Those managers and executives who have come through the ranks, maintaining their own diaries, typing their own words and creating their own presentations often find it difficult to adjust when they reach the dizzy heights of having their own secretary - or even an executive assistant. Most secretaries/assistants realise this and, in effect, end up
Is the future of work to be similar to the hybrid forms we have seen emerge from the pandemic - with workers attending the workplace only 2 or 3 days per week (or even less)? There seems to be some kickback from employers who would like workers in their offices more often - but there
Over the last few decades there has been steady and continual divergence between productivity growth and pay rises, Analysis of historical data shows that productivity and compensation for ordinary workers grew in near lockstep from the end of World War II through the 1970s. Since then, however, productivity has grown nearly four times faster than
On Monday morning (or perhaps Sunday evening), ask yourself the following questions : What are the critical issues this week? What do I absolutely have to get done this week? What might come back to bite me if I don’t get it done this week? What does our strategic plan suggests are my priorities? Hopefully
Some people praise the potential of AI (Artificial Intelligence). Some are scared by it. Who is right? All of them. We know that all new technologies tend to be misused by unscrupulous and unprincipled actors. The nature of AI technology makes this potential very high. Yet, AI also does have great potential to assist us in
In a changing world, business leaders are looking for more training options that provide greater flexibility and variety. They are looking for a mix of formats and delivery options, with a preference for short courses. industrial certifications, and vocational qualifications. dip-in, dip-out and online learning is seen as being most beneficial by time-poor, resource-constrained small businesses. If
In many countries, governments are raising the retirement age to contain pension and welfare costs. Today’s workers are going to have to work to a ripe, old age. (Since, generally, people are healthier and fitter than they were 30 or 40 years ago, this is not necessarily a bad thing.) It does mean, however, that, increasingly, organisations
We have all experienced sensory overload due to the deluge of emails we receive. This is even more so for those of us whose organisations have provided us with a range of helpful (?) productivity tools like Google Docs, Slack, Teams, WhatsApp and so on. These were often introduced during the pandemic to enable remote
A new trend is emerging of organisations organising review and retrospection meetings - perhaps every 2 weeks or so to allow employees (collectively) to review what they’ve done, what they’ve achieved, what went well and what didn’t. The meeting is a safe space in which employees can speak freely and honestly, even critically. It helps managers identify
Lots of countries that expanded their productivity through the 1980s and 1990s have slowed to a crawl. Their 'growth engines' seem to have disappeared or been dismantled. COVID-19 may have been the final nail in the coffin (or the puncture in the tyre). Many of these companies are still trying to restart their engines -