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Re: The future of work
... knowledge workers who have the opportunity to work remotely often put in more real work hours than those who have to endure commuting in big cities. They also tend to work not on the clock but more to get the job completed. They also tend to be more creative when relaxed and focussed on the task at hand. A happy employee who is given the opportunity to manage their work/ life balance is more productive.
The last 18 months of the pandemic has proven with the recent great advances in technology that the traditional office setting had real drawbacks.Comment
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Re: The future of work
Konica Minolta Research Reveals Impact of COVID-19 on SMBs
Pain Points Study Reveals Depth of Security and Remote Work Challenges During Pandemic
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) is pleased to share findings revealed in new research by Keypoint Intelligence, “Top SMB IT Pain Points & Solutions.” Created on behalf of Konica Minolta, the study surveyed 550 SMB IT decision makers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic to identify their main challenges and pain points relating to technology.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the pain points of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) around security and data protection. 48 percent described security and data protection as being their number one IT challenge. 37 percent of businesses said that their employees had experienced virus, malware or security threats due to conditions imposed during the pandemic. As a result of those security issues, 47 percent of companies have acquired or upgraded IT security software or services.
SMBs encountered significant challenges in their efforts to enable remote work in the wake of the pandemic. For example, 38 percent of IT decision makers viewed managing remote work as being difficult or very difficult. For nearly half of SMBs (49 percent), the lack of necessary employee hardware or software was a difficulty associated with home-based working. Similarly, 44 percent of IT decision-makers identified servicing/supporting home workers’ IT hardware or software as a challenge. As a likely consequence of this, 33 percent invested in managed IT services as a result of COVID-19.
In terms of day-to-day operations, remote work also presented particular challenges relating to team communication and in accessing and collaborating on files. In fact, 51 percent of respondents identified communication with managers or other employees as a business operation challenge resulting from work-from-home arrangements. Meanwhile, 37 percent indicated that locating files was an IT challenge associated with working from home. An additional 30 percent cited digital document collaboration as another business operations challenge resulting from employees working remotely. From these findings, it is clear why 35 percent of SMBs have invested in document sharing and collaboration applications as a result of the pandemic.
"Throughout the pandemic, we saw the challenges being faced by our SMB clients and our dealer partners, many of whom are SMBs themselves. The study revealed accelerated digital transformation across all industries, the desire of many organizations to adopt new technologies around security and data protection, and the need to ensure employees are properly equipped to do their jobs,” said Kay Fernandez, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta.
Other technologies also saw increased adoption. For example, 45 percent acquired or upgraded cloud data storage as a result of COVID-19. In 65 percent of organizations, decision-makers said that the pressures of the pandemic had accelerated their journey toward greater digitalization. With document digitization a common way to achieve this, 56 percent of organizations cited scanning initiatives prompted by COVID-19 as drivers for increased digitalization. Against this background, it is nevertheless remarkable that many SMBs (42 percent) are still heavily reliant on paper-based processes. 49 percent of organizations cited privacy and safety concerns as the main reason for still using paper.
The swift changes forced on everyone by the pandemic have irreversible consequences for the future workplace IT, especially for SMBs. Employees and businesses alike have experienced first-hand how much flexibility is possible. Not only with regard to remote work and collaboration, but also with optimized digital processes in general.
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Re: The future of work
The hybrid work revolution is already transforming economies
Even in the 19th century, workers were beginning to resent the grind of office life.
The pandemic has weakened the gravitational pull of city centers, with new forces now reshaping knowledge-based economies. Public transport journeys into cities are down, as are coffee shop sales, while demand for real estate in leafy suburbs is up. Americans spent more time on leisure and household activities in 2020, replacing commuter life with real life.
For all the optimism surrounding these tectonic shifts, some economists strike a note of caution. While recent research from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco acknowledges that sweeping changes to the way people do business could boost efficiency, it warns against reading recent gains in productivity numbers as due to more home-working, citing data distortions.
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Re: The future of work
...
A study led by the University of Chicago's Michael Gibbs found workers worked longer hours at home to perform the same task, as focused time was broken up by domestic distractions like childcare and online meetings. The report also noted that people working from home may exaggerate their productivity in surveys to encourage adoption of the practice.
At this point, with the delta variant spreading rapidly around the world, many corporate return-to-office plans are being put on hold. But evidence from almost 18 months of the pandemic is helping to inform C-suite decisions.
While hybrid work is taking root among educated, well-paid employees, less than half the workforce has that option, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. In the U.K. just 36 per cent of people did some work from home during 2020, even during lockdowns.
Still, as more work happens away from traditional offices, workers will infuse a wider range of communities with their wealth and business knowledge, distributing economic gains more equitably, according to Abigail Adams-Prassl, an economist at the University of Oxford.
That will have some painful consequences. City center cafes, shops and hairdressers catering to professionals are most exposed, with Bloom, Davis and Barrero calculating that a shift to partial working from home will hit annual spending in major U.S. city centers relative to pre-pandemic levels. Manhattan alone would see a drop of 13 per cent, they projected.
Employers the world over are now grappling with that shift as they try to balance productivity growth with keeping staff creative and happy.
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Re: The future of work
The Lost Workers
The Lost Workers: It could get worse
It is estimated that an extra 1M workers were pushed into early retirement by COVID. There are not enough millenials and Gen Z workers to fill their vacated positions.
Baby Boomers were born into families that averaged four children. In 2021, the average family has 1.8 children.
While many millenials are financially worse off than their parents, they stand to inherit $68T by 2030. This gives them the financial freedom about the kind of work that they do and what they want to do.
The birthrate has dropped 4% in recent years. The most in 50 years making the future talent shortage even worse.
Video games are mentioned as making many men not even looking for work.
Prime age for working men is 25-54 years old.
They now comprise 34% of the workforce compared to 38% of the workforce in the 1980s.
Many in this age group were negatively effected by the opioid epidemic leaving them unable to work.
Many in this age group are still living with their parents.
Many in this age group prefer part time work.Comment
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Re: The future of work
Restaurant Brands results show a tale of two Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons' sales are up, but continue to lag pre-pandemic highs amid a stalled reopening that's left office towers, and the company's downtown locations, largely deserted.
The coffee and doughnut chain's urban restaurants are struggling with a lack of foot traffic from workers - many of whom are coveted “high frequency customers'' that buy food and drinks multiple times a day.
But a different story is unfolding at rural and suburban locations, where restaurants are bustling and drive-thrus busy, even as labour shortages make hiring a challenge.
“There's a clear, concentrated drag from urban and super urban locations in our business,'' said Jose Cil, chief executive of Restaurant Brands International Inc., the company behind Tim Hortons, Burger King and Popeyes.
Despite strong momentum early in the summer, he said rising COVID-19 cases tied to the Delta variant and renewed public health measures paused reopening plans and slowed the restaurant's recovery.
“Downtown Toronto, as an example, is still not back to work,'' Cil told analysts during a conference call. “Many of the large employers have pushed back returns to (the) office to sometime in 2022.''
The comments came as Restaurant Brands reported its third-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago and its revenue climbed more than 10 per cent.
The dichotomy between sales performance at different locations underscores the uneven recovery as consumer habits continue to be shaped by the pandemic. Tim Hortons is also grappling with labour shortages, supply chain disruptions and rising costs - issues plaguing the restaurant industry across the country.
Restaurant Brands chief financial officer Matt Dunnigan said the parent company is dealing with a “tougher cost environment'' from general inflation and staffing wages.
He said prices have been impacted by inflation and the company is looking to simplify menus to help with labour pressures.
Tim Hortons recently launched a national campaign to hire more front-line restaurant workers across the country.
Restaurant Brands chief corporate officer Duncan Fulton said Tim Hortons franchise owners “would love to rehire as many people as they can possibly find.''
Many locations are offering recruitment bonuses for existing employees who recommend a friend to join the company, while others have launched new hire bonuses that provide an incentive for new workers after a certain period of time, he said.
“I know there are a lot of restaurant owners that are paying in excess of minimum wage,'' Fulton added in an interview. “All those efforts are in response to the competitive landscape out there.''
As for menu price increases, he said adjustments are made “very carefully and very thoughtfully'' to keep up with inflation.
But Fulton said Tim Hortons is focused on staying competitive, and is insulated from some of the higher commodity prices and supply chain issues due to its scale and long-standing relationships.
“We are fortunate to have very large scale in the purchases that we make, so it gives us the ability to lock-in favourable prices,'' he said. “We also have a sophisticated supply chain team that has long-standing, multi-decade relationships with both suppliers and transportation providers.''
Restaurant Brands, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, said it earned US$221 million in net income attributable to common shareholders or 70 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from US$145 million or 47 cents per share a year earlier. Revenue totalled nearly US$1.5 billion, up from US$1.33 billion in the same quarter last year.
The increase came as comparable sales rose 8.9 per cent at Tim Hortons and 7.9 per cent at Burger King. Popeyes saw a drop in comparable sales of 2.4 per cent.Comment
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Re: The future of work
We have to go back to the office (SCREAM PARODY)
We have to go back to the office (SCREAM PARODY) - YouTubeComment
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Re: The future of work
'Somebody is finally listening': Ontario law to allow washroom access for truckers
The Ontario government is tabling new legislation that would allow truckers and transportation workers to use washrooms at the businesses they are delivering to or picking up goods from.
The province’s labour minister, Monte McNaughton, provided details Wednesday for the new law that, if passed, would be the first of its kind in Canada and ostensibly among all Western countries.
McNaughton called it a “matter of common decency being denied to hundreds of thousands of workers in this province,” at a media availability, “something most people in Ontario take for granted.”
This comes less than a week after more than a dozen transporters across the country described worsening work conditions, breakneck deadlines amid the pandemic and their perspective on stalled wages in the sector for a BNN Bloomberg feature report.
“Workers who deliver and pick up goods have been on the frontlines of the pandemic, ensuring that essential supplies continue to reach the people of Ontario,” McNaughton said.
“Providing these hard-working men and women with access to washrooms is a small change that will make a big difference, so they can do their jobs with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
Three truckers — among the many others who voiced their concerns in interviews — agreed with McNaughton: It is a very little step. However, it is enough to provide them with much-needed hope, they said.
Sergio Machado, a 52-year-old trucker from Edmonton, pulled over for a quick chat by phone Wednesday while driving in Quebec.
“It shows somebody is finally listening. Because for years, no one really has,” Machado said. “I just hope others can start looking at this as well now, because we’ve been treated like scum for decades — which only got worse and was only exposed during COVID.”
Phillip Adler, a trucker in his 20s from rural Manitoba, said Ontario’s decision only addresses one of the many concerns that truckers have raised about their industry.
Steve Roach, who has been working in the field for 15 years, said the next step is to address the real reasons behind the “vicious cycle'' that is causing extreme labour shortages of truckers in Canada.
“We need to be treated the way other skilled labourers are treated,” he said Wednesday. “And we need governments to ensure companies take loyalty, incentives and our treatment seriously — beyond just washrooms.”Comment
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Adversity temporarily visits a strong man but stays with the weak for a lifetime.Comment
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Re: The future of work
This is actual widespread issue? I guess it would have to be for legislation to be considered.
I have never heard of any business locally not allowing a delivery driver to use the facilities.Comment
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Re: The future of work
... the gripes are not just about access to washrooms. Long hours, fatigue, away from home a lot missing family, just OK pay, finding showers .. I am sure there are many others.
The trucking industry, especially amongst long haul drivers, lost a lot of drivers during the pandemic. Many older drivers simply retired. Trucking schools were closed and no new graduates.
... a similar fate is ahead for copier technicians. Many are in their late 50s and 60s. They have achy bones and joints. Many drive long unpaid hours. Not many new techs coming into the industry. Not great pay. Lots of well paying high tech jobs available in other industries that require good electro-mechanical skills.Comment
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Re: The future of work
My bad. I didn't realize your support for Trump voters.
75% of truckers are voting for Trump, according to political poll
A newly released political poll conducted by CDLLife found that 75% of truck drivers plan to vote for Donald J. Trump in the upcoming 2020 general election.
This is the first time that CDLLife has conducted a political poll asking our subscribed audience to give their thoughts on the upcoming election. The poll was conducted from 09/04/2020 to 10/27/2020. Over this time period, CDLLife contacted 347,511 current or former truck drivers to get their take on an array of political issues. In total, we asked our respondents 30 questions ranging from who they planned to vote for in the upcoming election to preferences on policies that they feel should be the top priority for the next administration. 2,124 truck drivers responded to the survey.
75.5% of respondents said they would vote for Trump, 18.6% said they would vote for Biden and 5.9% said they would vote for an alternate candidate.
Adversity temporarily visits a strong man but stays with the weak for a lifetime.Comment
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