January 16, 2024

Technology is stealing your time in ways you may not realise

by Ruth Ogden, Joanna Witowska and Vanda Cernohorská • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing

Technology is supposed to make our lives easier. Smart phones provide a palm-size window to the world, enabling us to do almost anything at the touch of a button. Smart homes look after themselves, and virtual meetings mean that for many, time spent commuting is a thing of the past. So we should have more free time. Time which is now spent sleeping, relaxing or simply doing nothing – right? (more…)

December 7, 2023

Has digital transformation led to an upsurge in workplace disinformation?

by Garry Paxinos • 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…)

December 6, 2023

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

by Neil Franklin • 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 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…)

November 28, 2023

Can smart glasses be the key to unlocking productivity in the workplace?

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Technology is the foremost resource for shaping the world—and in the modern workplace, it’s crucial for keeping brands competitive in an increasingly fast-paced business environment. Our article “Why new technologies still make employees happier, healthier, and more efficient” explains that technology must meet increasingly agile strategies like remote work. In these cases, it can help optimise manpower and productivity. As a result, 70 percent of firms believe new technologies improve business resilience. One of the emerging tools showing immense promise for improving productivity is smart glasses. (more…)

November 27, 2023

From the archive: The role of workplace design in employee engagement ⁰

by Serena Borghero • Features, Wellbeing, Work&Place, Workplace design

Originally published six years ago, this feature is currently the most read story ever on the website with around 50,000 readers. A global study by my own firm Steelcase has found that one-third of workers across 17 of the world’s most important economies are actually disengaged. The findings make worrying reading for employers around the world, as engagement is so demonstrably linked to business critical outcomes such as employee retention, productivity and even profits. It certainly raises the question of what more can be done, including in terms of workplace design, to boost engagement levels amongst these employees. (more…)

November 27, 2023

Appetite for hybrid working shows no sign of letting up at large firms

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The ongoing advancements in technology have made remote collaboration more feasible and seamless than ever before. Collaboration tools have become essential in ensuring the coexistence of the digital and physical workplace, both internally with employees and externally with clients. And in 2023, companies have been posting hybrid working related roles in record numbers, according to a new report from GlobalData. (more…)

October 31, 2023

The brain builds its sense of self from the people around us

by Sam Ereira • Features, Wellbeing

We are highly sensitive to people around us. As infants, we observe our parents and teachers, and from them we learn how to walk, talk, read – and use smartphones. There seems to be no limit to the complexity of behaviour we can acquire from observational learning. (more…)

October 9, 2023

Bosses need to get their priorities right, say office workers

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new poll carried out in the US and UK claims that almost all office workers (93 percent) believe business leaders’ priorities need to shift in the current economic climate. the traditional role of leadership – as the future priority. The proportion is 98 percent of those aged 18-24. The study, Work Remastered, surveyed more than 1,000 office-based workers across the UK and the US and was carried out by consultants United Culture. (more…)

September 21, 2023

Remote and hybrid working may have significant impact on carbon footprint

by Neil Franklin • Environment, Flexible working, News

Fully remote workers can have a 54 percent lower carbon footprint compared with fully in-office workers, and all forms of remote and hybrid working have the potential to cut emissions, according to a new study from researcher at Cornell University and sponsored by Microsoft. The authors conclude that lifestyle choices and work arrangements playing an essential role in determining the environmental benefits of remote and hybrid work. (more…)

September 14, 2023

Boasting about ESG credentials can really put people off a business

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News

Efforts by some businesses to promote their environmental and social impact on society are pushing some customers away and risk damaging their reputations, according to a poll conducted by public relations agency, Clearly PR. Of the 2,072 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals polled, 31 percent said they were “put off” a business that talks a lot about their ESG initiatives in the media and on social media. (more…)

August 10, 2023

Zoom opens new London ‘Engagement Hub’

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace design

Zoom has opened a new London ‘Engagement Hub’ which the firm claims will spearhead the shift from traditional office spaces to ‘experiential working hubs’. With the demand for hybrid working and remote capabilities giving rise to unconventional ways of operating, Zoom says it has designed its new office to support the changing nature of the employee experience, marking a new era of modern work. (more…)

June 19, 2023

Instilling company culture across geographic divides

by Sara Whitman and Isabel Conrad • Comment, Workplace

Company culture is one of the most fundamentally important facets of the modern workplace. In the last year, it has been identified as an important factor for 46 percent of job seekers, while 88 percent found it at least relatively important, and 15 percent of job seekers have declined a job because of the company’s culture. Due to the wide breadth of employees in large global companies, everything from time zones and language barriers to country culture and local business norms can create sticking points. For professionals at corporate headquarters responsible. (more…)