October 6, 2017
Technology will create a brave new world for corporate real estate
In their new industry report, A Brave New World: Innovating Real Estate, Holtby Turner Executive Search explore the ways innovation and digital disruption are impacting corporate real estate. The report sets out to examine real estate’s relationship to technology, and technology’s relationship to innovation. Insights on leadership through the uncertainty of digital disruption are covered in chapters from well known PropTech influencers such as Antony Slumbers, Faisal Butt and James Dearsley alongside interviews with real estate leaders from Hammerson, PGIM, M7, CBRE and Workspace Group. According to Antony Slumbers: “the days of IT are over: every business is a technology business. The differentiator going forward is knowing which technologies you can use to complement your human ingenuity, skills and creativity in the service of a robust, solid and scalable business.”
The majority (94 percent) of workers are open to flexible ways of working such as part-time, freelance, contract, temporary or independent contract work a new report from ManpowerGroup has revealed. Coining the trend as NextGen work, the research suggests this approach to a job is a choice (81 percent) not a last resort (19 percent). Findings from #GigResponsibly: The Rise of NextGen Work – a global survey of 9,500 people in 12 countries – identifies a shift towards this new way of getting work done, and that it works for people and employers. People were asked how they want to work, what motivates them and their views on NextGen Work. More control over their schedule (42 percent), boosting their bank account (41 percent) and developing new skills (38 percent) are top reasons why this flexible kind of work is on the rise. The report also found that this flexible approach is not just attractive to Millennials, as meaningful work and employer appreciation are valued more by Boomers than any other generation. More than 80 percent of US workers say NextGen Work is a choice, not a last resort, and builds resilience for less predictable futures.
Three-quarters (74 percent) of HR managers have witnessed discrimination in the recruitment process – with a quarter (24.5 percent) calling it a regular practice; and less than a third of HR managers (32 percent) can confidently say they are unprejudiced themselves during the recruitment process. According to research from digital recruitment platform SomeoneWho, almost half (48 percent) admit bias impacts their candidate choice, while a further fifth (20 percent) said they couldn’t be sure. The research also found that female candidates face a number of stigmas when looking for work. One in 10 recruiters said they would avoid a female applying for a male dominated role. A further one in 10 said they’d be reluctant to recruit a recently married candidate, as they were more likely to go on maternity leave soon. Shockingly, a fifth of HR managers said they would overlook a pregnant candidate. One in 10 HR managers would be reluctant to hire someone with a thick accent. A further 10 percent said they’d be less likely to select candidates who attended a state school.
With a plethora of reports around that generalise the behaviour of an entire generation of people, yet another exploration of the Millennial has to be approached with caution. But for this latest study, “The Millennial mindset: Work styles and aspirations of the most misunderstood worker”, 
Research published to mark the beginning of 
October 9, 2017
Our Twentieth Century approach to ergonomics has to change
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace design
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