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How schools can improve employee experiences amid the cost of living crisis

By Dr Angelina Sun, Workforce Management Solutions Director at WorkForce Software

It is a grim fact that the cost of living crisis is hitting some of our most crucial workers the hardest. With reports this month finding that a third of primary school teachers are struggling to afford essentials due to soaring prices. For example, the rise in fresh produce costs broke records at 12.1% in September, putting the impact of inflation into stark context. Similarly, researchers at the University of Portsmouth recently warned that the cost of living crisis is seeing schools lose teaching assistants to better-paid roles in supermarkets, which not only pay more but also offer other benefits such as flexible working hours.

It is no surprise that the National Education Union (NEU) has issued a fresh warning of strikes as teachers demand an above-inflation pay increase. As the Union warns, if poor pay and conditions continue, the trend of 1 in 3 teachers in England leaving within the first five years will only get worse. Similarly, it has been found that 1 in 8 college staff leave within a year.

There is no doubt that the question of teachers’ pay must be addressed, but it is also clear that there are broader barriers to recruitment and retention in the education sector. Across other industries, there is an increasing awareness and appreciation of the importance of delivering a rounded, positive employee experience. Beyond remuneration, this encompasses other aspects of work-life from flexible working to support for wellbeing. Education has struggled to adopt a similar approach, both for practical reasons (the nature of this work often prevents certain flexibilities from being offered) and because culturally, the profession has often been slow to adapt.

However, this must change. There are ways to allow educators access to similar elevated employee experiences enjoyed in other sectors, and these must be considered if vital teaching staff are not to be lost to other competitively placed professions.

Flexibility in practice

The nature of the school day may lead educators to assume that flexible approaches to working are off the table. As a recent report from the NASUWT-The Teachers Union found, more than half of teachers (52%) say that their school/college does not offer flexible working and is now calling for flexible working to be a day one right for all teachers. As its General Secretary, Dr Patrick Roach highlighted, “There is a great deal of evidence showing that some schools continue to believe that flexible working is not compatible with delivering high educational standards for pupils. This is patently false.”

There are ways to explore more flexible working arrangements and schedules that give teachers greater autonomy over their time. In fact, the government has shown support for flexible approaches, recently announcing investment of £750K in a ‘culture change programme’ to embed flexible working in schools and multi-academy trusts, such as offering compressed hours, adjusting start and end times based on personal needs, and removing the requirement to spend non-teaching hours at school.  When teachers can complete planning, preparation and assessment tasks at home, and even run parent conferences online, there is no reason they cannot be offered the same kind of remote flexibility as others.

Schools also enjoy the rewards of flexibility –  retaining experienced staff, recruiting from a broader pool, promoting wellbeing and improving work-life balance, which leads to more engaged, productive teams.

There are also options to apply flexibility to financial rewards. While schools’ hands may be tied when it comes to salary uplifts, there are ways they can support staff to manage finances more flexibly. For example, pay-on-demand gives educators access to wages when needed. Staff can access money as it is earned, meaning there is no waiting for payday. This can make managing personal finances a lot easier, alleviating some of the financial stress that teachers increasingly find themselves under.

Delivering such elevated employee experiences across a school or college workforce can be a challenge. However, there are successful examples of similarly dispersed, deskless workforces that have adopted intelligent workplace management technologies to help manage flexible working and pay-on-demand. Using cloud technologies educators can access streamlined, personalised digital processes that mirror the technology-enabled employee experiences now enjoyed across private sector roles.

 For example, modern workforce management technologies that utilise sophisticated AI and machine learning, alongside user-friendly design, can reinforce better working practices for all staff, whether frontline in the classroom, or supporting staff in the back office.

As highlighted by the Shared Headship Network, “schools need to be smart about the use of technology to enable certain aspects of school life to be more flexible.”

Modelling effective communications

If flexible working is to become a workable, embedded culture in education, it must also be supported by a foundation of effective communications and dialogues between teachers, staff, managers and leaders. For deskless workforces, such as teachers and lecturers, maintaining communications can be a challenge, – even simple administrative tasks such as leave requests can become burdensome and protracted.

Automating routine management tasks can save time, streamline workloads and improve efficiency while also allowing managers and leaders to focus on supporting teachers with the real work. Workforce management solutions are an easy win in this regard. Not only that, but they can also help leaders take the temperature of their organisations in the moment. For example, ‘pulse surveys’ can pick up on work dissatisfaction very quickly. Achieving consistent two-way communications through technologies can give the individual employee a voice while empowering employers with the insights they need to address trends affecting their larger workforce groups.

Seeing the bigger picture

There is no single solution to the issues facing recruitment and retention of teachers. Technology is not the panacea, especially when teachers are rightly fighting for better pay. Teachers deserve salaries that reflect their vital role in society. However, pay is not the only issue facing the profession. Too often educators are looking at their workplace experience in comparison to private sector roles and seeing a whole host of tempting benefits they do not have access to.

Digital provision, innovation and modern workplace cultures that are increasingly embraced in the private sector are not often available to those in the public sector.  Again, this serves to highlight inequity of experience beyond the figure on the pay packet.

It is time to use all methods we can to create educational workplaces that reward staff. From how we engage technology, to pay, to employee experiences, it is a holistic approach that will save our schools and ensure teaching talent is rewarded and secured.

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Business

How AI virtual assistants are transforming education and training

By Gregor Hofer, CEO and Co-founder at Rapport

What separates good doctors from excellent doctors, the type that might get five-star reviews if, like an Uber driver, their services were supported by a smartphone app?

Medical knowledge, expertise, and better outcomes are, of course, the most important factors. But – particularly when dealing with patients’ relatives, discussing risk assessment and imparting bad news – we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of bedside manner.

This might come naturally to some doctors but there are none for whom training isn’t useful, whether at medical school or on the job.

There will always be a place for real human interaction in this training, the type that involves role-play, with actors or colleagues playing out different scenarios that explore the most effective ways to handle difficult situations.

But what if this could be supplemented by more readily available and less resource-intensive experiences that simulate these training environments? And what if it could be applied across numerous sectors, industries and professions, of which there are a great many that could benefit from such an opportunity?

What might that mean for those instigating tricky conversations and, perhaps more importantly, those at the receiving end of them?

Advances in generative artificial intelligence – or GenAI – mean that these are no longer hypothetical questions.

There’s no limit to the type of person this technology could help, but we’ll review three – doctors, those working in corporate HR, and online students – to give a flavour of the benefits it brings.

Before we do, a quick word on how such applications work.

An overview of the technology

It all starts with data. With access to enough content, the type that you store and curate on your internal systems, large language models (LLMs) can be trained to find the most appropriate response to whatever user input they’re exposed to, whether in writing or spoken, and then you as a user can respond to that response, and so the cycle continues.

You’ll have experienced something similar using the likes of CharGPT, but because this is based on your own content, you’re more in control. (For simpler and more prescriptive scenarios, though, I’d add that with the best solutions, you can alternatively import predefined branching dialogue to keep your conversations on track.)

It doesn’t stop there, though; by tapping into a solution that’s supported by experts in linguistics and computer-aided animation, your colleagues can interact in real-time with avatars equipped with believable facial expressions, accurate lip-synching capabilities, natural gestures and the ability to detect emotions.

All of this adds to the user’s willing suspension of disbelief that they’re interacting with a real person, or AI avatar, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of their learning.

These innovations are reshaping how we approach learning and skill development in so many critical fields. We said we’d look at three. We’ll start by returning to medicine.

Medical training

AI assistants can supplement the way doctors are taught to break bad news to patients, one of the hardest things they’ll face in practice and, given its subjectivity, something that can’t easily be looked up in a textbook on anatomy or physiology.

As we said from the outset, this is easier for some doctors than others, but given the literal life-and-death nature of such conversations and the shattering impact that the death of a loved one can have on a relative, there’s always room to improve medics’ empathy and communication skills – which is exactly what this technology delivers.

By utilizing experiential AI tools, clinicians can better use their time, alleviate pressure, fatigue and burnout symptoms, and ultimately allow them to better serve their patients.

Corporate HR

In corporate HR, virtual assistants can significantly streamline and enhance the hiring and firing process, as well as any difficult conversation; whether it’s a tough review, a disciplinary hearing, letting down an employee about a promotion they’d applied for or any other scenario that might bring a bead of sweat to your forehead, it’s all about providing safe and cost-effective practice before doing it for real.

Tech research consulting firm Gartner recently found that more than three-quarters (76%) of HR leaders believe that if their organisation doesn’t adopt and implement AI solutions, such as generative AI, in the next 12 to 24 months, they’ll lag in organizational success compared to those that do, while 34% of HR leaders participating in their January benchmarking session said they were exploring potential use cases and opportunities when it came to generative AI.

If they do manage to adopt the right technology, the impact will be massive among those who deploy it wisely. After all, which company wouldn’t want to upskill its HR professionals in tangible soft skills such as empathy, communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution in a controlled setting?

Online education

AI-powered tools can hugely boost student engagement in remote learning environments, and the research suggests that it comes close to rivalling in-person experiences. When you consider the staff-to-student ratios common in most educational settings, this should be no surprise – think how many students can fit into a lecture hall (even if they don’t always turn up!).

But we’re not necessarily talking about formal education; this applies equally to any informal setting in which someone needs to improve their education in some way.

With this technology, you can invent new ways to educate your students – or staff – by transforming lessons into experiences, using interactive characters reflective of the subject. This means you can increase user satisfaction and performance without compromising on content.

Whatever the scenario and whatever the use case, the chances are that if you have the right content in sufficient quantities, you can tap it for interactions that would otherwise be lacking in uniqueness or prohibitively expensive.

With AI virtual assistants, everyone’s a winner.

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Business

Dealing with Parental Leave: How Your Business Can Support Employees with Families

Looking after your staff is a fundamental part of running a successful business, ensuring staff turnover remains low and workers remain happily motivated. Workers now have more agency than ever when it comes to choosing their employer, in part thanks to the rise in remote working which means workers are no longer limited to looking for roles within their local area.

39% of UK workers now work at home within a given week and workers are beginning to demand more in terms of employee benefits, especially when it comes to welfare.

One of the areas where employees may focus is “family-friendly” working and benefits. But what does the law say about these contractual offerings? And how can your business benefit from having a comprehensive “family-friendly” benefits package? We spoke to the employment law specialists at Beecham Peacock to discover how your business can become more caring.

What does the law say about parental leave?

In the UK, women are able to take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave. The first 26 weeks of leave, which includes two weeks of compulsory leave (four weeks for factory workers), are known as ordinary maternity leave, while the final 26 weeks are known as additional maternity leave.

During maternity leave, a woman’s rights to pay rises, accrued holiday, and returning to work are protected by the law.

Eligible mothers-to-be are entitled to be paid statutory maternity pay for 39 weeks. This will depend on whether or not they satisfy service and earnings criteria. Otherwise, they may not be able to claim maternity allowance.

Statutory maternity pay equates to six weeks paid at a rate of 90% of average weekly earnings (before tax). For the remaining 33 weeks, the current rate of payment is £172.48 or 90% of their average weekly earnings – whichever is lower. This rate is reviewed annually.  

There has been much discussion about the mandatory amount of maternity pay and whether it does enough to support women in the workplace – a recent study found statutory maternity pay is just 47% of the national living wage. To attract and retain women, businesses may wish to consider offering enhanced maternity pay and benefits packages.

For partners, leave entitlements are different. Statutory paternity and adoption leave entitles fathers/partners to take one or two weeks of paid paternity leave, paid at a rate of £172.48 or 90% of their average weekly earnings – whichever is lower. This rate is also reviewed annually.

When this leave is taken differs depending on whether paternity or adoption leave is being taken. Again, your business may wish to consider enhanced leave and pay packages.

For eligible parents, another option that is increasingly taken up is shared parental leave. Whilst the mother will always have to take two weeks of compulsory leave (four weeks for factory workers), the remaining 50 weeks (or 48 weeks for factory workers) can be taken by either parent.

This gives both parents flexibility and the opportunity to spend time with their child.  Statutory parental leave pay is paid at the same rate as the latter part of statutory maternity or paternity pay, and can be paid for up to 37 weeks to eligible employees. Again, businesses may wish to consider offering enhanced parental leave pay to attract and retain employees.

What are the positives of greater employee benefits for parental leave?

Of course, there are extra costs associated with paying more than the statutory pay requirement. However, offering parental leave options and policies that go above and beyond the minimum requirements can benefit a business just as much as it benefits your employees. Such packages will enable business to attract and retain employees.

How to draft a comprehensive parental leave policy

Lisa Branker, Head of Employment Law at Beecham Peacock, advocates for a comprehensive leave policy that supports all of your employees. She comments:

“Entitlements and eligibility for parental leave, pay and benefits should be clearly contained in your business’ relevant policy. If your goal is to attract and retain your workforce through flexible and/or enhanced benefits packages then this information needs to be clearly set out and accessible. A clear policy makes employees aware of how much leave and pay they are entitled to, helps managers to respond to any queries, and allows your business to plan for and support working parents.”

“Pay and leave aren’t the only considerations – for example, your business may be able to offer a salary sacrifice scheme to make childcare arrangements. Other, non-financial support can also be a huge help for new parents or parents-to-be. Increasing the flexibility of working hours or offering a hybrid working scheme can give your colleagues the support they need to manage the transition into parenthood. These measures will enable you to motivate and retain your workforce, without creating an onerous financial burden.”

Every company is different – and there’s unlikely to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Think about which solution (or combination of solutions) is best-suited to your company before creating or amending a parental leave policy. If you’re considering creating or updating your policy, Beecham Peacock’s free policy reviews are a great starting point to check your offerings meet your business and legal needs.

https://www.beechampeacock.co.uk/employment-law/

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Business

Bridging the Gap: Evaluating Technology Companies’ Efforts in AI Consumer Education

Agata Karkosz, Leader at FPAcademy at Future Processing

AI is becoming increasingly influential across various sectors and industries. And its impact is only expected to grow in the future. In fact, AI adoption has more than doubled since 2017, with businesses making larger investments to scale and fast-track development.

With such rapid advancements taking place, it is important to educate consumers about navigating the complexities of the technology.

The Current Landscape of AI Education

There are several companies actively providing education and training in the field of AI. Google AI has been offering AI and machine learning courses to consumers for a few years now, while lesser-known companies, like Coursera, edX and Fast.ai, have also entered the space.

Nevertheless, these offerings are often catered to people interested in learning and developing skills in the technology, rather than the everyday consumer. In fact, research released last year by leading software development company, Future Processing, found that more than two-thirds of UK consumers aged 50 and above felt technology companies needed to do more to help them understand AI.

Respondents were asked what AI applications and tools they are currently using, with AI voice assistants and customer service chatbots coming out on top. But, because the technology’s capabilities are wide-reaching, companies need to up their game to ensure the average consumer is in the know.

Educational Initiatives: Are They Enough?

Companies must work harder to help consumers of varying levels of technical expertise understand AI. Doing so will help demystify AI and build consumer confidence and trust.

Understanding this need, Google AI offers resources such as the “Machine Learning Crash Course”, a free online course designed to introduce individuals to machine learning concepts. Microsoft, too, has its AI School, an online platform supplying free courses and resources covering various AI topics, while other major firms, including Facebook, Intel, Amazon and NVIDIA, have sparked similar education initiatives.

Still, due to fresh technological advancements and research breakthroughs, as well as increased data availability, open source and collaboration efforts, rapid industry adoption, and greater funding and investment, the challenge for companies comes in maintaining up-to-date and readily available education materials.

The Challenge of Simplifying Complexity

The inherent complexity of AI arises from the interdisciplinary nature of the field, combining elements of computer science, mathematics, statistics, neuroscience, and engineering. AI involves complex algorithms, sophisticated mathematical models, and intricate programming structures that are hard to rationalise.

Balancing the need to simplify AI concepts for broader understanding while retaining the essential information poses a significant communication challenge for businesses. Oversimplifying may lead to misconceptions or a lack of appreciation for the complexities involved while providing too much detail can result in confusion.

Successful communication often involves using relatable metaphors, real-world examples, and interactive experiences to engage consumers and help them grasp the fundamental principles without getting lost in technical intricacies. Effective communication about AI requires collaboration between experts, educators, communicators, and the general public to ensure a more informed and inclusive understanding of this rapidly advancing field.

Transparency and Explainability

Enhancing transparency and explainability in AI systems has become a key focus for technology companies to address concerns related to bias, accountability, and trust. Several efforts have been made to make AI systems more understandable and interpretable. Some common strategies and initiatives include:

Interpretable Models

Many technology companies are working on developing AI models that are inherently more interpretable. This involves using algorithms and architectures that produce results that can be easily explained and understood. For example, decision trees, rule-based systems, and linear models are often more interpretable than complex deep neural networks.

Explainable AI (XAI) Techniques

Explainable AI is a research area focused on developing techniques and tools that help users understand the decisions made by AI models. Techniques such as feature importance analysis, saliency maps, and attention mechanisms aim to highlight the factors influencing the model’s predictions.

Ethical AI Guidelines

Many companies have established ethical AI guidelines and principles prioritising transparency and fairness. These guidelines may include commitments to avoiding biased data, providing clear explanations for decisions, and involving diverse perspectives in the development process.

User-Friendly Interfaces

Technology companies are investing in user-friendly interfaces that allow users to interact with AI systems more intuitively to enhance transparency. Dashboards, visualisations, and plain-language explanations help users understand the model’s behaviour and outputs.

Addressing Challenges and Gaps

AI education faces several challenges that stem from the diverse nature of the field, the varied backgrounds of learners, and the evolving landscape of information dissemination.

The rapid evolution of AI is a primary challenge, but a lack of standardisation, diverse audience backgrounds, and the spread of misinformation have also hampered the public’s ability to understand the technology.

The highest concerns surrounding AI are privacy, transparency and security. This is supported by Future Processing’s research, with respondents aged 50 and above ranking security and data privacy as their highest concerns when using AI, followed closely by misinformation and question misinterpretation.

But, through ongoing collaboration and dialogue, governments can establish standards which foster diversity and inclusivity, provide up-to-date resources, and emphasise practical application to deliver more effective and equitable AI education.

The Role of Ethical Guidelines

With AI frequently coming under the spotlight, technology companies are increasingly recognising the importance of ethical guidelines and policies in AI development and usage.

Many have published official documents outlining their ethical principles and values concerning AI. These documents typically cover commitments to fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy, and avoiding biases in AI systems. For example, Google and Microsoft’s respective AI Principles are publicly available documents that articulate the companies’ ethical commitments.

Learning to Embrace

Continuous efforts in AI consumer education are imperative to navigate the evolving landscape of AI, bridge educational gaps, address ethical considerations, and ensure that individuals are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed in an increasingly AI-driven world. The commitment to transparency, inclusivity, and ethical practices will contribute to building a more informed and responsible AI community, meaning we can embrace all it can bring to the table, rather than dwelling on its shortcomings.

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