Search Results for: communications

London office market is booming and proving resilient in the face of Brexit

London office market is booming and proving resilient in the face of Brexit

by • News, Property

A new report from Knight Frank claims that activity in the office market in London increased sharply last year, which the property adviser said was driven largely by growing demand from the UK’s burgeoning tech sector. The report said office leasing activity in central London hit 13.84 million sq ft last year, more than 2 million sq ft than in 2016. Knight Frank said it had seen ‘extraordinary demand’ for London offices from the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) sector. However, the report also claims that there is now a lack of quality office space supply because, despite the fact that more than 259 development schemes are under construction in Central London, 187 are residential, and of the remaining 72 offering commercial space, only two-thirds are available to lease, with many of them already pre-let to office tenants.

(more…)

Workers prize standard of technology over latest office design when moving jobs

Workers prize standard of technology over latest office design when moving jobs

by • News, Technology, Workplace

Over half of UK workers (53 percent) say that the standard of technology is a key consideration for accepting a new job role and more than 1 in 3 (37 percent) would decline a job based on poor hardware alone, claims a new survey. The survey of over 2,000 British adults carried out by gadgets and technology e-tailer, LaptopsDirect.co.uk found that having the latest technology was valued more than other office perks, such as flexible working (45 percent), the working environment/decor (39 percent) and staff discounts (33 percent). Nearly a quarter of respondents (74 percent) overall, believe technology makes them more productive at work, with workers in marketing valuing technology the highest, with 84 percent of the votes, followed by those in creative and photographic (81 percent), information and communications (78 percent), professional services (73 percent) and education (71 percent).

(more…)

Majority of global business leaders believe world economy will grow this year

Majority of global business leaders believe world economy will grow this year

by • News, Workplace

Well over half (fifty seven percent) of business leaders say they believe global economic growth will improve in the next 12 months – almost twice (29 percent) the level of results from the annual survey carried out by PwC . Launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, the survey found that optimism in the economy is feeding into CEOs’ confidence about their own companies’ outlook. As 42 percent of CEOs said they are “very confident” in their own organisation’s growth prospects over the next 12 months, up from 38 percent last year. Looking at the results by country though, it’s a mixed bag. In the UK, with Brexit negotiations only recently reaching a significant milestone, business leaders’ drop in short-term confidence is unsurprising (2018: 34 percent vs. 2017: 41 percent). The survey also found that CEOs are determined to find the right talent needed to reap the benefits of the digital disruption, with investments in modern working environments and the establishment of learning and development programmes to help attract and develop digital talent.

(more…)

UK in 8th place for global talent competitiveness but gender equality lags behind

UK in 8th place for global talent competitiveness but gender equality lags behind

by • Cities, Legal news, News, Workplace

UK in 8th place for global talent competitiveness but gender equality lags behindThe UK has been ranked as the eighth best country in the world for the ability to attract, retain, train and educate skilled workers, but while its ability to leverage diversity for talent competitiveness is boosted by its global knowledge skills – the UK is undermined by its weaker performance on tolerance and gender equality. According to the Global Talent Competitiveness Index GTCI) produced by the Adecco Group, with international business school INSEAD and Tata Communications, the UK has a particularly strong pool of global knowledge skills, a variable for which it is ranked third in the index boosted further by its strong regulatory, market and business landscape. But this is undermined by its internal openness, where it still lags behind, especially when it comes to gender equality. The report also suggests that although Article 50 was triggered in 2017, the ongoing negotiations and continuing lack of clarity over the UK’s position once it leaves the European Union in 2019, means the impact of Brexit is not yet clear.

(more…)

UK productivity growing at quickest rate for six years

UK productivity growing at quickest rate for six years

by • News

Productivity in Britain is rising at its fastest rate in six years. Output per hour worked rose by 0.9 per cent between July and September of 2017, according to the latest quarterly report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was the biggest increase since 2011, when productivity grew by 1 per cent. The UK has a persistent problem with its productivity. Excluding the UK, G7 GDP per hour worked is 18 per cent higher than in Britain, with productivity in the United States 30 per cent higher, France 31 per cent and Germany 36 per cent. High productivity is considered the key to economic prosperity because it allows companies to produce more goods or services with fewer workers or hours worked. This in turn lets companies pay higher wages without having to raise prices. Many theories have been developed to explain the UK’s chronic low productivity, which are summarised by the Financial Times here (subscription or registration needed).

(more…)

Just five coworkers are the source of all workplace irritations for most people at work, claims study

by • News, Workplace

A survey of 2,000 US workers carried out by researchers at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois claims that while everybody get irritated at work at times, for most people the source of those irritations is just a handful of their colleagues. Only 2 percent of respondents claim to find 10 or more of their coworkers irritating.  The healthcare and insurance industries have the highest number of annoying coworkers and 40 percent of the respondents who work in fashion/art and retail claim to be the most annoyed on a regular basis. 48 percent of respondents claim general loudness and complaining, followed by 31 percent who said gossiping and bullying behaviour was most annoying about their colleagues. Respondents in communications and journalism have the most gossipy workplaces, and because those industries are people-centric, discussing others’ business becomes a workplace side effect.

(more…)

Businesses exploring potential of AI to improve customer experience and the bottom line

by • News, Technology

Despite the growing interest in the potential of artificial intelligence, there is a sense of confusion amongst business leaders about how it is being used and how to take advantage of its potential. Independent research from SAS claims that while nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of business leaders are convinced AI can generate value for their business, nearly half (46 percent) are being held back by concerns around AI still being in its infancy. Nearly a third (30 percent) of companies are not sure if they are ready for the technology, citing concerns over a lack of required skills (66 percent), ROI (55 percent) and fears over stories of AI malfunctioning (38 percent). Many also expressed reservations over the cost of solutions (39 percent) and lack of trust in the technology (36 percent), reinforcing fears that AI would not deliver sufficient ROI.

(more…)

The contribution of personality to the performance of agile workers

by • Features, Flexible working

The introduction of agile working into organisations has typically focussed on the workstyles of different job roles, but has tended to treat the jobholders within these groups in the same way. The successful introduction of new ways of working clearly relies on the willingness of the people occupying the job roles to embrace new ways of working; yet there has been little investigation of the needs of agile workers with different personality types beyond looking at the needs of extroverts and introverts. These studies have tended to focus on the workplace; for example, the Cushman Wakefield Workplace Programme briefing paper examines how organisations can accommodate the needs of extroverts and introverts working together in the workplace. However, using OCEAN personality profiles, Nigel Oseland found that different personality types have different preferences, which in turn are likely to affect their performance at work.

(more…)

Cities in developed world are less confident in their digital ecosystems

by • Cities, News, Technology

According to a new study from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), business leaders in 45 cities around the world are relatively confident that they can find the support they need for their digital transformation efforts. Many city environments come up short, however, particularly in the supply of digital talent. The study claims that firms in Bangalore, San Francisco and Mumbai display the greatest degree of confidence while executives in developed world cities are some of the least confident, including those in Berlin, Tokyo and Yokohama. The study also claims that half of businesses (48 percent) have considered relocating operations to a city with a more favourable environment.

(more…)

Growing need for a flexible workplace creates fresh challenges for employers

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Workplace, Workplace design

Many businesses are misaligned with their people, with nearly half of employees not understanding their company’s strategic objectives, according to new research published by The Ludic Group, which claims that the changing nature of workforces and the growing need for a flexible workplace are creating fresh challenges for communication, collaboration and engagement. The research suggests that the impact of technology is causing digital chaos, with businesses struggling to get the communications balance right. With the number of channels and tools increasing almost half of people (44 percent) want to hear more from employers. Perhaps surprisingly, one in five (20 percent) individuals said that their firm has not used any tools or techniques to communicate with them. This lack of communication results in people being disconnected from the business strategy, with only half of individuals (50 percent) reported fully aligned with their company’s objectives and 44 percent not knowing or understanding what these are. Alongside this, people increasingly want to design their own working experience and expect more flexibility from their employers.

(more…)

Wellbeing named as top priority for 2018 by human resources managers

Wellbeing named as top priority for 2018 by human resources managers

by • News, Wellbeing

A vox pop poll carried out by  employee engagement firm Reward Gateway at a recent conference claims that wellbeing, pay and benefits and recognition will be the top employee engagement priorities for HR professionals in 2018. The research, which polled 565 HR professionals at Employee Benefits Live 2017, echoes two studies undertaken by the same firm earlier this year. These studies found that companies are looking to invest in areas which UK employees have said are crucial to them, but don’t feel as though their employers are adequately providing: wellbeing and recognition. As the top agenda point, the importance of wellbeing in the workplace was echoed in a study conducted in September 2017, which claimed that 22 million British workers, or 7 in 10 employees (71 percent), have felt stress or financial strain in the last five years. Despite these numbers, the same research also claims that a third of respondents said that their company currently offers no wellbeing programmes.

(more…)

New research explores how the brain needs sleep to reorganise itself

New research explores how the brain needs sleep to reorganise itself

by • News, Wellbeing

A new study from researchers in Berlin and Surrey offers insights into how sleep contributes to brain plasticity – the ability for our brain to change and reorganise itself – and could pave the way for new ways to help people with learning and memory disorders. The team of researchers at the Humboldt and Charité Universities in Berlin, led by Dr Julie Seibt from the University of Surrey, applied cutting edge techniques to record activity in a particular region of brain cells that is responsible for holding new information – the dendrites. The study, published in the open access journal Nature Communications, found that activity in dendrites increases when we sleep, and that this increase is linked to specific brain waves that are seen to be key to how we form memories.

(more…)

«< 20 21 22 23 24 >»