The 2014 World Cup has finally arrived and cities around the world find themselves flooded in a sea of national flags, raving spectators and peeping cars. In the UK alone, 15 million people tuned in to watch the Three Lions’ opening match against Italy. I’ve always been a huge admirer of the amount of physical and mental preparation that players put into every game. Everything from their dietary regime to the amount of sleep they get is paramount to their performance on the day, not to mention the hours invested on the training ground. A professional footballer is said to train for about five hours a day, five days a week. This year, to ensure that England’s performance wouldn’t be affected by the Brazilian heat, the team was even subjected to special acclimatisation techniques involving heat chambers. For us mortal spectators, the whole thing is a little more laid-back, as we enjoy the match over a cold beer with our friends, only breaking into a mild sweat when somebody scores or the referee makes a bad decision. But World Cup preparation goes beyond just physical factors such as speed, climate resistance, nutrition and sleep. The word "preparation" wouldn’t make us think of the team gazing into their iPads completing some e-learning exercises -would it? We tend to think of football and e-learning as two irreconcilable terms and that the last place for e-learning would be a football pitch. Well, that has now changed. Pace of change I was really interested to read about England’s team being equipped with iPads and their very own learning content this year. To better understand their direct opponents, each player has received access to a Brazil 2014 scouting app, provided by The Football Association. What’s more, the app is by no means generic, but has been designed to meet the squad member’s individual needs. So if you’re a striker like Rooney or Sturridge, the app will give you a detailed insight into the opponents’ defensive strategy. The content is delivered in the form of videos and expert insights, which could serve as a real advantage during the match. This is what I call truly personalised mobile learning on-demand. And it might actually be working. Although the opening match against Italy could have gone better, it could have been at lot worse, too, and England’s performance was pretty encouraging. Perhaps they should have studied Pirlo’s movement a little more closely, that’s all. The truth is that there is no such thing as an unlikely place for e-learning anymore, as e-learning and mobile solutions are becoming increasingly flexible, accessible and tailored to the individual. All these factors will help to enhance motivation for the learner, too. E-Learning is no longer a niche; it is becoming more and more common, entering unexpected sectors. In fact, the scouting app even allows for results to be measured, meaning that Roy Hodgson can see what his team has been up to in real-time. So no matter where in the world you’re based or what your profession is, chances are there’s already a learning mobile solution out there which could help to make you better at what you do. But even the best technology won’t help a corporate team or sports team if the communication isn’t there. After all, strong communication skills are the glue holding together any successful company or team. If the teams don’t discuss their tactics clearly and thoroughly in advance, there’s no way they will succeed on the day, unless through a huge stroke of luck. I’m still hoping that my national team Germany has learnt its lesson and will win this year’s cup. Bring on the opposition!

We have become a society that relies on technology for work. But how can companies begin using technology to create better workplaces? Here are some stories (and examples) of what companies are doing to create better offices. We’ve all been there. We’ve all worked in that one job that we hated. Where we would stare at the clock every thirty seconds hoping that a lot more time has passed. Where managers didn’t appreciate us for the times that we had an outstanding achievement. The type of workplace that favors employees instead of making the team better as a unit. Sadly, there are way too many workforces like this that are creating disengaged employees  who don’t enjoy being there. Two questions we need to ask: What can leaders do to turn a company’s culture around and make it a fun and engaged workplace? And how can companies as a whole do their best to engage their employees? The answer to both of those questions is simple: Use technology to solve it. Make a culture more fast-paced and fun by staying up to date with the latest advancements in tech and creating a culture of productivity. Engage Employees Using Technology Leaders can do a lot to create a fun atmosphere around their job. They have to embrace the fact that society is making a lot of technological advances (and is growing quicker and faster every day, might I add). We are becoming a tech-savvy workforce and nowadays a lot of work can be done on the go using mobile applications. Almost all our work is done via computers and mobile applications. We are always connected, we have plenty of communication channels, and if you really think about it we’re always at work. So what  type of tools can we use to engage our employees? Try using the most user-friendly softwares, services, and applications, that will allow employees to truly have fun with what they’re doing. I’ve previously done research on gamified platforms and how they will influence workplaces. Believe it or not, this growing trend is now being used by major CRM’s, E-Mail clients, and different types of services to allow employees to accomplish tasks easily. This is not only allowing people to work optimally, but it’s also to have a bit of fun with what they’re doing. There are two types of work, heuristic and algorithmic. Heuristic work is the conception of new ideas and trying to get them to work. Example: writing an article is a heuristic task because you’re required to come up with new concepts. Algorithmic tasks on the other hand, are redundant, repetitive tasks that are almost factory-like, think data entry. When you’re using a gamified platform, you’re turning all those tasks that seem redundant and boring, into tasks that are allowing you to have fun with your colleagues at work. Apart from gamification, try finding platforms that have user-friendly experiences. I feel like I’ve tried every CRM in the book. Every single one of them seems boring, outdated, and to be honest … absolutely dreadful. I’m not going to promote it, but I finally found a system that worked for me and I felt like my customer relations went through the roof. Little things like that can improve workflow and overall ambition to complete tasks … especially with the younger generations of employees. Employee Engagement Software There are such things as employee engagement softwares that managers have implemented to gain more data about their employees. These can be highly beneficial and lead to a lot of success for companies and their employees. This is mostly due to the fact that managers are able to see what their employees are like and how they interact with one another on a daily basis, while gathering analytics about work trends, happiness levels, etc. Managers can even consider conducting of employee surveys to get more information. Remember, great bosses want as much data and information as they can so they gain a better understanding of how things are running within their organization. Being a data-driven organization usually leads to success. I will add that it is vital to not forget about the human aspect of the work. We can resort to technology as much as we want to make things easier, but let’s never forget to love what we do and have fun with our colleagues. There’s not one string of data or mobile application that can create or demand intrinsic motivation. Plain and simple, an employee will be engaged and motivated if the atmosphere is motivating. So make sure you’re engaging your employees and creating a fun atmosphere by using the right technologies and software. It will boost motivation and make things easier for employees and managers alike.

Elearning is a cost-effective and efficient way of delivering training. Yet there is a real danger of online learning being drowned out by the ‘noise’ of other electronic channels in the workplace. On an average day, employees are bombarded not only with emails and instant messages, but also with input from collaboration and productivity systems, web conferences and social media. Unless elearning is both engaging and positioned as vital for the future wellbeing of the organisation and the learner, it is increasingly likely that employees will overlook it. Mobile users check their phones 150 times a day according to Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’ annual Internet Trends report). According to a report by Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange in 2013 [1], the average American adult who uses social networks, spends an average of 3.2 hours per day on social media. Senior executives and decision-makers spend 40% more time than junior staff on social media. Against this backdrop, it can be a challenge, to put it mildly, to engage employees with online training. However it is key for businesses to retain skilled employees by making them feel that work is meaningful and one way to do this is through effective learning and development. Real-world drivers Tasking managers to develop a learning culture is one of the chief ways of cutting through the noise so that workers prioritise learning. Learners need to understand the real-world drivers for their training. They might need to learn a new language to communicate with existing clients or win new business, for example. They may need to achieve certain certifications to allow the business to go into partnership with others or to show that it is compliant with the relevant rules and regulations. Despite the potential of the latest elearning platforms, 44% of training departments invested less than a tenth of their training budget in elearning programmes, compared with 47% in the preceding year*. Only 8% invest over half their budget in e-enabled learning. This may be partly because a little elearning budget goes a long way, compared with the cost of classroom-based trainers. On the other hand, it may indicate that organisations are not getting the most out of their learning and development strategy. If elearning is to cut through the electronic noise bombarding employees on a daily basis, it needs to be at least as accessible as competing channels, such as social media and email. There are signs that organisations are progressively enabling mobile learning apps or remote access to e-learning from any device for travelling and dispersed staff. Speexx found that over a third (35%) of the training professionals it surveyed allow mobile devices at work and use them for learning and almost a quarter (24%) plan to introduce mobile learning by 2016. Speaking the learner’s language Elearning content needs to be spot-on to compete with viral videos circulating the internet and hit its target. One-size-fits-all, in reality, fits no-one. People who work in IT, for example, will not relate to training content designed to appeal to financiers. Neither group will respond to generic content. It is vital to speak to learners in the lingo of their industry, otherwise they simply will not hear you. The latest elearning solutions go beyond tailoring for each sector or vertical industry. Tapping into a person’s working life and learning style demands an individual approach. Personalising learning might include creating flexibility so that people can learn at a time or place that suits them. Using big data and globally interoperable systems, enterprises can become training organisations that cut through the noise and not only meet but also anticipate learner needs. Top tips to cut through the multi-channel noise Tap into the power of social media to engage employees in training. Over a third (34%) of learning and development professionals believed that social learning would be very effective in the future*. Yet, at the time of the survey, earlier this year, only 22% had introduced a social learning strategy. Use new technology and don’t be afraid of it. If employees need to log on to a PC in the workplace, this limits the time available for training. HR and L&D professionals surveyed by Speexx expect that cloud platforms will play a significant role in their company training strategy in future. Just over a quarter of them expected a cloud solution would allow them to deliver consistent training to all employees regardless of location, while 45% predicted increased flexibility for users. 21% expected cloud tech would reduce direct training costs. Integrate learning systems within existing systems so that people learn as they work. Employees are much more likely to access training if it is provided as a tool to help them with their daily workflow. Need help filling in that complex form? Here is some training to help with that. Need support communicating with an overseas colleague in their language? Here is some relevant training.

Employees are becoming overloaded with information and overwhelmed by multiple channels of communication. This means for corporate learning that it can be an uphill struggle to keep learners on-task when you are competing against a cacophony of electronic noise. App maker Locket was able to work out how many times people unlock their phone to look at it - this averaged out at a massive ten times per hour. Combine this with checking PC and tablet-based communication channels, from social media to collaboration software, encompassing instant messaging and traditional phone and text messages, and there is no doubt that this daily barrage of communication is causing more stress, decreased concentration and productivity for learners. Unsurprisingly, Gallup research found that only 13 per cent of employees around the world are fully engaged at work and in China this number is only six per cent. Businesses have woken up to this issue - two-thirds of business leaders cite ‘the overwhelmed employee’ as a top business challenge in a Deloitte study, ‘Global Human Capital Trends 2014’. The same study found that only one in ten companies feel equipped to deal with the overwhelmed employee. Many of us spend more than two thirds of our waking hours at work but the signs are that as we spend an increasing number of hours working, the hours we put in are becoming less and less productive, as we struggle to handle the bombardment of electronic communication channels. At the same time, employees appear to be getting little support from HR. More than half (57 per cent) of HR executives who responded to the Deloitte study rated their capability to help employees manage information and schedules as ‘weak’ and 39 per cent rated it ‘average’. There is a pressing need to bring meaning and purpose back into employees’ working lives if they are not to disengage entirely. Josh Bersin, co-author of the Deloitte study ‘Global Human Capital Trends 2014’, believes the number one reason people leave their job is for lack of learning and opportunity. He told the Huffington Post, "Our research shows that companies that invest more heavily in training, career development, and mobility far outperform their peers in almost every industry." As organisations wake up to this and the business benefits that come from a flexible learning organisation that is constantlyreskilling to meet the demands of global competition, many are implementing the latest solutions to address anything from compliance training to language learning. The danger is that this investment will be wasted if e-learning delivery becomes yet another channel of electronic bombardment. Make your voice heard and switch on your learners Set the stakes. Employees need to have a clear definition of their company’s direction, mission and vision. Part of this mission should be to embed learning into everyday business culture. Getting a manager to explain in person what the organisation hopes to achieve through a learning and development strategy is a good start. Employees need to be able to prioritise learning above other demands when necessary, and management plays a key part in facilitating this. Some points to consider. Switch off distractions. It is a good idea to design or procure a learning solution that prompts users to switch off all unrelated programmes or applications while learning, so as not to be distracted by constant alerts and pop-ups coming through. Set your learners free. A cloud-based solution that is flexible, mobile and runs on all devices, regardless of time and location, can free up your staff to learn in a way that suits them. This way, they can pick up their learning wherever they left off and continue learning while travelling or at home. They are not forced to learn only while in the office, where they may be caught up with other tasks. Get personal. Make content relevant and personal so that it stands a chance of competing with the latest viral video or Buzz feed quiz. People thrive on individual coaching and feedback. This need can be met by offering customised learning content and coaching, perhaps by appointing a personal coach who takes care of the learner by sending regular motivational emails and giving individual feedback on their progress. People waste as much as 41 per cent of their time on things that offer little personal satisfaction and do not help them get work done, according to the Deloitte researchers. So when students feel that training and development is relevant to their work, they will do much better. Go back to basics. Speexx has found that a low tech personal phone call to a student who is behind schedule with their training may be enough to cut through competing distractions, boost motivation and get them back up-to-speed. Never stop communicating. Start by explaining why an employee needs to learn something and how enhanced skills will contribute to the organisation’s success as a whole. Keep in touch with the learner throughout the programme and make sure that he or she is recognised for completing the training successfully. Encourage learners to communicate with each other, providing peer support during training and afterwards, when trainees are applying their learning in the workplace.

We’ve just launched our annual Speexx Exchange Survey and you’re invited to take part and share your thoughts on the current state of talent management and learning in organizations. For the fourth year running, we are conducting an industry reality check among HR and L&D Managers worldwide. The results will help to showcase the challenges and opportunities facing e-learning and global talent management. After all, that’s what Speexx Exchange is all about: getting real hard data and using it to make better decisions.Last year, we had extremely valuable feedback from more than 250 respondents resulting in several white papers and numerous contributions to conferences all around the world.Join industry experts and peers in the Speexx Exchange 2014-15 Survey and be part of this unique exchange on issues that move the world of talent and learning. Give us your view on the learning industry and win yourself a brand new iPhone or Samsung Galaxy smartphone that will help you get the most out of the Speexx mobile learning experience.   This is what Speexx Exchange is all about It´s almost a tradition now: Each year just before Christmas, Speexx Exchange brings together friends, customers and thought leaders from all over the world to take an in-depth reality check on the state of corporate e-learning and talent management. No future talk, just real hard facts. You will meet industry leaders, hear and talk about best practice for deploying global e-learning strategies and get the latest results from Europe’s leading talent management research. Speexx Exchange helps HR and L&D managers worldwide meet the challenges in managing talent across borders. Together, we’ll create a unique exchange of ideas between HR and L&D professionals from loads of different backgrounds, all based on real facts and best practice straight from the experts. You will return to work with brand-new insights and practical solutions for delivering real results. Join us on the eve of Online Educa 2014 for a day packed with networking opportunities, expert presentations, collaboration and - great food. To get a recap of tweets and images, follow us on Twitter: @Speexx, check out the event hashtag #SpeexxExchange and visit the Speexx Exchange Blog.

The world of work is changing, and changing fast! Globalisation, the internet, competition, customer expectations, changing talent pools are influencing  business change.  The ability for staff to be responsive to change is critical and it is clear that L&D leaders around the globe are waking up to that fact that their learning offering needs to be more clearly aligned to the rapidly changing demands of business. Talent Technology and change Talent , technology and change are at the top of business leader’s agenda and in our own Benchmark studies across the globe, there are clear indicators that L&D leaders are also sharing those priorities. We see that L&D are now looking beyond the course and turning to new technologies and approaches to modernise learning and support workplace performance.  Last year we saw that 9 out of 10 participants in the Towards Maturity Benchmark were looking to not only support organisational change but also to respond faster to changing business initiatives. The same number were looking  to integrate learning and talent strategies, support sharing of good practice within the business and find ways of engaging and retaining staff.  Unfortunately fewer than a third were successful in their endeavours. Early findings from this year’s Towards Maturity Benchmark show that expectations are higher than ever before but still limited progress is being made overall. So how can today’s L&D leaders modernise their learning strategy effectively to deliver a responsive offering that supports performance in a rapidly changing work environment? Unchartered territory? The course ( either face to face or e-learning) is the mainstay of the traditional learning strategy. It’s known, it’s familiar but is it foundation for a responsive and modernised learning future? Mobile learning, performance support,70:20:10, social and informal learning  all hold promise for supporting change. However, for many these concepts are unchartered waters and potentially risky options that may or may not work for you. Whilst these approaches are new  to some, they are not to us. Over the last 10 years, our research with over 3000 L&D leaders has shown that top learning companies have already started their journey and as a consequence are consistently delivering better results.  Organisations who are reporting more productivity, more engagement, reduced time to competency and better efficiency are those who have already taken steps to modernise their learning strategy. An evidence based approach to learning By analysis the behaviours of top learning companies, we take away the uncertainty of moving into unchartered waters by promoting  an evidence based approach to establishing a modernised learning strategy. Regardless of sector, size, or country the evidence points to 6 strategic foundations ( the Towards Maturity Model)  essential for all organisations looking to deliver a modernised learning strategy: Defining Need - prioritising what is important to the business - both strategically and tactically Learner context- prioritising what is important to the individual such as choice, motivation Work context - integrating learning into the wider context of work culture and talent Building capability within the L&D team  - to redefine their roles in designing learning , supporting performance and facilitating collaboration Ensuring Engagement - influencing change with all stakeholders Demonstrating value- consistently understanding and articulating the value learning at all levels Learn from others experiences and use them to shape our own When it comes to modernising learning in our own organisations, benchmarking our learning approach against the top learning companies allows us to learn from others experiences and use them to shape our own. Benchmarking is a collaborative activity.  Over the years, through collaboration with industry learning guru’s and top performing L&D leaders we’ve identified over 100 action areas that help organisations establish a firm foundation for a modernised learning strategy.  By taking part in the Towards Maturity Benchmark, you are drawing on proven insights that have resulted from 10 years of dynamic  collaborative knowledge. Benchmarking also has to be personal.  By reflecting on collaborative insights of others, you have a framework for making your own personal decisions that reflect your business and your learners. All benchmark participants are provided with a Personalised Benchmark Report that provides a profile for your organisation. This helps you make the most of the personalised data for your organisation in order to tailor the next steps that you need to take for you. Reality check In 2014, L&D leaders are clearly starting to prioritise new ways of learning and new ways of adding bottom line value to their organisations. But we need to do more than just talk about it, we need to take action , and take action quickly. We invite all L&D leaders to take part in the Towards Maturity Benchmark which is open until 31st July as part of your own reality check. 84% of L&D leaders from over 30 countries who have already taken part in the 2014 study said it provided them with new ideas to modernise their learning strategy. We’ll also be exploring key themes for modernising learning at Speexx Exchange in December and hope to see you there. Benchmark today  Note that the Towards Maturity Benchmark is completely free and completely confidential. Find out more here.

Now that summer is upon us, many of us are keen to leave work a couple of hours sooner than usual and enjoy the lovely weather. We could make up for this early finish by starting at 7am instead of 9am, or by staying later the next day. But will our employer agree to this? New UK legislation says yes. Across the country, employees are now legally entitled to ask their bosses for flexible working hours, even if they don’t have children to take care of. The only condition is that they have worked for the company for at least six months. Of course, employers can still decline requests in certain cases, e.g. if they can prove that the new work pattern creates additional costs or has a negative impact on quality and performance. Culture of presenteeism The UK has always had a strong culture of presenteeism (the act of attending work while sick), with work-life balance sounding like something from another world and so I’m interested to see how this new legislation will affect the working balance in companies there. In so many organisations, employees are under real pressure to be first in and last out of the office door, competing with each other to work the most overtime, regardless of whether they’re actually being productive during their 10-14 hour long working days or not. In addition to that, as work has become increasingly mobile, staff are expected to be always ‘on call’ and available, even during weekends, evenings or on their holidays. Being able to change and adapt our work schedule as we like might help to solve this. If we’re allowed to choose our working hours and can prove that we’ve been productive, be it between 7am and 5pm or 10am and 8pm, is there any point in being stuck to our desks at a particular time? Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, being able to schedule work according to your own preferences is a promising opportunity. With increasing globalisation, we find ourselves regularly working across different time zones, e.g. with people from the Americas or the Far East, meaning that we often have to be at work early or stay later. A flexible working arrangement would facilitate this, too. Allowing for downtime An article by Ferris Jabr in Scientific American shows that our brain needs some downtime to regenerate and become productive again. According to Jabr, rest does not equal idleness, but quite the opposite: downtime is "an opportunity for the brain to make sense of what it has learned", he writes. Just being physically present in the office for the sake of it will not lead to additional business. We all know from our days studying that our brain can only manage so much work per day and that regular breaks are necessary for us to be efficient while we write or learn. Thanks to smartphones and tablets, learning is now just as flexible as work itself, and can take place from remote locations. You don’t even need the internet for mobile learning - at Speexx, we’ve developed a plug and learn solution which allows people to study offline and synchronise their learning progress once they reconnect to the internet. This way, people continue their training as they prefer, whether it’s during the evening or while they travel. It’s all about finding the time and location suits us best in order to be productive. And of course, about making room for the occasional break to process the information we’ve taken in. Communicating change But let’s ensure that flexibility isn’t confused with generating even more presenteeism - we don’t want to be expected to start answering emails in the middle of the night in order to be ‘flexible’. As with most business issues, communication is key and management plays a crucial role in making sure that new policies are communicated clearly to everyone in the organisation. Our workforce needs to understand the benefits and potential downsides of a flexible working culture. Trust is a further crucial element. If managers show that they trust their employees to carry out their work effectively in a certain amount of time and are not counting their hours, employees will typically feel more empowered and motivated to be productive and drive real business results.

Although open-plan offices are supposed to encourage communication and collaboration, for many workers, the noise of other people communicating just means irritating, uncontrollable noise and no way to concentrate. Originally devised in Europe, the open-plan office is now the most common sort of office plan worldwide, primarily because it is often the most affordable workplace solution. For example, it is estimated that more than 70 percent of the labor force in North America works in an open-plan office. Throughout the day, workers are bombarded by noise: phones ringing, doors opening and closing, coworkers conversing. Naturally, employees complain about the noise, but what people don’t talk about is how the acoustics in open-plan offices actually make people sick. The inability to concentrate increases stress levels, but also undermines a worker’s persistence: stressed out workers give up faster. The only conclusion is that a loud office hurts the bottom line.The most common complaint has to do with speech privacy, which is the feeling that oneis being overheard, or that one is overhearing unwanted conversations. According to one acoustic specialist, human speech is considered particularly disruptive because the brain processes speech automatically: people can’t help but eavesdrop because they are physically unable to tune out. In a reasonably quiet environment, a conversation taking place as far as 20 meters away can be easily understood.At the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) in Berkeley, California, researchers surveyed 65,000 workers on four continents. Over half the people surveyed complained about a lack of privacy of any kind, and how they unwillingly became privy to the conversations of others. In one study of seven office buildings conducted by the CBE, over 70 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with workplace speech privacy.The problem is actually made worse by modern technology: computer equipment, air conditioning units and heating systems have become much quieter in recent years, which means the ‘white noise effect’ such machines used to have has also been diminished.Some companies and office space designers have been trying to counter the problem by adding sound-absorbing ceiling tiles, carpets or partitions. In the case of partitions, this also partially helps alleviate the feeling of having no privacy.Another alternative is to actually make the office noisier. This is often done by ‘sound masking’, which is the process of introducing a relaxing noise to the work environment, such as running water or music. This is popular in retail stores.In offices, white noise and pink noise are good choices because they unobtrusively mutethe impact of the distracting noise, especially human speech. Such noise can be played over speakers at low volume, or a special machine can be used.There’s yet another solution for those who work in a company that can’t or won’t make changes to counteract stressful noise, one that in this day in age, is not only a necessity for many people but also a hip fashion statement: headphones.

The four-day workweek is getting popular. More and more people are reducing their working hours to improve their quality of life, but also the economy is seeing the benefits. Professor John Ashton, one of Britain’s leading physicians, recently pointed out that reducing the standard five-day week to a four-day week would help battle work-related stress and also help tackle medical conditions. "My concern is that too many people are working too long hours and too hard," Ashton says. To put it straight: Our work-life balance is getting out of control.  A four-day week sounds like the appropriate solution to this problem. However, the biggest question is: Can I afford a 20% pay cut? Patrick Connolly from Chase de Vere, a British independent financial adviser, says: "People who reduce their working week will have less disposable income, so are potentially less able to consider saving and investments." He also points out that a decrease in contributions to one’s pension has the effect of it taking longer until one has put enough money aside for one’s retirement.For many people this might seem too much of a sacrifice. But consider that childcare andcommuting bills might drop. Or that by earning less one could slip into a new tax category and have just about the same amount of money left as one had during the five-day week. So it’s all about the math, working out the benefits and disadvantages that a four-day week can have for each individual employee. The benefits are often related to things that money can’t buy. People can spend more time with their children, study or learn other skills in their free time and most definitely reduce stress. There seems to be a new trend that employees are willing to give up part of their salary for exactly these things, so that they can enhance their quality of life.But it’s not just the employees who are starting to see the rewards that a four-day week has. At the American tech startup Treehouse, Thursdays have already become Fridays. Ryan Carson, CEO of Treehouse, says he sees a great connection between working less and being more efficient. Carson also points out that his employees take fewer sick days and leave doctor and other appointments for Fridays.What Treehouse is experiencing corresponds with the research of Anna Cootes, head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation in London: "We know that people who work shorter hours are more productive, so that’s good for the economy," she says. "We also know that a workforce on shorter hours with flexible arrangements tends to be happier, more loyal and stable. And all those things seem to be good for business."A recent British government survey found that 57% of workers support the idea of a four-day week, and that 71% think it would make Britain a happier place. Happy employees, happy entrepreneurs - what more could you want?

According to a report by the Professional Contractors Group, contingent workers are the fastest growing group in the EU labour market. Numbers have increased by 45 per cent from just under 6.2 million in 2004 to 8.9 million in 2013, making up 25 per cent of the total professional workforce. When many people think of temps, they still think of typing pools busily working away in unison or that lad you don’t really know the name of who you see at the water cooler. But an ever-increasing number of companies are looking for specialised, short-term assistance as staff is brought on in different locations on a project-basis; people who temporarily lend companies their know-how and talents, whether that’s freelancers, consultants or external partners. This extended or contingent workforce is now a key component of corporate strategy and is changing the face of HR. What is driving this change? As companies find they need to improve their flexibility and their ability to react to changing market conditions and demand, as well as bridge critical gaps in their skill sets, they are looking to this segment to provide the answers. Answers that ensure short-term increases and reductions in the number of workers within a company can be managed with relative ease without affecting the core workforce. And importantly, location is no longer a barrier in the knowledge-based economy. Talent, as we all know, stretches beyond borders. More than ever before, companies can take advantage of the virtual reality of a remote and extended workforce to gain immediate access to expertise not present in their core staff. If a freelance programmer is required for a project run from Milton Keynes, the fact that they’re located in Thailand is now almost irrelevant; a marketing manager in Brasilia can collaborate online with a freelance designer in Moscow as easily as an accountant in Brighton can with his CFO in Manchester. The demand for knowledgeable and highly-skilled people means that expertise is becoming more important than physical location. And from the point of view of the worker, the ability to focus on particular types of work and have certain control over working hours and conditions mean that project-based work is an increasingly attractive option. Challenges lie ahead While using temporary staff has many advantages for companies in terms of flexibility and access to specialised skills regardless of location, these have to be weighed against disadvantages such as a perceived lack of loyalty to the organisation and possible impact on the company working culture. For this reason, HR specialists need to pay as much attention to their non-permanent workforce as to their core staff. As much as companies need to ensure they have access to this talent, they also need to make sure that their integration, however brief, is as seamless as possible. An HR strategy that utilises project-based workers can give companies access to highly-skilled talent, but it also has to facilitate quality interaction and engagement among the ‘new’ & ‘old’ workforce and across departments. Interacting with core staff is also important from the point of view of giving the non-permanent workforce a real sense of community, not to mention the ease of access to resources and ‘insider knowledge’. Effective communication Advances in technology mean that much of their common work can be done seamlessly from remote locations and the main barrier to cross-border collaboration is now communication. Cue training. Organisations who want to keep their competitive advantage will need to upskill staff in order to be better placed to deal with the challenges of having a highly mobile, dispersed and dynamic workforce. At Speexx, I’ve seen how effective business communication within a diverse and changing workforce can be successfully achieved with the perfect blend of advanced learning technology and teacher-led activities. Language skills provide the key to communicating and operating more efficiently and profitably across the workforce and across borders. As the trend for using highly-specialised temporary staff continues to grow, companies need to ensure they are ready to meet the challenge of an extended workforce.