HRM and skills development – May 2021
New standard for distance learning stimulates business education
ISO has published ISO 29994:2021 Education and learning services – Requirements for distance learning. The standard provides international guidance on distance learning to ensure agreed levels of quality and transparency. It is intended to be used alongside ISO 29993:2017 Learning services outside formal education – Service requirements, with both covering educational services not offered by traditional universities and schools.
Robots and co-workers unite (somewhat) as context is shared
Working safely is not only about processes, but context – understanding the work environment and circumstances, and being able to predict what other people will do next. A new system by KTH Royal Institute of Technology empowers robots with this level of context awareness, so they can work side-by-side with humans on assembly lines more efficiently and without unnecessary interruptions. An article (abstract) about the research is published in Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing.
From ‘zombie’ to ‘angel’ job through re-learning and re-alignment
Reskilling does not mean learning completely different skills. Four fifths of the existing skills in jobs under threat (‘zombie jobs’) have potential in other, promising (‘angel’) jobs. The PwC report 'How to make vulnerable jobs ready for the future' gives a broad overview of this field based on a major study conducted in the Netherlands. You can download the report after filling in your details.
ICT investments towards the agile hybrid workplace
Unisys Corporation has published a white paper (2.13 MB) by IDC entitled ‘Seeking Digital and Experience Parity to Support the Hybrid Workforce’. The white paper looks at the changes required for the resilient, reimagined workplace - a democratised work environment, where all employees have the opportunity to collaborate, learn, develop, innovate, and succeed. The percentage of employees primarily working from home or other remote locations will jump from 3% (pre-COVID) to 23% (prognosis 2022).
To the office to meet and chat, home office for concentrated working
Although 80% of on-site workers report compliance with COVID-measures, 1 in 6 are afraid of becoming infected with corona at work. The current home workers mostly want to continue working from home after the pandemic. They want to go back to the office for the social contacts and collaboration and prefer the home (office) for concentrated working. This is reported by research institute TNO (in Dutch) based on their 3rd measurement of the NEA-COVID-19 survey.
Going back to the office: it has to be worth it
In an online article Gallup elaborates on the ‘workplace value proposition’, representing the organisational culture, benefits and interactions employees experience when working on-site. For the organisation, it's "why we come to the workplace." Gallup stresses the importance of the four C’s: Connection, Creativity, Collaboration and Culture.
Virtual office may erode employee performance and well-being
According to Gartner’s 2021 Hybrid Work Employee Survey, current virtualised work design models may well be damaging employees’ well-being and productivity, To succeed in a hybrid future, organisations must stop duplicating office-centric practices and shift to a human-centric model.
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