Tag Archives: gadget man

The Gadget Man – Episode 178: Rice, Phones, and Chili Con Carne: Debunking Tech Myths with Malcolm Boyden

In this latest episode of The Gadget Man, Matt unravels the long-standing myth about using rice to dry out wet mobile phones.

Despite its popularity, this method is debunked as ineffective and potentially harmful.

The Gadget Man - Episode 178: Rice, Phones, and Chili Con Carne: Debunking Tech Myths with Malcolm Boyden
The Gadget Man – Episode 178: Rice, Phones, and Chili Con Carne: Debunking Tech Myths with Malcolm Boyden

Apple itself has issued guidance against it, warning that rice grains can damage the device by blocking ports and causing corrosion. Instead,

Matt suggests allowing the phone to dry out naturally in a dry, airy place, highlighting modern phones’ water resistance capabilities and the importance of gentle care in case of water exposure.

Rice can damage devices
Rice can damage devices

The conversation takes a lighter turn with a humorous suggestion for the best use of rice: making chili-con-carne, adding a flavourful twist to the tech discussion.

Dropping your phone in water is now not the disaster it used to be
Dropping your phone in water is now not the disaster it used to be

This episode not only clears up a common misconception but also serves up a side of humour, making it a must-listen for tech enthusiasts and foodies alike.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe and share!

See you next time!

 

Using AI to write blog posts

In today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s no surprise that many businesses and individuals are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help them with various tasks, including writing blog posts. AI technology has come a long way in recent years, and it has the potential to help bloggers save time and improve the quality of their content.

Using AI to write blog posts - created by Midjourney
Using AI to write blog posts – created by Midjourney

One of the biggest advantages of using AI to write blog posts is that it can help save time. Rather than spending hours researching, outlining, writing, and editing a blog post, you can use AI to quickly generate high-quality content. This can be especially useful if you’re crunched for time or if you need to produce a large volume of content on a regular basis.

Another advantage of using AI to write blog posts is that it can help improve the quality of your content. AI technology can analyze your existing content and use that information to generate new posts that are similar in style and tone. This can be especially useful if you want to maintain a consistent voice and tone throughout your blog. Additionally, AI can use natural language processing to ensure that your content is well-written and easy to read.

Of course, using AI to write blog posts is not without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is that AI technology is not yet capable of fully replicating human creativity and intuition. As a result, your AI-generated content may not always be as engaging or original as content that is written by a human. Additionally, AI technology is still in its early stages, and it may not always produce error-free content.

Despite these challenges, using AI to write blog posts can be a valuable tool for bloggers who are looking to save time and improve the quality of their content. As AI technology continues to advance, it’s likely that we’ll see even more sophisticated tools that can help bloggers generate high-quality content quickly and easily. In the meantime, it’s worth considering using AI to write blog posts if you’re looking for ways to streamline your content creation process and produce high-quality content on a regular basis.

This post was written by ChatGPT (AI)
Tags produced by ChatGPT (AI)
Images created using Midjourney (AI)
All pasted by Matt Porter The Gadget Man (Human)

Some of my creations using Midjourney Artificial Intelligence Art Program

Some examples of images created using Midjourney artificial intelligence program that creates images from textual descriptions.

the haywain painted by John Constable - Midjourney / Matt Porter
the haywain painted by John Constable – Midjourney / Matt Porter
humanity standing over the destruction of the planet in ultra high definition octane rendered - Midjourney / Matt Porter
humanity standing over the destruction of the planet in ultra high definition octane rendered – Midjourney / Matt Porter
the dawn of life in high definition in 8k - Midjourney / Matt Porter
the dawn of life in high definition in 8k – Midjourney / Matt Porter
Oliver Twist in 22nd century - Midjourney / Matt Porter
Oliver Twist in 22nd century – Midjourney / Matt Porter
a sailing ship floating in a mug of tea - Midjourney / Matt Porter
a sailing ship floating in a mug of tea – Midjourney / Matt Porter
Johnny Rotten as a Wild West wanted poster - Midjourney / Matt Porter
Johnny Rotten as a Wild West wanted poster – Midjourney / Matt Porter
The Kray Twins 1962 civil war portrait in black and white - Midjourney / Matt Porter
The Kray Twins 1962 civil war portrait in black and white – Midjourney / Matt Porter

It is the hope of reward that sweetens labor + high definition+ HDR + chromium - Midjourney / Matt Porter

facial portrait of lee van cleef looking straight at the camera in very high definition photorealistic 8k - Midjourney / Matt Porter
facial portrait of lee van cleef looking straight at the camera in very high definition photorealistic 8k – Midjourney / Matt Porter
mankind observed its demise realistic photo octane 8k - Midjourney / Matt Porter
mankind observed its demise realistic photo octane 8k – Midjourney / Matt Porter
humanity celebrates the launch of the DVLA website. Made hysteria. Celebration. Hyperrealism 8k octane cinematic - Midjourney / Matt Porter
humanity celebrates the launch of the DVLA website. Made hysteria. Celebration. Hyperrealism 8k octane cinematic – Midjourney / Matt Porter
photorealistic image of too many cooks spoiling the broth - Midjourney / Matt Porter
photorealistic image of too many cooks spoiling the broth – Midjourney / Matt Porter
Arriving at the gates to heaven, Movie Style Ultra High Definition HDRI, photo realistic, octane render 8k incredible detail, beautiful composition - Midjourney / Matt Porter
Arriving at the gates to heaven, Movie Style Ultra High Definition HDRI, photo realistic, octane render 8k incredible detail, beautiful composition – Midjourney / Matt Porter
Arriving at the gates of Hell, Movie Style Ultra High Definition HDRI, photo realistic, octane render 8k incredible detail, beautiful composition - Midjourney / Matt Porter
Arriving at the gates of Hell, Movie Style Ultra High Definition HDRI, photo realistic, octane render 8k incredible detail, beautiful composition – Midjourney / Matt Porter
houses of parliament in the style of Thomas Gainsborough - Midjourney / Matt Porter
houses of parliament in the style of Thomas Gainsborough – Midjourney / Matt Porter
the houses of parliament in the style of gustav klimt - Midjourney / Matt Porter
the houses of parliament in the style of gustav klimt – Midjourney / Matt Porter
crowd of thousands celebrating in the style of a graphic novel - Midjourney / Matt Porter
crowd of thousands celebrating in the style of a graphic novel – Midjourney / Matt Porter
realistic image of a cat dressed as a yeoman warder standing to attention in london, portrait, hyperrealistic, incredible detail - Midjourney / Matt Porter
realistic image of a cat dressed as a yeoman warder standing to attention in london, portrait, hyperrealistic, incredible detail – Midjourney / Matt Porter
silver birch forest in the style of gustav klimt - Midjourney / Matt Porter - Available to buy
silver birch forest in the style of gustav klimt – Midjourney / Matt Porter – Available to buy
victorious young man, character design, in pencil drawing style - Available to Buy
victorious young man, character design, in pencil drawing style – Available to Buy
stunningly beautiful female British soldier, character design, in pencil drawing style - Midjourney / Matt Porter - Available to Buy
stunningly beautiful female British soldier, character design, in pencil drawing style – Midjourney / Matt Porter – Available to Buy
Mohammad Ali as heavyweight champion of the world standing in the boxing ring with adoring crowds cheering and clapping him - Midjourney / Matt Porter
Mohammad Ali as heavyweight champion of the world standing in the boxing ring with adoring crowds cheering and clapping him – Midjourney / Matt Porter
portrait of David Beckham, age 30, wearing england football kit, character design, painted in oil on canvas - Midjourney / Matt Porter - Available to Buy
portrait of David Beckham, age 30, wearing england football kit, character design, painted in oil on canvas – Midjourney / Matt Porter – Available to Buy
victorious young man, character design, in oil on canvas style - Midjourney / Matt Porter
victorious young man, character design, in oil on canvas style – Midjourney / Matt Porter
Epic cyberpunk portrait of Jimmy Cauty + detailed face + 1987 colours + retro cyberpunk lights + 4k symmetrical eyes + intricate details + zoomed out + extremely detailed + 4k + uhd + 3d + octane render + cinematic - Midjourney / Matt Porter - Available to Purchase
Epic cyberpunk portrait of Jimmy Cauty + detailed face + 1987 colours + retro cyberpunk lights + 4k symmetrical eyes + intricate details + zoomed out + extremely detailed + 4k + uhd + 3d + octane render + cinematic – Midjourney / Matt Porter – Available to Purchase
origami model of Donald Trump made from legal documents standing on a wooden table with global lighting + highly detailed + photo quality + octane + 8k - Midjourney / Matt Porter - Available to Buy
origami model of Donald Trump made from legal documents standing on a wooden table with global lighting + highly detailed + photo quality + octane + 8k – Midjourney / Matt Porter – Available to Buy

Gadget Man – Episode 173 – Repair your own Apple devices?

I’m back again for a new episode of the podcast which features me chatting to Lesley Dolphin at BBC Radio Suffolk about Apples plans to allow their devices to be repaired.

Pretty much everyone is in shock at this decision, which isn’t quite as welcome as it could be.

Listen in to the stream to find out more!

 

Braun LE03 – High End Smart Audio for Your Home

This month I have been reviewing the LE03 Speaker from Braun Audio and I was very pleasantly surprised!

I have used quite a few smart speakers over the years, so when I received the Braun LE03 Speaker, I was intrigued to find out more. Out of the box, you can see that the speaker isn’t aimed at the smart assistant market as it is both high end and reassuringly weighty, but it also retains the smart speaker functionality with its minimalist design approach.

Braun Audio LE03
Braun Audio LE03

The speaker is controlled by either Google Voice (configured from your Android or iPhone), play pause, volume and ‘privacy’ button (which switches off the listening function). It can also be connected by Bluetooth pairing.

The speaker connects to the internet by WiFi, this pairing is set up by the Google Home app, which once set up, seamlessly sits alongside your other Google Devices ready to answer questions, play music or connect to Chromecast compatible TV’s.  If you are looking for finer tuning, you can also install the Braun app which gives greater control.

Braun Audio LE03
Braun Audio LE03

Set up is very straightforward, and once up and running, I was happily playing my favourite tunes and my daughter was equally happy to ask Google plenty of questions. Everything works in a similar fashion to using Google Assistant on your phone or indeed Alexa.

For the audiophiles amongst you, the LE03 contains a custom-designed 3.5” ‘high-excursion fast-transient’ woofer with NdFe motor, a Full-range 1.5“ Balanced Mode Radiator drive unit, a Race track/quadratic 5” x 3” Customised passive radiator all powered by a Monolithic class-D power amplifier. (I did say this was for the audiophiles).

Braun Audio LE03
Braun Audio LE03

The speaker can also be paired with further LE range speakers to give you a full multiroom experience.

The sound quality was mind-blowing, the bass was there when you needed it and vocals were clear. It really is a very good system and probably warrants the price tag of £349

The Braun LE03 is really worth a look if you are on the hunt for a capable speaker and want to spend a little bit more for the added quality.

Highly recommended!!

SwitchBot Curtain – How I made my curtains ‘Smart’ in just a few minutes

So, I’m now the proud owner of a pair of ‘Smart Curtains’… Yes, you read that right! After a simple installation, our living room curtains can now be controlled by the flick of a screen gesture, a Google Home or Alexa command, temperature, a timed opening and closing or it can even be triggered (and charged) by light!

SwitchBot can be installed onto a range of curtain rails
SwitchBot can be installed onto a range of curtain rails

All of this came courtesy of the SwitchBot Curtain, a nifty set of kit that allows me to all of the above and more!

SmitchBot Curtain is a motorised device that sits on your curtain rail or pole and simply moves your curtains open or closed upon your command or wishes. It can also integrate with an additional SwitchBot hub that connects it to other SwitchBot gadgets and talks to your favourite cloud assistants via the internet. This allows you to control your curtains remotely. More importantly, this allows this to happen via a schedule, so you can be away on holiday and your curtains can open and close deterring unwanted visitors and stopping your houseplants from scorching in the hot sun.

SwitchBot can be installed onto a range of curtain rails
SwitchBot can be installed onto a range of curtain rails

All of this is achieved by (in my case) a pair of SwitchBot curtain, one for each side on the window, a pair of plug-in solar chargers which keep the batteries topped up (although you can do this with the included USB Type-C cables,

Set up was a breeze, I installed the SwitchBot app on my Android phone (iPhone app also available) and it took me through every single step without missing a beat! Within a couple of minutes, I was up and running. There were some simple steps to teach the devices when to stop and when opening and closing the curtains, but we were good to go after that!

Our curtain pole is extendable, so by design has two different sized poles connected, SwitchBot provides a nifty little adapter that allows the SwitchBot Curtain to easily move over this uneven without issue.

As well as using the app to close and open the curtains, you can also tug them gently in either direction, which will trigger then to do the rest, very useful if you forget that you don’t have to open and close them manually!

Our curtains run on a pole, however, SwitchBot is also available for I Rail and U Rail fittings in either white or black, basically suiting most tastes. The device also sits neatly behind our curtains, so you don’t actually see them at all. Out of sight, out of mind!

Also available in black
Also available in black

So now, the Gadget-Household are smart-curtain enabled, giving one more thing for Alexa to do and hopefully improving our lives just a little bit more.

SwitchBot is available on Amazon at the link below, keep an eye out for upcoming Prime Day deals which are listed below!!

 

SwitchBot Amazon Prime Day Deals

SwitchBot Curtain Rail

SwitchBot Curtail – U Rail – was £79 now £55.30

SwitchBot Curtain – I Rail – was £79 now £55.30

SwitchBot Curtain – Rod – was £85 now £59.30

Amazon Links Here:

SwitchBot’s hero product and a bestseller on Amazon, the SwitchBot Curtain is a small wireless robot that makes any curtains motorized and smart with a 30-second installation. After attaching to your curtain, you can open and close it with your smartphone. Or, just set a schedule to automatically open or close the curtain. For any type of curtain rail – no matter if it’s Rod, U rail track, or I Rail track, SwitchBotCurtain can always fit. Make sure to measure the dimensions of your curtain rails, so it can work smoothly on your curtains.

 

SwitchBot Bot  – was £25 now £17.50

Amazon Link Here

SwitchBot Bot lets you retrofit all existing appliances or light switches in your home, instead of replacing them. It mechanically turns device switches ON/OFF working as a robotic finger. There’s a 5-second installation, tape it right next to a rocker switch or button with a 3M sticker. No swapping, no tools required. Easy App operation. With SwitchBot Hub Plus/Mini (only support 2.4GHz Wi-Fi), control your SwitchBot Bot remotely from anywhere and enable voice control. Works well with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri and IFTTT.

 

SwitchBot Meter – was £18 now £12.60

Amazon Link Here

SwitchBot Meter is a sensor that monitors your environment reliably and around the clock. Manage the temperature and humidity in the most accurate way. The Meter maintains the most recent 36 days of data while you are away. With SwitchBot Hub Plus/Mini (only support 2.4GHz Wi-Fi), unlimited data could be stored on the SwitchBot cloud.

 

SwitchBot Hub Mini – was £35 now £24.50

Amazon Link Here

The SwitchBot Hub Mini connects and streamlines the control of your SwitchBot products/  most household devices, including your TV, air conditioner and anything else that would usually be controlled by a remote. Easy set up in the SwitchBot App. With “Smart learning” mode, it can mimic your existing remote control in 5 seconds. USB-powered and portable, you can take & place it everywhere.

 

  • SwitchBot Remote – was £18 now £12.60

Amazon Link Here

Compatible with the SwitchBot Curtain and SwitchBot Bot, this device lets you turn the products ON/OFF at the press of a button. For example, the concave button can be used for switching the SwitchBot Curtain ON/OFF and the convex button can be used for switching the SwitchBot Bot ON/OFF.

 

  • SwitchBot Solar Panel – was £23.99 now £16.79

Amazon Link Here

The SwitchBot Solar Panel is a charger for the SwitchBot Curtain. Once plugged into the SwitchBot Curtain, you will never have to recharge again. Works with U/Rod/I SwitchBot Curtain models.

Don’t forget, we are an Amazon affiliate, so may earn a small commission through our links

A Beginner’s Guide To Getting Into Drones

They are fascinating, impressive, and downright cool, which is enough for some gadget fanatics to want to devote plenty of manhours to getting to grips with them. However, given their expense and the fact that a novice handling could quite easily end up in disaster, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that some beginners are a little apprehensive about diving headfirst into the world of drones.

Here, we’re going to look at what you, as a beginner, need to know about drones, how to choose the best one for your needs, and how to make sure that you can actually fly the thing without a catastrophe following in your wake.

aerial-view-1866742_1920

Know what you want to use it for

Before you dedicate your life over the next few months to knowing anything and everything drone-related, it’s a good idea to get to know why you want to buy and fly one in the first place. There are plenty of people who want one just for the experience of flying a drone, which is perfectly fine in and of itself, but those who might want a drone for the sake of photography might have different needs (such as good camera stabilization features.) There are more practical uses for drones as well to consider, some of which might even have commercial benefits.

Choose the drone that best suits your needs

Now that you hopefully have a better idea of what, precisely, you are going to be using your drone for, it’s now time to choose the drone that suits those needs. Websites like DrDrone.ca offer thorough guides on which drones are best suited for different kinds of usage. Some are better suited to beginners who are just learning to fly, while others have specific applications. Even for those specific applications, such as buying a drone that is focused on photography, there is a wide variety so take your time in perusing the market.

Know whether you’re going to have to assemble your drone

This is a big stumbling block for a lot of people who buy a drone and expect that they are going to be able to fly it as soon as they take it out of the box. This type of drone does exist, they are called RTF drones (or Ready to Fly drones). The other type is called “DIY” typically, which means that you’re going to have to assemble it when you open it. If you feel confident you can put it together just fine, that’s a-okay, just make sure you know which you are getting.

Do you need a license?

The answer to this question will depend largely on where you live. In some countries, the recreational use of drones might not require any kind of license or ID. However, in the vast majority of English speaking countries, if you have any intentions to use your drones for commercial purposes, you’re going to need some form of license  However, it is crucial to do your research and learn your local drone license needs and laws, rather than relying on this tip for a definitive answer. Drone-traveller.com offers an in-depth look at national drone laws in a variety of countries.

Get some training

Rather than trying to master the art of flying a drone all by yourself, it might be worth taking the time to look into those that can show the ropes. When it comes to earning a license in the countries and states that require it, it may be essential that you have some formal training, and there are plenty of teams like Uavcoach.com that can help give you all kinds of drone flying courses, for more general use as well as specific practical applications, depending on your needs.

Know what accessories you might need

Plenty of drones come out of the box with a range of helpful accessories, but you will often find that you need a little extra just to make sure that you’re covered in any eventuality. Some spare drone parts such as additional rotors or props are always a good idea to have on hand. Keeping a backup flight battery is usually a good idea as well, as well as having a portable charger so you can stay flying for longer.

With the tips above, hopefully, you should feel confident that getting into drone flying need not be all that much of a fuss. With the right choice of machine, a little practice, and a few solid tips in mind, you should be flying with the best of them.

McLEAR Launches RingPay With New Features, Rewards And Exclusive Membership Club Benefits

On a continued mission to make life more convenient, McLEAR has been quietly enhancing the world’s most frictionless way to pay.

Smart Ring pioneers McLEAR launches RingPay to market. The payment wearable is packed with new features and exclusive benefits; RingPay Rewards, RingPay+ and RingPay Giving.

RingPay Transport
RingPay by McLEAR

RingPay by McLEAR makes payments fast, secure, and invisible. Users can make contactless payments of up to £45, and top up their ring by simply adding their preferred credit or debit card onto the RingPay app. The app allows users to track their spending in real-time, control their budgets, set automatic top-ups, respect physical distancing guidelines, and in case of loss, instantly freeze their Ring.

RingPay POS
RingPay POS

Making payments rewarding, McLEAR’s partnership with parsnip also allows users to earn in-store cash back at the growing number of selected retailers in the RingPay Rewards Programme, such as Nike, Foot Locker, Gap and River Island. A wearable so smart it pays for itself.

Ringholders can save significant amounts on everyday purchases by subscribing to RingPay+, premium members’ club to gain access to fantastic discounts and cashback, generated through hundreds of merchants across numerous categories including entertainment ticket bookings, cinema trips, restaurant offers, hotel discounts and holiday travel deals.

In addition, the RingPay Giving feature, let’s Ringholders choose to automatically send a micro-sized donation to their chosen charity when they make a purchase using their Ring. Ringholders control how much they give using monthly donation caps, and charities benefit from free Gift Aid reports allowing them to claim an extra 25% on all donations given. This social impact service is turning every contactless payment reader into a charity collection bucket!

The discreet and premium RingPay design is scratch-resistant, stress-tested, waterproof and requires no battery. Simply use McLEAR patented fist bump technology at any contactless reader for ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ payments. Forget the days of unlocking your phone or emptying your pockets. It’s always there on your finger, ready to go.

Daniel Blondell, Chief Operating Officer said: “The mission with RingPay is to improve the payment experience; making it faster, effortless and more rewarding. Whether commuting to work, picking up some essentials or off on your travels, RingPay by McLEAR gives you peace of mind knowing your finances are safely in-hand. Just kick back and fist pump your way to better spending and awesome rewards.”

We are reviewing the RingPay, so stay tuned for our thoughts!

For more info or to purchase your RingPay, visit www.mclear.com and get a Black Friday discount of 30% off when you use the code BF2020

Gadget Man – Episode 172 – Cat S42 Smartphone

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of talking to Tim Shepherd, Senior Director of Bullitt Group. Bullitt is the sole manufacturer and license holder of CAT Smartphones and Feature-phones.

You can also read the announcement of the CAT S42 Smartphone

The S42 can be cleaned with soap and water
The S42 can be cleaned with soap and water

During the interview, Tim talks in-depth about the ‘Anti-Microbial’ CAT S42 Smartphone which is the world’s first Anti-Bacterial Phone.

You can listen in to the interview in full and if you would like to read about the new device, read out blog-post here.

The CAT S42 Smartphone is currently available to purchase for £228 from Rugged Mobiles the new Anti-Microbial version will be available in early 2021.

 

Managers More Positive about Flexible Working and Working from Home – New Study.

Managers are much more positive about flexible working and staff working from home since the pandemic – says new study.

Managers are much more positive about their staff working from home and working flexibly since lockdown says a new study undertaken jointly by the Equal Parenting Project at the University of Birmingham and the Work Autonomy, Flexibility and Work-Life Balance at the University of Kent.

The report titled ‘Managing Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Flexible working and the future of work’ is based on a UK wide survey with managers which aimed to understand the organisational perspective on managing homeworking since the UK COVID-19 lockdown. During the COVID-19 lockdown, many organisations have been forced to move the majority of their workforce to remote working, often at very short notice. In many cases, these businesses had previously discouraged flexible working and had ‘very little infrastructure in place to support these new ways of working. The question arises, what impact did this shift to homeworking have and what does this mean for the future of work?

To answer this question, the research team undertook a survey of managers between the 24th July to 11th August 2020. The sample consisted of managers from across the UK, an array of industries and all levels of management. In total, 742 managers completed the survey which involved questions around norms for working from home, attitudes toward working from home, trust, key learning experience what tools the organisation supplied to employees to enable them to work from home and what support was made available to the employees.

As the first academic piece of research exploring managerial experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, this research discovered that 54.7% of managers reported over 80% of their employees have been working from home since lockdown. As a result of their management experiences during lockdown, fewer managers now believe that presenteeism and long working hours are essential to career progression within organisations. Many managers also reported that working from home increases productivity, concentration, and motivation due to their experiences in lockdown. 58.6% of managers surveyed said that working from home increases productivity whereas only 44.1% agreed with this statement before lockdown.

However, managers also saw some drawbacks, with 58.7% of all those surveyed saying that working from home lead to isolation, and other citing issues around blurring of boundaries as key negative outcomes. Regardless, most managers now believe working from home will become much more commonplace in the future, with more jobs, including senior roles, being advertised as being available for flexible working and more support being made available for home working.

Commenting on the report Dr Holly Birkett, Co-Director of the Equal Parenting Project at the University of Birmingham said:

“The report shows managers are much more positive about working from home and flexible working than they were before the pandemic.  Managers say their organisations are going to be more supportive of homeworking and flexible working in the future, including more likely to support working from home, job shares and part-time working even for Senior roles. This change along with the breakdown of the presenteeism culture and the removal of a flexibility stigma, which existed before COVID -19, could help improve employee wellbeing, help to support people to take on caring roles and break down many of the barriers women face to balancing career and family, with the potential to improve female representation on Boards and close the gender pay gap.”

Overall, the data included in the report has shown that working from home has been commonplace since the initial lockdown and managers have faced a steep learning curve regarding how to manage remote teams often with very little support or guidance.

Despite this, managers have been pleasantly surprised about the results with their teams generally performing really well during this time. While there have been some performance issues these were generally where this was already an issue prior to lockdown.

Dr Sarah Forbes, Co-Director of the Equal Parenting Project said: “Due to positive experiences of working from home and with flexible working patterns amongst their staff, managers are keen to support more working from home and flexible working in the future. This could take the form of better flexible working policies and tools to facilitate this as well as training being readily available for managers to learn how to better support remote workers in their team. However, we also need to understand working remotely over long periods of time can also be very isolating and that some people much prefer working in an office environment.”

Dr Heejung Chung, Principal Investigator of the Work Autonomy, Flexibility and Work-Life Balance Project at the University of Kent said: “As we have also seen in our previous employee survey, the flexible working genie is out of the bottle – more workers want to work flexibly in the future, and as this report has shown, managers now see how flexible working can benefit companies. However, that shift will not be the same for all companies and for all workers. Government policies to help make that cultural shift, by introducing stronger rights to flexible working and better protection against discrimination for flexible workers may help this transition go smoothly after the COVID-19 lockdown measures end.

The full findings and wider recommendation of the report will be announced by Dr Sarah Forbes, Dr Holly Birkett and Dr Heejung Chung at a webinar on 26th November 2020 which has been organised by the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business at the University of Birmingham.

The webinar will also have presentations by Lauren Adams, HR Director at CBI, Daisy Hooper, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at CMI, and Anthony Fitzpatrick, Employee Relations and Global Employment Policy Lead at Aviva will deliver organisational and managers’ perspectives on experiences of remote working during the pandemic and how these experiences are likely to change the future of work.