Search Results for: motivation

Cycling to work better for motivation than bus, car, rail or tube

Cycling to work better for motivation than bus, car, rail or tube 0

Conference delegates get on their bikes to make a presentationThe naming and shaming of Britain’s most overcrowded trains in a new report from the Department of Transport highlights the uncomfortable journey many workers have to endure every day. This is why a significant number of commuters long to be cyclists, according to recent research from Aviva, which found more than half of those who cycle to work said they arrive refreshed after their commute. Just 1 in 10 car and bus users claimed the same thing and that figure dropped to 1 in 20 for train and tube passengers. Almost a quarter of cyclists (24 percent) also reported feeling motivated after their typical commute, scoring higher than any other common form of commuting, including walking. This is double the proportion of bus passengers (12 percent) who claimed that their commute improved their motivation levels, and triple the proportion of drivers (8 percent) and four times the proportion of train and tube users (6 percent).

(more…)

Female bosses enhance workforce engagement and motivation

Female bosses enhance workforce engagement and motivation

Female bossesAs businesses begin to ease out of recession they are starting to feel more confident in the economy and look at how they can increase spend. But while companies adjust to their new found growth they must ensure that their employees are reassured that they have a voice and, more importantly, are listened to. At Pure, we’ve recently taken a look at the wider impact which employee engagement can have on businesses big and small using an analysis of some key research. This included some illuminating data on gender roles, which included the fact that employees who work for a female manager are 6 percent more engaged, on average, than those who work for a male manager; female employees who work for a female manager are the most engaged, at 35 percent and male employees who work for a male manager are the least engaged, at 25 percent.

(more…)

Measuring and rewarding what people do at work? It’s a rat trap, baby, and you’ve been caught

Measuring and rewarding what people do at work? It’s a rat trap, baby, and you’ve been caught

Life imitates art. Scientists have discovered that lab mice may be conducting their own experiments on us. A paper published in the journal Current Biology speculates that mice seem to be testing their testers. They do this by deviating from simple behaviours such as responding to rewards to work out what might happen. “These mice have a richer internal life than we probably give them credit for,” explained Kishore Kuchibhotla, senior study author and an assistant professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. “They are not just stimulus response machines. They may have things like strategies.” (more…)

Family problems can also undermine leaders at work

Family problems can also undermine leaders at work

Leaders who feel ignored or excluded by their own families are more likely to withdraw at work, undermining both team morale and customer service, according to new research from the University of Bath. The study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, examined how “family ostracism” – being left out of conversations, decisions, or support during difficult times – spills over into professional life. Researchers found that leaders experiencing this strain often adopt a “laissez-faire” leadership style, marked by passivity and disengagement. (more…)

How AI is already changing the world of work

How AI is already changing the world of work

AI is already changing the world of work, but not everybody is reacting to it in the same way, writes Laura AndersonAI is rapidly transforming the world of work. That much is clear. Understanding how different generations are adapting to this shift is therefore crucial for any organisation looking to the future.  Our recent study focusing on the generational differences in attitudes towards some of today’s biggest topics sheds some light on what might be driving these trends. Perhaps the most important finding was that nearly two-thirds of Gen Z feel concerned about AI’s impact on their future (only Baby Boomers reported more concern) – even though over half are still using AI day to day. (more…)

People put a value on human connection, even when AI communicates in the same way

People put a value on human connection, even when AI communicates in the same way

Human-attributed responses are perceived as more supportive, emotionally resonant, and caring than identically AI-generated responsesHuman-attributed responses are perceived as more supportive, emotionally resonant, and caring than identically AI-generated responses, according to a new study by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers. Published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, the study involved over 6,000 participants in nine different experiments in which chatbot responses were crafted by large language models (LLMs). The research reveals that human-attributed responses are perceived as more supportive, more emotionally resonant, and more caring than identical AI-generated responses. (more…)

New study suggests AI could be the key to workplace wellbeing

New study suggests AI could be the key to workplace wellbeing

A new report from audio brand Jabra, in collaboration with The Happiness Research Institute, claims that daily users of artificial intelligence tools are more likely to report higher levels of workplace wellbeing.A new report from audio brand Jabra, in collaboration with The Happiness Research Institute, claims that daily users of artificial intelligence tools are more likely to report higher levels of job satisfaction and optimism about their working lives. The study, Work and Wellbeing in the Age of AI [registration] is based on a survey of over 3,700 knowledge workers across 11 countries, including 360 in the UK. According to the report, UK respondents who use AI tools daily, referred to as “AI Advocates”, were 31.5 percent more satisfied in their jobs than those who do not use AI regularly. The researchers describe this figure for overall workplace wellbeing as being more than twice the global average difference between regular and infrequent AI users. (more…)

Little evidence that hybrid working has encouraged high skilled people to relocate to cheaper regions

Little evidence that hybrid working has encouraged high skilled people to relocate to cheaper regions

the shift towards remote and hybrid working has not significantly changed where people live, nor has it helped to distribute talent more evenly across the countryA new report and series of policy briefings by a team of UK researchers suggest that the shift towards remote and hybrid working has not significantly changed where people live, nor has it helped to distribute talent more evenly across the country. Led by Professor Jackie Wahba OBE from the University of Southampton and Dr David McCollum from the University of St Andrews, the research was conducted by the ESRC Centre for Population Change and Connecting Generations, in collaboration with academics from the University of Birmingham, De Montfort University, and the University of the Arts London. The findings show that most remote workers continue to follow hybrid working patterns, splitting their time between home and the office while staying within commuting distance of major employment centres. This trend limits the potential to reduce regional inequalities or drive economic growth outside of London and the South East.

(more…)

Far from lightening the load, could AI lead to burnout?

Far from lightening the load, could AI lead to burnout?

The idea of AI being able to lift some of the daily administrative burden off employees is appealing and it’s certainly a large part of the sales pitch of AI tech suppliers. But will it work?When speaking to leaders about the integration of AI into their businesses, one positive repeated to me in every conversation is ‘AI will lighten the load’. Workplace wellbeing is a recognised priority, with most businesses and organisations seeking to minimise stress and burnout and, ultimately, reduce costly sickness absence. The idea of AI being able to lift some of the daily administrative burden off employees is appealing and it’s certainly a large part of the sales pitch of AI tech suppliers. But will it work? (more…)

Will AI really lighten the load to reduce burnout and improve our wellbeing?

Will AI really lighten the load to reduce burnout and improve our wellbeing?

The idea of AI being able to lift some of the daily administrative burden off employees is appealing as a measure against burnout. But will it work?When speaking to leaders about the integration of AI into their businesses, one positive repeated to me in every conversation is ‘AI will lighten the load’. Workplace wellbeing is a recognised priority, with most businesses and organisations seeking to minimise stress and burnout and, ultimately, reduce costly sickness absence. The idea of AI being able to lift some of the daily administrative burden off employees is appealing and it’s certainly a large part of the sales pitch of AI tech suppliers. But will it work? (more…)

Forget all the talk of Blue Monday; work is still (largely) good for us

Forget all the talk of Blue Monday; work is still (largely) good for us

blue mondaySo here it is. Blue Monday. Today. Officially the most depressing day of the year. We say ‘officially’, but like the idea of ‘Body Odour’ its common usage hides the fact that it was originally created as part of a PR campaign, in this case one for Sky’s travel channel in 2005. The whole idea of Blue Monday is couched in a pseudo-mathematical equation which includes factors like the weather, levels of debt, time since Christmas, low levels of motivation and, apparently, an unspecified variable known simply as ‘D’. (more…)

Majority of  ‘digital content creators’ don’t check facts but use likes on social media to gauge reliability of information

Majority of  ‘digital content creators’ don’t check facts but use likes on social media to gauge reliability of information

At a time when digital content creators have become a major source of information for people, a new UNESCO survey suggests that 62 percent do not carry out any sort of rigorous fact-checking of information prior to sharing it. As well as demonstrating that fact-checking is rare, the survey finds that content creators have difficulty with determining the best criteria for assessing the credibility of information they find online. According to the poll, 42 percent of respondents said they used “the number of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ a post had received” on social media as the main indicator of reliability. (more…)