magazine
08
agenda
The Stationers’ 2014
Innovation Excellence
Awards
TheWorshipful Company of Stationers
and Newspaper Makers has announced a
shortlist of 25 businesses nominated for the
inaugural Stationers’ Innovation Excellence
Awards taking place on June 30.
There are seven awards categories: Database
Management; Digital Media and Publishing;
Printing and Ink Supplies; Packaging; Paper and
Paper Products; Stationery and Office Products;
and Training.
Companies nominated in the Paper and
Paper Products category include Banner
Business Services for its closed loop paper
recycling system; James Cropper for its
disposable coffee cup recycling system; and
PaperlinX for its mailinx initiative, which brings
advertisers and direct mail users together
so that bulk mailers can sell space in their
envelopes to compatible companies.
The Stationery and Office Products
category includes Fellowes UK, Integra Office
Solutions, NewField IT, Spicers, Stabilo andWiles
Greenworld.
Cloud storage guidance for law firms
The Law Society has published guidance
on the use of cloud computing services in
law firms, in light of increasing use of cloud
storage as an alternative to traditional IT
provision.
The guidance has been welcomed by
Dr Sam De Silva, Chair of the Law Society’s
Technology and Law Reference Group, a
member of the EU Commission’s Expert Group
on Cloud Computing and Technology Partner
at Penningtons Manches LLP.
He said: “While cloud computing has a
number of advantages for businesses, such
as reducing costs and increasing storage,
it carries risk which firms must consider
when engaging with a third party to handle
sensitive information.
“Anyone involved with the collection and
storage of personal data must comply with the
Data Protection Act, and law practices are also
subject to professional conduct obligations to
maintain client confidentiality and properly
manage their practices.”
In addition to the risks and benefits of cloud
computing, the practice note covers other
considerations, including:
n
Lawful access to data by foreign law
enforcement or intelligence agencies;
n
Service levels and the right to sue the cloud
provider for damages or terminate the
contract; and
n
Inadvertent breaches of the cloud provider’s
“acceptable use policy” where defamatory
material needs to be held on the cloud where
a law firm is acting for a client defending a
defamation claim.
Google Glass booking
Rodney Loges from Occoquan, Virginia has
become the first person to book a hotel
room using wearable technology after he
made a reservation at the Holiday Inn in
Woodbridge, Virginia using Google Glass
and the Hotel Near Me app developed by
online travel agency Destinia.com. Hotel
Near Me enables users to find the hotels
closest to their GPS position, see photos
and hotel information, filter by price,
book a room and follow directions right
up to the front door. The free app can be
controlled by swiping and tapping on the
Google Glass or by using voice commands,
such as “book hotel”.
Office space finder portal
Businesses in need of
office space are being
encouraged to take
advantage of a free online
service that has been
described as a Rightmove
or Zoopla for commercial
property.
Instead of having to
visit individual agents’ sites,
Tower10 enables users to
view all available desk and
office space in a given area
through a single portal. The
site currently covers Tech
City in London, but is due to
expand across London and
the UK in coming months.
The service has been
set up by David Galsworthy and Alex Rabarts, the men behind the
Techspace London co-working space.
Culture of presenteeism
limits appeal of home working
A culture of presenteeism is preventing organisations from reaping all
the benefits of flexible working, Overbury warns.
In a recent survey by the fit-out and refurbishment specialist, 77%
of office workers said they had more flexible working options open to
them than five years ago, yet three in four complained that a “culture of
presenteeism” stops them working flexibly.
Four in five (80%) claim those who spend more hours in the office are
thought by bosses to be working harder, while two thirds (66%) say being
seen to work late increases an employee’s chance of promotion. More
than two thirds (67%) of those who sometimes work from home admit
to sending emails early in the morning to stop colleagues thinking they’re
having a lie-in.
Overbury managing director Chris Booth said: “Our research found that
presenteeism comes from a complex mix of factors including demands from
management, peer pressure and a self-inflicted concern over how others see
us. This complexity may be at the heart of why presenteeism is proving so
hard to shift.”
The research found peer pressure is a significant factor, with two in
five workers (42%) saying their respect for a colleague would diminish if
they spent fewer hours in the office. Half of senior managers (50%) say
they would be less inclined to recommend someone for promotion if the
individual spent less time in the office.
David Galsworthy
