Search Results for: big data

A bit of alien thinking on coffee and some other BS

A bit of alien thinking on coffee and some other BS

I’ve sometimes highlighted how our perceptions of the workplace are subject to an apex fallacy. The daily consumption of narratives about campuses, tech palaces and ‘cool’ design can obscure the fact that most people don’t experience this stuff in their daily lives. They work in adequate or possibly nice offices. Some in shabby offices or horrible offices. Many travel into work at the same time each day and sit with roughly the same people and do roughly the same things. They may work from home more frequently now, but they have a routine there too. Most will work in a mundane or nice home that mirrors the mundane office that awaits at the other end of the commute. (more…)

Curtail zero hour contracts and give workers guaranteed work hours, say researchers

Curtail zero hour contracts and give workers guaranteed work hours, say researchers

the increase of zero hours contracts over the last 20 years has created significant risk for workersAn evidence review led by the University of Warwick has concluded that the increase of zero hours contracts over the last 20 years has created significant risk for workers. They found that unreliable work can result in a sudden loss of hours and earnings, and an inability to access legal advice for unfair or potentially unlawful employment practices. Along with colleagues from the ReWAGE expert advisory group, academics at the Institute of Employment Research at the University of Warwick examined the legal and workplace practices associated with zero hour contracts, along with data covering flexibility, pay insecurity, workers ability to assert their rights and workers health and wellbeing. (more…)

Has digital transformation led to an upsurge in workplace disinformation?

Has digital transformation led to an upsurge in workplace disinformation?

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…)

There will be a near universal adoption of generative AI in businesses, say bosses

There will be a near universal adoption of generative AI in businesses, say bosses

An overwhelming majority (91 percent) of executives say that their companies are now using generative AI or are planning to do so within the next 18 monthsAn overwhelming majority (91 percent) of executives say that their companies are now using generative AI or are planning to do so within the next 18 months, according to a new poll from Thomson Reuters. The Thomson Reuters Future of Professionals C-Suite Survey reported on responses from 148 C-Suite leaders (CFOs, CEOs etc) from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. The survey suggests that use of AI across businesses is becoming ubiquitous as leaders start to recognize the true potential of the technology, such as in developing new products and driving operational efficiency. (more…)

Republished: The brain-dead megaphone of work

Republished: The brain-dead megaphone of work

There is nothing new about any of this. And yet it’s all new. I’ve spent months talking to people who really know their stuff about work and workplaces and underlying nearly all of those conversations is the following paradox. They know about flexible working, the under-utilisation of space, the twenty minute neighbourhood, the work ecosystem, universal basic income, the digital workspace, the office as club, all the rest of it. Heard it all before, often many times, over many years. Some of them have been living it too, and yet… (more…)

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

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

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…)

Firms are throwing resources at AI knowing they are likely to fail

Firms are throwing resources at AI knowing they are likely to fail

three quarters of UK businesses are gearing up to invest in AI over the next 12 months without really knowing what they are doingDespite a recent track record of failure when implementing digital strategies, more than three quarters of UK businesses are gearing up to invest in artificial intelligence over the next 12 months without really knowing what they are doing. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) admit to being ill-prepared for the integration of the technology into their operations, according to new survey. The report [registration] from tech consultancy Infinum  suggests that over two-thirds of UK businesses that invested in digital products over the past five years have faced failure and are about to invest in AI knowing of their own poor track record. (more…)

Five reasons why (Framery) office pods help to solve the great workplace debate

Five reasons why (Framery) office pods help to solve the great workplace debate

Here are five reasons why the world’s top companies, including the likes of Tesla, Microsoft, LinkedIn and Puma, are using office pods – and why they will be coming to an office near you.  It’s a fact – pods are taking over the office. In 2010, Framery introduced the first pod to the market and now there are over 200 suppliers globally. Framery, the market leader in this space, was a major pioneer of their development and subsequently has supplied 70 percent of Forbes 100 companies with office pods. (more…)

Manufacturers have sustainability strategies in place but progress remains slow and patchy

Manufacturers have sustainability strategies in place but progress remains slow and patchy

Two-thirds of board-level executives at UK-based manufacturing companies agree that sustainability is a high priority and a third have decarbonisation plans in place, but according to new research conducted by management consultancy, Vendigital, progress in decarbonising products, processes, and supply chains is patchy at best, and this could cause UK industry to fall behind global competitors in the race to net zero. (more…)

Successful startup founders exhibit similar personality traits, but they rely on variety in teams

Successful startup founders exhibit similar personality traits, but they rely on variety in teams

Successful start-up founders have distinct personality traits and they’re more important to their companies than previously thoughtNew research from the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the University of Melbourne suggests that start-up founders have distinct personality traits, and they’re more important to the success of their companies than previously thought. While good fortune and circumstances can play a part, new research reveals that when it comes to start-up success, a founder’s personality – or the combined personalities of the founding team – is paramount. (more…)

BCO Awards dominated by South East offices yet again but Glasgow office takes top spot

BCO Awards dominated by South East offices yet again but Glasgow office takes top spot

Barclays’ Glasgow campus was celebrated as the Best of the Best at the British Council for Offices BCO AwardsBarclays’ Glasgow campus (pictured) was celebrated as the Best of the Best at the British Council for Offices (BCO) National Awards last night, also taking home the prize for Corporate Workplace. Seven further winners of BCO Awards were recognised as leading examples of excellence in workplace design in the UK. There were no winners in any category in the Midlands or North of England, Northern Ireland or Wales, although two offices in Manchester and Widnes were commended and the President’s Award went to HMRC for its ongoing national estate management programme. (more…)

Three days in the office seems to be the ‘sweet spot’ for hybrid working

Three days in the office seems to be the ‘sweet spot’ for hybrid working

A new report provides analysis into the impact that remote and hybrid working are having on employee experience, culture and productivityA new survey concludes that three days a week in the office appears to be optimal for many people to optimise key aspects of workplace culture and performance. The report claims to provide empirical analysis into the impact that remote and hybrid working are having on employee experience, culture and productivity. The report commissioned by Ipsos Karian and Box is based on a survey of 1,400 full-time UK office workers. (more…)