February 27, 2020
The negative impact that poor interpersonal skills can have on growing companies has been highlighted by a new survey of 500 small business owners. The research by Tempo suggests the main effects of bad people skills in the workplace are losing a client or customer, receiving complaints from co-workers and a decrease in productivity, each of which was cited by about a third of respondents.
February 26, 2020
Wellbeing advocacy group ukactive has announced a new partnership with HCA Healthcare UK, to undertake a consultation into health and physical activity in the workplace. The partnership brings together the independent research expertise of not-for-profit health body ukactive and the resources of healthcare provider, HCA UK. Anna Davison of ukactive can be heard speaking about workplace wellbeing in the Wellness Maters podcast here. More →
February 26, 2020
The UK is ignoring the value of millions of workers by overlooking workplace training and opportunities to upskill, a new survey has suggested. According to the Missing Millions report from City & Guilds Group, a third of employees have either not received workplace training in the last five years or have never had any such training – equating to 17.8 million people in the UK with outdated skills. The result, the report claims, is declining productivity and problems remaining competitive. More →
February 26, 2020
Following the recent announcement that the CIFF office design exhibition in Guangzhou was to be postponed because of the spread of the coronavirus, the latest event to be put on hold is the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan. The organisers now think it will be possible to hold the event in June. The news comes following the outbreak of a number of cases of the disease in Italy. In a statement, the organisers said: “confirmation of the change of date for the trade fair—strongly supported by the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala—means that the manufacturers, in a major show of responsibility, will be able to present their finalized work to an international public that sees the annual appointment with the Salone del Mobile.Milano as a benchmark for creativity and design,” the fair said in a statement.
The decision has not been taken lightly. In 2019 the fair hosted over 380,000 visitors from around the world and provided a platform for more than 800 international exhibitors. But Italy has seen nearly 300 positive cases of COVID-19 so far, more than any other European country and large gatherings of people are now subject to restrictions and cancellation.
Other important events in Milan have made similar decisions in response to the outbreak. MIDO, the world’s biggest annual eyewear event, decided to push back the 50th installment of its annual fair from its original dates of February 29–March 2. Milan Fashion Week took place as scheduled last week, though Giorgio Armani hosted his runway show to an audience of zero after advising guests to watch a livestream of the event instead.
February 25, 2020
A problem shared may be a problem halved but, according to a new report, many UK office workers can’t discuss work with their nearest and dearest without them switching off. The survey by CWJobs claims couples are more likely to know the PIN to their partner’s phone (40 percent) or who their favourite band is (38 percent) than understand what they do for a living (30 percent). Three quarters of the workers surveyed said their spouse could not explain their job to another person. More →
February 24, 2020
One in three US workers have told researchers nothing would stop them from taking advantage of flexible working options, despite the potential damage to their career. According to a survey of 1,000 US white-collar professionals by Deloitte, another one in three say the consequences for their professional growth and lack of trust from managers would put them off working flexibly. Eight in ten respondents agreed a traditional work setting, defined as regular attendance at an office or working normal business hours, is important for advancing their career. More →
February 21, 2020
When a leader with charisma becomes so strong and confident that they dominate their teams to the extent that others simply never question their decisions, you’d better hope that that leader is always right and is leading you in the right direction. Sadly, the opposite is usually true. Leaders who cut themselves off from bad news or challenge, quickly lose sight of the real drivers of success, or the drivers of failure, and a slow and tortured decline usually ensues. They even become blind to the dangers facing them, person-ally, because of excessive confidence. More →
February 21, 2020
A new analysis of the UK’s job market claims there were 52 percent fewer available jobs listed for professionals with technology skills at the end of 2019, compared to six months earlier. Accenture’s UK Tech Talent Tracker analysed data from LinkedIn’s Professional Network. This shows 78,000 job vacancies advertised that require skills in emerging technologies, down from 162,000 last June. This decrease was driven by a 64 percent reduction in the number of advertised jobs for data analysts. More →
February 20, 2020
The European Commission has put forward a strategy to promote the development of AI and robotics while putting people first and defending European values and rights. The strategy acknowledges that AI can open up new opportunities for businesses and bring solutions to challenges such as climate change. However, it aims to address the social, legal and ethical impact of new technology. More →
February 20, 2020
Insider data breaches are a major concern for 97 percent of IT leaders, according to new research. About three quarters believe that employees have put data at risk in the past 12 months accidentally (78 percent) or intentionally (75 percent). When asked about the implications of these breaches, more than two in five said financial damage would be the area of greatest impact. More →
February 19, 2020
So, your most recent dining experience wasn’t great. The service was slow, the waiter seemed uninterested, and the wine glasses on the table had red lipstick stains on them. Your first instinct is to go online and share that negative experience with the world. Whether your intention is to blow off steam or warn other patrons that their filet won’t be worth the price, you have a right to share your experience. More →
February 24, 2020
Ergonomics, movement and the evolutionary necessity of pain
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design