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The Evolving Generational Work Place

16 Aug

Given the fact that (on average) people are living longer — and that the recent recession affected millions of workers’ retirement savings, many people are working longer. As a result, employers and employees must deal with a more multi-generational work force.

Recently, MetLife ran a paid post online with the NY Times on the topic of the multi-generational work place:

“It’s a new workplace. Technological advancements, generational shifts, and fundamental changes in the way we do business are a few forces behind a new work environment. For the first time in history, four distinct generations work side by side, making employees and their expectations of employers more diverse. A paycheck is no longer enough: Workers want more meaningful relationships with the organizations that employ them.”

“In this short video series, T Brand Studio and MetLife worked with industry experts to provide insight into the deeper motivations that drive employee engagement and happiness. With the right guidance and tools, any organization can keep its employees happy and engaged, resulting in a productive workplace and a healthy work force.”

 

 

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How Physically Active Are YOU?

15 Aug

For the last few years, we at EOM have been actively involved with our FitBit and monitoring our daily activities. How are we doing. So-so. 😦  In comparison, we know that others — in the United States and around the globe — are doing much worse. 😦 😦 😦 😦   Where do YOU stand? 🙂

As Niall McCarthy writes for Statista:

“Have you ever wondered where people tend to walk the most daily on average? Scientists at Stanford University have answered this question by collecting data on a ‘planetary-scale’ to learn how active people are in different countries. While Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recommends a person walk 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, the UK’s National Obesity Forum says somebody walking 7,000 to 10,000 would be moderately active.”

“The research found that on average, people walk 4,961 steps a day, far less than the recommended amount above. People in Hong Kong are the most active with 6,880 steps a day, while they are least active in Indonesia, averaging a mere 3,513. The Statista infographic below shows the average steps taken in a selection of larger countries included in the research. In China, people average 6,189 steps a day, while in Japan that number is 6,019. Americans are less active and can be found in the middle of the pack, averaging 4,774 daily steps.“

 

Infographic: The World's Most And Least Active Countries | Statista You will find more statistics at Statista

 

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Video: Robotics Aid Warehouse Workers

11 Aug

A lot has been written and discussed about the negative impact of robotics on employment. So is there also any good news about robotics and the job market? The answer is yes!

Here is an example, as reported by Jennifer Smith for the Wall Street Journal:

“In the battle of humans versus machines on the warehouse floor, some firms have found common ground. Instead of developing technology to completely replace manpower, these firms are designing robots meant to work alongside people. These robots, for example, can guide workers to items to be picked or can transport goods across a warehouse to be packed and shipped. Deutsche Post AG’s DHL is testing ‘swarming’ robots at a facility in Memphis, Tenn. These machines help workers pick out medical devices that need to be shipped quickly. Quiet Logistics Inc., which fulfills online orders for retailers like Bonobos and Inditex SA’s Zara, uses the same type of mobile robots in one of its warehouses.”

“Known as ‘collaborative’ robots, they are small and relatively cheap — costing tens of thousands of dollars — compared with miles of conveyor belts and automation systems that run into the tens of millions. The new robots are designed with the majority of warehouses world-wide in mind, where orders continue to be fulfilled manually by people pushing carts up and down aisles.”


 

 
(Video from Business Insider)
 

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Apple on the Rise — Again

9 Aug

Apple is currently number three on the U.S. Fortune 500 list. It is on the rise again after some mixed results. According to Fortune:

“After more than a decade of solid growth fueled first by the iPod music player and then by the even more popular iPhone, Apple finally appeared to hit a wall, with lackluster sales — relatively speaking — for other products such as the iPad and Apple Watch and a heavy reliance on upgraded phone models. But the most profitable publicly-traded company in the world is investing heavily in software and its efforts in new areas of opportunity, including automobiles, remain in development (and under wraps). Apple was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Cupertino, Calif.”

 

The following chart from NASDAQ shows the ups and downs of Apple’s stock price over the past five years. Click the image for an INTERACTIVE, REAL-TIME view of Apple’s stock price.

 

The Fortune video below provides a provocative view of Apple’s prospects in the future. What do YOU think?

 

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Why the Customer Experience May Fail

7 Aug

For many consumers, the shopping experience is as important as — or more important than — prices in influencing their purchase behavior. And with today’s extensive amount of competition, consumer patience is at an all-time low.

Melissa Global Intelligence is a firm that provides in-depth data quality tools and services. It recently published “What Kills the Customer Experience?” by Nathan Safran:

“Melissa recently commissioned NAPCO Research to complete a wide-scale survey of 126 E-commerce managers. Participants were asked to speak specifically about their perceptions regarding 1) obstacles to customer conversion and loyalty and 2) the role of improved data accuracy in approaching these challenges. Our findings revealed that in the life cycle of the online purchase, two primary ‘pain points’ are evident: checkout and delivery. For customers, these intersections can yield a sense of dissatisfaction sufficient to cause shopping cart abandonment or even refusal to shop at the site in the future.”

 
Click here to access an interactive, scrolling version of the article.

Click each image below to access the individual pages of the article in a large format.

 

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Apple Cuts Back on iPod Product Line

31 Jul

In 1979, the Sony Walkman revolutionized the portable music industry. It was marketed for 30 years; and 400 million units were sold. The Walkman’s decline and ultimate demise was brought on by the Apple iPod, whose first version was introduced in fall 2001. Now after years of great success, like the Walkman, the iPod has seen a steady decline. And last week, Apple announced the withdrawal of the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano. Why? The rapid growth of streaming music.

Consider these observations and the chart below from Statista’s Malin Ridder:

“Apple killed the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano, trimming its portable music players to one model: the iPod Touch. According to Business Insider, Apple confirmed the discontinuation of both devices in an email after they had disappeared from the Apple Store Web site. The announcement doesn’t come as a surprise considering that both iPods haven’t been updated in years and do not support streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify.”

“The decision to further reduce the iPod lineup marks another chapter in the popular music player’s slow but steady decline. When the first iPod was released in fall 2001, it rang in the age of digital music and quickly became Apple’s cash cow. As our chart illustrates, the iPod accounted for as much as 40 percent of Apple’s revenue in 2006, just before the iPhone was released. With the growing popularity of smartphones however, MP3 players were gradually pushed towards obsolescence and iPod sales started declining in 2009. In 2014, the last year Apple broke down iPod sales as a separate category, the company sold 14.4 million iPods, down from nearly 55 million units in 2008.”

 

Infographic: The Slow Goodbye of Apple's Former Cashcow | Statista You will find more statistics at Statista

 

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Seniors Upping Digital Use

20 Jul

According to the Pew Research Center, U.S. seniors have become much more active with digital devices over the last several years:

“A record 46 million seniors live in the United States today, and older Americans – those age 65 and older – now account for 15% of the overall U.S. population. By 2050, 22% of Americans will be 65 and older, according to U.S. Census Bureau projections. At the same time America is graying, recent Pew Research Center surveys find that seniors are also moving towards more digitally connected lives. Around four-in-ten (42%) of the adults ages 65 and older now report owning smartphones, up from just 18% in 2013. Internet use and home broadband adoption among this group have also risen substantially. Today, 67% of U.S. seniors use the internet – a 55-percentage-point increase in just under two decades. And for the first time, half of older Americans now have broadband at home.”

 
The first chart below shows how the usage of digital technology among seniors has grown by device/platform. The second chart indicates how Internet use by seniors varies by demographic factors.
 

 

 

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