Tag: flexibility

Our workplaces are changing rapidly, with organisations redesigning their spaces to be more flexible and hospitable, moving to accommodate hybrid work practices, or simply relocating to downsize. While the reasons for moving are clear, there is often an inconsistent understanding and implementation of change management, which can result in overwhelmed employees, reduced productivity, and the loss of valuable talent.

The world has changed immensely since on-premise infrastructure was considered the best option for company applications. Today, most companies have begun shifting toward off-premise options, such as cloud and co-location.

The satellite industry is rapidly expanding, and we are starting to see the growth of new industry sectors and the implementation of new applications. With global Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations such as OneWeb driving the development of the African market and Starlink announcing services in selected African countries, both awareness of, and demand for, satellite connectivity services are growing.

South Africans are getting poorer as wage increases lag behind inflation as the "Great Resignation" trend continues to grip employers. South African employers expect to award wage increases of 4% to 6% in the next 12-month period, which is substantially below the current 7% inflation rate, denting employee disposable income and placing pressure on companies to find new ways to keep staff engaged and retain critical skills.

The normalisation of a distributed workforce has seen some companies fall short when it comes to maintaining effective communications with their employees. Engagement between workers was always taken for granted in traditional office environments.

The pursuit of sleep is big business. In fact, Statista predicts that the global sleep industry will be worth 585 billion US dollars by 2024. We’re talking mattresses, luxury bedding, pillows (the pillow market alone was valued at about 15.6 billion US dollars worldwide back in 2019), block-out blinds, soundproofing, supplements and apps.

It's not easy to get a mortgage on your dream home if you're not employed full time and earning a fixed salary. Freelancers, those working on commission or sourcing their income from gigs, and many other independent earners, often find themselves facing a brick wall when applying for a home loan from banks.

There is no greater threat to South African businesses than load shedding. It is that simple and that stark. It touches every aspect of us as a nation, as a people and as industries attempting to stabilise and grow the country. It is the most disruptive challenge of our generation.

The recent announcement of South Africa’s grey listing has compounded an already volatile market and has introduced more administrative complexity when investing offshore. Onerous due diligence processes and verifiable information may be required creating delays with offshore investments.

Adapting to innovation takes time and effort. It took the telephone 64 years, electricity 45 years, and computers 23 years to achieve 40% consumer adoption. Although healthcare is not unique in slow innovation and adoption, it is a laggard and other sectors have been innovating better, faster and smarter.