agiLab

🤝 The Last Human Job: A conversation about connecting in a disconnected world 🤝 📣 Mark your calendars for an exciting opportunity to explore the future of human connection in an AI world! Don't miss this exclusive conversation with two remarkable thought leaders: 🔸 Dr Allison Pugh - Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University and 2024-25 Vice President of the American Sociological Association. She is also the author of The Tumbleweed Society: Working and Caring in an Age of Insecurity and Longing and Belonging: Parents, Children, and Consumer Culture. 🔸 David Robinson - Founder and co-leader of The Relationships Project. He is a community development worker with a long record in social innovation, founding or co-founding several organisations including Community Links, Shift, and the Children's Discovery Centre. 📚 Dr Pugh will share insights from her latest book "The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World" (Princeton Press, 2024), exploring how we can preserve meaningful human connections in an increasingly automated workplace. 🗓️ Date: 18 February 2025 ⏰ Schedule: 3:00 PM - Welcome drinks and nibbles 3:30-4:30 PM - Main discussion 4:30 PM onwards - Networking and continued conversation 📍 Venue: Projects in The Globe Room, Brighton What you'll gain: 🔸 Fresh perspectives on human connection in the workplace 🔸 Insights into successful organisational experiments in enhancing team connections 🔸 Understanding of "connective labour" and its importance 🔸 Networking opportunities with like-minded business leaders Perfect for business leaders, people managers, healthcare professionals, and anyone passionate about nurturing authentic workplace connections. 🎟️ Stay tuned! Registration details coming soon! Thank you to our friends at Brighton Chamber for hosting this event. And thank you to the Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness (at the University of Sussex) for being an event partner. #FutureOfWork #HumanConnection #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #ThoughtLeadership #Brighton #Kindness

💡 Could Flexible Working play a larger role in workplace wellbeing? Our research explored the different flexible working practices, both statutory and non-statutory, used by organisations in 5 sectors. It answered the following research questions: 🔹 How have organisations developed policy environments around flexible working legislation? 🔹 How do sectoral and organisational factors affect the management of flexible working arrangements? 🔹 How do line managers handle and make decisions around a range of statutory and non-statutory requests for flexible working, and what are the influential factors in this process? 🔹 What do different approaches offer employers in a changing world of work? Read more on our findings here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eBUVwt4W #FlexibleWorking #Research #Workplace

‼️📢‼️An opportunity to take part in the next agiLab research project....and it will only take 10 minutes! ⬇️ Please share with your networks

🔍 New research sheds light on nurses' shift work preferences and well-being 🏥 At the recent Nursing Times Workforce Online Conference, Dr Chiara Dall-Ora, (Associate Professor – health workforce, University of Southampton) recently presented findings from two studies on choice and flexibility in nursing shift patterns. The key takeaways: ✅ Most nurses currently work 12-hour shifts, but only 34% actually prefer this shift length. Shorter shifts of 9 hours or less are more popular. ❌ Very few nurses feel they have complete choice over their shift patterns or ability to make changes. 💡 When choosing shifts, nurses prioritise factors outside of work, like time for rest, family, and hobbies. Consistency and predictability in schedules are highly valued. 📉 While having more choice in shift length reduces burnout, it doesn't completely eliminate the negative effects of long 12-hour shifts. 😞 In 2021, 57% of nurses surveyed were experiencing burnout, much higher than the 25-30% seen in pre-pandemic times. 🔑 The researchers conclude that offering adequate staffing and utilizing technology to enable more flexible working arrangements are critical to improving nurses' well-being and retention. However, choice alone is not a magic bullet. To watch a recording of Dr Dall-Ora's presentation: https://lnkd.in/ez5SpDcf #AgileWorking #FlexibleWorking #NHS #Nursing

‼️📢‼️An opportunity to take part in the next agiLab research project....and it will only take 10 minutes! ⬇️ Please share with your networks

📊 Who Are the Hybrid Workers? Recent data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that hybrid working—splitting time between 🏠 and 🏢—has become the ‘new normal’ for over a quarter of UK workers. Key insights include: 👩💼 Age Matters: 29% of workers aged 30 and above adopt hybrid working, compared to 19% of those aged 16 to 29. 👨👩👧👦 Parental Influence: 35% of working parents engage in hybrid work, with fathers (41%) more likely than mothers (30%) to do so. 📈 Occupational Trends: Nearly half (45%) of managers, directors, and senior officials follow hybrid patterns, whereas only 3% in elementary occupations do. 🎓 Educational Impact: 42% of workers with a degree or equivalent qualification are hybrid workers, contrasting with just 4% of those without qualifications. ⏳ Additionally, working from home saves an average of 56 minutes daily on commuting, allowing for 🛌 24 more minutes of sleep and 🏃♀️ 15 extra minutes for exercise or well-being activities. These findings highlight the evolving landscape of work in the UK, with hybrid working offering increased flexibility and improved work-life balance for many. #HybridWorking #WorkLifeBalance #ONSData #FutureOfWork #UKEmployment Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eAsrBBZy

📣 Do you work in the NHS? Would you like to participate in a 10-minute research project on agile working? 📣 Since the pandemic, many people’s jobs have changed.  In this new research study, academics at the University of Sussex, want to understand what you feel and think about how people have responded to some of these changes.  If you can spare 1️⃣ 0️⃣ minutes, we will present you with an online scenario about somebody’s work and ask you to tell us what you feel and think about this in an online questionnaire 💻 . We will also ask a few questions about your work.  Please note, the researchers will treat your survey responses as completely confidential🔏, and no identifying information about you will be shared with anyone else.  To get involved, please click on the link or scan the QR Code below. https://lnkd.in/eQ-nN468 Emma Russell Sam Owen NHS Employers

Further to Emma's post, thank you again to our wonderful presenters and audience at the 11th agiLab conference earlier in November. The presentation slides and a recording of the conference are now available on the conference page of the agiLab website (www.agilab.org.uk).

📣 The 11th agiLab mini-conference We're looking forward to our 11th mini-conference where, together with our friends and colleagues from the NHS (NHS Employers), we will be covering a range of topics: 💻 Dr Iain Coyne (Loughborough University) will be presenting on cyberbullying at work including addressing new forms of counterproductive behaviours in digital work 🛜 Sarah Hayden (Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust) will be discussing how automation and AI are supporting agile working 🏢 Dr Francesca Sobande (Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd) will be reflecting on the interconnections of emotional, mental, and physical dimensions at work, including suggestions on how organisations can cultivate a more inclusive and flexible culture 🗓️ 19 November ⏰ 10:00 - 13:00 (GMT) The event is free to attend. Please sign up at: https://lnkd.in/gHS9NtVD #AgileWorking #FlexibleWorking #NHS

🔌 Will a ‘right to switch off’ from work communications help UK workers? An article by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University discusses whether a ‘right to switch off’ statutory Code of Practice be strong enough for workers. The UK’s Labour government is proposing a statutory Code of Practice to protect workers’ right to disconnect from work messages outside of contracted hours 📵. While a step forward for work-life balance, the question remains: will this be strong enough to truly protect workers’ mental health and productivity? 🤔 In countries like 🇮🇪 Ireland and 🇧🇪 Belgium, similar codes exist, and employers are expected to respect them. However, as the Work Foundation points out, creating a culture that supports digital disconnection is just as crucial as policy. 🏢✨ For companies, embracing the right to disconnect means: ✅ Building a clear, purpose-driven disconnection strategy ✅ Training managers to support a healthy work-life balance ✅ Leading by example from the top down Read more on how the ‘right to switch off’ can become a meaningful workplace norm 👉 https://lnkd.in/eTFfMqGK #WorkLifeBalance #RightToDisconnect #MentalHealth #FutureOfWork #AgileWorking #FlexibleWorking