How employers should navigate the ICO’s guidance on monitoring workers

How employers should navigate the ICO’s guidance on monitoring workers

by • Comment, Technology

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, so does the prevalence of firms monitoring workers and the sophistication of the tools available to employers to monitor their staff's activitiesAs technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, so does the prevalence of firms monitoring workers and the sophistication of the tools available to employers to monitor their staff’s activities. Hand in hand with the increasing prevalence of workplace monitoring tools are concerns that their excessive use may infringe workers’ data protection and privacy rights. Employers must take heed of recent ICO guidance to ensure they do not fall foul of the law in pursuit of the hoped for benefits of workplace monitoring, such as boosting productivity and profit. More →

A bit of alien thinking on coffee and some other BS

A bit of alien thinking on coffee and some other BS

by • Facilities management, Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

I’ve sometimes highlighted how our perceptions of the workplace are subject to an apex fallacy. The daily consumption of narratives about campuses, tech palaces and ‘cool’ design can obscure the fact that most people don’t experience this stuff in their daily lives. They work in adequate or possibly nice offices. Some in shabby offices or horrible offices. Many travel into work at the same time each day and sit with roughly the same people and do roughly the same things. They may work from home more frequently now, but they have a routine there too. Most will work in a mundane or nice home that mirrors the mundane office that awaits at the other end of the commute. More →

Ten years of Insight and a few things I think I know (one of our most read pieces this year)

Ten years of Insight and a few things I think I know (one of our most read pieces this year)

by • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

This website started in late 2012 as a way for me to explore both a new media format and a new way of thinking about work and workplaces. I’d already been active in various roles in the workplace, design and facilities sector for twenty odd years, but needed a new challenge. And this was it. I was going for a ride with an idea to see where it went. More →

Has digital transformation led to an upsurge in workplace disinformation?

Has digital transformation led to an upsurge in workplace disinformation?

by • Comment, Technology

You don’t have to look far to find misinformation. Just a few weeks ago, amid the aftermath of the coup in Niger, online platforms were being inundated with false information, intensifying tensions surrounding the nation’s future. This included erroneous videos on TikTok and Twitter suggesting the presence of Wagner Group (Russian state-funded) fighters, false claims about Algeria’s military involvement, and inaccurate assertions about banning uranium export to France. More →

There will be a near universal adoption of generative AI in businesses, say bosses

There will be a near universal adoption of generative AI in businesses, say bosses

by • AI, News, Technology

An overwhelming majority (91 percent) of executives say that their companies are now using generative AI or are planning to do so within the next 18 monthsAn overwhelming majority (91 percent) of executives say that their companies are now using generative AI or are planning to do so within the next 18 months, according to a new poll from Thomson Reuters. The Thomson Reuters Future of Professionals C-Suite Survey reported on responses from 148 C-Suite leaders (CFOs, CEOs etc) from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. The survey suggests that use of AI across businesses is becoming ubiquitous as leaders start to recognize the true potential of the technology, such as in developing new products and driving operational efficiency. More →

Work notifications make it harder for people to spend time with friends and family

Work notifications make it harder for people to spend time with friends and family

by • News, Technology, Wellbeing

Out of hours work notifications on devices are having a significant impact on people's work-life boundaries, according to a new reportOut of hours work notifications on devices are having a significant impact on people’s work-life boundaries, according to a new report from Ring Central. According to the poll, work notifications are on the rise with 31 percent stating that notifications outside of work have increased in the past year. As a result, employees are also feeling the pressure to respond to work notifications immediately (14 percent) or within 1 hour (33 percent). The survey also suggests that notifications cause the same amount of anxiety for Brits as spiders (54 percent) and almost as much as going to the dentist (59 percent). More →

People are worried about the impact of new tech, but many feel confident it will benefit them

People are worried about the impact of new tech, but many feel confident it will benefit them

by • AI, News, Technology

With over a third (36 percent) of workers concerned about the impact of technological changes and what this might mean for them, a new report from Virgin Media O2 Business claims that many people believe new tech will offer them a better work-life balance. According to the report, the pandemic accelerated remote and hybrid work, mostly benefitting desk-based workers. Meanwhile, deskless workers like teachers, nurses and engineers saw limited long-term change despite many organisations comprising both types of workers. More →

Firms on both sides of the pond are sluggish in uptake of generative AI

Firms on both sides of the pond are sluggish in uptake of generative AI

by • AI, News, Technology

UK companies believe there is much greater urgency to adopt Generative AI at work than US companies - yet uptake remains sluggish in both marketsOne year on from the launch of Chat GPT, new data from Slack based on 10,000 global workers (including 1,000 the UK) suggests that UK companies believe there is much greater urgency to adopt Generative AI at work than US companies – yet uptake remains sluggish in both markets. According to the study, 61 percent of UK workers believe there is a high or existential need to incorporate Generative AI into work compared to just 44 percent of US workers who feel the same. More →

Tailored workplace management for modern organisations

Tailored workplace management for modern organisations

by • Comment, Technology, Workplace design

Workplace management used to be a secondary concern for organisations in the past, but it has now become a top priority.Workplace management used to be a secondary concern for organisations in the past, but it has now become a top priority. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process of digital transformation, leading to the implementation of new processes and technologies that focus on facilitating remote and at-home work. As a result of these changes, organisations have recognized the importance of finding a balance in their work environments. More →

Generative AI will hollow out many middle class roles over the next decade

Generative AI will hollow out many middle class roles over the next decade

by • AI, News, Technology, Workplace

Generative AI will have a much greater impact on white collar roles than blue collar ones over the next 10 years, according to a new report from PearsonGenerative AI will have a much greater impact on white collar roles than blue collar ones over the next 10 years, according to a new report from Pearson. In at least ten white collar roles, more than 35 percent of tasks could be done by AI, with medical secretaries (41 percent) predicted to be the most impacted. Conversely, every of one of the top 10 least impacted are classed as blue collar, revealing launderers, dry cleaners and pressers (0 percent) as the UK’s most AI-proof job. More →

People are more likely to accept advice from an AI animal, if the idea fits the species

People are more likely to accept advice from an AI animal, if the idea fits the species

by • AI, News, Technology

People are more accepting of advice from an AI in animal form if the idea seems to them to fit the speciesPeople are more accepting of advice from an AI in animal form if the idea seems to them to fit the species, such as running advice from a whippet, according to new research from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School (UCD Smurfit School), HEC Montréal, and Nottingham University Business School China (NUBS China). Consumers are then more likely to engage with the animal AI than humanoid AI if the activity, experience, or product is designed to be fun. The findings were first published in the journal Psychology & Marketing. More →

Creating the epicentre: unlocking the untold benefits of next-generation office spaces 

Creating the epicentre: unlocking the untold benefits of next-generation office spaces 

by • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Technology

Many associate the notion of futuristic office spaces, filled with equipment like sleep pods and beer taps, with companies that have a young workforce or challenger brand identityMany associate the notion of futuristic office spaces, filled with equipment like sleep pods and beer taps, with companies that have a young workforce or challenger brand identity. The association is often linked to tech giants like Google, which created quite a stir when it originally revealed its indoor slides. Whilst the inclusion of playground furniture in the office is not right for every business, the assumption that unconventional workspaces should be limited to unconventional companies simply isn’t true.  More →

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