The ‘gig economy’… we’ve heard that phrase a lot recently.  It refers to the five million or so people who get paid for each ‘gig’ they carry out – food delivery, courier delivery, taxi pick up, even plumbing work – more on this later. There are some great benefits of gig economy work: flexible hours, control over the work you decide to do, fitting in with other commitments.  For the company: paying the contractor only for the work they do – there are no benefits or regular salary payments to be made as the person doing the... Continue reading

Working overseas has several advantages, including the opportunity to experience different cultures, build confidence and improve your communication skills. What’s more, adapting your customer service skills when working abroad may not be as difficult as you think. Whilst handling a variety of international customer concerns and adapting to a new work environment can seem difficult, by taking the following tips into consideration, providing a high level of customer service is easy. Clear communication There are numerous factors that can aff... Continue reading

Futurologists love the open road because transportation acts as the perfect metaphor for progress. So it might seem to some like the self-driving car concept is just the next stage on our journey to making the tech in Star Trek and The Jetsons a reality. But it is actually a product of thinking about improving road safety. Volvo had been working on this project for a great many years before being joined by other manufacturers, and their basic premise was that vehicle accidents have a great deal to do with a loss of attention and variation in th... Continue reading

We’ve all been there… you’re not feeling well; the eyes are streaming; the throat is sore; you’re aching all over… but there’s work to be done, so despite feeling rubbish, you head into your workplace (or stay late) to finish it.  From your perspective, you’re doing the right thing – if you don’t do it, it won’t get done. Or if you don’t do it now, you’ll have to do it later, or you’ll let your manager or the company or the team down!  This is a typical example of presenteeism, and it’s on the rise. Despite the em... Continue reading

Anytime, anyplace anywhere learning can happen.  Google, YouTube, eLearning, blended learning, fast track, online, MOOCs (Massive Open Online courses), classroom, the options are endless and growing.  The world of Learning and Development is changing; has changed. We have choice which is good, but it can be confusing for individuals and employers.  Putting aside the need for clarity in identifying the learning need in the first place, how do we then decide what course, what format and then what provider? It can feel overwhelming with c... Continue reading