Editor’s note: L&D talks about data and the importance of the insights we can generate from it. But how far do we – or should we – go in collecting data from employees? New tools are allowing employers to collect data on employees at a granular level. Should we be concerned?
Editor’s note: Research from Robert Half shows that improving workplace culture is a top priority this year. Within this, the research shows that employers are looking to improve diversity inclusion. Interestingly, the research shows that mentoring and training programmes are the number one tactic for improving workplace culture.
Editor’s note: Would a shorter working week help solve the UK’s productivity problem and at the same time boost employees’ health and well-being? This article takes a look.
Editor’s note: The planning fallacy means we are over optimistic about what we can achieve and how long tasks can take. There are things we can do to over come this but it seems humans tend to keep on repeating past mistakes.
Editor’s note: This is a useful list of team communication tools that are similar to Slack. The devil is in the detail as some of the tools offer unique bits of functionality.
Editor’s note: Is ‘distracted focus’ the new skill of our time? For knowledge workers, being able to focus on work and manage distractions are becoming two critical skills. The challenge is to be able to do both effectively, day in and day out.
Editor’s note: This anecdote tells us that short bursts of activity are far more productive than prolonged activity. So why do workplaces focus on the latter?
Editor’s note: Becoming more productive is easier said than done. One way to do it is to get on top of managing tasks. There are loads of task management tools available and this article shares some of the best.
Editor’s note: Economist Tim Harford brings some perspective to the robots are taking our jobs narrative (myth).
Editor’s note: This survey is a couple of years old but I can’t imagine much has changed – or has it? If not, a quarter of the day spent managing emails seems like a enormous drain on resources.
Editor’s note: According to Yoshie Komuro, the number of Japanese people who work overtime is higher than any other country, but the contributing value of each individual is the lowest among the industrialized countries.
Editor’s note: If yet another piece of research was needed to support better people management in organisations then here it is!
Editor’s note: The OECD has developed an area of its website that looks at the global productivity picture. There’s lots in here including comparative data between countries and insight and analysis into productivity and growth.
Editor’s note: Longer hours equal lower productivity. So why do we believe the opposite?
Editor’s note: I was lucky enough to be in the panel debate on labour market trends at this week’s CIPD conference. Luckily Tim Scott did a great job capturing the debate. This debate frames all we do in L&D in my opinion.