January 14, 2020

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and we`re not ready for it

Cast your mind back a decade or so and consider how the future looked then. A public horizon of Obama-imbued “yes we can” and a high tide of hope and tolerance expressed in the London Olympics provides one narrative theme; underlying austerity-induced pressure another. Neither speaks directly to our current world of divisive partisan politics, toxic social media use, competing facts and readily believed fictions. (more…)

January 8, 2020

From the archives: Is this the missing piece of the facilities management puzzle? ⁰

by Ian Ellison • Facilities management, Features, Premium Content, Work&Place, Workplace design

The IFMA Foundation Workplace Summit of summer 2014 felt like an optimistic time for facilities management and the workspace industry. Heavyweights from the sector were asking searching questions about our organisational contribution, with thankfully less of the internally focused, debate-free hubris typical of much of the industry narrative. The newly announced (and now evidently historical) collaboration between BIFM and CIPD was in full swing, endorsed by social media savvy Twitterati under The Workplace Conversation banner. (more…)

January 2, 2020

Personality is not only about who you are but also where you are

by Dorsa Amir • Comment

In the field of psychology, the image is canon: a child sitting in front of a marshmallow, resisting the temptation to eat it. If she musters up the willpower to resist long enough, she’ll be rewarded when the experimenter returns with a second marshmallow. Using this ‘marshmallow test’, the Austrian-born psychologist Walter Mischel demonstrated that children who could resist immediate gratification and wait for a second marshmallow went on to greater achievements in life. They did better in school, had better SAT scores, and even managed their stress more skilfully. (more…)

December 19, 2019

Turns out there is an I in TEAM after all

by Neil Franklin • News

There is no I in Team – as the saying goes. But new research suggests it is important for individuals to feel personal ownership towards a team project in order to be more creative. The study, led by Dr Ieva Martinaityte of the University of East Anglia (UEA)’s Norwich Business School, suggests that this also drives each member to invest more time and effort into the project.

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December 16, 2019

Avoiding the minefield of WhatsApp communications

by Louise Lawrence • Comment, Legal news, Workplace

Whether to keep colleagues updated or to share a new idea, WhatsApp groups are increasingly becoming a go-to communication tool in the workplace. There are benefits to having such informal communication channels – they can be less hierarchical and improve cohesion within the team, as well as being a fast and easy way to communicate and share images. On the flip side, the lack of formality means that there are risks associated with them. (more…)

December 13, 2019

RICS report calls on organisations to adopt more responsible policies

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Property

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a new ‘Responsible Business Report with recommendations for real estate firms to develop and implement responsible business practices, to improve their business culture, reduce their environmental impact and attract and retain the brightest talent. Best practice case studies from leading companies such as CBRE, Sodexo, John Lewis and Vinci Facilities are included in the report. (more…)

December 12, 2019

Climate change emergency demands more and better action

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News

Four years after the Paris Climate Agreement, tangible action from governments is falling well short of what is needed to restrict global warming to 1.5° Celsius. Meanwhile, the actions of the majority of businesses that do support emissions reductions also currently fall far short of where they need to be to address climate change. A new impetus for 2020 to raise company ambitions to net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, is required. These are the findings of a new report, The Net Zero Challenge published by the World Economic Forum. (more…)

December 11, 2019

Tech trends to watch that will disrupt 2020 and beyond

by Dave Coplin • AI, Comment, Public Sector

The next decade promises to offer both incredible opportunity and challenge for all of us. Technologies like artificial intelligence will no longer be considered new but will instead be at the heart of some huge disruptive changes that will run right through our society. In particular, AI will start to enable the automation of many things that were previously deemed too complex or even too “human”. We’ll see these changes and tech trends at work – traditional professions like accountancy, lawyers and others will over time, see significant portions of what they do be taken over by virtual robots. Vocations such as lorry drivers, taxi drivers and even chefs may disappear as machines are introduced to perform the same function but with more consistent results and less risk. (more…)

December 11, 2019

Over half of firms believe their staff are ready to work with AI

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace

More than half (57 percent) of UK companies are confident their staff are prepared for an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled workspace according to a new report from Genesys. This is broadly in line with the attitudes of workers themselves, according to another report from the company which claims that 46 percent of people say they are ready to work with the technology. The latest survey claims that over half of employers (55 percent) think their employees are anxious that their jobs will be eliminated by AI. However, employers believe this fear is unfounded with only 11 percent saying AI will actually put jobs at risk. In fact, 51 percent of UK based companies don’t anticipate any major staffing changes as a result of AI, despite recent headlines that portraying it as a threat to jobs. (more…)

December 10, 2019

Always on working culture in financial services sector driving staff to burnout

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

More than nine in ten banking and financial services professionals in the UK work beyond their contracted hours every week, according to a new survey — laying bare the extent of the City’s always on working culture. Almost half, or 47 percent, said that they do not leave the office or take a break at lunchtime, according to the survey by Morgan McKinley. The recruitment firm canvassed the views of around 480 finance workers in an informal poll to come to its conclusions. (more…)

December 9, 2019

Do emails outside of work hours breach employment law?

by Darius Whelan • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing

It is common for many employees to send, read and reply to work emails at all hours of the day and night, including weekends. This change in work culture developed in recent decades and has accelerated with the advent of smartphones. But is this a breach of employment law? The short answer is that “it depends” and we need some test cases to clarify the situation, not least in the UK. Some workplaces have a culture of long working hours and it can be difficult for an individual employee to go against it. The contract may refer to a 40-hour week but the reality may be very different. Smartphones and other digital devices have contributed to a culture of “digital presenteeism”. (more…)

December 5, 2019

Gartner report sets out top 5 priorities for HR leaders in 2020

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

As 2020 approaches, HR leaders are focused on five key measures to continue driving business outcomes, according to a report from Gartner. The priorities include: building critical skills and competencies, strengthening the current and future leadership bench, incorporating organisational design and change management, driving digital business transformation, and enhancing employee experience. (more…)