EXECUTIVES around the world are more upbeat about the prospects for business than they were a year ago, according to the latest Economist/FT survey of around 1,500 senior managers, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (updated August 21st 2014). The balance of respondents who think that global business conditions will soon improve has increased from two percentage points to 18, though this is down from the beginning of 2014. There is some cause for concern. Over 55% of those surveyed who work in the energy industry think that the turmoil in Iraq will lead to higher oil prices in the next 12 months. Almost two-thirds reckon the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates.
The Economist/FT global business barometer is a survey conducted four times a year by the Economist Intelligence Unit in order to gauge trends in business confidence. Based on the responses of more than 1,500 senior executives, it measures overall confidence by looking at the balance of those who think global business conditions will improve over the next six months against those who expect them to worsen. Our interactive barometer allows you to track business sentiment over time. You can look at the results by region or industry. The “in focus” section highlights responses to topical supplementary questions each quarter. Note: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
Source: Economist
If you were to ask a random person on the street what an HR professional does, their answer would probably be conflict resolution, or that HR folks deal with employee salaries and benefits. And while that is part of an HR professional’s responsibilities — to ensure employee safety, respect and accountability — that doesn’t even scratch the surface.
With remote work destined for good to be a fixture of the modern workplace, almost half of companies are monitoring remote employees’ online activities. Monitored activity can include active work hours, websites visited, chats, and messaging logs. Almost a third (31%) of respondents said their employers are monitoring their computer screens in real-time.
Whatever the reason, people seem to be strongly craving a connection with their true selves and to bring more authenticity into their lives. There’s just one problem. There is no true self, at least not in any sense of the self that we can understand through science. We should seriously question the idea of authenticity as a meaningful construct in our lives.
