Search Results for: communication

In spite of some headlines, hybrid working is not in decline in the US

In spite of some headlines, hybrid working is not in decline in the US

by • Flexible working, News

Gallup’s latest research on working patterns among remote-capable employees in the United States suggests that hybrid working is proving far more resilient than some headlines about a wholesale return to the office would implyGallup’s latest research on working patterns among remote-capable employees in the United States suggests that hybrid working is proving far more resilient than some headlines about a wholesale return to the office would imply. The data shows that hybrid work remains the dominant arrangement and has not significantly declined, even as political and organisational pressure grows to increase in-person attendance. The survey finds that just over half of employees who can work remotely are now in hybrid arrangements. This represents a slight decline from the previous two quarters, falling from 55 percent to 51 percent. (more…)

Memories of the Office Age 

Memories of the Office Age 

by • Cities, Features, Working lives

memories of the office ageOriginally published in November 2021. No author uses the built environment like J G Ballard. In his 1975 novel High-Rise, the eponymous structure is both a way of isolating the group of people who live and compete inside it and a metaphor for their personal isolation and inner struggles. Over the course of three months, the building’s services begin to fail. The 2,000 people within, detached from external realities in the 40-storey building, confronted with their true selves and those of their neighbours, descend into selfishness and – ultimately – savagery.  (more…)

Microsoft study reveals which jobs have been most affected by Generative AI

Microsoft study reveals which jobs have been most affected by Generative AI

by • AI, News

Which jobs are most affected by Generative AI?A new large scale study from Microsoft has offered what its authors claim is one of the clearest pictures yet of how Generative AI is being used in real workplaces and which jobs are most exposed to its growing influence. Researchers from Microsoft analysed 200,000 anonymised user conversations with Bing Copilot, Microsoft’s publicly available AI assistant, to determine how AI is assisting or performing work tasks. The study focused on the types of activities people use GenAI for, how successfully AI completes them, and how these activities align with those performed across hundreds of occupations. (more…)

Does your employee benefits package have a marketing problem?

Does your employee benefits package have a marketing problem?

by • Company news, Wellbeing

Despite many businesses investing heavily in employee benefits, many of these perks fail to deliver their full potential. Here's what to do about itDespite many businesses investing heavily in employee benefits, many of these perks fail to deliver their full potential. According to the 2025 Drewberry Employee Benefits and Workplace Satisfaction Survey, just 12 percent of UK employees report being truly satisfied with their benefits package. This gap in satisfaction isn’t always about the benefits themselves, but is often a failure of communication. This latest research shows that while benefits may be in place, just 36 percent of employees fully understand what’s on offer. Even fewer regularly engage with these benefits. (more…)

Calls for standardised product assessments address growing concerns about greenwashing

Calls for standardised product assessments address growing concerns about greenwashing

by • Environment, Facilities management, News

Built Environment Sector Calls for Standardised Product Assessments Amid Growing Concern Over GreenwashingA new industry-wide study has revealed widespread support for the introduction of mandatory Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs) on products used in the UK’s built environment to address widespread concerns about greenwashing. The findings, published in the report Greenhushing: Silence is Costing Credibility, show that 86 percent of professionals surveyed believe that LCAs are essential to reduce confusion and rebuild trust in environmental claims. Produced by Futurebuild in collaboration with The Anti-Greenwash Charter, The Carbon Literacy Project and communications agency Hattrick, the report draws on responses from over 3,000 people, including nearly 300 professionals in the built environment. It provides insight into the sector’s growing demand for standardisation and transparency in sustainability communications. (more…)

Small changes to AI LLMs could cut energy use by 90 percent, claims UNESCO report

Small changes to AI LLMs could cut energy use by 90 percent, claims UNESCO report

by • AI, Environment, News

A new report from UNESCO and University College London claims that relatively minor changes in the way AI large language models (LLMs) are built and used can reduce their energy consumption by up to 90 percent without compromising performanceA new report from UNESCO and University College London claims that relatively minor changes in the way large language models (LLMs) are built and used can reduce their energy consumption by up to 90 percent without compromising performance. The report highlights the growing energy demands of generative AI systems and calls for a shift in approach to make them more sustainable. According to UNESCO, the annual energy footprint of generative AI is already equivalent to that of a low-income country, and continues to rise. (more…)

Microsoft research lays bare the rise of the ‘infinite workday’

Microsoft research lays bare the rise of the ‘infinite workday’

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index Special Report, Breaking down the infinite workday, warns that the traditional boundaries of the working day have dissolved under a flood of emails, messages and meetings.Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index Special Report, Breaking down the infinite workday, warns that the traditional boundaries of the working day have dissolved under a flood of emails, messages and meetings. Drawing on anonymised telemetry from Microsoft 365, the study argues that the contemporary knowledge worker now faces a “seemingly infinite workday” that begins before dawn and stretches deep into the evening. The day often starts before breakfast: 40 percent of users who are already online at 6 a.m. are triaging overflowing inboxes, and the average employee receives 117 emails a day—most scanned in under a minute. Mass emails sent to more than twenty recipients have risen by seven percent over the past year, while one-to-one threads are in decline. (more…)

At home down under: hybrid working has become a way of life in Australia

At home down under: hybrid working has become a way of life in Australia

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

The majority of Australian employees work from home at least part of the week, with hybrid working now embedded in organisational cultureThe majority of Australian employees now work from home at least part of the week, with hybrid working becoming embedded in organisational culture, according to a new report from the University of Melbourne and Western Sydney University. The study, Navigating the Future of Working from Home in Australia, is based on survey data collected in late 2023 and charts how working patterns have changed in the years following the pandemic. It suggests that while fully remote work remains uncommon, most employees now work from home one to three days per week and expect that flexibility to continue. (more…)

Rise of AI gives us a chance to rediscover a world beyond the screen

Rise of AI gives us a chance to rediscover a world beyond the screen

by • AI, Comment, Workplace design

If scheduling, communication, analysis, and recall can be handled by AI that operates through conversation or ambient cues, the screen starts to look less essential and more habitual.Over the past three decades monitors have colonised desks in workplaces, homes and in public spaces, with the presence of a screen often signalling that something productive is taking place. This assumption may now be under quiet revision with implications for technology, management, and workplace culture. The growing maturity of artificial intelligence agents is having an incremental but significant impact on how we work. AI is now more capable of carrying context across tasks, acting independently, and responding through natural language, which is leading to the need for visual interfaces to be reduced. If scheduling, communication, analysis, and recall can be handled by systems that operate through conversation or ambient cues, the screen starts to look less essential and more habitual. (more…)

Milan proves to be the perfect setting for an optimistic BCO conference

Milan proves to be the perfect setting for an optimistic BCO conference

by • Comment, Property

Milan may not seem an obvious choice for the BCO conference. Turns out it was perfect for an increasingly optimistic sector, writes Anna KingIf anyone was asked to think of where to find the best examples of an office, I doubt very many people would reply ‘Milan’ but that may just be the reason that this year’s BCO conference was a resounding success. With Milan and its layers of history, culture, design and the vital ‘caffè’, we are reminded that workspaces are about so much more than function. A view certainly held by Amber Luscombe, Head of ESG at Oxygen, “This is my third BCO conference I was expecting more of the same, but the discussions have moved on with engaging speakers, stimulating conversations and a more positive – yet realistic –  outlook from the attendees. So many factors influence, surrounds and support good office design, from fostering a sense of belonging and community to wellbeing and nature and they were all on the table at Milan.” (more…)

How BPO enables business flexibility in rapidly changing global markets

How BPO enables business flexibility in rapidly changing global markets

by • Business, Company news

What was once viewed as a cost-cutting tool, BPO has evolved into a strategic advantage, providing businesses with the flexibility they require to remain competitive and resilient during volatile periods.Global markets are changing at an unprecedented rate due to economic uncertainty, shifting consumer behavior, and technological breakthroughs. Businesses must be agile and able to adapt to market changes. This is where Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) comes in. What was once viewed as a cost-cutting tool has evolved into a strategic advantage, providing businesses with the flexibility they require to remain competitive and resilient during volatile periods. (more…)

Gallup report suggests that firms and their employees are not on the same page when it comes to AI

Gallup report suggests that firms and their employees are not on the same page when it comes to AI

by • AI, News

A new Gallup study suggests there is a notable gap between corporate enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI) and employee preparedness to integrate the technology into their everyday work.A new Gallup study suggests there is a notable gap between corporate enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI) and employee preparedness to integrate the technology into their everyday work. While ninety-three percent of Fortune 500 Chief Human Resources Officers say they have begun to integrate AI into their organisations, only thirty-three percent of employees are aware. Despite growing investment in AI, employee use remains limited. Nearly seventy percent of workers say they never use AI in their roles, and only ten percent engage with tools on a weekly basis. White-collar workers are more likely to use the technology, with fifteen percent reporting weekly usage, compared to just nineteen percent of production and frontline employees who say they use it at all. (more…)

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