November 6, 2019

People game hiring processes they know are carried out by an AI

New research into job-seeker attitudes to digitisation, automation and AI in the recruitment process claims to reveal how job-seekers are cheating recruitment technology platforms, to better their chances of landing a job. Seven in ten (67 percent) job seekers admitted to deliberately using optimisation strategies to improve their chances of getting a job. The study, Hiring Humans vs. Recruitment Robots, from recruitment software provider TribePad canvassed the views of over 1,000 employees and job seekers in the UK. The report’s key claim is that, as technology continues to permeate the recruitment and HR industry, job-seekers are looking for ways to game the systems. (more…)

November 5, 2019

HR leaders feel unprepared for the future of work

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology, Workplace

Only 9 percent of chief human resources officers (CHROs) agree that their organisation is prepared for the future of work, according to a new report from Gartner. The study ties in to Gartner Gartner ReimagineHR conference, which took place last week. It concludes that to address the needs of organisations and workers in the future, HR leaders must focus on five areas of work. It suggests that tackling the future of work should not mean looking at the various changing aspects of work, such as AI, the gig economy and the multigenerational workforce, in silos. Istead, HR leaders should focus on the big picture of what the future of work can and should look like in their organisation. (more…)

November 1, 2019

Fear of failure holds people back at work

by Neil Franklin • News, Working lives

According to new research from Nyenrode Business University and IE University, one out of two people think they could perform better at work if they were not worrying about making mistakes. The researchers studied 1,000 people and found that more than 40 percent of them say they have a fear of failure and making mistakes between 20-40 percent of the time or more. (more…)

October 29, 2019

Remote working key to winning the battle for talent

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

According to a new study conducted by the Centre of Economics and Business Research (Cebr) with support from Citrix Systems, Inc., companies that leverage technology to enable flexible and remote working models can not only attract talent, but increase employee engagement and productivity, potentially boosting the US economy by as much as $2.36 trillion a year. Through an online survey of more than 2,500 US knowledge workers conducted in July, the Cebr study sought to determine the potential value to the US economy of the adoption of a more widespread, flexible working culture. It claims that in offering virtual/remote work options and providing the tools to enable them, companies can better compete in the battle for talent by dipping into untapped pools of workers. (more…)

October 25, 2019

The push and pull of the workplace for parents

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

The experiences and attitudes of working parents are explored in two new reports which offer contrasting views on what happens to the careers and skills of mothers and fathers. The first from CWJobs uncovers the fears parents have of being left behind by technology while they take time away from their careers to care for children, while the second looks at the ways in which parenthood might improve people’s skills and ability to deal with complex roles. (more…)

October 23, 2019

Older workers outshine younger colleagues on cybersecurity

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

According to a new report on behaviour and attitudes to cybersecurity among different age groups, employees over the age of 30 are more likely to adopt cybersecurity best practice than younger colleagues who have grown up around digital technology. The report, Meeting the expectations of a new generation. How the under 30s expect new approaches to cybersecurity (registration), also indicates that the younger generation is more anxious about cybersecurity and their company’s ability to tackle the number of security threats.

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October 21, 2019

Mental health stigma holds back ex-services people from getting jobs

by Mark Eltringham • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Research out today, by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity claims that British ex-service personnel struggle to find work due to mental health stigma. Almost a half (46 percent) of UK recruiters worry about hiring a service leaver in case they had mental health issues. Despite best efforts from British companies and individuals, including Prince William and Prince Harry, negative perceptions about mental health remain a significant barrier in the recruitment process, with service leavers being stigmatised. Over a third (31 percent) of recruiters feel reluctant to hire someone who had previously served. (more…)

October 18, 2019

Making flippy floppy with the meaning of work

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Great news! No, not the Brexit deal but the reports that the US has replaced the floppy disks it uses to store the information about its nuclear arsenal with something a bit less Nineties. If nothing else, a useful reminder that even the people responsible for a potential Armageddon might not be quite on board for the Fourth Industrial Revolution just yet, and are still coming to terms with the Third. (more…)

October 17, 2019

Competitive sport is a game changer in the workplace

by Neil Franklin • Business, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

A new report by The Institute of Leadership & Management called Leaders at Play claims that participating in competitive sport gives people an advantage in their working lives, which in turn gives men an advantage because many more have competed in sports. The report also claims that people are often aware of the link because three quarters of workers who play competitive sport believe it gives them skills and capabilities that provide them with a workplace advantage. (more…)

October 16, 2019

Two thirds of people think they could work just as well without supervision

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

A new study from Kimble Applications claims that workers are predisposed to be happiest at agile organisations and would appreciate managers who speak less and listen more. According to the report, Britain’s employees are fed up with overbearing bosses, hungry to participate more at work and wished they had more of a two-way dialogue with their superiors, new research has found. The survey also claims that more than two-thirds of British workers (69 per cent) feel they could do their job just as well or even better without their manager’s input. (more…)

October 15, 2019

Flexible working could improve mental health and lives of fathers

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News

Men feel frustrated in their jobs and discriminated against at work and want a better balance between work and family life in much the same way as women, according to the results of the annual survey by workingdads and workingmums. One in four dads said they’d had time off work due to mental illness, with a third of those citing the stress of work and home. Around half of working dads said their career had stalled since they became a father. Almost 70 percent admitted they feel stuck in their current role because they fear they wouldn’t be able to find another job with the amount of flexible working they need. (more…)

October 14, 2019

Self employment boom continues to shape UK cities

by Neil Franklin • Cities, News

New research from the Centre for Cities claims that we are still seeing the long-lasting consequences of the post-financial crisis self-employment boom in the UK’s cities. But too many people working for themselves lack access to training – raising concerns about their long-term security and many cities’ future economic strength. (more…)