Search Results for: media

Staff prefer consumer digital comms platforms to corporate ones

Staff prefer consumer digital comms platforms to corporate ones

A new report claims that the way that workers wish to communicate digitally differs from the platforms that are actually sanctioned by their employers. The research by Maintel claims a substantial proportion of employees would like to use consumer-grade tools such as Snapchat or Facebook Messenger for work. According to the research, 24 percent say they would like Snapchat to be approved by their employer, 19 percent Twitter, while 17 percent say they would like to use Facebook Messenger and FaceTime to communicate with colleagues, customers and partners. (more…)

British Property Federation announces plans to modernise commercial property sector

British Property Federation announces plans to modernise commercial property sector

The British Property Federation (BPF) has launched a Technology and Innovation programme for the UK commercial property sector – to support the sector in its digital transformation – following the Government’s challenge to all sectors of the economy to improve productivity and deliver growth. The programme is launched with the publication of a new report produced by Future Cities Catapult, commissioned by the BPF, to understand the barriers to and opportunities for improving the productivity of the real estate sector through the application of technology.

(more…)

Around half of workers expect to have multiple careers throughout their working life

Around half of workers expect to have multiple careers throughout their working life

Just under half of UK workers (46 percent) expect to have multiple careers throughout their working life, as opposed to one structured and lifelong career, according to a new report from employee benefits firm Unum and researcher The Future Laboratory. The Future Workforce (registration required) sets out to examine the motivations and priorities of UK workers, to understand how the nation’s workforce will change over the next decade. Insights were drawn from a survey of more than 3,000 UK workers, as well as from interviews with a range of industry experts and business leaders.

(more…)

Busy people tend to make healthier choices and enjoy more self-esteem

Busy people tend to make healthier choices and enjoy more self-esteem

Busyness is often thought of as a modern day affliction, but it can also help you delay gratification and make decisions that benefit you in the longer-term, according to new research from the global business school INSEAD. In a new paper, Chattopadhyay and his co-authors, Monica Wadhwa, Associate Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Fox School of Business at Temple University and Jeehye Christine Kim, Assistant Professor of Marketing at HKUST, show that the mere perception of being one of the busy people, or what they call a busy mindset, is a “badge of honour” that can be leveraged to promote better self-control. Their paper, titled “When Busy Is Less Indulging: Impact of a Busy Mindset on Self-Control Behaviours”, has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

(more…)

It is not particularly easy to change human behaviour by design

It is not particularly easy to change human behaviour by design

virgin media designMany of the techniques employed by modern illusionists rely on a thorough grounding in the research of psychologists. They’re not alone in standing on the shoulders of academics to bend people to their will. Many of our beliefs about the workings of our society and workplaces and their design are based on this sort of manipulation. It’s telling that the growth of consumerism in the 20th Century, especially after the War when we first began to move from a needs based economy to one fuelled by desire, was driven by the ideas of Sigmund Freud’s nephew. Edward Bernays became the ‘father of PR’ by popularising his uncle’s theories in the US then applying them to mould the subconscious desires of the American masses. He did this not just in the name of commerce but also in that of politics because he believed that society was becoming increasingly irrational, immoral and dangerous.

(more…)

Quarter of employees say they have experienced a data security breach

Quarter of employees say they have experienced a data security breach

New research by 247meeting claims to have uncovered worrying lapses in data security in the workplace, with senior management often being the biggest culprits. According to the report: a quarter of senior managers have experienced a stranger on a conference call; 26 percent of employees with access to customer data haven’t been trained on GDPR; over a third of employees don’t know where their security policy is saved; and almost half of employees admit to using technology tools to communicate at work without them being password protected

(more…)

Better urban design could improve the lives and wellbeing of millions of people

Better urban design could improve the lives and wellbeing of millions of people

Adjusting the planning system to put good design at the heart of urban development could lead to a £15 billion boost to the UK economy and improve the wellbeing and mental health of millions of individuals across the UK. The new report, A Design for Life, commissioned by British Land says that improving mental health and wellbeing in our cities could have significant and positive impacts in several ways, including boosting productivity in the workplace, reducing absenteeism and bringing down the NHS and welfare bills.

(more…)

Half of all workplace tasks will be performed by machines within seven years

Half of all workplace tasks will be performed by machines within seven years

The world is going through a workplace revolution that will bring a seismic shift in the way humans work alongside machines and algorithms, according to new research by the World Economic Forum. By 2025 more than half of all current workplace tasks will be performed by machines as opposed to 29 percent today. Such a transformation will have a profound effect on the global labour force, however in terms of overall numbers of new jobs the outlook is positive, with 133 million new jobs expected to be created by 2022 compared to 75 million that will be displaced. The research, published in The Future of Jobs 2018, is an attempt to understand the potential of new technologies to disrupt and create jobs. It is also seeks to provide guidance on how to improve the quality and productivity of the current work being done by humans and how to prepare people for emerging roles.

(more…)

Building a culture of creativity that unites the physical and digital workplace

Building a culture of creativity that unites the physical and digital workplace

Agreeing on the definition of creativity is no easy task, as it can mean a whole range of different things to different people. To some, creativity means painting a beautiful picture or creating a unique sculpture, while for others it might mean writing a catchy tagline, developing a new business model, or building an innovative online tool. The fact is, creativity can be found in all walks of life, not just those we traditionally see as creative, such as art, design or music. And furthermore, it’s playing an increasingly pivotal role in the growth, development and success of all types of organisations, and the employees working for them.

(more…)

AI will be commonplace in the working lives of staff very soon

AI will be commonplace in the working lives of staff very soon

Experts at Henley Business School have announced that the majority of the graduate workforce in the UK will be working with artificial intelligence on a daily basis by 2030, with technology such as ‘AI assistants’ expected to be commonplace in the next decade. New research released at the Henley annual World of Work 2030 conference, claims that a third (35 percent) of UK workers are excited about the prospect of their own personal AI assistant. With the average worker currently spending 3.5 hours a week on admin tasks, assistants’ could give workers back 12 working days a year (over two working weeks) by taking on these activities and freeing up time for more productive tasks.

(more…)

Crown Estate HQ becomes first office in Europe to achieve WELL Platinum Certification

Crown Estate HQ becomes first office in Europe to achieve WELL Platinum Certification

The Crown Estate has announced that it has been awarded WELL Certification at the Platinum Level for its head office at No 1 St James’s Market, London by the International WELL Building Institute. The Crown Estate earned the distinction based on seven categories of building performance—air, water, light, nourishment, fitness, comfort and mind—and achieved a Platinum level rating.

(more…)

Nearly half of employees worldwide could do their jobs in 5 hours or fewer each day

Nearly half of employees worldwide could do their jobs in 5 hours or fewer each day

According to a global survey of nearly 3,000 employees across eight countries conducted by The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated, nearly half (45 percent) of full-time workers say it should take less than five hours each day to do their job if they worked uninterrupted, while three out of four employees (72 percent) would work four days or less per week if pay remained constant. Yet, 71 percent of employees also say work interferes with their personal life.

(more…)