Search Results for: change

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…)

Sick pay reform should encourage people back into work, government claims

Sick pay reform should encourage people back into work, government claims

A parliamentary committee of MPs has called for a 'long-overdue' boost to statutory sick payA parliamentary committee of MPs has called for a ‘long-overdue’ boost to statutory sick pay (SSP), emphasising the need to strike a delicate balance between workers’ wellbeing and employers’ financial constraints. The Work and Pensions Committee has recommended aligning the SSP rate with the flat rate of Statutory Maternity Pay, a move that they say could significantly improve the financial safety net for workers. (more…)

Up to 8 million UK jobs already at risk from AI without intervention

Up to 8 million UK jobs already at risk from AI without intervention

An analysis of the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the UK labour market uncovers a ‘distinct sliding doors moment’, with possibilities for huge job disruption in future or significant GDP gains, depending on government policy. The report from think tank the IPPR claims to identify two key stages of generative AI adoption: the first wave, which is here and now, and a second wave in which companies will integrate existing AI technologies further and more deeply into their processes. (more…)

ULI Europe launches PropTech Innovation Challenge 2024

ULI Europe launches PropTech Innovation Challenge 2024

Following last year’s pilot, Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe has launched a second edition of the PropTech Innovation Challenge (PIC), the Young Leaders-led initiative to foster innovation in the built environment and is calling for game changing solutions that meet the challenge of how to substantially reduce carbon emissions.  The challenge, which reflects ULI’s mission priorities, and the urgent decarbonisation focus of ULI C Change, is focused specifically on the reduction of Scope 3 emissions for managers and investors and encompasses the indirect but critical emissions that occur throughout the value chain, and which are often overlooked. Indirect emissions arise from activities such as transportation and procurement. (more…)

Connection launches ONE. ONE Module – infinite possibilities

Connection launches ONE. ONE Module – infinite possibilities

Connection, the British based furniture designer and manufacturer, has added to its existing portfolio of interior architecture products, with the launch of ONE. A unique modular solution, ONE is as the name denotes, one core module that facilitates and supports infinite possibilities. The ONE range comprises of a single core module, supported by a series of simple components to create building blocks, conceptualised to deliver inspiring configurations for inspiring spaces. (more…)