August 2, 2024

Tech workers and young people will need a major skills upgrade if they are to keep up with AI

The vast majority (92 percent) of ICT roles are expected to undergo big changes as a result of advancements in artificial intelligence and the technology continues to transform the information and communications (ICT) sector according to a new report from tech giants, Cisco, Microsoft and Google. The AI-enabled ICT Workforce Consortium, led by Cisco has published the “Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs” report, offering guidance on the areas for of concern for workers to reskill in response to the evolving job landscape. This transformation will impact professionals in 47 ICT roles, including cybersecurity, data science and software development, according to the report. More →

July 30, 2024

Working with AI drives innovation, but business leaders are sceptical

by Neil Franklin • AI, News

Collaborating with artificial intelligence increases the volume, diversity and detail of new ideas from business leaders according to a new poll from design consultancy IDEO. The survey also suggests that using AI to accelerate innovation rather than efficiency can increase growth by more than a third. In the study 1,000 business leaders answered a brief to design new products and services that could achieve both growth and sustainability objectives. Business leaders who received AI generated questions to help with ideation in response to the brief produced 56 percent more ideas, with a 13 percent increase in the diversity of ideas and a 27 percent increase in the level of detail compared to a control group who were not provided with artificial intelligence prompts. More →

July 30, 2024

Cybersecurity and AI are biggest threats to business, say HR leaders

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology

New research from BT claims there is widespread anxiety among business leaders in the HR sector regarding the pace of technological change. In fact, 96 percent of HR company directors and executives report suffering from ‘bytemares’ – tech-related stress that’s severe enough to disrupt their sleep – with cybersecurity and AI coming up as the main sources of anxiety. With 74 percent of leaders in the sector agreeing that tech transformation is critical to the survival of their business, tackling this tech anxiety could result in a significant contribution to the growth of both the HR sector and the wider economy. More →

July 29, 2024

A large pay gap between business leaders and staff is bad news for businesses

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

Employees may be less productive and have more negative emotional experiences at work when there is a large pay gap between them and those in leadership roles, a new study shows. The ‘vertical pay gap’ between leaders and other employees has been found to have risen markedly over the past five decades. More →

July 25, 2024

Shortage of high-quality data threatens the AI ‘boom’

by Neil Franklin • AI, News

A number of fundamental issues, including a shortage of high-quality data with which to ‘train’ the technology is threatening the AI ‘boom’, according to a new white paper from the Open Data Institute. The paper Building a better future with data and AI is based on research carried out by the Institute in the first half of 2024. It claims to identify significant weaknesses in the UK’s technological infrastructure that threaten the predicted potential gains – for people, society, and the economy – from the surge of interest in artificial intelligence and its applications. It also outlines the ODI’s recommendations for creating diverse, fair data-centric AI. More →

July 25, 2024

People and firms are shifting away from remote work, survey suggests

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

There has been a recent significant shift in working habits and preferences among employees in the post-pandemic landscape, according to the fourth Commuter Census from Mobilityways. One of the most prominent findings from the report is the pronounced decline in both the practice of and preference for remote work. The survey of 10,325 participants suggests that 40 percent of people no longer engage in any form of remote work, despite a mere 15 percent of employees expressing a preference for this arrangement. Only 26 percent of respondents would consider working from home as an alternative to their current commuting routine, marking a significant 42 percent drop from the previous year. More →

July 24, 2024

Organisations struggle to nurture creativity even though they see it as essential

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

A new report from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, in collaboration with Canva, claims to have uncovered the significant challenges organisations face when it comes to fostering creativity within the workplace. Despite the widespread belief in the importance of creativity, many organisations are struggling to create environments that nurture and encourage innovative thinking. More →

July 24, 2024

How do you encourage people to spend more time in the office? Find out in our special report

by Neil Franklin • Briefing, Flexible working, Premium Content, Workplace design

In a world in which people have more choice about how and where to work, how can organisations meet their diverse and ever-changing needs? And how can they attract them to the office without issuing controversial mandates? Some of the UK’s most high-profile workplace, design, property and facilities management experts met recently at the London showroom of MillerKnoll to discuss one of the most vexed questions of recent years. Namely, how do you create workplaces that meet the needs of people who have more choices than ever of how, when and where to work? And its corollary: if you want people to spend more time in the office with each other, how do you entice them to do so without making it an obligation? More →

July 22, 2024

Office attendance levels continue to rise across Europe

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Efforts to bring employees back to the office over the past year have generated high degrees of success, according to the 2024 European Office Occupier Survey from CBRE. According to the research, the proportion of companies reporting average building utilisation of 41-80 percent has risen to 61 percent, up from 48 percent in 2023. Conversely, the proportion of companies reporting lower utilisation has fallen, with only a third of companies reporting utilisation of 40 percent or below, compared with nearly half of the companies surveyed last year. More →

July 17, 2024

People are cautiously optimistic about the impact of AI and other tech

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology, Wellbeing

Employers and staff are optimistic about impact of new technologies, despite uncertainty about safety according to a new British Safety Council survey. The YouGov survey commissioned by British Safety Council among 4018 UK employers and employees claims that both employers and employees are optimistic about the impact new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will have on their workplace – even though decision makers feel more optimistic than staff. More →

July 17, 2024

Mediocre offices won’t encourage people to spend more time in them

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace design

Dry, uninspiring offices and long, costly commutes are principal causes for a lack of office-based working, according to a new poll. The survey, commissioned by design and fit-out firm Peldon Rose claims that 1 in 3 (34 percent) office-based workers in London have a ‘nightmare journey’ into work each day, which ultimately deters almost half (46 percent) from travelling into the office. For those that do come into the office, more than a third (38 percent) believe their working environment is uninspiring and unfit for purpose. More →

July 15, 2024

Nearly all CEOs now say they work across different locations

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Property

CEOs are leading by example when it comes to hybrid working, with nine in 10 (93 percent) saying they have personally adopted flexible working patterns according to a new poll. The survey of more than 500 CEOs by International Workplace Group suggests that the vast majority now split their working time between locations. Just 7 percent said they spend five days a week working from a central office. More →