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Artificial intelligence could mean we all do more work, not less

Artificial intelligence could mean we all do more work, not less

by • Comment, Technology

There’s a common perception that artificial intelligence (AI) will help streamline our work but is that really true?There’s a common perception that artificial intelligence will help streamline our work. There are even fears that it could wipe out the need for some jobs altogether. But in a study of science laboratories I carried out with three colleagues at the University of Manchester, the introduction of automated processes that aim to simplify work — and free people’s time — can also make that work more complex, generating new tasks that many workers might perceive as mundane. (more…)

Best of NeoCon 2023 awards submissions are now open 

Best of NeoCon 2023 awards submissions are now open 

by • Company news, Events

The organisers of NeoCon have announced that the submissions portal for the 2023 edition of the Best of NeoCon competition is now open. A NeoCon tradition since 1990, the competition garners hundreds of product entries each year as exhibitors vie for one of the Best of NeoCon awards. Now in its 33rd year, the program will recognise the best new products in 56 categories spanning a range of verticals including workplace, healthcare, hospitality,  and education sectors. New for 2023, entries will be considered for a Business Impact Award, in addition to honours for Gold, Silver, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Best of Competition. (more…)

The rise of the pods shows how the workplace pendulum swings

The rise of the pods shows how the workplace pendulum swings

by • Comment, Workplace design

Workplace designers removed the walls. And the furniture industry is selling them back to us; now portable and demountable.Long before the office died (I read its obituary in several publications) there were hotly contested debates about open plan offices. That is of course before those debates were eclipsed by more current workplace rantings (ask the editor). Skimming through the open-plan office timeline, Herman Miller launched action office, L-shaped desks with screens became shared benches, and decades later tech brands rolled out efficient open-plan workspaces around the globe, with Facebook creating the biggest open-plan office of all time with 2,800 employees. Gulp. Open plan officer workers and workplace professionals moaned about acoustics, stress, and more recently, germs in large open workspaces. (more…)

Unlocking the digital frontier: hiring the next generation of tech talent

Unlocking the digital frontier: hiring the next generation of tech talent

by • Company news, Workplace

Any business that is looking to grow its consumer base or expand into new markets is likely to be relying on digital technology to a greater extent than ever before both in their operations and management. This also means that the world of employment, both for workers and enterprises, is necessarily evolving too. An inevitable consequence of this evolution has been that those for whom technology has been an essential part of their life and education — so-called digital natives — are in growing demand. (more…)

Flexible working drives productivity and stronger company culture

Flexible working drives productivity and stronger company culture

by • Flexible working, News

flexible working plays a key role in fostering organisational culture and has a significant positive impact on productivityFuture Forum, a consortium launched by Slack with founding partners Boston Consulting Group, MillerKnoll, and MLT has published the latest findings from its global Pulse survey, which suggest that flexible working plays a key role in fostering organisational culture and has a significant positive impact on productivity. According to the poll, flexible workers were 57 percent more likely to say that their company culture has improved over the past two years compared with those required to be on-site five days a week—and they cited flexible working policies as the primary reason their culture is changing for the better. (more…)

UK businesses are out of touch with the real sources of employee stress

UK businesses are out of touch with the real sources of employee stress

by • Comment, Wellbeing

96 percent of firms do not believe that employee salaries are a major stress factor for staff during the cost-of-living crisisThe cost-of-living crisis is driving a wedge between employers and their staff. In a recent research report, we surveyed 500 employers to discover what they believe causes their staff the most stress. Surprisingly, an overwhelming 96 percent did not believe that employee salaries are a major stress factor for staff during the cost-of-living crisis. Instead, they felt major contributors included heavy workloads, long hours, and tight deadlines. (more…)

Flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for employers

Flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for employers

by • Flexible working, News

A survey from CBRE claims that the imposition of more hybrid and flexible working has been an 'unexpected gift' for both employers and employeesA survey from CBRE claims that the imposition of more hybrid and flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for both employers and employees. The poll of 20,000 employees worldwide suggests that flexibility plays an important role for both employee and employer decision making. Other benefits include increased productivity and more innovative thinking. Flexibility about where and when work takes place was particularly important to workers. Around 40 percent of workers both globally and in the UK, noted flexibility as the primary factor in assessing job opportunities, with a company’s commitment to work-life balance another crucial factor. (more…)

People who act as a go-between for colleagues more prone to abuse and burnout

People who act as a go-between for colleagues more prone to abuse and burnout

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Employees who act as brokers, meaning they work as a go-between for coworkers who do not communicate directly, are more likely to burn out and become abusive towards their colleaguesEmployees who act as brokers, meaning they work as a go-between for coworkers who do not communicate directly, are more likely to burn out and become abusive towards their colleagues, according to new research from ESMT Berlin and published in the journal Organization Science. The research, led by Eric Quintane, associate professor of organizational behaviour at ESMT Berlin, examines the psychological costs of having to sustain communications with coworkers who do not communicate directly with each other. They could be coworkers who are in different units, regions, or time zones, which makes it hard for them to communicate. (more…)

Evening Standard SME XPO celebrates new, small and growing businesses

Evening Standard SME XPO celebrates new, small and growing businesses

by • Company news, Events

Building on the success of its launch event, the Evening Standard’s SME XPO 25-26 April 2023 at ExCeL London, once again invites founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders to attend an action-filled two-day programme and exhibition connecting the scaleup community, a vital part of the UK economy. SME XPO has established itself as the UK’s leading event dedicated entirely to ambitious SME founders and decision-makers who are looking to scaleup. The event will appeal to a wide variety of industries from micro businesses to medium and large SMEs, welcoming 4000+ owners, showcasing over 60+ speakers. (more…)

Do you walk or talk people centric change for success?

Do you walk or talk people centric change for success?

by • Comment, JB, Workplace

People centric changeIn previous articles, I shared that there is a McKinsey report that states that 75 percent of the organisations that were listed at the time on the S&P would no longer exist by 2025 – they would either merge, be bought out or go bankrupt.  This all means that organisations have to change and adapt or die. That is now less than 2 years away, so some organisations are now gone, some are struggling and some have adapted. With that said, organisations can no longer afford to get change wrong – they have to get it right and right now. And one way of doing this is to focus on people centric change. (more…)

Half of tech workers bracing themselves for layoffs, but fears may be unfounded

Half of tech workers bracing themselves for layoffs, but fears may be unfounded

by • News, Workplace

Tech workers are pre-empting layoffs in 2023 and taking steps to protect their careers, but their fears may be unfounded, says a new reportTech workers are pre-empting layoffs in 2023 and taking steps to protect their careers, according to a new poll from CWJobs. The survey – carried out among 2,000 UK tech workers – revealed more than half (53 percent) are pre-emptively applying for new jobs in case of redundancies at their firm. The research suggests that London tech workers feel at most risk, with nearly two thirds (63 percent) pre-emptively applying for a new job in case of layoffs – the highest out of any region. Young people are also more likely to make sure they have a Plan B in place, with 62 percent of 18-24-year-old tech workers actively applying for new jobs in case they are laid off, compared to 24 percent of those aged 55+. (more…)

AI presents us with a chance to rediscover what it means to be human

AI presents us with a chance to rediscover what it means to be human

by • Comment, Technology

We won't beat AI by relying on formulaic thinking and ideas, so we need to rethink creativity and what it means to be humanLike a lot of people right now, I am struggling to get my head around where we are going with AI. Look around and you’ll see the breathless excitement at the sheer amazingness of it all. And examples of its limitations, how it screws up, how military grade AI can be fooled by somebody hiding in a box, and its sense of humour failure. All of this is demonstrably, paradoxically true. (more…)

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