Search Results for: innovation

Herman Miller increases use of ocean-bound plastic with Aeron chair

Herman Miller increases use of ocean-bound plastic with Aeron chair

The Aeron Chair Portfolio, including new colourway Onyx Ultra Matte, and other product and packaging solutions will incorporate mismanaged plastic waste found near waterways as part of the company’s commitment to use 50 percent recycled content in all materials by 2030. More →

I’m a Luddite. You should be one too

I’m a Luddite. You should be one too

The leader of the Luddite movementI’m a Luddite. This is not a hesitant confession, but a proud proclamation. I’m also a social scientist who studies how new technologies affect politics, economics and society. For me, Luddism is not a naïve feeling, but a considered position. And once you know what Luddism actually stands for, I’m willing to bet you will be one too — or at least much more sympathetic to the Luddite cause than you think. More →

The future of work will be shaped by the needs of workers

The future of work will be shaped by the needs of workers

The future of work and lifeAs the UK government has withdrawn its advice for employees to work from home, more organisations than ever will be instituting what have become known as hybrid working models: 68 percent globally, according to research from  Steelcase. Definitions of “hybrid work”, however, are often contradicting and unclear – leaving business leaders without definitive guidance about how to approach the future of work. To provide businesses with a more concrete view of what hybrid working looks like in reality, and provide tangible actions to help streamline productivity and collaboration, Steelcase have researched the experiences and needs of workers worldwide in their report: Changing Expectations and the Future of Work. More →

Policymakers should encourage the responsible use of AI in decision-making

Policymakers should encourage the responsible use of AI in decision-making

workforceA new report from the Center for Data Innovation claims businesses are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence tools to support workforce decisions in areas such as hiring and retaining high-performing employees. But to successfully deploy and maximize the productivity benefits of these AI tools, employers should address potential concerns to ensure the technology does not exacerbate biases or inequalities, produces fair and accurate results, and does not unduly compromise worker privacy. More →

Only a tenth of global businesses are front-runners in inclusion and diversity practices

Only a tenth of global businesses are front-runners in inclusion and diversity practices

global businessesNinety percent of global businesses struggle with inclusion and diversity practices within their technology/ IT teams according to ‘The key to designing inclusive tech: creating diverse and inclusive tech teams’ report by the Capgemini Research Institute. More →

Firms don’t use artificial intelligence much, so the current hype is tripe

Firms don’t use artificial intelligence much, so the current hype is tripe

a long road ahead for artificial intelligenceMany governments are increasingly approaching artificial intelligence with an almost religious zeal. By 2018 at least 22 countries around the world, and also the EU, had launched grand national strategies for making AI part of their business development, while many more had announced ethical frameworks for how it should be allowed to develop. The EU documents more than 290 AI policy initiatives in individual EU member states between 2016 and 2020. More →

European Commission adopts ambitious Green Deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions

European Commission adopts ambitious Green Deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions

The European Commission adopted a package of proposals to make the EU’s climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The Commission claims that achieving these emission reductions in the next decade is crucial to Europe becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and making the European Green Deal a reality.  More →

Over two thirds of office workers dread speaking to their IT department

Over two thirds of office workers dread speaking to their IT department

ITResearch by Velocity Smart Technology, investigating how IT departments are coping with a move to remote working, claims that almost half (45 percent) of office workers have had to wait longer for an issue to be resolved whilst working from home – with 73 percent going on to say they have had to wait up to an extra five hours for an issue to be fixed. More →

Firms who prioritise working culture enjoy better financial performance

Firms who prioritise working culture enjoy better financial performance

working culture in a smart officeHeidrick and Struggles has released the results of a new global CEO study Aligning Culture with the Bottom Line: How Companies Can Accelerate Progress which found that intentionally building a company’s working culture can impact the company’s financial performance in a number of ways. The survey of 500 CEOs across nine countries examines how working culture propels organisational performance in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the USA. More →

Shaping London’s future: Mayor’s Resilience Fund Winners Announced

Shaping London’s future: Mayor’s Resilience Fund Winners Announced

Mayor’s Resilience FundThe Mayor of London, in partnership with Nesta Challenges, has announced the winners of the Mayor’s Resilience Fund, a £1 million innovation programme set up to support London’s businesses and community groups to emerge stronger from COVID-19 and to ensure the capital is prepared for future disruptive challenges. More →

Climate Commission launched to identify green investment opportunities

Climate Commission launched to identify green investment opportunities

climateThe new UK Cities Climate Investment Commission begins work to identify Green Investment opportunities across UK Cities. Cities, investment and innovation experts have launched a Commission which begins the process of identifying a transformational programme of Green Growth for the UK’s cities. More →

HR should play a more strategic role in business resilience

HR should play a more strategic role in business resilience

HR and resilienceAlmost every organisation now knows it must become more resilient as the economy emerges from the pandemic. As well as coping with crises and global events, organisations must excel in the face of the many less high-profile disruptions that hit an organisation – from supply chain bottlenecks to shifts in demand and sudden skills shortages. HR departments have a major role to play in this but to do so successfully requires a change of mindset, taking a step back from traditional administrative functions and reviewing the entire business as if they were an outsider. More →