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People are simply ignoring bans on AI use at work

People are simply ignoring bans on AI use at work

Employees say they are ignoring AI bans because it makes them more productive and better at their jobsOlder readers may remember a phenomenon called Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) which marked the point at which employers gave up worrying about people using their own phones at work and instead made it look like it was their idea anyway. A similar arc seems to be happening with AI, as people simply ignore their employers’ attempts to manage its use. A new poll from comms firm Definition suggests that over half of employed UK adults (54 percent) use tools like ChatGPT at work, despite 25 percent of businesses banning or significantly limiting its use. We have no other information on the methodology beyond that it was of 1,000 people. More →

Quarter of working mothers think their career stalled because of parental leave

Quarter of working mothers think their career stalled because of parental leave

over a quarter (27 percent) of working mothers believe that their career progression has slowed as a result of taking parental leave – in comparison to 21 percent of working fathersA new poll from Totaljobs in partnership with the Fawcett Society, suggests that over a quarter (27 percent) of working mothers believe that their career progression has slowed as a result of taking parental leave – in comparison to 21 percent of working fathers. Around 18 percent went as far as to say they had been left out of more exciting work projects. The survey of over 3,000 working parents with at least one child up under the age of four found that a third of working mothers (34 percent) lost confidence in their skills and abilities after returning to work from parental leave. Almost half (48 percent) said this was because the balancing act of juggling work and parenting commitments undermined their confidence. More →

Greater support for public health professionals could reap huge economic benefits

Greater support for public health professionals could reap huge economic benefits

Millions of people in the public health workforce could help reduce ill health in the UK, new report finds The Royal Society for Public Health has today published a new report calling for greater collective support for the millions of people in the UK workforce that are positively contributing to the nation’s health. The report argues that there are up to 1.5 million people working across a huge range of occupations who, with the right training and support, have the potential to help produce better health outcomes, reduce pressure on the NHS and grow the economy. More →

How Thomas Jefferson came to invent the swivel chair

How Thomas Jefferson came to invent the swivel chair

Thomas JeffersonIn 1775, Thomas Jefferson was a busy man. As part of the Committee of Five men and at the tender age of 33, he had been charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence that was to be presented to Congress the following Summer. By all accounts, Jefferson was a self-contained and self-sufficient man and, like many great people, a mass of contradictions.

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Employees increasingly want to work for firms with a clear sense of purpose

Employees increasingly want to work for firms with a clear sense of purpose

In the face of climate change, social justice movements, and recession, employees are seeking alternative commitments from employers. A new poll from Sparta Global claims that for job seekers in 2024, a company’s contributions to environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, and community well-being are of growing importance. More →

Productivity boost from volunteering ‘adds £4.6 billion to UK economy each year’ 

Productivity boost from volunteering ‘adds £4.6 billion to UK economy each year’ 

Volunteering is delivering productivity gains worth billions to the UK economy each year, a new study claimsVolunteering is delivering productivity gains worth billions to the UK economy each year, a new study claims. The report by Pro Bono Economics (PBE), commissioned by national volunteering charity Royal Voluntary Service, estimates productivity gains worth at least £4.6 billion each year, or £4,551 per volunteer, arising from volunteering by those in professional and managerial occupations. The PBE report, titled?A pro bono bonus: The impact of volunteering on wages and productivity, stresses that these productivity gains would likely be even higher if the voluntary efforts of those in other job roles, as well as the benefits of volunteering to unemployed people, were taken into account. More →

Applications open for UK’s leading public health awards scheme

Applications open for UK’s leading public health awards scheme

The Royal Society for Public Health Health & Wellbeing Awards are back and open for applicationsAfter two years, The RSPH Health & Wellbeing Awards are back and open for applications. The Royal Society for Public Health is the oldest public health body in the world and the Awards have been a key date in the sector’s calendar since they first launched in 2014. More →

Employers need to offer better support to working dads

Employers need to offer better support to working dads

Father and son walk on beach showing need for shared parental leaveNew research commissioned by REC Parenting – an online platform offering paid support to parents and carers – suggests that working dads need greater support in the workplace to successfully juggle all their responsibilities. Almost a third (32 percent) have considered leaving their job because of the pressure of managing work and caring responsibilities and three in 10 often feel overwhelmed by the demands placed on them at work and home. More →

People have lost trust in AI already, and aren’t keen on innovation more generally

People have lost trust in AI already, and aren’t keen on innovation more generally

The Edelman Trust Barometer claims to expose a rift that has become a factor in the polarisation of societies on the issues of AI, innovationThe 2024 edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer claims to expose a rift on the subjects of AI and innovation that has become a new factor in the polarisation of societies. Respondents, by nearly a two-to-one margin, feel innovation is being poorly managed; this is true across age groups, income levels, and gender, and in both developed and developing countries people are more likely to say innovation is poorly managed than well managed. Innovations have also become politicized, especially in Western democracies where right leaning individuals are far more likely than those on the left to reject them; the biggest differences between those on the right and left are in the U.S. (41 points), Australia (23 points), Germany (20 points), and Canada (18 points). More →

Major built environment institutes renew joint pledge to tackle global instability as cities boom 

Major built environment institutes renew joint pledge to tackle global instability as cities boom 

major built environment professional institutes, including architects, planners, structural engineers and landscape practitioners, have renewed their joint pledge to collaborate to tackle urgent global challengesWith almost 70 percent of the world’s population predicted to live in cities by 2050, major built environment professional institutes, including architects, planners, structural engineers and landscape practitioners, have renewed their joint pledge to collaborate to tackle urgent global challenges. Members of the UK Built Environment Advisory Group (UKBEAG), a group first launched in 2016 comprising the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and the Landscape Institute (LI), have committed to work together for at least another 5 years.  More →

Navel gazing may not be the answer to the challenges facing workplace professions

Navel gazing may not be the answer to the challenges facing workplace professions

An adherence to strongly held beliefs can make people think and behave in peculiar ways and get them tangled up in peripheral issues that take on a great deal of significance. Early religious artists, for example, spent centuries wrestling with the seemingly intractable problem of whether to depict Adam and Eve with belly buttons or not. More →

University of Warwick receives £1.25 million to research how AI could change the market for real estate

University of Warwick receives £1.25 million to research how AI could change the market for real estate

The University of Warwick has received a £1.25 million donation to launch the FutureFinance.AI Research Group that could transform the way the world purchases, sells, rents and handles real estate over the next five yearsThe University of Warwick has received a £1.25 million donation to launch the FutureFinance.AI Research Group that could transform the way the world purchases, sells, rents and handles real estate over the next five years. Based in the Gillmore Centre for Financial Technology at Warwick Business School, the new Research Group will draw interdisciplinary scholars and thinkers from across the world to redefine and innovate the financial and property technology landscape. More →