THE TECHNOLOGY &WORKPLACE MAGAZINE FOR SMES & PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATIONS WWW.BUSINESSINFOMAG.UK ISSUE151 SOFTWARE Why it’s time to get ready for Windows 11 PAGE 20 MONITORS If you think a monitor is just a monitor, think again PAGE 14 PRINTERS Sharp launches A3 MFPs for the smart workplace PAGE 30 Adapting to change Introducing Toshiba’s latest multifunction devices!
2 0 2 2 At each event there will be a prize for Overall Highest Score for the Day, Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin. At the final event the top 6 players from the first three rounds will play for Overall Golfer of the Year 2022. All other players will still be able to play for Overall Highest Score for the Day, Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin. The PrintIT Reseller and Technology Reseller Golf Society is open to everyone; Resellers, Dealers, VARs, System Integrators and Vendors – the maximum number of players being 72 at each event. The top two players from each of the first three events will play to become the Overall Golfer of the Year 2022 at the final event taking place at the Warwickshire. The Golf Society is open to everyone no matter what your handicap is... so don’t be shy. Come and join us. & The four events for this year... The First round took place at Belton Woods Golf Resort on the 12th May. The Third round will take place at Wyboston Lakes Resort on the 14th July. The Second round took place at The Welcombe Golf Resort on the 9th June. The Final round will be played at the Warwickshire on the Kings Course on the 22nd September. The is cost per event is £99 per player or £396 per four ball + VAT. SPONSORSHIP If you would like to discuss the opportunities available, please call Martin on 01732 759725 or Paul on 07887 944433, email [email protected] If you would like to join us at any of the events please email [email protected] or call Paul on 07887 944433 PLAYED PLAYED PLAYED
IN THIS ISSUE 04 What’s New A round-up of new products for work and home 07 B ulletin The challenges of hybrid working 10 O ffice Design Five non-negotiables of the future workplace 12 R ecruitment The truth about the skills gap 14 M onitors Not all the monitors are the same – and here’s why 16 I nteractive Displays SMART helps businesses navigate the challenges of hybrid working 20 Software Why it pays to prepare early for a move toWindows 11 24 Infrastructure Is your infrastructure ready for AI? Terry Storrar outlines what’s needed 26 Cloud Aled Sage explains how moving to the cloud can help businesses shrink their carbon footprint 27 Analysis Beware rising cloud costs, warns CloudStratex 28 MPS Quocirca highlights growing demand for broader workplace service offerings 30 MFPs Sharp launches new devices for the smart workplace 33 Broadband Britain’s IT infrastructure fails one in four hybrid workers 34 Workplace Tim Richards, CEO of precision timing specialist Hoptroff, picks the half dozen things he couldn’t do his job without Editor: James Goulding 0780 308 7228 · [email protected] Publishing Director, Social Media &Web Editor: Neil Trim 01732 759725 · [email protected] Advertising Director: EthanWhite 01732 759725 · [email protected] Art Director: Nick Pledge 07767 615983 · [email protected] Advertising Executive: James Trim 01732 759725 · [email protected] Business Info is a controlled circulation magazine. Applications for free copies will be considered upon receipt of a completed and signed reader info card or online form. Business Info is available on subscription @ £40 p.a. to UK companies or residents and @ £75 p.a. for non-UK subscribers. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers who cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. No part of Business Info magazine can be reproduced without the prior permission of the publisher. © Copyright 2022 Kingswood Media Ltd. ISSN 1464-8814 Design: Sandtiger Media – www.sandtiger.co.uk FOR THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS VISIT: WWW.BUSINESSINFOMAG.UK “ ” Comment Kingswood Media Ltd., 10 Amherst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT Tel: 01732 759725 • Email: [email protected] BUSINESS INFO GET YOUR FREE COPY To make sure you get every issue FREE, as soon as it is published, just visit www.businessinfomag.uk, click the ‘FREE Registration’ button and add your details to our mailing list. @BinfoMag facebook.com/ BinfoMag If you no longer wish to receive Business Info magazine please email your details to [email protected] The cost of living crisis is usually presented as a consumer problem. It is also, of course, a big challenge for businesses facing a triple whammy of rising costs for energy, raw materials, products and services; escalating wage demands and recruitment costs; and the risk of falling sales as they are forced to put up their prices and/or customers decide to cut back on their expenditure. According to a survey of 1,000 SME owners by Fiverr, the cost of living crisis has so far cost UK SMEs an average of £186,000 each; 85% of respondents say they have already lost money due to inflation and increased living costs and 22% have received requests for salary increases. Under such circumstances, it can be tempting to delay or cancel investment in new technology, albeit at the risk of becoming less productive and competitive and potentially missing out on opportunities to save money by eradicating inefficiencies in the status quo. On page 20, Andrew Carr, CEO of Camwood, does a good job of explaining why businesses should start preparing for the move toWindows 11 now, pointing out that doing so will enable them to gain control over application estates that have bloated by an average of 30-50% sinceWindows 10 was deployed and seize the opportunity to eliminate unnecessary expenditure on licences for unused, duplicated or out of date software. On page 14, Dave Hadden, Head of Solutions at EIZO, explains how taking a total cost of ownership approach to procurement can provide the justification needed to shell out for new, better quality monitors. As an example, he points out that paying a little more for a monitor that consumes less energy will reduce office cooling requirements and thereby save money on air-conditioning. Another factor that should be considered as part of the mix is employee wellbeing. Giving people the tools they need to do their jobs safely and efficiently (in the workplace and in a home and/or remote office) won’t only generate benefits in terms of productivity, it will also contribute to employee wellbeing which survey after survey shows is vital for talent retention and recruitment. Typical is new research by Towergate Health & Protection which found that 42% of HR decision-makers view support for the emotional, physical, financial and social health of staff as a major reason why people stay with their companies; 31% view it as a big reason why people choose to work for them in the first place. A technology upgrade might be a small price to pay if it keeps employees happy in the midst of a national skills shortage. James Goulding, Editor, [email protected] 03 magazine
businessinfomag.uk magazine 04 Look and book Zoom is addressing the needs of hybrid workers with the launch of a workspace reservation system. Accessible as a Zoom App or through a web browser,Workspace Reservation enables hybrid teams to book office workspaces and resources in advance or on arrival, either at a kiosk in the reception area or by scanning QR codes at specific meeting rooms or hot desks. The solution also enables users to see who else will be in the office on a given date and view seating locations on office floorplans. www.zoom.com Sensei is hoping to revolutionise vending in offices, hospitals, stations, schools, universities, gyms and other locations with the launch of its first Autonomous Cabinet. This uses a combination of smart inventory management, cameras and intelligent shelves to provide users with true ‘grab and go’ convenience, including the ability to pick up and hold products before buying them. Customers can open the cabinet door with the Sensei app or the tap of a card and are charged automatically for any products they decide to keep. Retailers benefit from the ability to stock items of all shapes, sizes and price points, with real-time visibility of stock and sales via the Sensei Fast App platform. www.sensei.tech Grab and go Twice as good The NEC Dual-Collaboration Room System from Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe combines two identically designed displays – one interactive and one non-interactive – into a user-friendly system for team meetings. Shown for the first time at ISE 2022 in Barcelona, the first Du-Co Room System of its type will be available in 55in and 65in versions. sharpnecdisplays.eu Desktop to doorstep Managed workplace services (MWS) provider Apogee Corporation is helping businesses streamline the production and delivery of business mail, such as statements and invoices, with the launch of a ‘desktop to doorstep’ solution that enables customers to send business mail directly from their PC or laptop to Apogee’s secure, ISO 27001-accredited mailing facilities for printing, insertion into an envelope and posting. As well as reducing or removing the need for in-house mailing equipment and supplies, AutoMail gives access to discounted postal rates, even for low volumes of mail. Businesses can also apply user-specific controls to printing choices (mono, colour or both) and postal services (first or second class). https://apogeecorp.com Smart tap Green Custard, a Cambridge-based professional services company and AWS Advanced Consulting partner, is helping soft drinks company Britvic to reduce its consumption of single-use plastics by developing software for a new range of IoT-enabled drinks dispensers intended for deployment in supermarkets, large businesses and other high footfall locations. Part of Britvic’s strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of its products across their lifecycle, including refrigeration, transport and manufacturing, the Aqua Libra Flavour Tap is operated via a touchscreen interface built using AWS mobile, cloud and IoT capabilities. Once a user has selected the flavour and style drink they want (e.g still or fizzy), it is dispensed into the customer’s own bottle. www.britvic.co.uk WH AT ’ S N E W INNOVATIONS On your trike London recycling company First Mile has invested in a fleet of four electric trikes as part of its strategy to decarbonise its recycling collections and reduce congestion in the capital. Each of the custom-built trikes can carry 250kg of recycling, the same operational capacity as a 3.5 tonne van, and cover 25 miles on a single battery charge, saving 20.26 kg of CO2 emissions per day. First Mile CEO Bruce Bratley said: “Our customers love the new bikes and the fact that they are so small and easy to operate means we have better access to areas where recycling collections have historically struggled, such as back streets and mews.”
01732 759725 05 magazine Photo scanner Canon’s imageFORMULA RS40 dedicated photo scanner taps into the popularity of ‘shoeboxing’, the digitisation and preservation of old photos. Suitable for use in the home or by retailers offering digitisation services, the scanner comes with a host of productivity features including batch scanning of up to 40 photos and 60 documents; a top speed of 30 images per minute; three pre-set scanning modes; a straight paper path that minimises the risk of feeding errors; ultrasonic sensors that detect overlapping pages; and Double Feed Release (DFR), which quickly restarts the device in the event of a jam. Also included are image processing functions such as auto fixing and enhancement of images and face smoothing, face sharpening and red-eye correction. www.canon.co.uk Hello Misty Furhat Robotics, the social robotics technology company spun out from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, has relaunched Misty the robot, following its acquisition of US-based Misty Robotics earlier this year. The new platform is designed to be more intuitive and easier to use, with Python as its main programming language and a user-friendly drag and drop interface that is ideal for non-programmers in the education sector (students and teachers). The new Misty also boasts enhanced language skills that allow more complex, conversational interactions. Furhat Robotics CEO Samer Al Moubayed said: “The possibilities are endless, from helping students who are learning programming to assisting in making the classroom more inclusive and accessible. Beyond that, the applications for social robots are farreaching from social and health care to unbiased recruitment.” Flagship inkjet Brother has boosted the appeal of its flagship A3 inkjet X-Series with faster print speeds of 30 images per minute (up from 22ipm), a higher monthly duty cycle of 3,500 pages (up from 2,000 pages) and increased ink capacity. As well as reducing waste and energy-consumption, the X-Series can contribute to the circular economy when used as part of a managed print service (MPS), which allows Brother to refurbish and redeploy devices. https://www.brother.co.uk/ More choice PPDS, the provider of Philips displays and TVs, has reaffirmed its commitment to the videowall market by extending its Philips X-line series with new sizes, new designs and its best ever image quality. The six new direct LED backlight videowall displays each feature near bezel-less designs (0.9mm- 3.5mm) and a range of updated features that support no-compromises 24/7 performance for single and multi-panel videowalls in retail settings (the 49-inch BDL2105X/00 and 55-inch BDL2105X/00), corporate meeting rooms and public spaces (the 55-inch BDL3207X/00, BDL4107X/00 and BDL8007X/00) and surveillance and control room environments (the 65-inch BDL6005X/00). Martijn van der Woude, Head of Global Business Development and Marketing at PPDS, said: “Some manufacturers have decided to switch their attentions away from videowall technology but rather than scale back we are bringing even more choice, new dedicated features and advanced capabilities to our partners and their customers.” Instant alerts Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has updated its OmniAccess Stellar Asset Tracking solution with AI/ML-powered algorithms that offer improved accuracy and customisable push-button alert buttons on the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tags used for tracing individuals and critical equipment in indoor geofenced areas.With applications in healthcare, security and other sectors, the new alert button allows users to request assistance at the touch of a button. Notifications and real-time location data are sent instantly to the Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista Cirrus Asset Manager and distributed to the right person or group via a range of channels. These include Android push notifications to the OmniAccess Stellar Asset Tracking app, web push to desktop or mobile devices, email, SMS, Rainbow and other third-party systems, such as IQ Messenger. al-enterprise.com INNOVATIONS Made for sharing Panasonic has updated its PressIT wireless presentation system with new features that make it easier for users to share content in meeting rooms, huddle spaces and classrooms. These areWireless Display, which gives Windows users the option to share content straight from their device via a keyboard shortcut without having to plug in a Transmitter Dongle; and Multicast, which enables users to display information to multiple screens simultaneously. Panasonic PressIT allows up to 32 devices to be connected wirelessly and up to four presenters to display visual and audio content simultaneously, with crystal clear HD image resolution, zero lag on video playback andWPA2 AES128-bit encryption for data security. business.panasonic.co.uk/visual-system/ pressit-wireless-presentation-system
businessinfomag.uk magazine 06 INNOVATIONS Eco-positive printing PaperCut, the popular print management solution, has joined the Forest Positive movement with the launch of a new sustainability and tree-planting program, PaperCut Grows. This enables PaperCut users to turn their printing into an environmental positive by mitigating any environmental impact and then planting additional trees to help restore the planet’s natural resources. Available with PaperCut MF and PaperCut Hive, PaperCut Grows handles all calculations and conversions and gives users real-time visibility of print tracking and tree-planting volumes through a dashboard. PaperCut EMEA Regional Director Steve Holmes said: “By joining the Forest Positive movement and introducing PaperCut Grows, we’ve made it even easier for customers to take easy, positive and measurable steps to give back to the environment.” www.papercut.com Greeting cards on demand Greeting card retailer Scribbler and Fujifilm have jointly developed a greeting card kiosk that enables retailers and other venues to offer instant, on demand card printing.With more than 1,000 card designs to choose from, the kiosk offers an entire range within a small footprint, with guaranteed availability of the most popular designs, instant downloading of new designs and no risk of over-stocking. The kiosk prints cards onto heavyweight, 320gsm greeting card media. www.scribbler.com All-in-one first Huawei’s first all-in-one desktop, the HUAWEI MateStation X, features a minimalist design, with no ports visible on the back and a dynamic hinge that enables users to adjust the angle of the screen with a single finger. Its 28.2in 4K+ resolution, anti-reflective display offers a premium viewing experience with narrow bezels, a 3:2 aspect ratio and 10-point multi-touch support, while the three-speaker sound system and four-microphone array deliver crystal clear audio. A new Super Device feature provides convenient one-drag connectivity with Huawei tablets and smartphones for accessing content from other devices or delivering multi-screen presentations. The HUAWEI MateStation X costs £1,799.99 https://consumer.huawei.com/uk/ Public address system Snom has given its PA1 multi-cast public address system, introduced a few years ago for multi-floor offices, doctors’ surgeries, supermarkets and airports, a complete component upgrade. Based on the Snom D735 desk phone, the new Snom PA1+ includes a 6.5 watt amplifier that can fill large rooms with sound via a 600-ohm loudspeaker system; Gigabit interfaces for connecting other devices, such as LAN cameras; and automatic remote configuration via the Snom Secure Redirection and Provisioning Service (SRAPS). The Snom PA1+ enables users to make announcements, transmit music streams or open doors/barriers/gates from any Snom phone, using a phone number or key combination. www.snom.com Made for hybrid workers The 34-inch Philips 34E1C5600HE provides everything needed for a remote work environment in one sleek, attractive package. In addition to a high-performance, 3440 x 1440 resolution, 21:9 format display, which offers plenty of space for the side-by-side display of multiple documents and large spreadsheets, it supports productive collaboration with a built-inWindows Hello-certified 5MP webcam (with physical privacy switch), noise cancelling microphone and 5-watt integrated speakers. A USB-C connector provides a onecable solution for high-speed data transfer and power charging, while MultiView technology enables users to connect and work on several devices simultaneously. Ergonomic features include a LowBlue Mode, FlickerFree technology and easy height and tilt adjustment. The Philips 34E1C5600HE costs £479.99. https://mmdmonitors.com/ Look whooo’s calling Owl Labs has launched a third generation of its wireless video conferencing solution, Meeting Owl, which provides a 360-degree view of a meeting room, along with up to three panels that zoom in on the person speaking. Meeting Owl 3 has been upgraded inside and out to include faster, more accurate face detection (even for those wearing a face mask), expanded audio and video options, an upgraded USB capability (USB-C) and a new Expansion Mic that extends the Meeting Owl 3’s audio range from 2.5 to 8 metres so that everyone around a large table can be heard clearly. There is also the option to pair two devices, extending the video range to 8.5 metres and the audio range to 13.5 metres. www.owllabs.co.uk Cheaper postage Pitney Bowes claims that its SendPro Mailstation franking machine can deliver savings of up to 25% on postage costs and up to 75% on parcel shipping through Royal Mail and ParcelforceWorldwide when used with a bundled subscription to SendPro Online. This SaaS solution also provides proof of delivery and parcel tracking, as well as insight into ink levels, wireless connection strength, postal balance/spend history and the ability to print return address labels. www.pitneybowes.com/uk
01732 759725 magazine 07 BULLETIN EVENTS BACK TO THE FUTURE Solotech UK has helped break new ground in immersive entertainment by contributing its audio, video and lighting expertise to the production of ABBA Voyage. The show, which opened on May 26 in a purpose-built arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, brings the ‘70s icons back to the stage in a seamless blend of computer-generated imagery (CGI) – entirely realistic digital avatars of group members singing and dancing – and reality in the form of a 10-piece band providing live musical backing. Solotech UK worked in close collaboration with ABBA’s production team, from the design stage to installation and the opening night, drawing on its experience as live production specialists for the world’s biggest festivals and concerts. In addition to its expertise, it supplied audio, lighting and video equipment from leading manufacturers such as ROE, VYV, Robe and L-Acoustics, backed up by its Service+ managed services software platform. This included one of the largest, and at 19 tiles high, tallest installations of ROE Black Pearl v2 LED screens, driven by Brompton 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors. https://abbavoyage.com/ www.solotech.com HYBRIDWORKING NO ROOM TOWORK Over one third of UK office workers have no dedicated workspace at home and only 6% have been trained for hybrid meetings, reveals a new report from Leeds University Business School. The report and interactive tool, based on research led by Dr Matthew Davis, Associate Professor in Organisational Psychology, and six colleagues at Leeds University Business School and the wider University, advises staff in charge of designing or updating hybrid working schemes to avoid trying to force a ‘one size fits all’ policy and to include employees in the creation process. The report’s authors point out that the availability of dedicated workspaces at home and familiarity with technology means workers can have very different experiences of hybrid working. Leeds University Business School’s analysis of employee data shows that working from home without access to a specific desk or separate room (i.e. having to use a kitchen table or the sofa) is associated with lower performance, job satisfaction and engagement. The implementation of hybrid working schemes can also cause some to feel disconnected from colleagues and managers, engender an ‘us versus them’ mentality and lead to excessive supervision from managers. Dr Matthew Davis said: “An effective hybrid workplace is more than an HR policy or office design issue; it is a socio-technical problem, essentially affecting all aspects of work and requiring knock-on changes to IT, work processes, organisational goals and culture to be successful. The key to successful hybrid working is good management – clear and demonstrable objectives and outputs, active communication and feedback.” The researchers advise employers, where possible, to implement principles of work rather than strict rules that can reduce working flexibility and undermine the main benefit many employees say they get from hybrid working. https://futureworkplace.leeds.ac.uk SUSTAINABILITY FRIENDS ELECTRIC Mer, an electric vehicle (EV) charging company backed by Statkraft, Europe’s largest renewable energy provider, has been selected by Allstar Business Solutions to deliver charging points at its offices in Swindon andWalsall where employees and guests can charge their electric vehicles with 100% renewable energy from Mer. Allstar, a provider of bespoke fuel cards and fleet management solutions, supports EV drivers with the Allstar One Electric card, which incorporates more than 5,700 electric charging points into its multi-brand network of refuelling stops, including Mer public EV chargers. Tom Rowlands, MD of Global EV Solutions at Allstar, said: “While our mission is to support UK fleets in the transition to EVs, we also want to ensure we lead from within by equipping our staff and colleagues with onsite charging facilities at our offices.We’ve noticed a significant increase in electric and hybrid vehicles on our Company Car and Salary Sacrifice schemes and Mer is a great partner to ensure we’re ready for this shift.” https://uk.mer.eco www.allstarcard.co.uk BULLETIN WORKPLACE QUIET PLEASE! More than half (54%) of office workers in the UK and US surveyed by IRIS Clarity say they wear headphones to block out unwanted noise, compared to 46% who say they like the buzz of a busy office. Male respondents are more likely to thrive on office noise (53%) than female respondents who tend to prefer quieter offices (58%). When asked if they wished their working space was quieter, 79% of UK respondents said they did, compared to 63% of respondents from the US, perhaps due to the preponderance of open plan offices in the UK. IRIS Clarity is an AI-powered voice isolation app that removes distracting background noise from video meetings and customer calls. https://iris.audio/clarity-enterprise Where is Your Office Today? A research-led guide to effective hybrid working Find out more about the research project, access resources and connect with the research team at futureworkplace.leeds.ac.uk Citation: Davis, M.C., Hughes, H.P.N., Rees, S.J., Wu, C., Gritt, E., Collis, C., & Fang, L. (2022) Where is your office today? A research-led guide to effective hybrid working. Leeds, UK: University of Leeds. SUSTAINABILITY PITCH TO THE GREEN Over the past five years, the Crowdcube platform, which gives its community of one million investors the opportunity to put their money into some of Europe’s fastest growing private companies, has seen annual investment into green or sustainable companies rise from £5.5m in 2017 to £41.1m in the year to April 2022. This trend is reflected in the number of investors that green pitches attract, with the average green business receiving backing from 29% more investors than those which were not categorised as green or sustainable. The desire for green investment has been fed by the ever increasing number of green businesses looking to obtain funding from ‘the crowd’. In 2021, six times more green and sustainable businesses turned to Crowdcube for investment than in 2017.
BULLETIN businessinfomag.uk magazine 08 HR THE RISE OF THE ANYWHEREWORKER The era of remote work caused by the pandemic has led to the emergence of a new generation of travelling workers, dubbed AnywhereWorkers by Fiverr and Lonely Planet in a new report based on a survey of 1,400 workers. The report’s authors point out that unlike digital nomads and #VanLife travellers, AnywhereWorkers aren’t limited to individuals in their early twenties with disposable incomes but also include families, couples and pods of friends who have made the choice to travel and work at the same time. The report claims that 75% of Anywhere Workers are parents and 45% are married, so when choosing where to travel many AnywhereWorkers, unlike Digital Nomads, look for locations that provide education facilities for their children and job opportunities for their partner, as well as being affordable and having good internet connectivity. More than half (54%) of Anywhere Workers identify themselves as remote workers (i.e. people who travel and aren’t limited to a single office location); about 25% consider themselves to be Slomads (i.e. people who work remotely and travel to different locations, sticking to one or more locations for extended periods). Over 60% work full-time but have the ability to travel to and work in different locations. Nine out of ten say that their earnings have increased (40%) or stayed the same since they started living this lifestyle. The majority of AnywhereWorkers have been traveling and working for 1-2 years, suggesting this trend was spurred by the pandemic, but with 98% wanting to continue working remotely and travelling for at least another 6 months, it looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. Gali Arnon, Chief Marketing Officer at Fiverr, said: “There has been a revolution in the way we work and where we work for millions of people around the world, and we can largely attribute this to the pandemic. More people from every walk of life are taking the opportunities that remote work and platforms like Fiverr offer them to travel the world and experience new ways of living.” HR BRITONS HAPPYWITH LIFE, NOTWORK The UK is home to one of the most dissatisfied workforces in Europe following a two percentage point fall in employee engagement levels over the last year, according to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace Report. Employee engagement among UK workers has declined steadily over the last decade. Just 9% of UK workers feel enthused by their work and workplace today, compared to 16% in Germany and 33% in Romania, home to Europe’s most engaged workforce. Across Europe, just 14% of people feel engaged with their work, with rates also dipping below 10% in Spain, France and Italy. This compares to average engagement levels of 33% in North America and 27% in South Asia. Workplaces with high employee engagement achieve higher productivity, better customer relationships, lower employee turnover and higher profitability. Despite low levels of employee engagement, Gallup’s report reveals that Britons still feel they enjoy a good quality of life. Although not as high as in Finland, where 84% of people think they are thriving, the UK at 60% (down one point on the year) outperforms most other European countries for life satisfaction, including Germany (56%), France (43%) and Spain (41%). HYBRIDWORKING RELUCTANT RETURNERS A CHALLENGE Reluctant returners are the number one challenge facing employers as they attempt to implement new hybrid working models, reveals new data from XpertHR, an online source of legal compliance, good practice and benchmarking information for HR professionals. Almost all (95%) of the 292 organisations surveyed for its third annual benchmarking survey on the future of the workplace said that they were currently operating a hybrid model, with 59% saying that staff generally spend 2 to 3 days working from home each week. However, 37% say staff are unhappy with this split and would prefer to spend even less time in the office. In XpertHR’s 2021 report, 75% of organisations said they had experienced unwillingness to return to the workplace. While the main reason then was concern around contracting Covid-19, reluctance now is less to do with the risks of going into the office and more to do with the benefits of working from home. These include saving money on commuting and childcare arrangements, a better work-life balance, increased productivity, improved engagement and, for employers, a positive impact on attracting and retaining staff. Respondents did identify some pitfalls, with 40% of UK organisations observing a growing disconnect and divide between staff members who work from home and those who go into the office. Noelle Murphy, Senior HR Practice Editor at XpertHR, said: “With hybrid working, HR have managed one of the biggest changes to working life since the industrial revolution, but it is still a work in progress. Challenges continue and HR will need to continue to address these, while ensuring this new way of working delivers for all employees – and that includes people managers and senior leaders.” http://www.xperthr.co.uk AU S T R A L I A A N D N E W Z E A L A N D S O U T H E A S T A S I A S O U T H A S I A E A S T A S I A S U B - S A H A R A N A F R I C A M I D D L E E A S T A N D N O R T H A F R I C A C OMMO NW E A LT H O F I N D E P E N D E N T S TAT E S E U R O P E L AT I N A M E R I C A A N D T H E C A R I B B E A N U N I T E D S TAT E S A N D C A N A DA State of the Global Workplace 2022 Report THE VO I CE OF THE WOR LD ’ S EMPLOY E E S Discover how employees around the world experienced life and work last year. Employee Engagement and Life Evaluation | Daily Negative Emotions Environmental, Social and Governance | Job Market Gail Arnon
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businessinfomag.uk magazine 10 WORKPLACE 1 A flexi office set-up, suitable for both quiet working and creativity Almost one quarter (24%) of business owners want more flexibility, quiet zones and creative interiors for their future offices, showing that space needs to be agile and adaptable to how teams work. Steve Coulson, Co-founder and CEO of Kitt, says: “A one-size-fits all no longer works for businesses. The workspace needs to reflect the unique objectives of your business and team-working patterns, providing spaces that accommodate all by consulting with teams.” Businesses need to be able to continue to evolve their work spaces and make adjustments based on changes in how people like to work. 2 Collaboration at the core Collaboration is the core preferred function of the future office, with almost half (44%) of business owners believing the office will primarily be used for networking and 38% believing it will be used for meetings. By providing open, agile spaces that support easy conversation, collaboration and social interaction, business leaders can promote collaborative moments that are more difficult to experience remotely and help their company culture to thrive. 3 Prioritising inclusivity Workspaces must be inclusive of everyone’s needs. Half (50%) of directors report that representation of different cultures should be prioritised in order to create an inclusive office culture. Suggested measures include the use of gender-inclusive language throughout the office, for example on signage, plus the provision of gender-neutral facilities. With a growing focus on inclusivity, expect more businesses to factor this in as part of their office move or renovation. Coulson says: “As many prospective recruits will be searching for a company that aligns with their values, it’s Insight What we know From the JLL Workforce Preferences Barometer 2022 n Hybrid working is here to stay. • 55% of the 4,000 office workers from 10 countries surveyed work in a hybrid mode today, up 5% from 2021. • 69% of workers say hybrid working options are fundamental to their retention by an employer. n The office remains pivotal •73% of workers are in the office at least one day a week. • 60% say the office will remain central to their working life. n The office is a hub for human connection • 44% say human contact is the aspect of office life they miss the most when working remotely, with collaboration and socialising cited as the top reasons to go into the office. • 25% of the workforce feel isolated today and unable to maintain close relationships with their colleagues. n Work from third-party places is a growing attraction. • 36% of workers work from thirdparty places, such as cafes, hotels and co-working facilities. • 33% of employees say they are attracted by the possibility of having access to coworking facilities or satellite offices close to their home. n Nearly half of workers feel disenchanted. • Only 48% of the workforce are convinced that their company is a great place to work. • 24% of workers are considering leaving their employer in the coming year. n Quality of life reigns supreme. • Quality of life is the main driver for changing jobs, cited by three in four workers, and the number one work priority, followed by health & wellbeing support and salary. • 91% of the workforce find flexible options appealing in an employer, but among younger employees and caregivers the ability to choose working hours is most appealing. www.jll.com The Top 5 office must-haves important that work spaces are set up in a way that welcomes diversity and embraces different cultures.” 4 Workspaces for more than just work The future workplace won’t just be a place for work, but for multiple activities including those associated with home life. Homeschooling and close-quarter parenting during the pandemic brought many parents closer to their children, and spending time with little ones during the working day is a habit many are looking to maintain. One quarter (25%) of directors want the option to bring their children into the office, with allocated space for childcare enabling more flexible working patterns. Offices will also increasingly be used for staging activities and events for employees as well as for clients. 5 Employee wellbeing initiatives More and more businesses are prioritising employee wellbeing in order to attract and retain the best people. Almost a quarter (24%) want plants in the office, 21% want free lunches and almost one fifth (18%) want in-house gyms – all factors that can nurture a positive office culture whilst supporting employee wellbeing. Over the last two years, business leaders have gained insight into the things that worked pre-pandemic that they’d like to keep (e.g. free lunches, inhouse gyms) while learning the value of home working benefits that they are now looking to bring into the workplace (e.g. childcare and more inclusive spaces). If business leaders can listen to their employees' needs and align them with their own business objectives, they will be able to design work spaces that empower their teams to do their best work, while also creating and supporting a thriving company culture. www.kittoffices.com Kitt, the customisable managed workspace provider, asked 1,500 office workers and business leaders what they considered to be the must-have elements of tomorrow’s workplace. Here are the top five items on the list. Global Research Workforce Preferences Barometer June 2022 Exploring employees’ new work expectations and ways employers can best support their workers in the new hybrid world
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businessinfomag.uk magazine 12 RECRUITMENT The ongoing talent shortage and connected trends such as ‘The Great Resignation’ have been well documented. According to research by Open University’s Business Barometer, just over half of UK companies are spending £1.2bn annually on temporary staff. The study found that by 2030, there will be a global human talent shortage of more than 85 million people, roughly the population of Germany. While the UK faces a range of challenges relating to recruitment, there is also a huge pool of untapped talent that exists across the world where organisations could look to address their skills shortfall. Indeed, the view that looking abroad can’t help fill recruitment gaps is just one of several myths that are standing in the way of effective recruitment. Myth 1: People don’t want to work It’s fascinating to see that 18% of UK workers are still planning to leave their jobs over the next year, according to a survey by accounting giant PwC. Many of us will have seen colleagues make critical career decisions about where and how they work.While some are deciding to leave the workforce for good, the great resignation isn’t a question of not wanting to work so much as changing priorities. Employees who can’t achieve work-life balance at their existing job feel empowered to leave and look for a new job that can accommodate their needs and allow them to thrive outside work. Today, employees want to work for firms that care about their overall wellbeing and offer benefits and bonuses that match their values and lifestyle goals. Many are no longer willing to accept jobs that involve long hours and constant sacrifice of personal ambitions in favour of professional ones. This is quite different from the idea that people The truth about the skills shortage don’t want to work – they are simply more focused on finding roles that meet their needs as they pursue a better balance and long-term happiness. Myth 2: The talent shortage is universal While some sectors and industries are experiencing a shortage of talent, it is important to remember that in a hyperconnected economy there are huge possibilities in sourcing talent from a wider area. The cities or regions you have hired from in the past might be short of personnel with the abilities you require, but there are plenty of talent hotspots around the world with highly trained professionals who are regularly looking for new opportunities. Mexico City, Toronto, Colombo, Singapore and Berlin have all established themselves as prominent talent centres, with individuals ready to join firms that promote work-life balance and wellbeing. In fact, the digitally enabled competitive edge that helps brands to grow exponentially also enables them to ignore boundaries and form global teams, but first they must build strong remote work cultures, develop the processes and tech stack needed to support remotefirst productivity and restructure their legacy local recruitment strategy to discover talent on a global scale. Myth 3: It’s too complex and costly to hire people from abroad In the past, companies used to avoid broadening their horizons because tapping into global markets was a logistical nightmare and often required prohibitive levels of investment. Today, with the assistance of a strategic ally, organisations everywhere can affordably hire an international team. For example, by using a modern digital employment platform like Globalization Partners organisations can save money they would have spent on business entity set-up and eliminate the hassle of dealing with tax, legal and HR issues. By working with an Employer of Record (EOR), growing organisations can secure the best talent, regardless of location. In practical terms, an EOR sets up entities on your behalf and acts as your legal employer. It also allows you to automate procedures like contract preparation, payroll setup and onboarding, reducing the time it takes to complete complex operations that once took months. Myth 4: Culture and communication are barriers to effective recruitment While global teams are affected by cultural differences, firms that learn to bridge these gaps will find that cultural variations only enrich and add value to their operations. Indeed, analysis by Mckinsey shows that diversified multinational teams generate greater revenue. It requires awareness and sensitivity to achieve cultural competency – a critical aspect in understanding and managing multicultural teams and maximising their potential. That said, long-distance communication is easier today than ever before, thanks to all the collaborative tools and technology that overcome geographical distances and make communication feel more personal and instantaneous. Ultimately, an international workforce helps build a richer, more fulfilling workplace culture for all employees. Sharing different global perspectives and ideas benefits teams and leads to better employee morale, an enhanced reputation and better overall talent acquisition. In the wider business context, organisations that embrace an international recruitment philosophy will be ideally placed to succeed in the highly competitive and agile markets that are a feature of modern digital economies. Nick Adams is Vice President of EMEA at Globalization Partners in London. Leading the company’s international expansion into Europe, he is focused on building a strategic partner network and overseeing regional revenue operations. Nick comes to Globalization Partners with a wealth of experience in scaling high growth businesses. www.globalization-partners.com Nick Adams, Vice President EMEA at Globalization Partners, rebuts common myths about today’s talent shortage Nick Adams
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businessinfomag.uk magazine 14 Are your hybrid workers as productive at home as they are in the office or are their efforts being hampered by inadequate, uncomfortable technology? Equally, are they making the most of their time in the office or do they waste valuable minutes getting to grips with unfamiliar settings and work tools whenever they return to the corporate workplace? You may have given your staff laptops to provide a seamless transition between working at home and in the office, but what about monitors? Have you equipped your hybrid and remote workers with a high quality, ergonomic monitor or do you expect them to use their laptop screen or make do with any old monitor they have lying around the house? Dave Hadden, Head of Solutions at EIZO, argues that too many businesses fall into the trap of assuming that ‘a monitor is just a monitor’, which he says is like saying ‘a car is just a car’ and completely ignores the first rule of monitor buying, which is to choose a model based on the job you want it to do and where it is going to be used. With 70 models in its line-up, EIZO has a solution for pretty much Spend more, save more any requirement, from specialist monitors for film editing, medical, video surveillance and air traffic control to high quality, ergonomic monitors for general office work and colour-critical graphics applications. Its office offering, suitable for officebased, remote and hybrid workers, includes two core ranges: FlexScan general purpose desktop monitors with pre-calibrated colour; and ColorEdge colour accurate monitors for the small percentage of office workers who need to know that the colour they see onscreen is exactly how it will be printed or projected. With AI-driven uniform colour correction across the entire screen area, the ColorEdge range includes models with built-in colour calibration and hoods to prevent distractions and on-screen reflections. The latest models (and high-end FlexScan monitors) also have a built-in RJ45 network connection so that users working with, say, very large video files have the option to plug in a wired network cable and enjoy fast, stable data transfer rates as well as access to other network resources. This can also be used to connect virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) endpoints. Hybrid working Traditionally, EIZO FlexScan and ColorEdge monitors have been deployed in offices, but with the rise of hybrid working over the last two years they are increasingly being used in employees’ home offices for use with a laptop, often with a matching model in the corporate workplace to provide a consistent experience across all work locations. Hadden points out that EIZO is well placed to help business customers make the transition to a hybrid working model thanks to features it originally introduced to support hot desking initiatives. “A lot of the products that came out during the pandemic we had started developing 18 to 24 months earlier for flexible working, for docking, for home working, before we had any idea a pandemic was coming. Many of our larger corporate customers were wanting to reduce their owned office footprint and instead of having a seat for 100% of their employees were providing seats for 80% and encouraging people to work from home some of the time and to hot desk when they came into the office.We were designing products to support that, so when the pandemic hit we had the features people needed.” As examples, Hadden highlights a single USB-C connection between monitor and laptop, the ability to use the monitor as a docking unit and the easy daisy-chaining of up to four monitors with a single cable connection between each one. “We designed our single USB for hot desking, not really thinking about home working because it was less of a thing at the time, but as it happens it works beautifully for home working too. The single USB-C gives you a video connection but also a 70W power supply back into the laptop, while multiple USB ports on the monitor itself give you the ability to plug in a keyboard, mouse and other items.” Using an EIZO monitor as a docking station gives laptop users the benefits of a bigger screen and separate webcam, keyboard and mouse, while making it quick and easy to connect/disconnect a laptop when moving between home and office. In this context, Hadden draws attention to a piece of software that lets laptop users take their preferred EIZO monitors are an attractive option for hybrid workers thanks to their ergonomic features and a competitive total cost of ownership MONITORS
01732 759725 15 magazine MONITORS monitors which measure ambient light levels and adjust screen brightness accordingly to reduce eye strain. Features such as these are becoming more important for business buyers who are increasingly aligning procurement decisions with ESG and employee wellbeing goals, for example by giving hybrid workers the same ergonomic features and high-quality flicker-free images in their home offices that they enjoy in corporate environments. As well as being good for monitor users, this focus can have a positive impact on total cost of ownership (TCO). For example, the Auto-EcoView feature on FlexScan monitors doesn’t just reduce eyestrain and provide a comfortable working environment but can also reduce energy consumption by as much as 50%. Similarly, EIZO’s EcoView Optimizer feature saves energy by automatically reducing backlight levels according to the content being viewed. Spend more, save more Hadden points out that EIZO has traditionally been successful in selling to large organisations that prioritise total cost of ownership (TCO) in procurement decisions and are prepared to spend a little more on high quality, energyefficient Japanese-made monitors that in the long run will save a lot more on energy costs and maintenance. “Many of our customers are large organisations that pay a lot of attention to the TCO of products. They look at things like power consumption, things like the length of warranty. They look at the cost of a failure.What does it cost the IT department to swap out a failed unit? They look at power consumption, recognising that if they can save a monitor settings with them from location to location. "One of the features on our FlexScan range is a piece of software called Screen InStyle, which contains a Colour Briefcase that you load on your laptop. This stores how you like to set up your monitor and when you take that laptop and plug it into another FlexScan monitor in a different location, it automatically applies your preferred settings. “If you like to run everything in sRGB mode but like to viewWord and Excel in our Paper Mode, which has a soft, sepialike tone that’s easier on the eyes, the software will change the settings on the monitor being used as soon as you open Word. If you then open Chrome, it will go back to sRGB mode because that’s the colour of the internet.” Ergonomics and wellbeing In addition to its productivity benefits, the single USB-C cable on FlexScan and ColorEdge monitors reduces desktop clutter, for example by removing the need for a separate (often less efficient) power supply for a laptop and by enabling the daisy-chaining of multiple monitors with a single cable between each one. This may sound trivial, but it has real benefits for users with limited desk space at home and is one of several ways in which EIZO monitors can contribute to the wellbeing of remote and hybrid workers. Others include the industry’s largest vertical movement to ensure a monitor can be set at the right height for any user, plus tilt and swivel adjustability; options to reduce blue-light levels; and Auto-EcoView sensors on EIZO FlexScan few watts on the monitor, they will be able to save even more on the aircon needed to cool offices.” In this context, a big attraction of EIZO monitors is that they come with a five-year warranty, rather than the industry standard 3-year term. In the case of ColorEdge monitors, this is an on-site warranty. “If your ColorEdge monitor fails, we will troubleshoot it and if there is a problem with the monitor, we will send an engineer out with a replacement monitor because for someone doing this quality of work it is probably their livelihood.We will take the unit away, repair it and then bring it back. It is phenomenally expensive to do and the only reason we can do it, with tens of thousands of units in the field, is because our monitors are so reliable.” Other attractions for corporate buyers, says Hadden, are the low levels of churn in EIZO’s product portfolio – “If you buy a 27in monitor today and you want to buy the same one two years later, you will be fine as we tend to turn our models over every 5 or 6 years” – and management software that lets administrators monitor settings and usage across an entire estate. Japanese build quality does cost a little more. However, Hadden is confident that as businesses consider the costs and benefits of supporting large numbers of hybrid workers they will see the value in taking a more considered approach to IT procurement and breaking the established technology cycle of ‘buying cheap and replacing often’. “Compared to the cost of the person on the seat in front of it, the cost of the monitor is negligible. Just making someone 1% more efficient and encouraging them to spend 1% more time at their desk is worth at least £1,000 in salary over the 5-year warranty period. And most monitors don’t cost anywhere near that,” he says. www.eizo.co.uk
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