Latest news with #officework
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
HS2 staff ordered to come to office more
HS2 has ordered staff back into the office three days a week as it comes under fire over yet more delays and spiralling costs. The beleaguered high speed railway line has told employees they must come into work more often, saying the change will aid 'faster decision-making'. The Transport Secretary last week branded the project an 'appalling mess' as she revealed its completion has been pushed back beyond 2033. HS2 has lagged behind other parts of the public sector on working from home even as its costs have spiralled out of control to an estimated £66 billion. Right up until last month it still only required employees to attend work - either at an office or on site - for a minimum of two days a week. Staff were finally informed on May 1 that they would now have to come in for at least three days, matching the standard set across Whitehall. A spokesman for HS2 said: 'We recently increased our office and site working requirements to a minimum of three days a week. This is in line with many other parts of the public sector and we believe it supports collaboration, communication and faster decision-making. 'We recognise the continued benefits that hybrid working policies bring to employees such as promoting work life balance and enhancing employee wellbeing.' The company insisted that compliance with attendance requirements is 'closely monitored' using swipe card data. Staff who refuse to return to the office for the new three day minimum standard without a reasonable excuse could face disciplinary action. HS2 has been blighted by repeated delays and soaring costs, despite the scope of the project being repeatedly scaled back by ministers. It was originally meant to run on one main line from London to Birmingham, before splitting into separate branches destined for Manchester and Leeds. When it was first announced by Gordon Brown in 2009, the rail line had an estimated price tag of £37.5 billion and was due to open in 2026. Amid alarm over the rising costs and delays, Rishi Sunak significantly curtailed the project in 2023, meaning that it will now only run as far as Birmingham. There have also been doubts over whether the London terminus will be Euston as planned, or if it will be moved to Old Oak Common to save money. The surging costs of the project have largely been blamed on the need to tunnel under the Chilterns, an area of outstanding national beauty. It has also been blighted by green regulations, including the requirement to build a £100 million bat tunnel, which has been criticised by Sir Keir Starmer. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, told the Commons last week that HS2 was 'an appalling mess' but 'it is one we will sort out'. Announcing the delay beyond 2033, she said: 'We need to set targets which we can confidently deliver, that the public can trust and that will take time. 'But rest assured, where there are inefficiencies we will root them out. Where further ministerial interventions are needed, I will make them without fear or favour. HS2 will finally start delivering on our watch.'
Independent Singapore
22-05-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Singapore office workers' weekly 'inefficiency' of over 5 hours could cost the country S$85B annually: Notion report
SINGAPORE: Singapore's office workers are spending more than five hours a week on low-value tasks, or an average of 66 minutes daily on 'inefficient work,' which could cost the country an estimated S$85 billion annually or about 12.5% of its gross domestic product (GDP), according to new research by AI workspace Notion. The report said the main culprit for lost productivity among the surveyed 1,000 full-time, salaried office workers in Singapore aged 18 to 60 was juggling too many tools daily. Nearly half of the respondents said they use three to four different tools each day, while others juggle five or more. The issue also runs deeper at the organisational level, the report noted. 'With different teams often relying on separate, siloed systems, companies may be managing tens or even hundreds of disconnected apps, making it harder for employees to find information or collaborate effectively. This constant tool-switching, which can happen up to ten times a day, contributes to cognitive burden,' it stated. Notably, 48% of workers said it directly adds to their workplace stress. The report also pointed to searching for information across platforms as wasted time for workers. Nearly a quarter of office workers said they spend one to two hours a day looking for information. In fact, 42% said 'information hunting' was one of the most inefficient parts of their job, second only to 'swapping from one tool to another.' Amid these challenges, office workers see AI as a promising solution, with 82% saying they would adopt AI tools to reduce time spent searching for information and switching between platforms. Younger professionals are particularly enthusiastic, with 85% of Gen Z expressing interest in AI-powered workflows, compared to 76% of Gen X. Andrew McCarthy, General Manager of ANZ, SEA and India at Notion, said, 'The digital workplace has become a maze of disconnected tools that's taking a serious toll on Singapore professionals. With 76% of workers calling for businesses to unify their tech stack, we need to listen.' He added, 'We're addressing this demand by providing a connected AI workspace that eliminates the cognitive burden of juggling multiple platforms.' See also Two entrepreneurs in Overdrive Mr McCarthy pointed out that the average professional spends 84 minutes learning each new tool, with 35% feeling this time is completely wasted. He added, 'The promise of AI isn't just about automation; it's about creating a more humane work experience. We're seeing professionals eager to reclaim productive time, especially to automate repetitive tasks, retrieve information efficiently, and improve research and analysis processes.' Since launching Notion 2.0 in 2016, Notion has grown rapidly, with over a million users from Singapore. Currently, Notion is actively investing in the region and will soon be hiring its first Singapore-based team member to support local customers. It also plans to launch Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian versions of Notion in the coming months. Earlier this month, the company launched an AI update with new features, such as Enterprise Search, which allows users to search across multiple work apps and tools; Research Mode, which generates comprehensive reports; AI Meeting Notes, which provides real-time meeting summaries and transcription; and a redesigned AI Home interface. See also Job statistics reaching breaking point? The company also announced that its Notion Business and Enterprise plans will include unlimited access to these AI features, access to advanced models like GPT-4.1 and Claude 3.7 Sonnet, plus free trials available to all. In addition, it launched Notion Mail, an AI-powered, customisable inbox designed with auto-labelling, custom views for prioritising messages, one-click snippets for replies, built-in scheduling, a personal AI editor, and keyboard shortcut features. Earlier this year, Fast Company ranked Notion as one of the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025, topping the Workplace category. The company currently serves 62% of Fortune 100 companies and 90% of the Forbes Cloud 100 companies. /TISG Read also: Singapore companies tap global talent for software engineer, business development, and designer roles amid tech talent shortage Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
SNP civil servants say order to work in office two days a week ‘an attack on human rights'
Scottish Government civil servants have complained that their human rights are being breached after being ordered to be in the office two days a week, it has been reported. The SNP Government has told its officials they must return to the office for 40 per cent of their working week as part of a drive to improve productivity. They must hit the benchmark as an average over the course of a month, allowing them to spend some weeks working entirely from home so long as they come into the office more on subsequent occasions. The 40 per cent figure is lower than the equivalent Whitehall policy, which states that civil servants must spend at least 60 per cent of their time working in the office. But the Sunday Times reported that Scottish Government officials were furious at the edict and had complained about the cost of commuting to their offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Insiders also said they had protested about the environmental impact of them driving to work and had made complaints about 'an attack on their human rights'. Stephen Kerr, a Scottish Tory MSP, said the pushback against office working was 'frankly laughable' and an 'insult' to those who had never had the option to work from home. 'Government jobs are not a lifestyle perk – they are a well-paid public duty,' he said. 'Taxpayers fund these jobs, and they deserve a government workforce that turns up, works hard and delivers. 'Ministers should have enforced this long ago – government is not a Zoom meeting.' It emerged last year that the SNP administration's two main buildings in Edinburgh were more than half empty most of the time. A freedom of information response showed the Scottish Government's St Andrew's House headquarters was never more than 38 per cent full between December 2023 and January last year, while the huge Victoria Quay premises in Leith was only 30.5 per cent full at most. Previous SNP Government guidance said there was no 'centrally fixed mandated number of days' that staff needed to attend the office, but there was an 'expectation' that they would do so ' at least once per week '. A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Our updated approach will expect people to work 40 per cent of their time in person from October 2025, including time spent working with stakeholders, as well as in government buildings. 'The new approach aims to strengthen working relationships and it will offer additional support and development to the third of Scottish Government colleagues who have joined post pandemic and have had reduced opportunities to network, develop and connect in person.' He said the working from home 'may not be an option for certain roles' and trade unions would be consulted on the changes.
