Search Results for: generation z

July 5, 2018

Over a third of staff say employers fail to invest in next-generation workplace technology

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

The majority of employees are disappointed with their company’s lack of investment in technology, and despite the fact three quarters (76 percent) want to request flexible working – almost half still don’t have the option of working more flexibly, a new report from a technology company claims. According to the survey by technology company Ingram Micro Cloud UK, in collaboration with technology company Microsoft, despite the fact that Millennials and Centennials are often thought to be the driving force behind changing workplace practices – and are often derided in popular discourse for having unreasonable and unrealistic expectations – the calls for change are coming from all segments of the workforce. However, 85 percent of Millennials admit to procuring their own workplace technologies such as instant messaging, Skype, file hosting and sharing tools (all available from Ingram Micro Cloud) that aren’t supported or provided by their employer, which raises major security issues, acco.

January 31, 2018

Creators of the Edge in Amsterdam to develop new generation of Smart buildings

by Sara Bean • Architecture, Facilities management, News, Property, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The creative team behind the development of the world’s most sustainable building – The Edge in Amsterdam – has announced the launch of a real estate technology company. EDGE Technologies, launched by OVG Real Estate CEO Coen van Oostrom will focus on creating a new generation of buildings which feature the latest innovations in sustainability and wellbeing. Whereas parent company OVG is focussed exclusively on the development of its existing portfolio, EDGE Technologies will focus on both the development and the long-term operations of this new generation of buildings, aiming for a cohesive experience across cities. Each EDGE building will be built and operated on the same technology platform and offer consistent user-centred design, created to serve the needs of today’s fast-changing and demanding workforce. To help achieve this the new company is launching a product that will capture and aggregate data across its properties in order to optimize, measure and inform both the user experience and the building’s environmental performance. More →

January 11, 2018

Promotion: Humanscale launch Quickstand Eco to lead next generation of sit/stand workstations

by Neil Franklin • Company news, Furniture, Products

Humanscale, has launched its next generation of portable sit/stand products. The QuickStand Eco claims to unite function and sustainability at an accessible price point to improve employee performance and encourage a more active workplace. This new height-adjustable solution is sleeker, easier to install and comprises more sustainable materials than ever before. QuickStand Eco utilises minimal parts and pieces, limiting it’s environmental footprint and maintaining a minimal, clean aesthetic. It features simple setup and is easy to transport, making it a flexible option for both corporate and home offices. The instant height adjustability encourages users to sit and stand more often and the product can also be integrated with Humanscale’s OfficeIQ software, which sends periodic alerts when it is time to adjust one’s position.

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June 12, 2017

We need to design for a multigenerational workforce ⁰

by Joe Huddleston • Comment, Workplace design

Excitingly, the workforce is becoming increasingly diverse. However there’s more talk about millennials in the workplace than anyone else. In stark contrast to popular belief, the reality is that the British workforce is getting older on average which means that office design must now consider a new set of workplace requirements. The challenge for designers is to create inclusive environments that address the needs of highly skilled and experienced older workers, while still providing productive environments for all users, ensuring the entire multigenerational workforce is engaged, happy and productive. International bodies are already worried about the fiscal impact of an older workforce, in May the World Economic Forum (WEF) said that a looming fourfold rise in over-65s by 2050 is the financial equivalent of climate change. With people born today having a life expectancy of more than 100, WEF warned of more years in the office to provide financial security in later years, as well as a creeping retirement age heading towards 70. This ageing population and workforce will certainly need consideration when it comes to supporting their health and wellbeing.

January 18, 2017

Lost generation of Millennials stranded between eras of wealth and vocation, claims study ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • News

The much talked about generation of Gen Y Millennials are stranded between the more fortunate era of Gen X wealth and the coming era of vocation focussed Gen Z. That is the key finding of a new survey from recruitment agency Randstad which claims that the members of Gen Y are not just burdened with student debt and struggling to get on the property ladder, but are now under threat from an arguably more vocational and commercially-minded Generation Z. The survey of 4,000 respondents claims that nearly four in ten (38 percent) Gen Y Millennials feel their education has left them unprepared for the modern world of work. But just under a third (32 percent) of respondents from Generation Z — the ‘digital natives’ born from 1996 onwards — feel the same way. The survey also revealed that the very youngest professionals from Generation Z are displaying higher leadership ambitions, with 84 percent saying they are shooting to be top dog in the workplace. This compares to 79 percent of Millennials.

December 16, 2016

Millennials more tuned-in to discrimination at work than other generations ⁰

by Sara Bean • Legal news, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Millennials have widely divergent experiences and attitudes toward diversity and inclusion within the workplace than older generations, claims a new US-based report. In the research from the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) and Weber Shandwick into the importance that people place on diversity and inclusion (D&I) when considering a new job found that 47 percent of Millennials consider it an important criterion in their job search compared to 33 percent of Gen Xers and 37 percent of Boomers. Nearly six in 10 of all employed Americans (58 percent) report that they see or hear about some form of discrimination and/or bias at their workplace, most frequently racial or ethnic in nature (22 percent). Millennials are significantly more likely than older generations to be attuned to such behaviour at work, and also much more comfortable discussing these issues at work than their older colleagues. The survey also asked respondents why they believe employers emphasise diversity and inclusion in the workplace. All three generations cited “To make it a better place to work” among their top three reasons. Millennials also recognize increased opportunities while reputational benefits and outside pressures are noticed by Gen Xers and Boomers.

November 23, 2016

UK government announces plans to invest in next generation technology ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Cities, News, Technology

The UK Government is at last to invest properly in the next generation of technological infrastructure to ensure the company keeps pace with developments in broadband, the Internet of Things and 5G. It is to invite the country’s major cities to bid for a chance to pilot 5G from next year. The technology is a key enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT) because it is up to a hundred times faster and more reliable than existing 4G connections. In turn, the IoT will boost the application of game changing technology such as driverless cars and smart building systems. Although the Government has recently focussed on headline physical projects such as HS2, it has come under sustained criticism for the country’s often creaking technological infrastructure.

October 14, 2016

Stress levels among Gen Y workers higher than other generations ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Younger workers are more affected by workplace stress than their older colleagues, with half of Generation Y UK workers (50 percent), reporting heightened levels of stress in the workplace, compared to 44 percent for generation X and 35 percent within the baby boomer generation. The Global Benefits Attitudes Survey of 1,895 employees in the UK by Willis Towers Watson suggests that the top causes of workplace stress for Millennials were inadequate staffing and low pay, which mirrored the top two causes across all generations in the survey. This is followed by a lack of work/life balance and unclear and/or conflicting job expectations, whereas for baby boomers it is company culture and excessive organisation change. The report also shows Gen Y workers are more worried about their finances than older workers, with 64 percent of younger workers reporting being worried, compared to 55 percent of generation X workers and 38 percent of baby boomers.

September 23, 2016

Employers urged to support ‘sandwich generation’ of older workers ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, Legal news, Wellbeing, Workplace

Over a third (36 percent) of managers are unaware of anything their organisation does to attract, retain and engage older employees despite two-thirds (66 percent) believing the average age of retirement will increase in the next five to ten years. This is according to a new white paper from AXA PPP healthcare – Supporting fuller working lives – How organisations can embrace older employees and those with caring responsibilities. It warns that with the proportion of people aged 50 to 64 and aged 65+ in employment on the up (from 55 percent to 70 percent and from 5 percent to 10 percent, respectively, since 1984) and an estimate by Carers UK that nearly two-thirds of people are likely to end up caring for someone at some point in their lives. Yet the research claims that many businesses are not sufficiently adjusted to the changing nature of the workforce and not tuned in enough to helping workers who are often sandwiched between caring for older relatives and their offspring.

September 12, 2016

Overwork and burnout affects all the generations in the workplace ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design

Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers are all feeling overworked and burned out, which is motivating many to look for another job; and according to the latest Staples Business Advantage 2016 Workplace Index it’s the older workers who are most motivated at work by a sense of purpose, with Baby Boomers (46 percent) and Generation X (32 percent) having more of a sense of purpose at work than their younger Millennial counterparts (24 percent). Fifty percent of Millennials, 47 percent of Gen X, and 35 percent of Boomers however, say burnout is driving them to look for another job; with Boomers wishing their employer would decrease their workload and provide more time to complete tasks, while Gen X and Millennials are looking for a more flexible schedule and work-life blend. Aesthetics in the office are also key, regardless of age, as 51 percent of Millennials, 44 percent of Gen X, and 33 percent of Boomers would like to see more attention paid to office design.

August 26, 2016

Bridging the generation gap is the key to a happier workforce ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

People who work in multigenerational teams are much more engaged and likely to deliver higher levels of customer service a new report suggests. In a survey of over 32,000 of McDonald’s own UK employees, their people who work with a cross-section of ages registered a 10 percent increase in happiness levels compared to those who work with their peer group. With the GCSE results just in, the fast food retailer wanted to gauge attitudes among potential future employees, so McDonald’s UK commissioned a census of 5,000 people representing each of the five working generations. It revealed that adults of all ages are united in wanting to be part of a multigenerational workforce. In fact, the opportunity to work with people of different ages was the top priority for more than half of all respondents (58 percent) and this factor was important for older people born between 1900 and 1964 (67 percent), as well as 16-year olds (57 percent).

August 1, 2016

Small firms remain sceptical about next generation technology ⁰

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

New research from AXA suggests that small firms are sceptical about the prospects of technologies such as 3D printing, robotics and driverless cars affecting their workplace in the near future. While more than 40 per cent of small businesses still don’t have a website, the study of 898 firms claims that most of these plan to move online in the next twelve months. If these plans are fulfilled, only seven per cent of UK businesses will remain offline by this time next year. However, just one in five plan to migrate to the Cloud and only six per cent say they expect to adopt smart technologies. Driverless cars, which are set to hit UK roads as early as 2020, have an equally low resonance, as just eight per cent of business owners expect they will travel in one. Businesses were also highly sceptical when it comes to 3D printing. Just two per cent of UK businesses who might use the process expect to see it used here ‘during their lifetimes’.