Search Results for: organisations

Faking positivity at work is causing leaders to burn out

Faking positivity at work is causing leaders to burn out

Being forced to fake their emotions in the workplace is causing leaders to burn out, according to new research by emlyon business school. The researchers say that this ‘surface acting’ creates a scientifically proven exhaustion loop that drains the very resources necessary to function well in interpersonal environments. As a result, cognitive capacity declines, authenticity erodes, and team trust suffers in ways that makes engaging in leadership more difficult in the future. (more…)

Artificial intelligence appears to cut more jobs than it creates

Artificial intelligence appears to cut more jobs than it creates

Artificial intelligence appears to be contributing to a net loss of jobs, according to a new analysis of how organisations are adopting the technology across their operations.Artificial intelligence appears to be contributing to a net loss of jobs, according to a new analysis of how organisations are adopting the technology across their operations. Research by Morgan Stanley, based on responses from nearly 1,000 companies that have been using AI for at least a year, suggests that British firms have shed more roles than they have created as a direct result of AI deployment. The study indicates a net reduction of around 8 percent of roles in the UK over the past twelve months, a higher figure than reported in comparable surveys of companies in the United States, Germany, Japan and Australia. (more…)

CEOs say they are struggling to profit from their company’s use of AI

CEOs say they are struggling to profit from their company’s use of AI

CEO confidence in their revenue prospects has fallen to its lowest level in five years, as business leaders struggle to turn investment in AI into consistent financial returns, according to PwCCEO confidence in their revenue prospects has fallen to its lowest level in five years, as business leaders struggle to turn investment in artificial intelligence (AI) into consistent financial returns, according to PwC. Findings from the consultancy’s 29th Global CEO Survey show that only 30 percent of CEOs are confident about revenue growth over the next 12 months. That compares with 38 percent in 2025 and 56 percent in 2022, suggesting a sharp cooling in optimism as organisations face a mix of economic uncertainty, geopolitical pressure and rapid technological change. The survey is based on responses from 4,454 CEOs across 95 countries and territories. (more…)

Furniture industry invited to explore how sustainability can drive commercial success

Furniture industry invited to explore how sustainability can drive commercial success

The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, is inviting furniture and furnishings professionals to attend ‘Making Commercial Sense of Sustainability’, a one-day industry eventThe Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, is inviting furniture and furnishings professionals to attend ‘Making Commercial Sense of Sustainability’, a one-day industry event focused on turning environmental responsibility into commercial opportunity. Taking place on Thursday 19 March (11:00am – 4:00pm) at Furniture Makers’ Hall, London, the event will bring together business leaders, sustainability experts, manufacturers, designers and specifiers to examine how sustainability can be embedded into business strategy in a way that supports growth, resilience and long-term profitability. (more…)

The coming year will see a recalibration of the workplace, report suggests

The coming year will see a recalibration of the workplace, report suggests

WORKTECH Academy has published a new trends report setting out what it describes as the key forces reshaping work, workplace and workforce strategy in 2026.WORKTECH Academy has published a new trends report setting out what it describes as the key forces reshaping work, workplace and workforce strategy in 2026. The report, The World of Work in 2026, claims to identify twenty trends grouped into four “megatrends”: Human Performance Reset, Workplaces Without Walls, Sustainable Growth and Back to Basics. Together, they suggest organisations are moving away from short-term fixes and “spectacle”, and towards building long-term resilience through adaptability and human capability. (more…)

People want their jobs to provide them with security and steady pay

People want their jobs to provide them with security and steady pay

Workers are placing greater emphasis on job security, fair pay and employer support for adaptability, according to new global research from the Adecco GroupWorkers are placing greater emphasis on job security, fair pay and employer support for flexibility, according to new global research from the Adecco Group, which suggests the so called Great Resignation has given way to a more cautious approach to how ambitious people would like to seem. The Workforce Trends 2025 report [registration] is based on responses from 37,500 workers and 2,000 senior executives across 31 countries. It finds that while employees continue to value growth, flexibility and meaningful work, these priorities are increasingly secondary to stable income and employment certainty as economic and social uncertainty persists. (more…)

Embedding AI into daily tasks can heighten stress and confuse people about their role

Embedding AI into daily tasks can heighten stress and confuse people about their role

While AI is taking on work across the economy, it may also create new demands on the human workforce that employers must stay ahead of and respond to.While artificial intelligence is taking on work across the economy, it may also create new demands on the human workforce that employers must stay ahead of and respond to. Researchers from Microsoft and Imperial College London highlight in the Society of Occupational Medicine’s (SOM) journal Occupational Medicine  that AI tools will bring a multitude of benefits to the workplace. The technology is likely to make accessing workplace health support much easier for employees and managers, for example by automating and simplifying booking processes and appointments. (more…)

Business leaders bemoan slow progress on ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’

Business leaders bemoan slow progress on ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’

The government has positioned the so-called OxCam growth corridor as a central plank of its economic strategy, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves describing it as having the potential to become (inevitably) Europe’s Silicon Valley.Britain’s ambition to turn the Oxford–Cambridge corridor into a globally competitive technology and life sciences hub is facing renewed scrutiny as business leaders warn that delays to infrastructure risk undermining investor confidence, even as ministers restate their commitment to accelerated delivery. The government has positioned the so-called OxCam growth corridor as a central plank of its economic strategy, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves describing it as having the potential to become (inevitably) Europe’s Silicon Valley. The plan centres on better connecting Oxford and Cambridge, stimulating housing delivery and encouraging high-value research, technology and manufacturing to scale across the region. (more…)

Half of firms are still sending unwanted office furniture to landfill

Half of firms are still sending unwanted office furniture to landfill

Half of UK organisations are still sending unwanted office furniture to landfill despite widespread (and apparently misplaced) confidence in their sustainability credentialsHalf of UK organisations are still sending unwanted office furniture to landfill despite widespread (and apparently misplaced) confidence in their sustainability credentials, according to a new report from Business Moves Group. The findings highlight a significant gap between intent and practice in the way companies manage furniture during office moves, refurbishments and wider workplace change The white paper, Furniture futures: sustainable strategies for better workplaces [registration], is based on a survey of 250 facilities and office management professionals across the UK. (more…)

Networking skills should play a key role in workplace development

Networking skills should play a key role in workplace development

Networking is a core skill for everyone, writes Henry Strickland. Embracing it in the workplace can have compelling, far-reaching benefitsIt was recently reported that the art of networking is disappearing from modern workplaces. The skill is particularly lacking among young professionals, with around 60 percent of whom avoiding in-person networking events to the detriment of their careers. I read of this with interest and concern, being a strong believer that both internal and external networking remains one of the single most powerful accelerators for career progression, and that more opportunities come through relationships than any other channel. (more…)

Ninth Workplace Design Conference in Ljubljana to explore positive workplace change

Ninth Workplace Design Conference in Ljubljana to explore positive workplace change

The ninth annual Workplace Design Conference has been confirmed for Thursday, 8 October 2026, with organisers announcing that WDC26 will take place at Ljubljana Castle, one of Slovenia’s most recognisable cultural landmarks. Hosted in the professionally equipped Hribar Hall, high above Ljubljana’s Old Town, the conference will once again bring together an international audience of workplace strategists, business leaders, designers, consultants and solution providers to explore how the design of work environments can support performance, productivity and positive organisational change. (more…)

The role of local businesses in promoting mental health and wellbeing

The role of local businesses in promoting mental health and wellbeing

Once seen as an individual responsibility, mental health is now recognised as a shared, community wide issue.Across the UK and over recent years, there has a change in how the general public views mental health and wellbeing. Once seen as an individual responsibility, mental health is now recognised as a shared, community wide issue. Our mental health is both our individual and collective responsibility and requires effort from family members, workplaces and organisations. For many, the workplace is where they spend most of their time. For others, local cafés, gyms, hairdressers, or local shops are their daily social spaces. These are the places that people connect, relax, and interact with other people. It’s in these spaces that local businesses have a unique power to influence how people think and feel as well as their mental health. (more…)