Search Results for: workforce

Business leader express concerns about ethics and implementation of artificial intelligence

Business leader express concerns about ethics and implementation of artificial intelligence

A  report claims that the majority of business leaders still grappling with the skills and ethics needed to implement artificial intelligenceA new survey of 1,000 global business leaders claims that although leaders say they understand how valuable artificial intelligence can be to their business, over two-thirds (69 percent) say their organisation lacks the skills to fully implement artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The report – AI IQ: Insights on Artificial Intelligence in the Enterprise [registration] – also suggests that the majority of business leaders believe humans should be involved in AI decision-making, citing ethical and data concerns. More →

Works roundtable explores the changing face of wellbeing and how to deliver it

Works roundtable explores the changing face of wellbeing and how to deliver it

we looked to lift the lid on the strategies used to foster wellbeing, productivity, and employee satisfaction in the workplace

The first day of Clerkenwell Design Week also marked the first birthday of Works, and we celebrated with a number of industry friends at the Goswell Road showroom of Andreu World. Before we could enjoy a birthday drink, however, we had to earn it, and did so by hosting a panel discussion on the subject of Designing Wellbeing at Work. Together with our elite panel of industry greats – comprising Alice Aldous – Associate at Squire and Partners, Beatriz Gonzalez – Director at Scott Brownrigg, Chris Crawford – Studio Director and Senior Associate at Gensler and Alejandro Pardo – North Europe Area Manager for our generous hosts, Andreu World – we looked to lift the lid on the strategies used to foster wellbeing, productivity, and employee satisfaction in the workplace. More →

Understanding the power of mindset and what it can do for you

Understanding the power of mindset and what it can do for you

Understanding mindset, its power, and how to change it, can be transformative on both an individual and team level.An individual’s mindset influences everything that they do. Built around a set of established values, beliefs, and attitudes, your mindset frames your outlook and guides your behaviour, demarking your perceived limitations. It’s something that influences every area of our lives, from the relationships we form to the way we approach challenges and change. When you’re working with people, implementing policies, and trying to get the best from your available talent, it’s vital that you understand what motivates your team members – and what’s holding them back. Understanding mindset, its power, and how to change it, can be transformative on both an individual and team level. More →

A balanced approach: making hybrid working work, and accepting it isn’t optional

A balanced approach: making hybrid working work, and accepting it isn’t optional

For most, there needs to be an acceptance that hybrid working is a long-term project – even if there is some short-term painHybrid working is back in the headlines – not that it ever really left. A recent report from the Centre for Cities warns hybrid working will result in an “unintended economic impact” and is calling on national government and the mayor of London to do more to remove barriers to getting people back into the office. It suggests a freeze on commuting costs and calls for better collaboration between the private and public sectors to make working in cities more appealing. More →

Fifth of firms failing to meet flexible working demands of staff

Fifth of firms failing to meet flexible working demands of staff

Four-in-ten are considering leaving their current job due to a lack of access to the right digital collaboration tools for flexible workingEmployees are being denied opportunities to interact and collaborate with each other, with four-in-ten (40 percent) considering leaving their current job due to a lack of access to the right digital collaboration tools for flexible working. This comes as businesses fail to meet staff’s demands, with a fifth (20 percent) of human resources directors admitting they don’t know where to start in meeting their workforce’s flexibility needs. These are among the claims in a new report [registration] from managed workplace services provider, Apogee Corporation. More →

Over half a million people with long-term sickness want return to work

Over half a million people with long-term sickness want return to work

between January-December 2022, nearly a quarter (22 percent) of those forced out of the workplace because of long-term sickness said that they wanted a jobAnalysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data from consultants Broadstone, claims that between January-December 2022, nearly a quarter (22 percent) of those forced out of the workplace because of long-term sickness said that they wanted a job. With economic inactivity because of ill-health surging to 2.6 million people as per the latest estimates through February-April 2023, it suggests that over half a million people – around 560,000 – are keen to return to employment so long as they can improve their health. According to the firm, would be a major boost to the UK economy, employers struggling with staff shortages and employees grappling with the continued cost of living crisis. More →

Four in ten workers do not feel secure in their jobs

Four in ten workers do not feel secure in their jobs

Companies are in danger of losing top talent due to lack of flexible workingAlmost four in 10 workers (38 percent) do not feel secure in their jobs, as lay-offs across industries continue to bite, claimsthe ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2023: A Global Workforce View. Feelings of job insecurity are highest among the young. According to the survey of over 32,000 workers in 17 countries, half (50 percent) of Gen Z (those in the 18–24-year-old age bracket) say they don’t feel secure in their job. This is double the proportion of over 55s who say the same (24 percent). More →

Are workplace gyms and other perks out of step with hybrid working?

Are workplace gyms and other perks out of step with hybrid working?

Are workplace gyms and other traditional workplace perks still as relevant in the hybrid working era, asks Anthony ThompsonIt should go without saying that looking after employee mental health and wellbeing is important. If employers do not prioritise employee wellbeing, the whole team can feel the impact of this. There is compelling evidence that suggests strong employee wellbeing is a precursor to a more resilient workforce, which enjoys better staff retention, engagement and productivity, as well as reduced absenteeism. More →

Embrace the chaos: the office must find a new purpose, conference concludes

Embrace the chaos: the office must find a new purpose, conference concludes

The British Council for Offices (BCO) annual conference, this year hosted in Dublin, addressed the purpose of the office in the context of the evolving world of work

What is the purpose of the office? That was the central question at this year’s British Council for Offices (BCO) conference which took place in Dublin. A big ask.

Nonetheless, the speakers and delegates that arrived in Dublin were up for the task. In the opening address, BCO senior VP & conference chair Despina Katsikakis promised delegates the conference would explore and untangle the intricate elements of the ecosystem that must seamlessly merge tech-led work, play and… well, survival. The focus of the two-day event (or three for those who like golf) was to devise strategies to design, build and manage vibrant and inspiring workplaces that foster the wellbeing and advancement of the individuals and communities they serve, all while promoting social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

As one would perhaps expect from a BCO conference, several speakers made a case for the office, including Davina Saint, director of the Irish National Assets Management Agency. Nobody relates naturally with screens or virtual protocols, she said, so we need to embrace the idea of social capital: “It makes organisations go around,” she said. “It’s the electricity in the machine. The shift to remote working has dented social capital. There’s less connection and more isolation. Productivity and innovation have also taken a dive.”

“I believe strongly in the office,” said Niall Gaffney, CEO of Ireland’s largest office landlord IPUT, during the developer’s panel. Fellow panellist Kevin Nowlan, senior advisor to Hibernia Real Estate Group, agreed: “Culture and life comes from people being and working together.” The workplace will play a key role in reinventing cities, they chimed in unison. Why? “Because the office is where the magic and inspiration happen,” Saint said. “It’s where the social heart of an organisation can beat.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]As the audience were reminded throughout the conference, many people meet their partners at work[/perfectpullquote]

But it goes beyond business. As the audience were reminded throughout the conference, many people meet their partners at work. If marriages are born out of proximity rather than heaven, perhaps that means there will be fewer weddings, fewer children. That musing may well prompt a shrug in response but it’s worth noting there’s already a dwindling workforce. Yes, borders are clamping shut, but it may also be because people aren’t having children as often as they used to. Last year, the Financial Times, citing Office for National Statistics data, revealed that the “natural population of the UK will begin to decline by the middle of the decade, leaving the country dependent on migration to increase the working-age population”. But freedom of movement is not so free anymore. Dublin, we have a problem.

 

Stupid cupid

While it might not be up to workplace professionals to channel their inner cupids, you can bet your bottom dollar the population crisis will be on future BCO conference agendas. Until then, however, there’s a more relatable challenge in play. The industry needs to focus on the role of the office in a rapidly changing world. Bill Hughes, global head of real assets at Legal & General Investment Management, looked at the old and new definitions of an office. The traditional definition is “a room or set of rooms in which business, professional duties, clerical work are carried out”. Today, it’s where important face-to-face interactions and teamwork happens. It’s where culture is built. “It’s where knowledge transfer and learning through osmosis occurs,” Hughes said. “It’s about energy and having fun.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The future of the world of work is an obsession for bosses[/perfectpullquote]

“The future of the world of work is an obsession for my bosses,” the BBC journalist Simon Jack said, during the ‘business of politics’ discussion. “Because it “affects the lives and livelihoods of our audience.” And that’s perhaps why there’s so much focus on the employee experience. Billions have been spent on the customer experience. Many of the speakers stressed that it’s time we do the same with the employee experience.

In a session on the purpose of place, Andy McBain, head of future of workspace & design at NatWest, shared that the bank’s workplace strategy focuses on experience, events and an element of experimentation. But experience can’t be a fluffy add-on, he suggested. It must be measured and tracked if it’s to evolve and deliver ultimate impact. To that end, McBain’s team uses Audiem, an advanced employee feedback analytics tool, that allows heads of real estate not only to get the flagship quantitative scores that they need to track and manage performance but also dive deep into the qualitative data, helping them understand the drivers behind satisfaction at a granular level. “It’s allowing us to develop specific approaches we know directly addresses employee concerns because we can see what they’ve said about it and how it’s affecting them,” said McBain.

Vernon Blunt, head of global workplace operations at Ericsson, and Paul Casey, global real estate EMEA director at IBM, agreed that hybrid is here to stay, though the jury’s out when it comes to the effectiveness of mandates. While employee experience remains the focus, cost-cutting is coming to the fore because for the CFO must be kept as happy as the CPO. It’s a cost and experience juggling exercise. There also seems to be less focus on how to get people back to the office, but more energy going into how to self-organise around the busy days.

These occupiers want and demand more flexibility and shorter leases. Rob Harris of Ramidus Consulting urged that contract and service level agreements need to change to become more flexible, especially for SMEs who he called the “growth engine of the economy”. There’s also a recognition that there might be too much space. Avison Young’s Nick Axford highlighted that one third of office space could be re-used for community initiatives, but the infrastructure isn’t yet there to make this happen. Also calling for a systemic transition was Indy Johar, co-founder of Architecture 00. “Forget about building new workplaces, we need to build a new UK,” he said.

The conference delved into workplace design, management and communication principles that foster culture, health and wellness, and collaboration. During various sessions, speakers and attendees examined the strategies employed by occupiers in their quest to navigate the challenges of the present and forge a path towards a better future. We have a long way to go on that front, but the will is there.

Businesses need three years to prepare for impact of AI

Businesses need three years to prepare for impact of AI

A new survey of 600 UK human resources (HR) managers and directors suggests they will need three years to be ready for the impact of AI on the workplaceA new survey of 600 UK human resources (HR) managers and directors suggests they will need three years to be ready for the impact of AI on the workplace – yet 99 percent believe artificial intelligence (AI) will deliver benefits. Almost 40 percent said it would take a minimum of three years before they were prepared for the impact of AI on their roles, and fewer than one in six (15 percent) said they would be fully prepared for the potential impact of AI on the workforce within the year. To integrate AI, nearly 40 percent were investing in their tech teams, while 35.5 percent were already trialling AI in their businesses. More →

Two thirds of employees have experienced significant workplace conflict

Two thirds of employees have experienced significant workplace conflict

A survey of 2,000 full-time employees has revealed that almost two-thirds (64 percent) of workers have been in a workplace where there has been conflict between colleaguesA survey of 2,000 full-time employees has revealed that almost two-thirds (64 percent) of workers have been in a workplace where there has been conflicts between colleagues, with 15 percent subsequently looking to change roles. The research, conducted by communications consultancy Magenta Associates, also found that opposing personality types (47 percent), lack of communication (43 percent), and management styles (38 percent) are the most likely causes of workplace conflict. More →

Younger workers are the least likely to favour hybrid working

Younger workers are the least likely to favour hybrid working

The appeal of hybrid working is linked to the life and career stage of employeesNew research has revealed the nuances in attitudes towards hybrid working and work-life balance in the UK and US. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the appeal of hybrid work is linked to the life and career stage of employees. The poll from United Culture suggests that work-life balance is the factor most valued by employees at work (58 percent), but is much more appealing to women than men (66 percent vs. 52 percent). Flexibility came in second place, chosen by 47 percent. More →