Search Results for: productivity

Hefty fine for Amazon has implications for employee surveillance policy

Hefty fine for Amazon has implications for employee surveillance policy

Recent advancements in employee surveillance technology and the rise in remote working have led to employers now having both the ability and the excuse to look over employees’ shouldersThe French data protection watchdog CNIL has fined Amazon France Logistique €32m, equivalent to 3 percent of the entity’s annual turnover, approaching the maximum permitted level of 4 percent. Describing Amazon’s employee surveillance as “excessive”, the regulator also cited instances where the monitoring of staff was found to be outright illegal, by breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). (more…)

Life at the coalface: How the agile workplace first appeared in the mid 20th Century

Life at the coalface: How the agile workplace first appeared in the mid 20th Century

agile working began in the coal fields of NottinghamshireThe idea of diffusion of innovation has become so embedded in our culture, and most recently so associated with the adoption of new technology, that we might assume it happens in predictable ways. The steps between innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards seem intuitive and certain even when their peaks might be unsure. And yet history teaches us that sometimes new ideas can take years or even decades to take hold, even when they are potentially world-changing and relevant for the era in which they were formulated. (more…)

People don’t want to work for firms that can’t live up to their own brand values

People don’t want to work for firms that can’t live up to their own brand values

Being yourself has its downsidesBusinesses that lack clear brand values and a defined company purpose are at risk of losing their employees, according to a new poll from Berkeley Communications [registration]. In an international study looking at workers’ attitudes around company loyalty, the report suggests that three quarters (75 percent) of respondents believe a company’s purpose is an important aspect of their current or prospective employer and 73 percent said the same about their current or prospective employer’s brand values. (more…)

The three biggest disruptors of our time

The three biggest disruptors of our time

When we look at the context for change, we many times just look internally at what we think needs to change for whatever reason and then set about making that happen. Rarely do we think about what is going on for the people within the organisation and just how ready they and the organisation itself are for the actual change and the disruptors that underly it. Are there the right people, systems, processes, etc in place to support the change or are there a number of elements that will hinder it?  Not to mention the fact there will be a number of external elements that could and will also either help or hinder the change one way or another. (more…)

The final word on workplace wellbeing

The final word on workplace wellbeing

The final word? Of course not. Five years ago this month, we published an article that described how the quest for productivity had been supplanted almost entirely by a new emphasis on workplace wellbeingThe final word? Of course not. Nearly six years ago, we published an article that described how the quest for productivity had been supplanted almost entirely by a new emphasis on workplace wellbeing. It was the final nail in the coffin of scientific management and its central notion of the office as a factory, subject to rigid times and places of work and manufacturing’s culture of process, efficiency and productivity. The office a splice of factory and panopticon. (more…)

Senator Group opens new showroom in Dubai

Senator Group opens new showroom in Dubai

Dubai has long been the destination of choice to showcase the most iconic of British Designs, and now it is the home to The Senator Group’s newest showroomDubai has long been the destination of choice to showcase the most iconic of British Designs, and now it is the home to The Senator Group’s newest showroom. The 3700 square foot space is nestled in Dubai’s Marina Plaza, a 28-story tower with panoramic views of the marina, city, and desert. Visitors to the showroom will fully experience, ‘The Social Office’, which blends the Senator and Allermuir brands to create a fluid and flexible contemporary working space. The concept was developed to address the challenges of every organisation, how can we align people and space efficiently, to nurture productivity and culture? How can we create human-centred environments with the right mix of focus, privacy, and collaboration? (more…)

A hazy shade of Winter: Nigel Oseland sounds off on the Workplace Cocktail Hour

A hazy shade of Winter: Nigel Oseland sounds off on the Workplace Cocktail Hour

It’s bitterly cold outside but over a glass of hazy IPA, Nigel Oseland and Mark Eltringham warm to a conversation about fish guts, the sounds that make us cringe, what comfort means to different people and what it would really take to get them to spend more time in the office. And it’s not free fruit, corporate sanctioned togetherness or quirky office features. Nigel also explains why firms might be getting it wrong when it comes to managing which people use which spaces in agile environments. We also discuss how people overestimate their own productivity and underestimate that of their colleagues and what that means for the way we organise. (more…)

CEOs remain optimistic about short term growth, quarter are planning to replace people with AI

CEOs remain optimistic about short term growth, quarter are planning to replace people with AI

A quarter of CEOs intend to cut their headcounts by at least five percent "due to generative AIThe proportion of CEOs who believe global economic growth will improve over the next 12-months has more than doubled. At the same time, the proportion of CEOs concerned about their long-term business viability has risen to 45 percent as tech and climate pressures accelerate, according to PwC’s 27th Annual Global CEO Survey. However the survey, published to coincide with the annual World Economic Forum jamboree in Davos, also reports that artificial intelligence will result in dramatic job losses in 2024 and beyond. A quarter intend to cut their headcounts by at least five percent “due to generative AI. (more…)

Herman Miller expands OE1 Workspace Collection

Herman Miller expands OE1 Workspace Collection

The OE1 Workspace Collection from Herman Miller, designed by Sam Hecht and Kim Colin of  London-based Industrial Facility is being updated to include new productivity-enhancing  solutions.Introducing the OE1 Sit-Stand Table and other essential pieces for agile workspaces. The OE1 Workspace Collection from Herman Miller, designed by Sam Hecht and Kim Colin of  London-based Industrial Facility is being updated to include new productivity-enhancing  solutions. (more…)

Technology is stealing your time in ways you may not realise

Technology is stealing your time in ways you may not realise

Technology is supposed to make our lives easier. Smart phones provide a palm-size window to the world, enabling us to do almost anything at the touch of a button. Smart homes look after themselves, and virtual meetings mean that for many, time spent commuting is a thing of the past. So we should have more free time. Time which is now spent sleeping, relaxing or simply doing nothing – right? (more…)

AI roles now make up over a quarter of all tech jobs advertised in the UK

AI roles now make up over a quarter of all tech jobs advertised in the UK

AI-focused roles now make up 27 percent of all tech jobs being advertised in the UK, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters.AI-focused roles now make up 27 percent of all tech jobs being advertised in the UK, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters. An analysis of 6,073 live tech roles advertised online in January 2024 found that 1,652 roles fundamentally required AI skills. Demand for talent with relevant skills has boomed in the last year with the rise of generative AI tools offering significant boosts to productivity and efficiency in the workplace. (more…)

The wonder of you. Monica Parker on joy, serendipity, toxic work cultures and awe

The wonder of you. Monica Parker on joy, serendipity, toxic work cultures and awe

Monica Parker joins Mark Eltringham to share an Old Fashioned while discussing how to find wonder in the everyday, the limits of workplace design, our renewed obsession with productivity, how to achieve flow states in a world of distractions and what it means to be truly happy. There’s not much workplace news around right now as people are still finding their feet after Christmas, so we also explore some lessons we might take from the Post Office scandal about how organisations go wrong and the role of human nature in creating toxic cultures. (more…)