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Business leader express concerns about ethics and implementation of artificial intelligence

Business leader express concerns about ethics and implementation of artificial intelligence

A  report claims that the majority of business leaders still grappling with the skills and ethics needed to implement artificial intelligenceA new survey of 1,000 global business leaders claims that although leaders say they understand how valuable artificial intelligence can be to their business, over two-thirds (69 percent) say their organisation lacks the skills to fully implement artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The report – AI IQ: Insights on Artificial Intelligence in the Enterprise [registration] – also suggests that the majority of business leaders believe humans should be involved in AI decision-making, citing ethical and data concerns. More →

Embrace the chaos: the office must find a new purpose, conference concludes

Embrace the chaos: the office must find a new purpose, conference concludes

The British Council for Offices (BCO) annual conference, this year hosted in Dublin, addressed the purpose of the office in the context of the evolving world of work

What is the purpose of the office? That was the central question at this year’s British Council for Offices (BCO) conference which took place in Dublin. A big ask.

Nonetheless, the speakers and delegates that arrived in Dublin were up for the task. In the opening address, BCO senior VP & conference chair Despina Katsikakis promised delegates the conference would explore and untangle the intricate elements of the ecosystem that must seamlessly merge tech-led work, play and… well, survival. The focus of the two-day event (or three for those who like golf) was to devise strategies to design, build and manage vibrant and inspiring workplaces that foster the wellbeing and advancement of the individuals and communities they serve, all while promoting social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

As one would perhaps expect from a BCO conference, several speakers made a case for the office, including Davina Saint, director of the Irish National Assets Management Agency. Nobody relates naturally with screens or virtual protocols, she said, so we need to embrace the idea of social capital: “It makes organisations go around,” she said. “It’s the electricity in the machine. The shift to remote working has dented social capital. There’s less connection and more isolation. Productivity and innovation have also taken a dive.”

“I believe strongly in the office,” said Niall Gaffney, CEO of Ireland’s largest office landlord IPUT, during the developer’s panel. Fellow panellist Kevin Nowlan, senior advisor to Hibernia Real Estate Group, agreed: “Culture and life comes from people being and working together.” The workplace will play a key role in reinventing cities, they chimed in unison. Why? “Because the office is where the magic and inspiration happen,” Saint said. “It’s where the social heart of an organisation can beat.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]As the audience were reminded throughout the conference, many people meet their partners at work[/perfectpullquote]

But it goes beyond business. As the audience were reminded throughout the conference, many people meet their partners at work. If marriages are born out of proximity rather than heaven, perhaps that means there will be fewer weddings, fewer children. That musing may well prompt a shrug in response but it’s worth noting there’s already a dwindling workforce. Yes, borders are clamping shut, but it may also be because people aren’t having children as often as they used to. Last year, the Financial Times, citing Office for National Statistics data, revealed that the “natural population of the UK will begin to decline by the middle of the decade, leaving the country dependent on migration to increase the working-age population”. But freedom of movement is not so free anymore. Dublin, we have a problem.

 

Stupid cupid

While it might not be up to workplace professionals to channel their inner cupids, you can bet your bottom dollar the population crisis will be on future BCO conference agendas. Until then, however, there’s a more relatable challenge in play. The industry needs to focus on the role of the office in a rapidly changing world. Bill Hughes, global head of real assets at Legal & General Investment Management, looked at the old and new definitions of an office. The traditional definition is “a room or set of rooms in which business, professional duties, clerical work are carried out”. Today, it’s where important face-to-face interactions and teamwork happens. It’s where culture is built. “It’s where knowledge transfer and learning through osmosis occurs,” Hughes said. “It’s about energy and having fun.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The future of the world of work is an obsession for bosses[/perfectpullquote]

“The future of the world of work is an obsession for my bosses,” the BBC journalist Simon Jack said, during the ‘business of politics’ discussion. “Because it “affects the lives and livelihoods of our audience.” And that’s perhaps why there’s so much focus on the employee experience. Billions have been spent on the customer experience. Many of the speakers stressed that it’s time we do the same with the employee experience.

In a session on the purpose of place, Andy McBain, head of future of workspace & design at NatWest, shared that the bank’s workplace strategy focuses on experience, events and an element of experimentation. But experience can’t be a fluffy add-on, he suggested. It must be measured and tracked if it’s to evolve and deliver ultimate impact. To that end, McBain’s team uses Audiem, an advanced employee feedback analytics tool, that allows heads of real estate not only to get the flagship quantitative scores that they need to track and manage performance but also dive deep into the qualitative data, helping them understand the drivers behind satisfaction at a granular level. “It’s allowing us to develop specific approaches we know directly addresses employee concerns because we can see what they’ve said about it and how it’s affecting them,” said McBain.

Vernon Blunt, head of global workplace operations at Ericsson, and Paul Casey, global real estate EMEA director at IBM, agreed that hybrid is here to stay, though the jury’s out when it comes to the effectiveness of mandates. While employee experience remains the focus, cost-cutting is coming to the fore because for the CFO must be kept as happy as the CPO. It’s a cost and experience juggling exercise. There also seems to be less focus on how to get people back to the office, but more energy going into how to self-organise around the busy days.

These occupiers want and demand more flexibility and shorter leases. Rob Harris of Ramidus Consulting urged that contract and service level agreements need to change to become more flexible, especially for SMEs who he called the “growth engine of the economy”. There’s also a recognition that there might be too much space. Avison Young’s Nick Axford highlighted that one third of office space could be re-used for community initiatives, but the infrastructure isn’t yet there to make this happen. Also calling for a systemic transition was Indy Johar, co-founder of Architecture 00. “Forget about building new workplaces, we need to build a new UK,” he said.

The conference delved into workplace design, management and communication principles that foster culture, health and wellness, and collaboration. During various sessions, speakers and attendees examined the strategies employed by occupiers in their quest to navigate the challenges of the present and forge a path towards a better future. We have a long way to go on that front, but the will is there.

Even when machines make better decisions than humans, people still override them

Even when machines make better decisions than humans, people still override them

Machines can make better decisions than humans, but humans often struggle to know when the machine’s decision making is actually more accurate and end up overriding the algorithm decisions for worseMachines can make better decisions than humans, but humans often struggle to know when the machine’s decision making is actually more accurate and end up overriding the algorithm decisions for worse, according to new research from academics at ESMT Berlin, This phenomenon is described in the paper as algorithm aversion, and is attributed to an inherent mistrust in machines. More →

Artificial intelligence will boost short term headcount, claim half of employers

Artificial intelligence will boost short term headcount, claim half of employers

More than half (54 percent) of Britain’s employers expect Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies will have a positive impact on their staff headcount over the next two yearsMore than half (54 percent) of Britain’s employers expect Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies will have a positive impact on their staff headcount over the next two years, according to a survey by Experis, a part of ManpowerGroup.  The survey of 2,000+ British employers also suggests that more than two thirds (69 percent) of businesses expect AI tools and technologies – including ChatGPT, Machine Learning and Virtual Reality – to have a positive impact on upskilling and reskilling, as well as on employee training (68 percent). 67 percent of British organisations anticipate a positive impact on employee engagement because of AI technology, and 60 percent think it can positively impact the onboarding process too. More →

Business leaders don’t think higher education prepares people for the workplace

Business leaders don’t think higher education prepares people for the workplace

Most UK business leaders say that higher education doesn’t fully prepare graduates for the workplace, according to a new pollMost UK business leaders say that higher education doesn’t fully prepare graduates for the workplace, according to a new poll from Multiverse. Yet the survey also suggests that over half (54 percent) of senior leaders at those companies still require degrees for entry-level roles. The findings, which come as part of a global report into business leaders’ attitudes to on-the-job learning, show just a third (32 percent) believe a graduate’s degree grade is one of the top three indicators of their potential. This comes as almost twice as many (59 percent) say they actually learned more valuable skills during their first two years in the workplace than they did during university. More →

Unintended economic consequences of remote working becoming evident

Unintended economic consequences of remote working becoming evident

New data suggests that office attendance in London has recovered strongly since the end of Covid restrictions, confounding predictions of remote working becoming the ‘new normal’New data suggests that office attendance in London has recovered strongly since the end of Covid restrictions, confounding predictions of remote working becoming the ‘new normal’, according to a new report from the Centre for Cities. However, recovery has stalled in 2023 and the report, London, Office politics: London and the rise of home working, co-authored with Professor Dan Graham and his colleagues from Imperial College and published in partnership with EC BID, addresses the possible economic risks of businesses adopting hybrid working permanently. More →

Most people don’t worry that they are about to be replaced by artificial intelligence

Most people don’t worry that they are about to be replaced by artificial intelligence

Most people don't worry that they are about to be replaced by artificial intelligence, a new report claims. Artificial intelligenceDespite all of the recent debate around the rapidly increasing abilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a new poll from ID Crypt Global, suggests that more than 80 percent of people have no concern that the technology is going to replace them in the workplace. Thanks to the recent rise of Chat GPT and other rival chatbots, the debate around AI has heated up with people all over the world debating both the good and bad of allowing autonomous technology into our lives, homes, and workplaces. More →

Majority of employees see themselves as cogs in corporate machinery

Majority of employees see themselves as cogs in corporate machinery

A significant majority (85 percent) of employees feel like they are just a cog in the machinery of their organisation and 43 percent have no idea how their performance contributes to business success, according to a new survey of employee experience and expectations. According to the new study [registration] from Oracle, HR leaders are struggling to keep up with changing employee expectations and this can have dire consequences for businesses. The survey of 1,000 employees and HR leaders across the United Kingdom (UK) found that despite current economic uncertainty, worker expectations are higher than ever, and HR leaders need help to get the employee experience right or risk losing profits and market share. More →

Around a quarter of jobs will shift over the next five years, WEF report claims

Around a quarter of jobs will shift over the next five years, WEF report claims

Almost a quarter of jobs are expected to switch in the next five years according to a new report from the World Economic ForumAlmost a quarter of jobs are expected to switch in the next five years according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. Its Future of Jobs Report for 2023 suggests that employers anticipate 69 million new jobs to be created and 83 million eliminated among the 673 million jobs corresponding to the dataset, a net decrease of 14 million jobs, or 2 percent of current employment. The data is an extrapolation of data from 803 employers employing around 11 million people. More →

People responding to artificial intelligence by focussing on their ‘human skills’

People responding to artificial intelligence by focussing on their ‘human skills’

Globally, workers are focused on developing their human skills, even as they see a future dominated by technology-driven work, artificial intelligence and automationGlobally, workers are focused on developing their human skills, even as they see a future dominated by technology-driven work, artificial intelligence and automation, according to a new study from Pearson. For the latest edition of the Pearson Skills Outlook series [registration], Pearson partnered with Google to examine how and why people in the US, UK, India, and Brazil are looking to upskill as they face a rapidly changing economy. More →

The need for reimagination in an age of uncertainty

The need for reimagination in an age of uncertainty

Since we are now very much in the age of uncertainty being the new certainty, with all the old playbooks out the window and no cookie cutter approach in the ways we work, since one size doesn’t fit all – what the hell do we do?Since we are now very much in the age of uncertainty being the new certainty, with all the old playbooks out the window and no cookie cutter approach in the ways we work, since one size doesn’t fit all – what the hell do we do? Curl up in a ball and die? Go into panic mode and go around shouting ‘We’re doomed! We’re doomed’ manically? Or just ostrich the problem and hope it all goes away or at least reverts back to how it was before? More →

Sustainable Design Collective announces new forum and awards

Sustainable Design Collective announces new forum and awards

The Sustainable Design Collective, a ‘think tank’ group of leading workplace designers and specifiers, has announced a new Forum Day, together with industry awards, focussed on greater sustainability. Originally formed in January 2022, the Sustainable Design Collective hosts regular meetings to collaborate and discuss new opportunities to promote environmental and social responsibility within the office workplace. The group is now inviting conversations with fellow designers as well as suppliers and manufacturers. More →