November 7, 2018

Will technology prove a threat or a godsend in the new workplace?

by Matt Weston • Comment, Technology, Workplace

In the past decade, the business landscape has fundamentally shifted with the emergence of companies like Uber and Netflix, in addition to the rapid growth of large technology companies such as Apple and Amazon. Underlying this shift is the constant evolution and implementation of technology into the workplace. In a recent report, the World Economic Forum stated that digitisation could add a staggering $100 trillion to businesses by 2025.

November 7, 2018

Employers need to prepare workers for the new era of artificial intelligence

by Sara Bean • Automation, News, Technology, Workplace

People and machines are entering a new era of learning in which artificial intelligence (AI) augments ordinary intelligence and helps people realise their full potential. But CIOs need to prepare workers for a future in which people do more creative and impactful work because they no longer have to perform many routine and repetitive tasks, according to analysts speaking at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo. Although AI will give employees the time to do more, organisations will need to train and retrain their employees in anticipation of AI investments, with CIOs also likely to be the leader or instigator of AI initiatives in their organisation.

November 5, 2018

Companies increasingly worried that Internet of Things could become a major burden

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

The performance of Internet of Things (IoT) devices could undermine the performance of an entire organisation, according to a new report (registration required) from software firm Dynatrace, based on a poll of 800 CIOs. The report claims that nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of IT leaders are concerned that Internet of Things (IoT) performance problems could directly impact business operations and significantly damage revenues. This is mostly because 78 percent of CIOs said there is a risk that their organization will roll-out IoT strategies without having a plan or solution in place to manage the performance of the complex cloud ecosystems that underpin IoT rollouts. In fact, 69 percent of CIOs predicted that IoT will become a major performance management burden as they struggle to overcome the escalating complexity of their modern enterprise cloud environments.

November 1, 2018

Organisations at risk of falling behind due to a lack of AI strategy, training and experience

by Mark Eltringham • Automation, News, Technology

UK organisations risk falling behind oversees competition due to a lack of Artificial Intelligence strategy, according to a new report (registration required) published by Microsoft UK and Goldsmiths, University of London. In the face of significant disruption, the research reveals that 41 per cent of business leaders believe their current business model will cease to exist within the next 5 years. Despite big questions over the longevity of their business models, more than half (51 per cent) of business leaders surveyed revealed they do not have a relevant strategy in place to address these challenges. More →

November 1, 2018

Digitisation means traditional working day no longer a reality for CEOs

by Sara Bean • Automation, Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

The rise of data and digitisation has led to the demise of the traditional working day for many CEOs, with a third now checking business analytics first thing in the morning and last thing before they go to bed. This peaks at 54 percent among 25-34 year olds but drops to just 5 percent for leaders over 45, who are much more fixed to their desk. According to the research by Domo (registration required), 80 percent of these leaders prefer to wait until they are in the office to check in. Three quarters (71 percent) of CEOs across the UK and Ireland believe their business could be at risk from current blind spots in data access and skills, however, there is another demographic split. 84 percent of CEOs age 25-34 said it could be a risk, compared to just half of over 55s.

October 31, 2018

Business leaders agree that organisations must be digitised to compete

by Sara Bean • Automation, Facilities management, News, Technology, Workplace

Over two thirds (67 percent) of business leaders agree their company must become significantly digitalised by 2020 to remain competitive, and they are looking for HR leaders to lead the transformation. This is according to Gartner, Inc whose latest research suggests that CEOs are sharing their focus on digitalisation with their investors; with mentions of “digital” on earnings calls increasing by 20 percent year-over-year since 2010. CEOs are seeking ways to keep costs down while achieving gains in efficiency and productivity, and the HR function is expected to lead digital transformation efforts across their organisations. More →

October 29, 2018

The jobs of the future that will survive the AI revolution

by Neil Franklin • Automation, News, Technology

While the debate rages on about the exact consequences of the use of automation in the workplace, IT firm Cognizant has identified what it claims are the jobs of the future. Of the jobs Cognizant tracks, 45 actually exist today, such as data scientist and aerospace engineer. The other five are “proxy” jobs, the key characteristics of which the report sets out to define.

October 23, 2018

Technical, social and legal challenges to deployment of wearables in buildings

by Sara Bean • Automation, Facilities management, News, Property, Technology

While there is substantial potential for the deployment of wearables there are also significant technical, social and legal challenges. This is the conclusion of the latest white paper from BSRIA, ‘Wearables & wellbeing in buildings – the story so far’ which found little evidence of any practical solutions linking wearables to HVAC or building systems in general that were already in operation, apart from in “niche areas” such as wearable security fobs. A wearable is a device or an item of clothing which can be worn by a human, or possibly be carried as an implant, which has a degree of “intelligence” built into it and can potentially communicate with the Internet of Things (IoT), either directly or indirectly, for example via a Bluetooth connection to a smart phone. More →

October 23, 2018

Cultural attitudes define the race for 5G connectivity as Germany and Holland inch ahead

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology

New research commissioned by international law firm Osborne Clarke claims that businesses in Germany and the Netherlands could be leading the global race to embrace next-generation 5G connectivity. The Next Generation Connectivity research of executives and managers from 11 countries, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, also claims that approaches and attitudes to adopting connectivity vary country to country. This, Osborne Clarke says, could hinder future opportunities.

October 22, 2018

Regus to sue WeWork; blinkers for office workers; and some other stuff you should know about

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Property, Technology, Workplace design

What to make of the announcement that Chengdu is thinking of creating an artificial moon so that it can do away with street lights, bathing the city’s streets in permanent dusk? Well possibly a big thumbs up for the ingenuity and maybe thumbs down for the impact on people’s circadian rhythms and awareness of what’s in the heavens. People really should look up more, both figuratively and literally. Maybe there’s also room for a thought about we we can over-complicate designed solutions when we look to innovate beyond a certain point.

October 19, 2018

Smart spaces and the other top technology trends for 2019

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology, Workplace design

Technology researcher Gartner has highlighted the top strategic technology trends it believes organisations should be aware of in 2019. Gartner defines a strategic technology trend as one with ‘substantial disruptive potential that is beginning to break out of an emerging state into broader impact and use, or which are rapidly growing trends with a high degree of volatility reaching tipping points over the next five years’. One of the interesting points to note is the inclusion of the physical workplace yet again, as we highlighted in our recent feature on the trends shaping office design.

October 18, 2018

Fewer than half of UK managers would recommend their workplace to others

by Sara Bean • News, Technology, Workplace

Under half (47 percent) of British managers ‘completely agree’ that they would recommend their workplace to others, lagging behind other countries, such as Austria (66 percent), Finland (53 percent), Switzerland (53 percent), and France (51 percent). This is according to a Cornerstone OnDemand and IDC survey of over 1,900 European HR, IT and line of business managers, Future Culture 2018: Building a Culture of Innovation in the Age of Digital Transformation (registration required). More →