Search Results for: information

Councils discover hundreds of staff secretly hold second full-time jobs

Councils discover hundreds of staff secretly hold second full-time jobs

by • Flexible working, News

At least 288 local authority employees have been caught working second full-time jobs since 2020, often without informing their councils, according to new dataAt least 288 local authority employees have been caught working second full-time jobs since 2020, often without informing their employer, according to new findings from Witan Solicitors. The figures, obtained through Freedom of Information requests to more than 300 councils in England, show that 46 staff were either dismissed or formally disciplined after being discovered to have taken on additional full-time roles. So-called “overemployment” is a growing trend on platforms such as TikTok and Reddit, where users share tips on how to juggle multiple jobs undetected. Common tactics include the use of “mouse jigglers” to simulate activity and strategies for avoiding documentation that could attract attention. (more…)

Where are the iconic office furniture products of yesterday?

Where are the iconic office furniture products of yesterday?

by • Comment, Workplace design

Originally published November 2023: Occasionally, this image goes viral on social media. It is of a group of Bauhaus design students from around 1927. They are called Martha Erps, Katt Both and Ruth Hellos. The full image (reproduced below) shows them with legendary office furniture designer Marcel Breuer, who Erps would later marry. The story of the photograph can be found here. On social media, though, the standard response from people of a certain vintage – my vintage admittedly – is to suggest that they were last seen supporting Echo and the Bunnymen at the Barrowland Glasgow in 1984.  (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…)

TRILUX and Sweco deliver circular lighting upgrade in Maidenhead

TRILUX and Sweco deliver circular lighting upgrade in Maidenhead

by • Company news, Environment, Facilities management

TRILUX partnered with Sweco UK Ltd to deliver a circular lighting upgrade at the consultancy's Maidenhead office.TRILUX has partnered with Sweco UK Ltd to deliver a circular lighting upgrade at the consultancy’s Maidenhead office. By refurbishing and upgrading the existing fluorescent luminaires, the project significantly reduced waste and improved the quality and efficiency of lighting in the open-plan workspace. Sweco UK Ltd, a leader in sustainable engineering and design, recently partnered with TRILUX to deliver a circular lighting refurbishment at its Maidenhead office. The project involved upgrading old fluorescent luminaires installed in multi-service chilled beams on the first floor, bringing a more sustainable, energy-efficient, and visually comfortable lighting solution to the space. (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…)

AgileAcoustics Unveils hilo.work- the World’s first electric height-adjustable office privacy screen

AgileAcoustics Unveils hilo.work- the World’s first electric height-adjustable office privacy screen

by • Company news, Furniture, Workplace design

AgileAcoustics has announced the launch of hilo.work, the world’s first electric height?adjustable office privacy screen system, which debuted to great acclaim at the recent Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 in LondonAgileAcoustics has announced the launch of hilo.work, the world’s first electric height-adjustable office privacy screen system, which debuted to great acclaim at the recent Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 in London. Crafted and manufactured in West Yorkshire, hilo.work empowers users to adjust screen height to suit focus, privacy, or collaboration, seamlessly adapting acoustic environments in real time. Whether raising screens to reduce noise and distractions or lowering them to foster openness, the intuitive electric system gives individuals control over their workspace. (more…)

Half of company directors think their board is of no value to the business

Half of company directors think their board is of no value to the business

by • Business, News

Almost half (46 percent) of company directors in the US and UK think their boards do not add enough value to their organisation. according to the Board Value Index from Board Intelligence.Almost half (46 percent) of company directors in the US and UK think their boards do not add enough value to their organisation, according to the Board Value Index from Board Intelligence. The Board Value Index is based on responses from more than 200 executive and non-executive directors from companies with over $50 million in turnover across the UK and US. Almost a third (31 percent) of directors surveyed said that their board adds no value at all, with half of that group believing their board is actively holding their organisation back. (more…)

Zumtobel and Thorn deliver energy efficient lighting to MEMS Power Generation’s new HQ

Zumtobel and Thorn deliver energy efficient lighting to MEMS Power Generation’s new HQ

by • Company news, Environment, Lighting

Zumtobel and its sister brand, Thorn, both lighting brands of the Zumtobel Group, have designed a cutting-edge, energy efficient lighting scheme that supports MEMS Power Generation's operational efficiency, employee wellbeing, and environmental sustainability goals.Zumtobel and its sister brand, Thorn, both lighting brands of the Zumtobel Group, have designed a cutting-edge, energy efficient lighting scheme that supports MEMS Power Generation’s operational efficiency, employee wellbeing, and environmental sustainability goals. MEMS Power Generation, founded in 1978, has evolved into the UK’s premier specialist in temporary power solutions. With one of the country’s largest generator rental fleets, MEMS constructed its new headquarters in Kent, which has been designed to serve its growing workforce for decades. (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…)

Jobs are getting better, but a quarter of people still think they are bad for their wellbeing

Jobs are getting better, but a quarter of people still think they are bad for their wellbeing

by • News, Wellbeing

Although job quality appears to be on the rise, a quarter of UK workers - an estimated 8.5 million people - say their jobs have a negative impact on their wellbeingAlthough job quality appears to be on the rise, a quarter of UK workers – an estimated 8.5 million people – say their jobs have a negative impact on their mental health (25 percent) or physical health (24 percent), according to the CIPD Good Work Index 2025. The latest poll claims the negative impact of work on wellbeing has remained high for many people for the eight years the survey has been running, despite improvements for some employees on certain areas of job quality. The CIPD Good Work Index, which provides what the troubled trade association claims is the UK’s most in-depth annual survey of job quality, suggests that the strongest factors associated with unhealthy work are excessive workloads, stress, poor relationships with colleagues and the quality of line management. (more…)

The enduring allure of workplace bullshit

The enduring allure of workplace bullshit

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

The sleep of reason and workplace bullshitAlthough the legend of Faust is one of the Germanic world’s foundational narratives, its archetypes and themes were already established by the time Goethe codified them in his 1808 play. They have since become universal. The idea that somebody would sell their soul to the Devil to gain something or rid themselves of unhappiness is as resonant now as it was in Renaissance Europe. It has inspired books films and artists to such an extent that its derivatives now have their own Wikipedia page.

(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…)

«< 2 3 4 5 6 >»