Search Results for: digital transformation

Number of CEOs with technical background grows to meet demands of digital economy

Number of CEOs with technical background grows to meet demands of digital economy 0

Growth of the digital economy

The number of CEOs from a financial background is falling as firms put more sway into technology skills, a new report claims. The annual Robert Half FTSE 100 CEO Tracker shows that in the last four years the number of CEOs with a technology background trebled as businesses prepare to compete in an increasingly digital economy. In 2014, only three CEOs had a background in technology while today this number has increased to 11. There is a also a generational shift occurring in the FTSE 100, with just eight CEOs under the age of 50 on the FTSE 100, a quarter less than in 2010 when there were 33 CEOs under the age of 50. The typical age of a CEO is 55 years old and the average tenure is five years and two months. While a majority of CEOs still have a background in finance, this figure has fallen to 43 percent from 55 percent last year and the lowest level in three years. Of those CEOs with a financial background, nearly half (19 percent) are Chartered Accountants.

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Global workforce fears it won’t adapt fast enough to the digital workplace

Global workforce fears it won’t adapt fast enough to the digital workplace 0

Workers across the globe are excited by the potential for technology to enhance their work lives and create new career opportunities, but over a third (40 percent) fear that they won’t be able to keep up with the rate of change required by digital business, claims a new survey. Across Europe 77 percent of workers acknowledge that disruption and increased competition will require more people with digital skills in order to compete on a global scale; however, the level of encouragement employees believe they are currently receiving to drive change in the workplace varies greatly throughout the world. Only 64 percent of respondents in the US saying they feel empowered by their company culture to lead innovation, whereas 90 percent of employees in Mexico feel their workplaces encourages them to drive change. The BMC study of over 3,200 office workers in 12 countries worldwide found that 88 percent of office workers across the world strongly believe that employers must create an innovative culture to retain staff and enable them to be successful with increasingly digital roles and responsibilities.

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Just one percent of UK firms are ready for the digital economy

Just one percent of UK firms are ready for the digital economy 0

tortoise-and-hareA new study by Oxford Economics and SAP claims that just one in every 100 organisations in the UK is capitalising on the digital economy, significantly fewer than in comparable European countries such as Germany where the figure is more than 2 in 5 and Spain (22 percent). According to the study, the benefits of digital readiness include greater workforce diversity. The ‘digital winners’ defined by the report have higher female representation at mid-management level level and slightly more women overall. Four in ten of the study’s digital winners globally reported effective diversity programmes, compared to 36 percent of all companies in France, 33 percent in Russia, 30 percent in the UK and 23 percent in Spain.

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UK Government opens consultation on its new national digital strategy

UK Government opens consultation on its new national digital strategy 0

s300_digital-economy-640x4001Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey has called on members of the public and industry to share their ideas on how the UK’s digital revolution can be taken to the next stage. The announcement of the consultation follows what the Government claims was a successful first stage of its strategy with the creation of digital clusters in East London, centred on Tech City. Five years on, the Government claims that  the UK is now truly a ‘Tech Nation’ with more than 70 per cent of digital businesses now based outside of the capital. According to Vaizey, “this revolution has been led by entrepreneurs but supported by Government in creating the right environment for ideas and businesses to flourish. Government is now looking at a new Digital Strategy for the UK for the next five years. It wants the UK to be synonymous with digital – a place where digital technologies transform day-to-day life, the economy and government.”

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Death of the office + Gen Z at work + Transformational management

Death of the office + Gen Z at work + Transformational management 0

Insight_twitter_logo_2In this week’s issue; Mark Eltringham on why the facts don’t support the myth that the office is dying; and what Anaïs Nin can teach us about the way we design and use workplaces. The CIPD issues a new set of case studies that demonstrate the important role of HR in aiding transformational change; the BSIA explains why Generation Z is the first tribe of true digital natives; and human error is still the leading cause of data loss for UK organisations.  More Americans than ever choose to work from home, but homeworking Brits are growing increasingly disconnected from their colleagues. And evidence that a caring and supportive boss is the missing link between employee engagement and mental health. Visit our new events page, subscribe for free quarterly issues of Work&Place and weekly news here. And follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.

Workers of all ages want employers that commit to digital progress

Workers of all ages want employers that commit to digital progress

Workers of all generations demand more digital savvy employersEmployees across all age groups want to work for businesses committed to digital progress, and companies that are slow to embrace digital technology will not thrive and are more likely to lose talent, according to a new global report. Strategy, Not Technology, Drives Digital Transformation from MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte Digital is based on findings from the fourth annual global survey of more than 4,800 business executives across 27 industries and 129 countries. It suggests the ability to digitally transform and reimagine a business is determined in large part by establishing a clear digital strategy, supported by leaders who foster a culture that can change and reinvent their organizations. People want to work for digitally maturing organizations, with nearly 80 percent of respondents preferring to work for a digitally enabled company or digital leader. This sentiment crossed all age groups nearly equally, from 22 to 60.

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Case Study: AutoTrader motors into its new Manchester digital playground

_MG_0491smEven in the context of a rapidly declining print market, the decision to end AutoTrader’s 37-year history as a printed magazine was not an easy one to take. At its height, Auto Trader had a circulation of 368,000, but in June 2013 the final printed copy rolled off the presses and the business began its new incarnation as a purely digital platform. Of course, this transformation was a long time in the making and had actually begun ten years earlier.  By the time the print room lights went out, all of Auto Trader’s revenues had not only migrated online, but experienced significant growth too. It is Auto Trader’s growth during this process of transformation that is considered so unique in the publishing world and is proof that the business’ aspiration to be at the forefront of the digital marketplace is not just a wide-eyed intention. The website boasts 11.5million unique users, carrying out more than 140 million searches across mobile, table and desktop devices and the business is set to launch an extensive TV advertising campaign on boxing day.

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Workforce pressures spark calls for merger between HR and IT functions (say IT bosses)

Workforce pressures spark calls for merger between HR and IT functions (say IT bosses)

A growing number of IT leaders believe the solution to declining productivity and rising digital complexity in the workplace could lie in merging HR and IT departmentsA growing number of IT leaders believe the solution to declining productivity and rising digital complexity in the workplace could lie in merging HR and IT departments, according to a new poll. A global study by digital employee experience firm Nexthink, based on a survey of 1,100 IT leaders, found that 93 percent of respondents believe closer integration between the two functions would improve productivity, employee engagement and satisfaction. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) predict a full merger between HR and IT will take place within five years, while a further 31 percent expect significantly closer collaboration. (more…)

Economic and political uncertainty continue to dampen commercial property market sentiment

Economic and political uncertainty continue to dampen commercial property market sentiment

The outlook for the European commercial property market is cautiously optimistic despite growing geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about economic growthThe outlook for the European commercial property market is cautiously optimistic despite growing geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about economic growth, with London, Madrid and Paris emerging as the standout performers, according to a new report by PwC and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The report – Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2025 outlines how market players believe ‘a new normal’ is emerging as valuations have come down and interest rates regain some level of predictability in a market characterised by higher inflation and interest rates, and geopolitical and economic uncertainties. This led to more than 80 percent of survey respondents expecting business confidence and profits to stay the same or rise in 2025, with around half predicting increases in both. (more…)

Majority of IT managers think AI is coming for people’s jobs

Majority of IT managers think AI is coming for people’s jobs

Sixty-eight per cent of UK based managers believe AI will take more jobs than it creates and only 20 percent think AI will be a net job creator. The global average is 57 percent and 27 percent respectively.Two thirds of UK organisations say they are prioritising AI in their IT and customer service thinking, according to a new poll from 8×8. As a result they are starting to assess the roles and working hours of employees. The Future of Work: 2030 Vision Report [registration], surveyed the opinions of over 400 IT and Customer Experience (CX) managers. It looks into the projected makeup of the global workforce in 2030, organisations’ technological priorities between now and then, and the current and future challenges they may face. (more…)

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

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

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…)

A guide to contact lens care and safety in the workplace

A guide to contact lens care and safety in the workplace

Besides eyeglass wearers, the 3.9 million contact lens wearers in the UK must also take into account proper care and hygiene as they meet visual demands in the workplaceTo enable workplaces to evolve and adapt to employees’ changing needs, office provider Mindspace conducted the Employee Wellbeing Data Report in 2023. Findings indicate that around 90 percent or 9 in 10 employees value wellbeing facilities and offerings in the workplace, thus making this factor influential when choosing an employer. Meanwhile, 82 percent expect support from their employers when it comes to maintaining work-life balance, overall revealing the increasing value employees place on their physical and mental health and wellbeing. (more…)