introduce to her.

“i2 recently opened two new centres in London and Mel has been working alongside me to help secure clients. By providing a great service to our clients, Mel has enjoyed great success at the Aldersgate offices and now is doing the same at Gracechurch Street.

Steve Foster - Ventia UK

Nominated by Jade Edwards:

“Steve is great – delivering everything we need to help our clients during their office search experience. Prompt feedback, good updates and always friendly!”

Lucie Marsden - Anvic Developments

Nominated by Alex Williamson:

“Lucie works in a small operation – there’s about four business centres in total, but she’s so good at what she does! She’s proactive with communication and support and keeps us updated on progress and changes all the time, which is a big help in what we do.

“Lucie is also brilliant because she always builds and maintains a great relationship with clients.”

Cheryl McClurg - Prospect Business Centres

Nominated by Dean Ridsdill:

“Working with Cheryl is fantastic because of her efficiency, her fast response time and her proactive approach in everything she does.

“Cheryl is always easy to contact and maintains great communication throughout the process.”

Valerie Bradley - Schoolhouse Business Centres

Nominated by Ian Stanley:

“Valerie at Schoolhouse in Derby is so proactive, delivering client feedback, giving comprehensive background information and ultimately keeping us updated so we know where we are at all times.

“Importantly, she’s also quick to flag up when she can’t help so that we can work together to find what’s best for the client, elsewhere if needs be.”

Recently, officebroker.com has gone social, reaching out to our colleagues and business partners all over the social web so that we can have more opportunities to talk directly with you.

If you’re on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest or LinkedIn – we’d love to see you! And if you’re not sure of any of these channels or where to find us, read on for more information and more ways to get in touch...

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TWITTER

Vital Stats: 140 million users send 340 million tweets a day

Where to Find Us: @officebrokercom

Twitter is designed to deliver news and information fast, in 140 characters or less – it currently delivers around 4000 tweets of new information every second.

We’re on Twitter sharing news and views and connecting with business centres, partners and clients on a daily basis with fast, fun updates. We’d love to see you there…

FACEBOOK

Vital Stats: 800 million users update 532 million statuses a day

Where to Find Us: officebrokercom.follow

Facebook is the most used, longest used and best loved of all the social platforms as over 4.7 billion minutes are spent on the site every day, updating around 6200 statuses every second.

Find us on Facebook where we can post fun, fresh content and interesting news from the world of work and office space for you to browse at your leisure.

GOOGLE+

Vital Stats: 90 million users – 20 million of whom visit every day

Where to Find Us: officebroker.com

Google Plus is Google’s answer to the social revolution. Google is introducing Search Plus Your World, whereby they will use your Google Plus profile and the results your friends like to influence what you find online.

So we’ve signed up to make friends and influence people with the idea that, if you trust us and have enjoyed working with us in the past, you’ll be interested to learn our recommendations.

PINTEREST

Vital Stats: 10.4 million users visit 17 million times every day

Where to Find Us: officebroker.com

Pinterest is an image-based social platform where you can pin the images you love and share them with your fellow pinners.

Pinterest is growing from strength to strength as more and more people become addicted to the beautiful pictures and great ideas. Come and find us there for images of nice offices and the goings-on here at officebroker.com.

LINKEDIN

Vital Stats: 147 million users contributing to around 1.3 million Groups

Where to Find Us: officebroker.com

LinkedIn is business’s social media platform – designed for and used by professionals and companies to collaborate and network online. 2 million companies are currently doing just that.

We don’t just have a company profile but a Group page as well, where we share conversations and great ideas about the industry. You can also join a public Group we help to look after, simply called Office Space.

Got any questions or comments about social? Don’t hold back! Come and find us around the social web or comment in the box below…

The office space of Canary Wharf will be populated by the largest concentration of bankers in Europe by the end of June 2012 - overtaking the City of London as the financial center of the UK.

According to research by the Financial Times, this shift in power will be facilitated by the arrival of 8,000 staff from JPMorgan, taking the total number of bankers operating from offices in Canary Wharf to an estimated 44,500 – roughly 1200 more than will now be located in the historic Square Mile.

One of the driving forces behind this shift is considered to be rents, with the average cost of securing office space in Canary Wharf reportedly 34% lower than in the City of London.

The larger floor plates offered by Canary Wharfs high rise buildings, such as the iconic One Canada Square, also allows these financial giants to operate from dedicated locations rather than splitting their staff across multiple buildings.

Considering the higher costs reportedly incurred by maintaining offices in Central London, recent research published by officebroker.com revealed that average workstation prices in Central London’s serviced office market reached a 5 year high in the opening quarter of 2012.

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Elsewhere on the blog…

• Q1 2012: Workstation Price Hits 5 Year High
• Canary Wharf Office Tower Half Full Before Building Begins
• Walkie Talkie Tower Receives Occupiers

The price of unneeded office space could be costing businesses £42 million each year according to a leading property specialist, with outdated measurements and changing working habits altering office space requirements.

Reported by The Independent property firm DeVono believes that part of this change comes from a 10-15% decrease in the average amount of work space required by each employee - falling from around 100 sq. ft. to an average of just 85 sq. ft.

Speaking to the new newspaper, DeVono director Adam Landau explained:

"For far too long, it has become widely practised and accepted that office space measurements should be based on this. But having consulted with architects, building designers and our experience from acting for office occupiers, office space should be calculated at no more than between 85 and 90 square feet per person."

This lowering of office space requirements brings it closer to the average allocation used by flexible office providers such as those providing serviced offices – which is widely accepted as delivering an average of 75 sq. ft. per workstation.

Commenting on the future shape and reasons behind this change, Mr Landau went on to explain that telecoms, media and technology based companies were leading the way, integrating collaborative work spaces and flexibility into their working environments.

"Telecoms, media and technology companies are largely leading the way for the future of how our offices will look, with breakout and brainstorming areas of increased social gathering leading to more collaborative work places – often with recreational spaces."

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Elsewhere on the blog…

• Office Space Uptake Rises in North East
• London Offices Unprepared for Olympic Strain
• Biggest Businesses No Longer Require Staff?

The number of businesses making the move to serviced office space in the North East of England increased by 61% during the opening quarter of 2012.

Published in the Serviced Office Review, the regular research series produced by officebroker.com, the higher number of businesses securing serviced office space in the North East occurred despite the number of enquiries being lower than in the same 3 month period of 2011.

While the amount of office space required remained relatively consistent, averaging 3.7 to 3.5 workstations in Q1 11 and Q1 12 respectively - the volume of office space secured by North East Businesses remained below the UK average of 4.4 workstations.

The average cost of serviced office space in the North East also decreased when comparing Q1 11 to the same three month period in 2012. With an average of £164 per month recorded across the region, this places the average North East workstation £131 below the UK national average of £295.

Whilst price was shown to have decreased, the commitment shown by businesses moving to serviced office space increased, with initial license lengths rising from around 9 months to over 10 during Q1 12.

To explore the Serviced Office Review: North East Q1 2012 report, visit the dedicated Knowledge Centre at officebroker.com. Here you can view and download all 13 regional and 7 city centre reports that make up the quarterly research series.

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Elsewhere on the blog…

• Study Reveals UK Not That Hardworking
• New World Trade Center Becomes Tallest Building

According to a study undertaken by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UK is actually among the countries that work the least total hours in Europe.

Despite a general perception that the UK works longer hours and is busier working outside of the office than many countries, the research reveals that the UK actually ranks a middling 14th on a list of countries that are the hardest working and most productive.

Top of the list, with the most total working hours in our neighbourhood is Greece, which slogs away but doesn’t count as one of the most productive nations, at 8th lowest producer on the scale. Despite this low output, the average Greek worker puts in a remarkable 2,017 hours every year.

The award for the most productive country actually goes to Luxembourg, which doesn’t even rank in the top 10 for most hours worked in Europe, but is by far the country with the most output per worker.

On the flip side of the scale, the Netherlands works the least hours in Europe, putting in just 1,377 hours a year per worker. While that might seem like a lot, it doesn’t approach the near-double number of working hours toiled in Greece.

Despite the few hours spent at work, the Netherlands ranks fifth most productive country in Europe.

On this scale, the UK ranks 14th for both productivity and time spent working. On the downside, we might not be the dedicated hard workers we think we are compared to our struggling neighbours.

But on the upside, our output equals the work we put in, which is more than can be said for employees in Greece, Hungary and Poland where working hours are long and there appears to be little economic benefit.

In 2006, the now-Prime Minister David Cameron insisted that Britain’s lagging place on the scale of toiling nations meant we were actually working far too hard:

“It’s time we admitted that there’s more to life than money, and it’s time we focused not just on GDP, but on GWB - general well-being,” Mr Cameron once told the Press. “Improving our society’s sense of well-being is, I believe, the central political challenge of our times.”

Despite Britain’s drop in working hours and rise in holidays, however, most UK workers report over dissatisfaction with their lives – you can find more about this in our blog entitled UK Workers Unhappy Despite More Time Off.

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Elsewhere on the Blog…

• Biggest Businesses No Longer Require Staff?
• Political Correctness: The Latest and Greatest
• £10m Fund for Budding Business Brains