Search Results for: workforce

Government scheme will see thousands more people train in technologies like AI

Government scheme will see thousands more people train in technologies like AI

Thousands of individuals will receive training and qualifications in cutting-edge technologies like AI as part of new government initiativesThousands of individuals across the UK will receive training and qualifications in cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) as part of new government initiatives. Additionally, other transformative fields such as medicine, 6G, and quantum computing are also part of this initiative. The driving force behind the move is a substantial investment of over £1.1 billion aimed at enhancing the country’s skill base. 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 →

Industry: the art of working from anywhere

Industry: the art of working from anywhere

Eugenia Anastassiou is stopped in her tracks by a painting of a quintessential  21st century phenomenon – working from anywhere.Walking into Bristol-based artist Gail Reid’s studio, I literally stopped in my tracks! There it was a painting of everything I had been researching and writing about with workplace strategist Chris Kane for our book “Where Is My Office?” both pre-and post-pandemic. Gail, was a Semi-Finalist in this year’s Sky Art’s Portrait Artist Of The Year –  alas she didn’t make the final – although she impressed everyone with her talent and charisma. She also impressed me in managing to convey via the very traditional medium of an oil painting, a quintessential  21st century phenomenon – working from anywhere. More →

Only a quarter of desk-based workers in the UK say they have a healthy relationship with work

Only a quarter of desk-based workers in the UK say they have a healthy relationship with work

While the world’s relationship with work is strained and employee expectations are rising, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is seen as a key to unlocking better relationships with workHP has announced new findings from its Work Relationship Index, a report that explores employees’ relationships with work around the world. The survey of more than 15,600 respondents across 12 countries, reveals that while the world’s relationship with work is strained and employee expectations are rising, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is seen as a key to unlocking better relationships with work.  More →

You couldn’t make it up. Boots orders staff back to the office five days a week

You couldn’t make it up. Boots orders staff back to the office five days a week

Boots has ordered staff to return to the office full-time, five days a week, starting from the first of September this year. Employees at the company’s headquarters in London, Nottingham, and Weybridge were reportedly informed via email this week about the stricter policy on remote work. This is a shift from Boots’ current policy, implemented after the COVID-19 outbreak, which encouraged a three-day-a-week office presence. More →

The sector responds to the Spring Budget

The sector responds to the Spring Budget

Yesterday’s Spring Budget included a number of announcements that affect the various people, place and technology professions in the UK. These include a cut in National Insurance, pension fund reforms, support for working parents, AI, helping people back in to work and more. You can see the Government’s own summary here. The various industry sectors have been quick to respond to the announcements. You can see what some people have had to say below, in no particular order. More →

MillerKnoll’s top office fit out trends for 2024

MillerKnoll’s top office fit out trends for 2024

The last few years have seen a major shift in how businesses approach their office spaces. With more emphasis on aesthetics, functionality, and employee wellbeing, 2024 will showcase some of the most exciting trends for future-ready workplaces centred on connection, wellbeing and change. As a leader in workplace design, MillerKnoll talks about the top six emerging trends shaping office spaces this year. Based on decades of expertise, MillerKnoll identifies shifting priorities that empower companies embracing conscious design attuned to modern needs. More →

People who don’t work at a desk feel much less loved than those who do

People who don’t work at a desk feel much less loved than those who do

The UK’s ‘deskless’ workers feel considerably less valued at work than their desk-based colleagues. Just 43 per cent of UK deskless workers admit to feeling seen, valued and appreciated compared to 61 per cent of desk-based corporate employees. These are the findings from O.C. Tanner’s 2024 Global Culture Report which have been released to coincide with Employee Appreciation Day (1 March 2024). More →

Quarter of people have now used or tried AI in the workplace

Quarter of people have now used or tried AI in the workplace

A new report from the Workforce Lab at Slack sets out to explore how office-based workers think about AI and how they are using it in their jobs.A new report from the Workforce Lab at Slack sets out to explore how office-based workers think about artificial intelligence and how they are using it in their jobs. The poll of 10,000 people suggests that  the adoption of AI tools in the workplace accelerated by 24 percent over the last quarter, with one in four office-based workers reporting they have tried out the tech for work as of January 2024, compared with  one in five as of September 2023. And 1 in 3 desk workers have used automation tools in their job. More →

What do we need offices for anyway? The Greeks had a word for it

What do we need offices for anyway? The Greeks had a word for it

offices - what is going onThe Greek word anagnorisis describes the sense of having just caught up with a truth that was always waiting for you. It’s a common literary and artistic device found in the plots of everything from Oedipus Rex to Macbeth, Star Wars and Fight Club, but it’s also a word that conveys a useful, complex idea that does not have an adequate English version. The mot juste, if you like. And it’s a useful idea when it comes to framing the current conversation we are having about offices and work more generally. More →

Thoughts of hybrid working should now turn to productivity and trust

Thoughts of hybrid working should now turn to productivity and trust

The impact of hybrid working models on productivity and employee wellbeing, especially in light of last year's unprecedented spike in sick days, is an important issueBusinesses now face the huge challenge of managing office returns and addressing the underlying generational divides and mistrust that have surfaced as a result of the pandemic years. With the Office for National Statistics (ONS) having released new data on UK productivity levels that show productivity remains sluggish, the impact of hybrid working models on productivity and employee well-being, especially in light of last year’s unprecedented spike in sick days, is an important issue. More →

Rejection of flexible working request shouldn’t blind employers to their legal duties

Rejection of flexible working request shouldn’t blind employers to their legal duties

Amy Leech of Shoosmiths looks at a recent case following the rejection of a flexible working request and considers its implicationsFlexible working has continued in many workforces since the pandemic. The most common pattern is a hybrid one where employees split their time between the office and home. However some employees are now looking to work remotely on a permanent basis. This is what happened in Wilson v Financial Conduct Authority 2302739/2023. The Claimant submitted a flexible working application requesting to work entirely remotely using her computer and other electronic equipment and to complete all her work without attending a physical office location. The Respondent’s policy was that post-pandemic, the Claimant was expected to work in the office 40 percent of the time and could work the other 60 percent remotely. More →