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Internet of Things will transform industries A wide range of industries, from healthcare to manufacturing, should be able to use data gathered from the Internet of Things (IoT) in predictive applications. This is a key finding from a research report by the Centre for Information Management at Loughborough University, The impact of the internet of things on managing work. In particular, the report suggested that IoT could potentially be used to monitor the health of patients and the performance of equipment, allowing organisations to switch from reactive to proactive interventions. Yet the report also raised concerns around data security and surveillance activity, giving the example of wearable fitness devices that record movements both within the workplace and outside. It noted: “There is a lack of clarity around data ownership, especially where IoT devices
that capture the data may perform multiple roles depending on time and location.” Another issue highlighted was the need for new theories and concepts to be developed to “help understand the complex interconnected nature of IoT”. It said: “IoT transcends multiple disciplines and domains, and this complexity needs to be reflected and embraced in future research, through studies that are multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional.” The report also noted that governments, businesses and the IT community should take an active interest in guiding the direction of IoT growth. “It is human technologists, not robots, which are leading these developments,” it said. “Therefore, humans should be able to influence how IoT impacts on workplace and society.” See more on the future of work, on page 69
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Employees don’t ask for help for fear it won’t be helpful Employees may avoid asking for help in the workplace because they doubt it will be effective. This is the finding of a study by Daniel Newark, assistant professor of management and human resources at business school HEC Paris. The research, which was co-authored with Vanessa Bohns and Francis Flynn, found that on top of the discomfort and stress of requesting help, people’s expectations about the outcome also determine whether they even ask for it in the first place. Before they request help, they weigh up the anticipated likelihood of
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getting it, but also the anticipated value of it – how helpful will the help actually be? Additionally, the researchers found that help-seekers underestimate the lengths that others will actually go to when they agree to help us – usually they will go further than we think. “We feel a sense of responsibility, an obligation to follow through,” said Newark. “At some point, most of us come across tasks that we’re not sure how to carry out. Help – both giving and receiving it – makes us feel good, reminding us that we are part of a community.”
ARE LINE MANAGERS SUPPORTIVE OF STAFF WITH POOR MENTAL HEALTH?*
34% of staff with a mental health problem in last five years felt well supported at work by their line manager
50% of managers feel confident they could recognise staff who aren’t coping
64% of staff with mental health problems support zero tolerance of stigma
73% of staff who have had a mental health problem would know what to say to a colleague struggling to cope
40% of managers who have not had mental health issues would not know what to say *Source: The Mental Health Foundation and Unum
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