Welcome to your HRD Connect update!

New technology is shaping the way we will work in the future. In years to come it’s quite possible that we won’t recognise the traditional ‘workplace’ as a result of the advances in tech. We spoke to Graeme Codrington, Futurist at TalkTalk Business who believes consumer technology will start edging into our places of work, meaning that Alexa could be making an appearance in the not so distant future.

“Back in the 1990s, when AOL instant messaging came to the UK, it didn’t take long before people were adopting it in the office. This year, we can expect companies to start using devices running Alexa for Business and experimenting with real-time translation apps.” – Graeme Codrington

We also hear from regular columnist, Pete Lowe, previous Head of Education and Performance Management at Manchester City FC, who talks about the perils of complacency and how we absolutely must step out of our comfort zones to excel in our careers.

“Comfort zone dwellers exist in all kinds of organisations and can be spotted at 20 paces.” – Pete Lowe

How diverse is your recruitment strategy? A staggering 19% of the UK population and nearly 7 million people of working age in the UK are registered as disabled or as having a health condition. However only 7% of those with learning disabilities are currently in paid employment, despite 65% of people wanting to work and pursue a fulfilling career. How can we change this? Advocate, Teresa Scott OBE discusses further.

As ever, join the conversation and tweet us at @HRDCommunity or email me at [email protected].

I hope you enjoy the features.

Best wishes,

Emily Sexton-Brown,

Editor, HRD Connect