Search Results for: change

From pixels to patterns: the unprecedented surge in screen time

From pixels to patterns: the unprecedented surge in screen time

With the rise of remote work and online learning, our screen time has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.Technology has transformed our personal relationships by making communication more accessible than ever before. But, are we implementing best practices to ensure a positive and sustainable relationship with our technological devices? In today’s digital age, screens have become an integral part of our daily lives. From smartphones and tablets to laptops and televisions, we are surrounded by screens at every turn. With the rise of remote work and online learning, our screen time has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. More →

CIFF Guangzhou 2024 proves a record-breaker and a major boost to international furniture trade

CIFF Guangzhou 2024 proves a record-breaker and a major boost to international furniture trade

An extraordinary edition of CIFF Guangzhou has just concluded, recording the highest number of exhibitors and visitors ever. This success rewarded the strategy of CIFF, an ever-evolving exhibition event with a key role in the development of the global furniture industry, promoting design and innovation, boosting consumption, and fostering international furniture trade. A total area measuring 850,000 square metres; 4,700 exhibitors, 11.8% more than the all-time pre-pandemic peak in 2019; 363,449 trade visitors, 22.06% more than in 2019, including 51,205 international visitors from 178 countries, an increase of as much as +43.11% compared to 2019. More →

A day of learning for workplace designers

A day of learning for workplace designers

The Sustainable Design Forum (SD Forum) – a one day interactive event designed specifically for workplace designers and specifiers – is returning to the Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell,

The Sustainable Design Forum (SD Forum) – a one day interactive event designed specifically for workplace designers and specifiers – is returning to the Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell, London on Thursday 25th April 2024. Incorporating an innovative format of presentations, panel discussions, interactive workshops, a materials lab and the SD awards ceremony, the SD Forum offers the opportunity for learning and collaboration between designers, manufacturers, suppliers, and not-for-profit organisations. More →

Focussing on people means business transformation is far more likely to succeed

Focussing on people means business transformation is far more likely to succeed

A new study from EY and Saïd Business School study suggests that leaders prioritising a human-centred approach to transformation turning points are up to up to twelve times more successful.  The EY organisation’s latest research with Saïd Business School, at the University of Oxford, reveals new insights into what happens when a transformation program’s leadership believes a transformation has or will go off-course and intervenes with the intent of improving its performance (turning points). More →

Majority of people feel confident in their ability to adapt to era of AI

Majority of people feel confident in their ability to adapt to era of AI

Following yesterday’s news about the fears CEOs harbour with the advent of AI in the workplace, a new poll from Indeed suggests that nearly 9 in 10 UK workers (89 percent) feel confident in their ability to adapt to change over the next five years. According to the survey, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) feel the skills needed for their role will change in the next five years, with 15 percent expecting significant changes. More →

Being furloughed affected people’s sense of time and relationship with work

Being furloughed affected people’s sense of time and relationship with work

Between March 2020 and September 2021, millions of workers furloughed under the UK government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme lived what for many of us is a dream: being paid not to work. Through interviews, I’ve researched the impact of this time on 35 people who were furloughed under the scheme. I found that for some, furlough created opportunities for reflection and growth, but for most of my interviewees it was a time of uncertainty and disorientation. More →

It’s vital employers understand the new EHRC guidelines on menopause 

It’s vital employers understand the new EHRC guidelines on menopause 

Having a sound understanding of both menopause and perimenopause in the workplace has therefore become vital for employersRecent guidelines issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) aim to simplify employers’ legal obligations to support workers going through menopause. A growing topic of conversation in the workplace and beyond, menopause has become increasingly recognised in employment guidance. More →

The scale of the problem for the workplace

The scale of the problem for the workplace

There is a typically telling and intelligent Pixar moment in the film A Bug’s Life in which an already well-lubricated mosquito goes up to a bar and orders a ‘Bloody Mary, O Positive’. The barman plonks a droplet of blood down on the bar. The mosquito sinks his proboscis into it, sucks it down in one go and promptly falls over. The mosquito doesn’t need a glass because that is for animals who have a problem with gravity. For insects, the major force in their lives isn’t gravity, but surface tension. More →

Flexible working rights stand to benefit millions of people

Flexible working rights stand to benefit millions of people

From today (April 6th 2024), UK employees will have the legal right to request flexible working from their first day in a new job.From today (April 6th 2024), UK employees will have the legal right to request flexible working from their first day in a new job. Under the updated regulations, employers must engage in discussions with employees and consider alternative solutions before declining a flexible working request. Decisions on applications must now be made within two months, reducing the previous timeframe of three months, which includes any appeals. Additionally, employees will be entitled to submit two flexible working requests within a 12-month period, rather than the previous allowance of one. More →

AI can help people deal with burnout, say HR managers

AI can help people deal with burnout, say HR managers

A new report from Sage claims that HR professionals now welcome AI to ease the burden of admin jobs, take away time consuming tasks, and, ultimately, ease burnoutA new report from Sage claims that HR professionals now welcome AI to ease the burden of admin jobs, take away time consuming tasks, and, ultimately, ease burnout. The annual report, titled ‘The Changing Face of HR’ [registration], surveyed over 1,000 HR leaders across a range of sectors and countries, finding that 77 percent believe AI has the potential to revolutionise ways of working within their company. With 95 percent of respondents reporting an increase in their workload over the past year and 91 percent seeing an increase in more responsibilities in their role. HR leaders in the UK are particularly strained with workloads, with respondents twice as likely to work over 45 hours per week compared to before the pandemic, the report claims. More →

Half of workers say they are ready to take advantage of new flexible working laws

Half of workers say they are ready to take advantage of new flexible working laws

more than half (55 percent) of respondents to a poll are planning to make a new request for flexible working when new rules come into UK law this weekendBusinesses are being advised to brace themselves as a new poll claims more than half (55 percent) of respondents are planning to make a new request for flexible working when new rules come into UK law this weekend. The changes introduced by the Flexible Working Bill on April 6 – allowing workers to ask for flexible forms of work from day one of their employment (previously six months)  – look set to lead to a sharp increase in flexible working requests even though 74 percent of employees report already having some degree of flexibility.  More →

FAANGs for the memories: how tech palaces lost their lustre

FAANGs for the memories: how tech palaces lost their lustre

With the downfall of wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried and the demise of his Bahamas HQ, does this mean that instead of being heralded as inspiration, tech palaces have instead become dated and toothlessI was alerted by the great Jack Pringle during a presentation course he was giving to an unforgettable YouTube clip of Steve Jobs speaking to the local council as part of a planning application for his Apple Park in California, one of the great tech palaces that sprang up in the wake of the digital revolution. Jobs, in familiar black polo neck jumper and wire-rimmed spectacles, took the officials of Cupertino City Council on a journey of opportunity, awe and inspiration. More →