Search Results for: future of work

Video: Arthur C Clarke predicts remote and flexible working in 1964

Video: Arthur C Clarke predicts remote and flexible working in 1964

by • Comment, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

Some people foresaw the virtualisation of work, flexible working and the erosion of the workplace over 50 years ago. Scientist and author Arthur C Clarke appeared on the BBC’s Horizon programme in 1964 to apply his foresight and clipped vowels to the question of what future technological advances would mean for the way we work and the makeup of the world’s cities in the 21st Century. He is absolutely correct in his vision in some ways and way off in others, even allowing for his talk of ‘transistors’ rather than microchips.

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Businesses told to consider the interests of workers and other stakeholders in new code

Businesses told to consider the interests of workers and other stakeholders in new code

by • News

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published its new Corporate Governance Code in a bid to improve trust in UK business. The new Code will remain on the “comply or explain” basis mandatory for which it has been criticised in the past, but has been broadly welcomed by industry bodies. The code sets out a number of recommendations aimed at improving culture and trust in business, of which it suggests at least one be applied. They include having a director appointed from the workforce, a formal workforce advisory panel and a designated non-executive director. The Code will apply to accounting periods from January 2019 and is applicable to all companies with a premium listing.

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Challenging some of the most commonly held misconceptions about coworking

Challenging some of the most commonly held misconceptions about coworking

by • Comment, Coworking

There are a number of misconceptions that dominate much of the writing around flexible workspace, despite all the press coverage and discussion around coworking over the last two years. Yet even in this comparatively short space of time, a number of misconceptions about the market have managed to take hold. Some of them are intuitive but wrong to some or other degree. Some are distorted by coverage. Some arise for other reasons. And we know this thanks to the extensive data gathered in Instant’s latest market report. So here in this piece, I am going to try to shatter some of the myths around flex workspace and coworking in particular.

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A storm brewing around the workplace and facilities management

A storm brewing around the workplace and facilities management

by • Comment, Facilities management, News, Workplace design

In Shakespeare’s plays, the sky often goes dark and a storm starts to brew as a prelude to tragedy or violence creating a sense of foreboding. And so it was at today’s BIFM AGM in the lead-up to the special resolution to change the name of the institute from the British Institute of Facilities Management to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. After a fire alarm test appositely kicked off the event, sun poured through the windows and ceiling panes of the Friends Meeting House in Manchester as BIFM chairman Steve Roots gave an update on the institute’s performance in 2017 and plans for 2018. As he introduced the format for the three ordinary resolutions, the sun dipped behind a cloud and the room was plunged into gloom causing murmurs of nervous laughter among the 80-strong audience. (more…)

Podcast: The British new wave and the evolution of the workplace

Podcast: The British new wave and the evolution of the workplace

by • Facilities management, Flexible working, Podcasts, Premium Content, Technology, Workplace design

In this podcast I talk to Mark Eltringham about British music, which leads to a discussion about bands from the early days of new wave in Liverpool, including Echo & The Bunnymen. The evolution of music serves as a metaphor which leads to a conversation about the history of the workplace where Mark shares his perspective on some of the founding thought leaders in our modern sector. I ask him about today’s places of work and Mark references a recent report from Chris Hood of AWA, Kate Lister of Global Workplace Analytics and Haworth while also sharing some research provided by Leesman Index. We talk about the blurring of the lines and need for collaboration across departments inside organizations, the relationship between facilities management and workplace as a whole, while also discussing the controversy in the UK about the future of the FM sector.

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The week in workplace; six stories and one song that made us think

The week in workplace; six stories and one song that made us think

by • Features

The performance management needs of the changing workplace

The UK’s productivity problem: hub no spokes

Simple self-driving shuttles become first robot rides in Detroit

Automation rarely outright destroys jobs; it instead augments

People who think their opinions are better also overestimate their knowledge

Shut down business schools? Two professors debate

The Dunning Kruger Song from the Incompetence Opera

Companies need to capitalise more on enthusiasm for data amongst the workforce

Companies need to capitalise more on enthusiasm for data amongst the workforce

by • AI, News, Technology, Workplace

Companies need to capitalise more on enthusiasm for data amongst the workforceA major global report has revealed a lack of confidence in data is limiting corporate success in the emerging era of robotics and automation. The global research launched by Qlik, has revealed an escalating skills gap preventing business decision-makers asking the right questions of data and machines. Despite McKinsey reporting that up to 800 million global workers will lose their jobs by 2030 as a result of automation and robotics, and Gartner hailing data literacy at the must-have skill in the workplace, most business decision-makers (76 percent) lack confidence in their ability to read, work, analyse and argue with data. The highest level of doubt in data skills can be found among European executives (83 percent), followed by those in APAC (80 percent) and the US (67 percent). According to the report, as organisations look to be data driven, those employees who can read, work, analyse and argue with data will be able to contribute more to their roles and organisations and employers need to capitalise on this enthusiasm to drive the programme for data literacy.

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Global employers focus on mobile talent to help support new ways of working

Global employers focus on mobile talent to help support new ways of working

by • Cities, Facilities management, News, Workplace

Global employers focus on mobile talent to support future ways of workingThe digital era, ageing populations, skills shortages, and unpredictable political and economic contexts are persuading multinationals to focus more on mobile talent, new ways of working and assessing the cost of expatriate packages for international employees that are critical to the future of work. This is according to Mercer’s 24th annual Cost of Living Survey which reveals that factors such as instability of housing markets and fluctuating inflation, currencies and prices for goods and services, are impacting the cost of doing business in various cities around the world. UK cities have significantly risen in the ranking this year. (more…)

Employers and government need to work together to address looming Brexit skills gap

Employers and government need to work together to address looming Brexit skills gap

by • News, Workplace

As the UK continues to navigate a period of uncertainty ahead of its exit from the European Union, new research published by the City & Guilds Group and Emsi claims that nine in 10 employers already struggle to recruit the skilled staff they need. With most industries expected to grow between now and 2024, a significant number of skilled workers will be needed to meet demand. However, People Power, a study based on City & Guilds Group interviewing over 1,000 C-Suite employers in the UK and work with Emsi to undertake extensive economic modelling, has found that two thirds of UK employers think that the skills gaps in their businesses are likely to get worse or remain the same in the next three to five years.

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Keeping people at the heart of the modern workplace

Keeping people at the heart of the modern workplace

by • Comment, Technology, Workplace design

skullcandy workplaceThe modern workplace is undergoing significant change, and it’s no surprise that many of these changes are driven by the adoption of new technologies. However, unlike previous eras of technological change, most of the technologies being adopted by organizations today have the potential to offer more autonomy, choice and flexibility to their employees. This can cause disconnects (literally) with the built environment, but it’s also possible for those who design and manage work spaces to adopt a new mindset to stay in lockstep with technological change and to ensure the creation of positive workplace experiences.

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Pay rates for senior management reflect longer working hours argues CMI

Pay rates for senior management reflect longer working hours argues CMI

by • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

Pay rates for senior management reflect long working hours argues CMIBusiness Secretary Greg Clark proposed new laws in Parliament yesterday (June 11th) that new large firms will have to justify their chief executives’ salaries and reveal the gap to their average UK worker. It means that for the first time, UK listed companies with more than 250 UK employees will have to disclose and explain this difference – known as ‘pay ratios’ – every year. However, according to data published today by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR, basic salaries for senior managers have fallen in real terms, with inflation overtaking pay increases for the first time in five years. At a time when government are shining a light on executive pay, and linking it via a ratio to workforce pay, separate CMI research has found managers worked an extra 44 days a year last year over and above their contracted hours – up from 40 days extra in 2015. The same research found 59 percent of managers are ‘always on’, frequently checking their emails outside of work and one in 10 had been forced to take sick leave because of stress.

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Over half of employees say remote working and coworking increase their productivity

Over half of employees say remote working and coworking increase their productivity

by • Coworking, Flexible working, News

coworkingMore than half of US based employees (54 percent) with the chance to work remotely say they are most productive when they work outside a traditional office environment, such as at home, in a coffee shop, or in a coworking space, according to a new survey by research firm Clutch. Over two-thirds (68 percent) of workers surveyed work in a traditional office. However, higher productivity isn’t the only reason employees prefer other workspace options. Over a quarter (26 percent) of employees who have some degree of flexibility say a better work-life balance is the top benefit of working outside the office. Other benefits include flexible work hours (21 percent) and fewer distractions (18 percent).

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