New research report “Creating today’s workplace for tomorrow’s talent” released

A précis of the report is available via this link and a full copy of the 43-page report (normal valued £200) is available free to everyone who books on our 5^th October 2016 Smartworking Summit.

The report studies in detail the correlations between knowledge worker productivity, employee engagement, and talent retention.

Why knowledge workers?

1. The service sector, predominantly staffed by knowledge workers, now represents over 77% of overall UK GDP,
2. The services sector is the single fastest growing industry sector with the Bank of England forecasting sector growth of 3% in the coming year,
3. There are huge challenges, many unforeseen, facing the attraction and retention of knowledge workers,
4. With productivity down by 17% over the last decade, the knowledge worker workforce must lead the charge for increasing output.

Talent challenges include an aging and retiring workforce, availability of talent, and addressing the gender imbalance.  It’s broadly estimated that there will be a 50% gap between retirees and new talent entering the labour market over the next decade.

Attracting, recruiting, and retaining knowledge workers requires a complete overhaul of management practices – retooling management capabilities.

In the face of the changing nature of work, workplace design needs considerable fresh scrutiny, especially regarding noise, daylight, and provision of quiet space.

Lastly, the provision of nutrition needs a complete rethink.  The unfounded three square meals a day dating back to mediaeval times is woefully inappropriate for today’s knowledge worker energy demands.  To help address the obesity crisis, it needs to be ditched in favour of eating frequent, portion controlled small meals focused on nutritional value.