Search Results for: jobs

Over a third of workers are anxious about the impact of automation

Over a third of workers are anxious about the impact of automation

Over a third of workers are anxious about the impact of automationA significant number (37 per cent) of workers (11 million people) in the UK worry their job will change for the worse and 23 per cent (7 million people) are concerned that their current job may no longer be needed, claims a survey into the impact of automation over the next decade. In the survey, carried out to mark the launch of a new Commission on Workers and Technology chaired by Yvette Cooper MP, workers were 73 per cent confident they can adapt to technological change and update their skill if automation affects their job and over half think (53 per cent) are optimistic that technology change will be good for their working lives. (more…)

The digital workplace could provide the key to organisational success, claims Microsoft

The digital workplace could provide the key to organisational success, claims Microsoft

New research from Ingram Micro Cloud and Microsoft suggests that organisations without the right digital infrastructure in place to support flexible working risk their long term survival. In a white paper titled The Modern Workplace (registration needed), the firms claim that 60 per cent of under-35s place greater value on the ability to work in flexible ways than many other job features including holiday allowances. The report suggest that while under 35’s are at ease using cloud-based collaborative, file hosting and sharing tools to do their jobs many employers fail to provide this digital infrastructure.

Financial centres in UK cities outside London are set to suffer most from Brexit

Although news reports about the impact of Brexit on the UK’s financial services sector have focused almost exclusively on London, a new report from the Centre for Cities claims that the decision to leave the EU will have a disproportionately larger impact on the centres in the UK’s other major cities, which employ two thirds of all people in the sector. The report explores the financial and professional services sectors in cities across the UK, and looks at what the relationships are with London-based firms in these industries. The report by the think tank supported by the City of London Corporation London: The geography of financial services in the capital and beyond looks at how much individual cities across the UK export in services, and what proportion of these services exports came from the financial sector.

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Digital transformation is making it challenging to find qualified employees

Digital transformation is making it challenging to find qualified employees

Digital transformation making it challenging to find qualified employeesTraditional job roles are becoming more complex due to digital transformation initiatives a new poll claims, with UK businesses having to wait more than five months, on average, for new joiners to get up to speed in their jobs. In the research by Robert Half of almost 5,000 CFOs in 14 countries, CFOs in the UK report that the key skills for finance professionals are changing. With digital transformation a priority for many organisations, there is now more focus on skills such as data analysis (cited by 43 percent of CFOs), financial analysis (35 percent), and data forecasting (34 percent). Finding the right people with these abilities is made even more challenging by the fact that businesses around the world are struggling to find qualified professionals. Almost all (93 percent) UK businesses find it challenging to attract qualified accounting and finance professionals. Globally, the issue is equally pronounced, with 94 percent of businesses also reporting similar challenges.

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New analysis sets out to define fastest growing sectors in London in 2018

New analysis sets out to define fastest growing sectors in London in 2018

A new analysis from Instant Offices sets out to identify the largest business sectors driving London’s economy. It claims that the three most prominent are information and communication, financial and insurance, and professional, scientific and technical services. The UK Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) showed distinct trends in growth for specific sectors, in London and in the UK as a whole.

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Google should be an example to all when it come to interactive workplace design

Google should be an example to all when it come to interactive workplace design

Google is known to be a wonderland for tech professionals everywhere. It is a sought after and coveted workplace, which is designed to cater to the individual. Comparably has recently named Google as the “tech company with the best corporate culture”, but how does this culture work beyond the realms of the Google institute? The question that many employers are asking is, does the Google culture really work? And is it sustainable for a normal business? Company culture has become a focus for recruiters and hiring managers, but if we break this down what does it actually mean? Company culture is shaped by the employees for the employees and should work in collusion with the services a business is providing. Google’s company culture model is based around flexibility and the freedom to be creative in a fun environment.

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Facebook confirms 600,000 sq ft Kings Cross office deal

Facebook confirms 600,000 sq ft Kings Cross office deal

Facebook has signed its long-discussed deal to take 600,000 sq ft across three buildings at the Kings Cross regeneration project. The deal will see the social media giant occupy around 15 percent of the total scheme, The new offices will offer up to 6,000 work stations where workers will focus on the creation of artificial intelligence (AI), Virtual reality (VR) and monitoring ‘harmful content’ on the social networking platform. Engineers at the scheme will also work on integrating the Oculus Go virtual reality mobile headset into the platform. Tech giants such as Google and Youtube have already moved into large nearby offices, while Universal Music is set to to move into a new headquarters at Four Pancras Square in September.

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Cities should make the most of their digital connectivity

Cities should make the most of their digital connectivity

Cities need more powers and resources from Government to address digital divides – but also need to make better use of existing technology to transform public services. This is according to a report published by the think tank Centre for Cities in partnership with Telefónica UK. It examines how digital technology – in terms of both fixed and mobile connections – is transforming urban Britain, and the steps national and local leaders can take to ensure people and places across the country benefit. However, the report also warns that many UK cities are not taking full advantage of existing digital connections, and the benefits it could offer to residents and businesses – as well as the potential it has to improve public services.

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A round-up of seven of the best workplace stories from around the web

A round-up of seven of the best workplace stories from around the web

toasty workA sizeable majority of us are in jobs that don’t fit our occupational interests

Does workplace design really matter?

The most productive meetings have fewer than eight people

Stories from experts about the impact of digital life

Workplace interventions for reducing sitting at work

The AI revolution will be led by toasters, not droids

If you’re going open-plan for costs, you’re doing it wrong

New code of practice for employers to improve health and wellbeing for staff

New code of practice for employers to improve health and wellbeing for staff

BSI, the business standards company, has launched a new code of practice for organisations to help tackle a crisis in the mental health and wellbeing of Britain’s workforce. 137 million working days were lost to sick leave in the UK in 2016, with organisations spending £9 billion each year on sick pay and associated costs. The cost of ‘presenteeism’ – where employees attend work whilst ill and do not work efficiently – has also risen sharply in recent years. The code of practice, PAS 3002, provides recommendations to establish, promote, maintain and review the health and wellbeing of workers within an organisation. It considers how health and wellbeing should be incorporated into the working environment and how leadership can ensure health and wellbeing related services are available to employees.

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Training and flexible working are the keys to staff retention

Training and flexible working are the keys to staff retention

Firms are more likely to improve levels of staff retention if they increase their investment in training, and introduce more flexible working practices, according to a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and recruitment company Indeed. The survey, of over 1,000 businesspeople across all sizes or organisation and sectors, shows that just under half (42 percent) of businesses would invest in training and developing their staff in order to increase staff retention, while 38 percent would look to introduce flexible working practices, from flexible hours and remote working to job-sharing.

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Firms are reluctant to hire women if they suspect they plan to have children in the near future

Firms are reluctant to hire women if they suspect they plan to have children in the near future

Nearly one in three UK bosses admit they have or would reject a female job applicant and might be generally reluctant to hire women if they suspect they ‘might start a family soon’. Although this form of employment discrimination is unlawful, 15 percent anonymously admitted that they had broken sex discrimination laws. The new research of 501 bosses, carried out by law firm Slater and Gordon, also revealed that one in four bosses has rejected or would reject a woman, simply because she was a single parent. A further 29 percent said they have discounted or would discount a woman for a job role because she had young children and 28 percent said they have or would because she was recently engaged or married.

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