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Technology failures are a major headache for small businesses

Technology failures are a major headache for small businesses

A new poll  from TalkTalk Business claims to identify the significant impact technology failures have on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK.A new poll  from TalkTalk Business claims to identify the significant impact technology failures have on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. According to the survey, nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of these businesses have experienced system glitches within the past year. These technical issues are proving costly for many SMEs, with 17 percent reporting that such problems have cost their business between £500 and £999 over the last 12 months. More alarmingly, 12 percent of SMEs have faced losses ranging from £2,000 to £3,999, while 7 percent have incurred staggering costs between £8,000 and £9,999 due to technology-related failures. More →

Businesses planning major investments into Generative AI to increase productivity

Businesses planning major investments into Generative AI to increase productivity

firms are planning major investments into generative AI technologies to drive increases in productivity, but are still being cautious about their impact.A new report from Cognizant and Oxford Economics New Work, New World: Quantifying Global Gen AI Momentum suggests that firms are planning major investments into generative AI technologies to drive increases in productivity, but are still being cautious about their impact. Additionally, 76 percent of businesses say they are looking to leverage the technology to create new revenue streams, while 58 percent are incorporating revenue increases into their business cases. More →

Government says launch of Skills England will transform the economy

Government says launch of Skills England will transform the economy

Skills England is intended to collaborate with central and local governments, businesses, training providers, and unions to address the skills needs of the next decade nationwidePrime Minister Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson have unveiled Skills England, an initiative designed to unify the fragmented skills landscape and foster a cohesive national ambition to enhance the nation’s skills. Richard Pennycook CBE, former chief executive of the Co-operative Group and lead non-executive director at the Department for Education (DfE), has been appointed as the interim Chair of the new body. More →

Creative ways to save money for your startup

Creative ways to save money for your startup

Starting a startup is exciting, but the hard reality of limited finances may rapidly dampen the excitement

Starting a startup is exciting, but the hard reality of limited finances may rapidly dampen the excitement. Being a founding member means that you are familiar with the difficult chore of running every penny to meet your needs.  However, suppose you could think creatively, that is, outside the box, and find unusual approaches to cutting costs without compromising development or quality. Bootstrapping genius is not only a requirement in today’s fast-paced startup scene, but also a mark of honour. More →

Sound and vision – Nigel Oseland makes himself heard for the IN magazine profile

Sound and vision – Nigel Oseland makes himself heard for the IN magazine profile

Nigel Oseland opens up about people and places for IN Magazine

Interviewing people involves trying to tease out a bit of personal colour. Sometimes I already know what that is or might be. That is certainly the case with Nigel Oseland who I have known for many years, know to be from Wolverhampton and who studied psychology and computer science at Keele University in my home town. He went on to focus on environmental psychology while working at the Building Research Establishment in Watford in the late 1980s and 1990s. More →

Since the pandemic, people now work six fewer months over the course of their lives

Since the pandemic, people now work six fewer months over the course of their lives

As the UK government warns that the state pension age might need to rise, a new report from the the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) claims that, between 2019 and 2022, people’s work span in the UK fell by 6 months. The report argues that, to enable more people to stay healthy and be in work for longer, the next government should invest more in preventing ill health, supporting people to stay in work and building healthier behaviours. More →

‘The Big Stay’ – it’s time to invest in employees, not to cut costs 

‘The Big Stay’ – it’s time to invest in employees, not to cut costs 

The Great Resignation is over. That’s according to the latest Labour Market Outlook report from the CIPD, as reported by Workplace Insight. But we could have told you this was simply a post-Covid correction in any case. Data from the report shows 55 percent  of employers are looking to maintain their current headcount, while analysis of turnover from the ONS Labour Force Survey points to lower staff attrition in 2024. Declining staff turnover is being dubbed The Big Stay. More →

Open competition launched to find design team for new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki

Open competition launched to find design team for new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki

The Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design, Real Estate Company ADM, the City of Helsinki and SAFA the Finnish Association of Architects have launched an international, open design competition to find a design team for a new 10,050 sq m (GFA) museum building in Helsinki’s South Harbour. The new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki, Finland, is planned to open in 2030 and will combine the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki. These institutions were successfully merged in January 2024, and the new museum will retain and grow the staff of both its predecessors. More →

AI can help people deal with burnout, say HR managers

AI can help people deal with burnout, say HR managers

A new report from Sage claims that HR professionals now welcome AI to ease the burden of admin jobs, take away time consuming tasks, and, ultimately, ease burnoutA new report from Sage claims that HR professionals now welcome AI to ease the burden of admin jobs, take away time consuming tasks, and, ultimately, ease burnout. The annual report, titled ‘The Changing Face of HR’ [registration], surveyed over 1,000 HR leaders across a range of sectors and countries, finding that 77 percent believe AI has the potential to revolutionise ways of working within their company. With 95 percent of respondents reporting an increase in their workload over the past year and 91 percent seeing an increase in more responsibilities in their role. HR leaders in the UK are particularly strained with workloads, with respondents twice as likely to work over 45 hours per week compared to before the pandemic, the report claims. More →

A third of people say they have experienced a toxic manager

A third of people say they have experienced a toxic manager

A third of employees (33 percent) in the UK have experienced a toxic manager at work in the past five years, and over four in ten (41 percent) have left a job due to their dissatisfactionA third of employees (33 percent) in the UK have experienced a toxic manager at work in the past five years, and over four in ten (41 percent) have left a job due to their dissatisfaction with management. The findings are from Corndel’s Workplace Training Report 2024, based on research conducted with 250 HR decision makers at large organisations and 1,000 UK employees. Toxic manager traits defined by the poll  including micromanagement, inflexibility, intimidation, gaslighting colleagues and a deflecting accountability.  More →

Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe programme

Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe programme

Korea will join the growing group of countries associated to Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programmeKorea will join the growing group of countries associated with Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. Horizon Europe is the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever with a budget of €95.5 billion for the period 2021-27, complemented by the financial contributions from associated countries. It is open to the world, which means that participants from all over the world can participate in nearly all calls. Entities from associated countries have additional opportunities in collaborative projects and are treated on par with the entities of EU Member States regarding the access to funds. More →

AI will leave a lot of people with nowhere to go in the job market

AI will leave a lot of people with nowhere to go in the job market

Non-graduates, 'silver surfers' and those in lower socio-economic brackets will be left behind as AI creates a 'skills glass ceiling'Non-graduates, ‘silver surfers’ and those in lower socio-economic brackets will be left behind as the rise of AI creates a ‘skills glass ceiling’. That’s according to the latest Robert Half Jobs Confidence Index (JCI) – an economic confidence tracker produced in partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The latest iteration of the Robert Half JCI revealed that almost half (45 percent) of the UK workforce is concerned that AI will disrupt their career in the next six to ten years. More →