Search Results for: people

Manchester joins Horizon CommuniCity Project

Manchester joins Horizon CommuniCity Project

by • Cities, News

Manchester has become the first UK city outside of London to join the European Union’s CommuniCity initiativeManchester has become the first UK city outside of London to join the European Union’s CommuniCity initiative, a programme designed to empower local people and organisations in developing innovative solutions to social challenges. As the second UK city to participate (following London), Manchester is now part of this three-year initiative led by Horizon Europe, the EU’s primary funding programme for research and innovation. CommuniCity seeks to engage communities, businesses, and organisations to create technical solutions that address social inequalities. More →

First impressions count, and they’re harder to achieve through a screen

First impressions count, and they’re harder to achieve through a screen

by • News, Technology

It appears to be more difficult to form accurate first impressions of a person’s personality during a videoconference compared with a face-to-face encounterAccording to an oft-cited study by psychologists at Princeton, we more or less make our minds about other people within one tenth of a second of meeting them. Experience suggests first impressions are often wrong, or at least incomplete, but at least we can correct ourselves. According to a new study in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, many people says that it’s even harder to form an accurate impression of someone they meet through a screen. Marie-Catherine Mignault and colleagues at Cornell University questioned whether this perception was valid. Specifically, they wanted to know if it was actually more difficult to form accurate first impressions of a person’s personality during a videoconference compared with a face-to-face encounter. More →

Reactions to the UK’s new Employment Rights Bill

Reactions to the UK’s new Employment Rights Bill

by • News, Workplace

Details of the UK's new Employment Rights Bill were released yesterday. The legislation represents what the government claims is a significant overhaul of workers' rights, offering more protections and benefits and helping to promote practices like flexible workingDetails of the UK’s new Employment Rights Bill were released yesterday. The legislation represents what the government claims is a significant overhaul of workers’ rights, offering more protections and benefits and helping to promote practices like flexible working. Key elements of the bill include granting workers access to statutory sick pay and parental leave from the first day of employment, and introducing a ban on exploitative zero-hour contracts. It also aims to curb controversial “fire and rehire” practices and gives employees the right to claim unfair dismissal from day one, rather than after two years of service. However, businesses will still be allowed to operate probationary periods to ensure fit for roles, with discussions suggesting a maximum of six months. More →

Striking the delicate balance of AI regulation and innovation

Striking the delicate balance of AI regulation and innovation

by • AI, Comment, Technology

As AI continues to advance, navigating the balance between regulation and innovation will have a huge impact on how successful the technology can beAs AI continues to advance, navigating the balance between regulation and innovation will have a huge impact on how successful the technology can be. The EU AI Act came into force this summer, which is a move in the right direction towards classifying AI risk. At the same time, the Labour government has set out its intention to focus on the role of technology and innovation as key drivers for the UK economy. For example, planning to create a Regulatory Innovation Office that will support regulators to update existing regulation more quickly, as technology advances. More →

Two students just proved that Meta’s new smart glasses are not rose-tinted

Two students just proved that Meta’s new smart glasses are not rose-tinted

by • AI, Comment, SF, Technology

By combining smart glasses with AI and face recognition software, two students have exposed something troublingBe honest, did you smirk a little when everyone was posting their ‘legal’ message to Instagram? You probably saw it doing the rounds, after all it was one of the most viral trends ever posted on the app. Stories were flooded with a message reading “Goodbye Meta Al. Please note an attorney has advised us to put this on, failure to do so may result in legal consequences. As Meta is now a public entity all members must post a similar statement. If you do not post at least once it will be assumed you are okay with them using your information and photos. I do not give Meta or anyone else permission to use any of my personal data, profile information or photos”. More →

UK’s best workplaces honoured at BCO Awards. And the winner isn’t an office

UK’s best workplaces honoured at BCO Awards. And the winner isn’t an office

by • Company news, News, Property, Workplace design

The BCO has announced what it says is a list of the UK's best workplaces this year, with eight projects receiving accolades at its National AwardsThe British Council for Offices (BCO) has announced what it says are the UK’s most exceptional workplaces this year, with eight projects receiving accolades at its National Awards. The TTP Campus, a life sciences facility in Cambridgeshire, was the standout winner, claiming both the Best of the Best and Corporate Workplace awards. The awards, held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London, celebrate excellence in office design, operation, sustainability, and community engagement. The event, attended by over 1,200 industry leaders and featuring guest speaker Clare Balding, highlighted the best workplaces that inspire creativity and positively impact local communities. More →

Accessible and inclusive design should be a priority for the property market

Accessible and inclusive design should be a priority for the property market

by • News, Property, Workplace design

The joint report, Inclusive Spaces and Places: A collaborative approach to inclusive design, highlights the urgent need for inclusive design in the built environmentGrosvenor and The Crown Estate have launched a new report that aims to shed light on the challenges faced by people with physical and hidden disabilities when accessing and working within buildings and public spaces across the UK. The joint report, Inclusive Spaces and Places: A collaborative approach to inclusive design, highlights the urgent need for inclusive design in the built environment, emphasising the barriers that prevent millions from fully engaging with public and commercial spaces as well as the potential societal and economic losses this results in. More →

Over 57 and looking for work? Forget it, say HR managers

Over 57 and looking for work? Forget it, say HR managers

by • News, Workplace

Millions of people aged 57 and over in the UK are being overlooked when looking for work, as employers consider this age too oldMillions of workers aged 57 and over in the UK are being overlooked for job opportunities, as employers increasingly consider this age ‘too old’ to hire, according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by Totaljobs, claims that a third of people over 50 worry they will struggle to find work due to age discrimination, with one in seven reporting being rejected for jobs because of their age. The study suggests that two-fifths of HR decision-makers have faced pressure to hire younger candidates, placing older workers at a disadvantage when looking for work. In response, more than a fifth of over-50s have chosen to omit their age from their CVs, while a quarter hesitate to apply for roles, fearing potential bias. More →

Office design goes to the movies

Office design goes to the movies

by • Features, Workplace design

What can the movies tell us about office designFollowing our recent attempts to create a rudimentary playlist of songs that tell us something, or perhaps nothing, about office design, office life and office furniture, here’s another look at how the parochial world of the workplace can brush up against popular culture. It does this unnoticed for most people, I suppose, but not for those of us bound up in this world. We’re not the sort of people who can ignore the regular, brief glimpse of an Aeron chair’s ubiquitous mesh without a synapse of recognition sparking up. So, here is a brief rundown of nine movies that use office design to make a plot point or set up a character development.

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Finger on the pulse: Is biometrics the future of workplace wellbeing?

Finger on the pulse: Is biometrics the future of workplace wellbeing?

by • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

For architects and designers, the trend to use wearable devices to track wellbeing in the workplace is a giftAround a third of companies already use wearables to track their team’s activity and better gauge their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, according to Deloitte’s 2024 Global Human Capital Trends Report. Deloitte predicts that usage will increase to two thirds by 2027. Neurotechnology, which uses electronics to read brain activity and can contextualise employee behaviour and interactions, is also anticipated to ramp up dramatically in use in that timeframe, from 3 percent to 31 percent. More →

Majority of small business bosses support potential right to disconnect law

Majority of small business bosses support potential right to disconnect law

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

A new poll claims that the vast majority (85 percent) of British SME bosses with HR responsibilities support proposals to give staff the “right to disconnect”A new poll claims that the vast majority (85 percent) of British SME bosses with HR responsibilities support proposals to give staff the “right to disconnect”, with 4 in 5 (80 percent) believing the Employment Rights Bill is a positive step forward for employees. The survey was conducted by Breathe HR to uncover sentiment towards new workers’ rights amongst bosses who will be steering through new rule changes at SMEs, ahead of the Employment Rights Bill being laid in parliament. This is expected to take place in the coming weeks, although the implementation of rule changes in practice may be delayed following pressure from certain business leaders. More →

Employers not doing enough to help the long term sick get back to work

Employers not doing enough to help the long term sick get back to work

by • News, Wellbeing

A new poll from YuLife suggests that there are significant gaps in the ability of employers and the NHS to support the long-term sick in their recovery and rehabilitationA new poll from YuLife suggests that there are significant gaps in the ability of employers and the NHS to support the long-term sick in their recovery and rehabilitation. The survey of UK employees conducted by YouGov sets out to explore workers’ experiences of recovery after long-term illness or injury as well as the overall state of workplace wellbeing. According to the report, a majority (52 percent) of employees who have experienced an illness or injury lasting more than two weeks said that their employer did not help with their recovery and return to work. Around one in five UK employees (21 percent of the workforce) has experienced a long-term health-related absence from work with no recovery or rehabilitation assistance from their employer. More →

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