INBOX
Keep up to date with the latest news and views of interest to busy PAs.
Companies hurt by document problems
Dealing with document challenges is costing companies millions of dollars each year in lost productivity, a new white paper has found. It is based on a global survey last year
by the International Data Corporation covering information workers and IT professionals in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US. Sponsored by Adobe, the research found that information workers waste a signifi- cant amount of time each week dealing with challenges relating to documents. Fora company with 1000 employees,
for example, there is an associated productivity cost estimated at $15.2 million annually –equivalent to hiring 213 new employees. “The compounding complexity of
work has never been more pressing,” says IDC program vice-president Melissa Webster. “As the number of mobile devices and the use of cloud services surge, employees must be empowered to work more effectively with documents anywhere, and on any device.” This involves meeting IT and
organisational requirements for stream- lined management and security. Addressing security concerns about
employees using their own technology, such as smart phones, could dramatically improve productivity, says Adobe Australia & New Zealand managing
director Paul Robson. “People want to use their own devices for work and play, no matter where they are. The challenge for technology developers is to ensure security and integrity is not compromised.” He says his company has made
significant developments to its key business product, Acrobat, to address these issues. Its latest version has touch features for tablets and smart phones. Other key findings in the research:
1 One-fifth of smartphones used in the workplace and a third of tablets are owned by the employee, increasing challenges around document security.
1 Fifty per cent of office workers use a smartphone for work and nearly two-thirds expect to a year from now, while one-sixth use a tablet and this is expected to increase to a third.
1 Workers spend nearly half their time dealing with challenges and frustrations related to working with documents.
Officecliques ‘intimidate’
A new survey released by CareerBuilder has found that more than 40 per cent of workers say their office has cliques. While 11 per cent of workers surveyed
say they feel intimidated by office cliques, 20 per cent say they have done something they are really not interested in or didn’t want to do just to fit in with co-workers. Forty-six per cent in this subgroup simply went to bar happy hours to fit in. Other activities include: “Watching a
certain TV show or movie to discuss at work the next day” – 21 per cent; “Making fun of someone else or pretending not to like them” – 19 per cent; “Pretending to like certain food” – 17 per cent; and
“Taking smoking breaks”–9per cent. Moreover, about one in seven say they
have hidden their political affiliation to fit in, 10 per cent do not reveal personal hobbies and 9 per cent keep their religious affiliations and beliefs secret. “Thirteen per cent of workers say the
presence of office cliques has had a negative impact on their career progress,” says Rosemary Haefner of CareerBuilder. “Cliques can be counterproductive in the workplace. We see more managers using team-building activities or assembling people from different groups to work on projects to help discourage behaviours that can alienate others.”
STICKY NOTES
1 Sukosol Hotels, the award-winning family-run group of five hotels in Thailand, has revealed plans for a new charity program. The Sukosol Hotels Charity Program will benefit the Thai Red Cross Society’s Princess Sirindhorn Chulalongkorn Craniofacial Center, to help provide free operations and care for underprivileged Thai children with facial deformities.
1 A French fashion brand has developed a men’s suit that blocks possibly harmful electromagnetic waves from cellphones and WiFi points. Following the development of wallpaper that blocks Wi-Fi by the Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble in France, Smuggler has spent three years developing the suit in collaboration with the XLIM Research Institute. It can block up to 90 per cent of electromagnetic waves.
1 In Indonesia, a lawmaker has suggested that Corruption Eradication Commission chief Abraham Samad pick a soldier as his PA and bodyguard, as opposed to another police officer, to replace his outgoing assistant. MP Martin Hutabarat says Samad should appoint a member of the security “as he would naturally have many enemies”.
1 Researchers from Hong Kong Polytechnic University are studying which aspects of office design have the biggest impact on productivity. They questioned 259 office workers and found that sound and temperature mattered the most. The most irritating noises were conversations, ringing phones and machines.
1 Ricoh India has announced a 5 to 8 per cent increase in the prices of their office products and services following a “drastic” drop in the rupee.
1 When it comes to getting ahead in the workplace, women are their own worst enemy, a new survey claims. Women’s reluctance to ask fora raise acts as a roadblock when it comes to advancements in the workplace, according to the survey, conducted among 954 members of the ProfessionalWomen’s Network Group on career networking site LinkedIn.
1 More strict norms are being considered for the appointment of personal assistants for government ministers in India, reports The Hindu. This follows controversies over personal staff of the Chief Minister being involved in scams.
1 An executive assistant of former Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia has not yet returned nearly two dozen firearms and other valuables, reports the Inquirer News in The Philippines. Edwin Mixdon also failed to turn over 24 radio units, six radio transceivers and one motorcycle, according to the Provincial General Services Office. The equipment was issued seven years ago.
AUGUST/OCTOBER 2013 |
WWW.EXECUTIVEPA.ASIA
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