April 2, 2019

The flat white economy is now the most important sector in the UK

According to a new study from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) think tank, the so-called ‘flat white sector’ is now the most important driver of the UK economy. Consisting of the digital and creative businesses that cluster around areas like Silicon Roundabout in north-east London, the term has been coined by Douglas McWilliams, deputy chairman at the CEBR to reflect the way startups can apparently save on property costs by working out of coffee shops. McWilliams claims that the flat white economy contributed 14.4 per cent of gross value added (GVA) to the UK in 2018, making it more important than traditional sectors such as manufacturing, mining and utilities on that measure. More →

March 29, 2019

Need for employee resilience heightened in a time of constant change

by George Eltringham • News, Workplace

Challenges facing UK businesses in the next five years have heightened the need for employee resilience, according to new research from recruitment specialist Robert Half UK. As businesses adapt to an ongoing period of change, more than nine in 10 (94 percent) CFOs think developing resilience amongst their employees will be important over the next two to five years, with 43 percent citing this as very important. This is critical to almost all (97 percent) CFOs from London-based businesses – the UK’s financial hub. More →

March 28, 2019

Gender diversity celebrated at London event

by George Eltringham • News

Intuit UK yesterday hosted almost 200 women, with diverse backgrounds across class, ethnicity and age, who are part of The Pipeline’s alumni of their Leadership Summit programme. Over 50 percent of women in the room who attended Leadership Summit have been promoted or have broadened their role since finishing the programme.
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March 27, 2019

The pursuit of happiness, lumpy tech, space science and some other stuff

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Underlying most of the stuff you read about the workplace is the quest for happiness. Indeed happiness has become something of a preoccupation for those pondering the issue at the apex of social and economic thinking, as epitomised by Gallup with its latest World Happiness report. As always, the Gallup report stumbles over definitions of happiness, often using the word interchangeably with wellbeing and stuffs it with other ideas without explaining how or even whether they contribute to happiness.

March 27, 2019

New book on the future of work argues that the office is not just surviving, but thriving

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Property, Workplace design

A new book from RIBA Publishing, which examines the future office, argues that despite predictions that the office is on the verge of extinction, it is not only surviving, but thriving. Digital technologies have spurred this transformation, and with it, the metamorphosis of our entire working environment. The office of today can vary from a sweeping open expanse of ergonomic, futuristic workstations, to a local coffee shop. Future Office: Next-Generation Workplace Design debates tradition, change, and the future of how we work and where.

March 22, 2019

The future of work will be defined by four models, claims RSA

by Mark Eltringham • News, Technology

The RSA’s Future Work Centre has released research that models four ‘futures of work’ by 2035 – and claims to show how out of touch politicians are with changes in the workplace. The report, published in partnership with Arup, claims to avoid the usual sensationalism around topics such as automation, the Internet of Things, surveillance, gig work and AI to establish what workers can expect in the workplace in the near future. The report applies morphological analysis to generate its four models of work.

March 22, 2019

New centre will assess potential for bias in algorithmic decision-making

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

The potential for bias in the use of algorithms in crime and justice, financial services, recruitment and local government will be investigated by the UK government’s new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI). The CDEI will explore the potential for bias in existing systems and to support fairer decision-making. This may include increasing opportunities for those in the job market in existing recruitment and financial services systems. It will also explore opportunities to boost innovation in the digital economy. More →

March 18, 2019

UK ranks third globally for innovation, disruption and technology

by Mark Eltringham • Cities, News

The UK has risen one place, to third, in a global ranking of most promising countries in the world for technology breakthroughs that have a global impact. KPMG’s 2019 Technology Innovation Hubs report sees the UK trailing slightly behind the US and China, in a ranking of countries expected to produce the most disruptive technologies. The UK and Japan were almost tied in last year’s survey with the UK coming in 4th place. This year however, the UK moved ahead to secure the bronze place, whilst Japan was ranked fourth, Singapore was ranked fifth and India dropped from third place to sixth. More →

March 15, 2019

How artificial intelligence changes occupant experience

by David Karpook • Facilities management, Features, Technology

If a robot received a signal that you had entered the building, it might bring you a fresh cup of coffee just as you reach your desk. If the front door recognised your face, it might unlock itself for you without requiring you to use a fob to gain access. If your desk knew you had left for the day, it might offer itself to a colleague who is looking for a quiet workspace. Throughout history, the interaction of humans with technology has been pretty much one-sided. We turn our technologies on and off, operate and guide them in their tasks, and use our senses to monitor their functioning and detect anomalies.

March 8, 2019

On International Woman’s Day – why advancing women is still not a business priority

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

It has probably not escaped your notice that today is International Woman’s Day, which for Workplace Insight means a plethora of studies on the topic of women/jobs/salaries and ways women might work differently to men. We’ve decided not to waste anyone’s time and ignored most of them (particularly the patronizing ones on how ladies are so intuitive) but managed to find a few kernels of information. First, the good news that women have doubled their share of top jobs at technology companies, pulling in higher salaries than men last year, according to executive search firm Odgers Berndtson. More →

March 7, 2019

A workplace chatbot might soon be one of your new best friends

by John Hildebrands • Comment, Technology

If you’ve ever wished you could delegate certain routine tasks to an assistant, then a chatbot could be just what you need. Staff working for Unilever will soon be able to get HR advice from Una, a new member of staff who will be available worldwide and at any time of day. Una is a chatbot, capable of conversing with employees in 106 countries, using 32 languages, Unilever’s Keith Williams told a conference last year . Unilever employees can contact Una through Skype for Business and complete tasks such as getting information about benefits, claiming for healthcare or selling shares. It saves time poring over FAQs or filling-in forms, and it frees HR staff for more complex queries. More →

March 7, 2019

British Property Federation urges government to create coherent proptech strategy

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Technology

The UK is well placed to capture the lead as a global hub for real estate technology and innovation a report from the British Property Federation claims. But the country needs to develop a joined-up proptech strategy and roadmap to remain competitive globally, according to the report published jointly by the British Property Federation and Liquid Real Estate Innovation. The LIQUID Report: Leading the Digital Transformation of Global Real Estate claims that the UK is already a leader in terms of its capacity for innovation, data infrastructure, market transparency and quality of education, but falls behind other countries in terms of venture capital investment and technology infrastructure.