Vision 2020: The Future of Work, City University London’s Centre for Performance at Work launch, London, UK, 9 March 2010
Article Type: Resources From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 9, Issue 4
City University London’s new Centre for Performance at Work is committed to shaping the future of work. So, it is no surprise to find that its launch event in March did not disappoint. Over 200 audience members joined a panel of five talented young people at the central London University, where they discussed what the workplace should be like in the year 2020.
The main themes discussed on the evening focused on the need to slow down the pace at which we work, the need to ensure that individuals feel satisfied in their jobs, whilst contributing to society, and the role that technology plays in assisting and preventing such changes.
Finding a way forward
First up to the podium was Dr Permi Jhooti, a medical researcher at University Hospital Basel and former professional footballer. Drawing on her experiences, she asserted that people should try and be the best they can be to make a difference to the world. Following this was a presentation of the famous Youtube video, “Did you know?” by Marc Lewis, technology entrepreneur and dean, School of Communication Arts 2.0; and interesting speeches from other panelists including: Pauline Long, an entrepreneur and philanthropist; Rajay Naik, former chairman, British Youth Council and board member of the Big Lottery Fund; and Dr Jochen Menges, an expert in human resources and organizations at the University of Cambridge.
On the night it was Dr Menges who provided the audience of business leaders and HR professionals with the most thought provoking points. He questioned organizations’ desire to push their workforce to react quicker and quicker to the business environment. Menges argued that employees who are asked to work in such an accelerated way day-in-day-out, eventually run out of energy, which leads to a dip in their performance levels. The biggest challenge, he stated,was how organizations can become more focused and innovate to work at a more manageable pace for their staff, while maintaining their market position.
Questions from the floor reiterated the panels’ concerns and highlighted that organizations needed guidance on how they could implement such radical changes in the working environment; queried the impact that developing technology would have; and stressed that the role of older people in the workplace would need to be defined.
Efrosyni Konstantinou and Jo SilvesterDr Efrosyni Konstantinou is manager of City University London’s Centre for Performance at Work. Professor Jo Silvester is director of City University London’s Centre for Performance at Work
For more information
To find out more about the Centre for Performance at Work, please visit www.city.ac.uk/performanceatworkor to view a video of the lecture visit www.city.ac.uk/whatson/2010/3-mar/090310_CPAW.html
