How to create an inclusive work environment in a hybrid workplace

Post-Covid, leaders are encouraging their teams to head back to the office, aiming to create an inclusive work environment. But have employees been as eager to return? Clarasys consultant Ana Sukhishvili looks at hybrid workplace best practices. Pre-pandemic, employees were already showing a desire for flexibility at work. Fast forward…

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The Business Impact of Great Managers

The impact of great management on workplace outcomes and employee health and well-being cannot be overstated. A good boss can make your work life feel a lot like a walk in the park, even on days when it's more of a hike. You feel heard, encouraged, and inspired, resulting in…

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EU Launches Crypto-Assets Regulation

In September 2020, the European Commission adopted a digital finance package with the aim of creating a supportive regulatory framework to enable the digital transformation of the European Union’s financial industry. It established the groundbreaking piece of regulation – the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) – to provide a harmonised…

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Working Assumption: Factors Slowing AI’s Impact on Jobs

“How will this affect my job?” “It could never do my job!” We hate to disagree, but it is almost certainly the case that at least part of your current role could be performed by an AI. The discussion of the possible impact of AI on the workforce is being…

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European autonomy in payments: Digital euro is not the only option

Inspired by the overarching goal to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy, its authorities are pushing for a retail payment solution provided by European players and functioning in all member states as well as across national borders. European citizens already enjoy a wide choice of payment options. However, card and mobile/online…

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Africa can be the “Clean, Green Continent of the Future”

Committing to sustainable energy development can be achieved alongside socio-economic development First stated by President William Ruto in his welcome address on the opening morning of the conference and then reiterated throughout, it is clear that leaders on the African continent see sustainable energy development and socio-economic development as not…

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How are World markets faring in 2023?

At the halfway point of the year, some of the key themes which have influenced global markets through the early months of 2023 have continued to dominate. Charlie Buxton, our Head of Investment Management, spoke to Ian Hooper, Chief Investment Officer at Progeny, to explore some of the recent developments.…

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Dealing with Workplace Jerks

Different personalities exist in every workplace, and among them, some individuals can make work challenging for others. These individuals tend to be selfish, aggressive, and arrogant, causing disruptions to morale and productivity in the workplace. Unfortunately, the prevalence of toxic coworkers is increasing, making it a frustrating task to handle…

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Money matters – tackling tough conversations about finance

Talking about money can feel uncomfortable and be fraught with challenges. In this new series, Trust Executive Shannon Brightman, explores some of the tough conversations about finance that come up at different stages of life and offer some thoughts about how you can approach some of those challenging discussions. It’s…

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China, Russia, Iran, Are Just Following The US Example

  The US’s historical ascent to global dominance, and the implications for China, Russia, and today’s geopolitical landscape On this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast, we delve into the dynamics of rising powers with Sean A. Mirski, author of the new book, We May Dominate the World. Mirski, a lawyer and foreign…

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Helping adolescents feel competent and purposeful may improve grades

Encouraging adolescents to feel capable and purposeful – rather than just happy – could improve their academic results as well as their mental health, according to new research which recommends changing how wellbeing is supported in schools. The University of Cambridge study, involving over 600 teenagers from seven English schools,…

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Accenture Song Helps smart Europe Reinvent the Car Shopping Experience

Accenture has teamed up with smart Europe to establish its data-driven, direct-to-consumer (DTC) business model in Europe, repositioning the iconic brand and supporting the launch of its new fully electrical car lines, starting with the smart #1, with an innovative take on the car customization experience. Together the companies’ ambition…

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Macro-economic Scenario 2023-2024 – Normalisation plays hard to get

The US economy has been resilient but is starting to crack, and these cracks get deeper as the repressive effects of monetary and financial tightening make themselves known. Housing investment has already experienced a sharp adjustment, and real investment in turn should fall substantially. After dipping into their savings and…

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Prepare today for tomorrow’s cyber crisis – Why incident response matters

Imagine you are driving a car and suddenly encounter a roadblock. Would you have a detour plan ready to navigate around it or would you continue driving, hoping it would disappear? You only have one choice, right? Now consider this in the context of cybersecurity incident response where only 30%…

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Resources for Building a Positive Work Culture

In the ever-evolving realm of modern organizations, there’s a shared understanding of the paramount importance of fostering a positive work culture. It’s no secret that a supportive and uplifting culture doesn’t just make employees happy, but it’s also the key for driving productivity and achieving remarkable outcomes. However, measuring the…

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Cultivating a learning culture: Introduction to reverse mentoring

Good company culture is the holy grail that many companies aspire to have and the thing that prospective employees seek. Undoubtedly, organisations have shifted towards becoming more employee-centric and use these benefits to drive value for their clients. This raises the question: how can leadership better understand what employees truly…

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Digital exclusion: 4 ways to create digitally inclusive strategies

What do we mean by ‘digital exclusion’? When we talk about digital exclusion, we mean people who don’t use the internet or digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. And then there’s also a group we call ‘digitally disadvantaged’. Digitally disadvantaged people do use the internet, but only in…

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How to become a pension millionaire

Retirement is a time when most of us can aim for a more relaxed pace of life and enjoy some long-held plans and dreams. But it’s been pretty impossible to escape the effect of higher inflation in the last 12 months, and its impact will ripple on for some time…

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Demographics Matters More Than Ever for Catching Tailwinds for Businesses and Investors

In November 2022, the United Nations announcement that the global population had crossed the 8 billion mark brought out the usual fearmongering regarding overpopulation, food shortages and environmental destruction. But what if this is the last flourish for population increases and, 50 years from now, we’ll reminisce of countries and economies that…

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Whistleblowing and Financial Services

Whistleblowing, as set out in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (‘PIDA’), is the act of reporting wrongdoing within an organisation with the aim of preventing it, and any harm that may arise from it. This holds particular importance in the financial services industry due to the clear potential for…

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More active Older adults have a better quality of life

The same was also true for increases in the amount of sedentary time, such as watching TV or reading. The researchers say this highlights the need to encourage older adults to remain active. Physical activity – particularly when it is moderate-intensity and raises your heart rate – is known to…

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Customer Closeness

Customer Closeness – the ‘Why’ In our experience, business event organizers aren’t as close to their customers as they claim. Deep and segmented customer understanding is vital to any business’s success, particularly in events where the job of organizers is to facilitate meaningful connections. Tradeshows are increasingly competing for participants’…

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How can we train large language models Faster and Cheaper?

ChatGPT and other applications that rely on large language models (LLMs) are gaining widespread use and drawing abundant media attention. But a handful of large well-funded tech companies dominate the LLM space because pretraining these models is extremely expensive, with cost estimates starting at $10 million and potentially reaching tens…

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How Logistics Disruptors use Data insights for greener shipping

ZeroNorth uses data to help shipping companies become more efficient and, by extension, greener. Its interactive platform provides simulations, predictions, analysis, and data-driven insights that can aid shipping companies in their quest to traverse oceans while consuming less fuel. Founded in June 2020, the Copenhagen-based start-up now has about 200…

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Nature has its own highways

Human ingenuity can solve all kinds of complex problems and find solutions to overcome all sorts of obstacles. But sometimes nature provides the best answer. To transport heavy, bulky goods to the sea, for example, we could build roads, bridges and petrol-powered trucks that emit climate-changing CO2. Or… we could…

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Access to Resources Support Influences Employee Engagement

Building on the first article in our two-part series, "Decoding Employee Needs for Resources and Support with Listening," this piece will explore the critical interplay between resources, support, and employee engagement. As emphasized in our previous discussion, effective employee listening not only helps translate employee voices into data-driven insights. It…

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Patch me if you can

Many organizations utilize third-party apps for identity security solutions to automate and unburden overtaxed IT admins from tedious tasks that employees can perform via self-service without IT assistance. But in September 2021, our researchers observed threat actors exploiting one such third-party app at several US-based entities. The vulnerability was publicly…

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When open source AI falls into the wrong (bad) hands

A researcher was granted access earlier this year by Facebook’s parent company, Meta, to incredibly potent artificial intelligence software – and leaked it to the world. As a former researcher on Meta’s civic integrity and responsible AI teams, I am terrified by what could happen next. Though Meta was violated by the leak, it came ... Continue reading »

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Influencers and Psychological Strategies

Nathalie made a living promoting fashion brands and products on social media. Initially, she found her work as an influencer liberating as it allowed her to express herself. However, over time, the responsibility and pressure that came with having her whole life displayed online took a toll on her physical…

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Understanding Depopulation Could Be Good For Business

In November 2022, the United Nations announcement that the global population had crossed the 8 billion mark brought out the usual fearmongering regarding overpopulation, food shortages and environmental destruction. But what if this is the last flourish for population increases and we will look back 50 years from now with…

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Yes, there are business lessons to learn from the sports world

You might have seen our recent campaign, which draws on the parallels between CEOs and professional athletes. If not, you can check it out here. Since its launch, both the sports and business domains, and their synergies, have become front of mind for us at Elixirr. Whilst the overlap between…

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How to change Abrasive Leaders

Abrasive leaders, also known as “workplace bullies,” engage in aggressive behavior because they are truly unaware that their actions cause so much damage to those around them. A lot of times, they are labeled as narcissists or gaslighters because they display these kinds of behaviors. Sure, they know they’re seen…

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