19 May MORE JOBS AS PEOPLE MOVE ONLINE; MORE ON THE OFFICE; CONTACTLESS SHOPPING THE WAY FORWARD
Posted at 04:10h
in Uncategorised
Welcome to today’s business and media intelligence, with insights collected over the past 24-hours.
SILVER LINING? MORE JOBS AS PEOPLE MOVE ONLINE
- Amid the grim news that 594,000 Australians lost their jobs in April, a few businesses are hiring for new roles, including retail giant Cotton On which has seen demand for their online business spike by over 400 per cent. CFO Michael Hardwick said about half of the 300 new jobs had been offered to existing staff who had been redeployed from the company’s stores, while the other half were external hires, including about 70 from the Geelong Football Club. Read more in The Australian here. (Subscriber access)
CONTACTLESS SHOPPING THE WAY FORWARD FOR WOOLIES
- Checkout free buying, digital assistants and widespread online shopping are the way forward for Australia’s retail giant, Woolworths. The company believes shopping preferences in the COVID-19 era have fast-tracked consumer appetite for digital options, with managing director of WooliesX digital innovation division, Amanda Bardwell, saying they have seen an increasing number of customers wanting a contactless experience where possible in stores. This extends to everything from tap and go with their loyalty, credit and debit cards, to the Scan&Go trials. Read the full AFR article here. (Subscriber access)
BIG BANKS LOOKING AT AI TO “SPY ON STAFF”
- Major banks are considering adopting AI technology to identify bad culture and reduce risks in the workforce operating remotely. This comes after APRA’s inquiry into CBA called for more proactive monitoring of culture risk across the sector, and after both NAB and Westpac lost their CEOs and Chairmen due to risk governance failures. Read more about how the AI tool will be used here. (Subscriber access)
FURTHER JOB LOSSES IN MEDIA SECTOR AS NETWORK 10 RESTRUCTURES
- US media giant ViacomCBS is ramping up the integration of its operations in Australia and New Zealand with Network 10, which includes the axing of the 10 Daily website and staff lay-offs. ViacomCBS’s local content boss Beverley McGarvey said the changes are part of the executive restructure announced in March and are the next step in integrating the business and establishing a “truly combined company”. Read more on what she had to say about the media landscape here. (Subscriber access)
MORE ON THE OFFICE
- The return to the office will be a complex task, according to the Business Council of Australia, with new research confirming almost 50 per cent of all workers are employed in jobs “with high people contact and on-site requirements”. The paper says businesses will need to look at “social distancing” strategies, such as team rotation or staff testing. Read more on what businesses are doing in The AFR. (Subscriber access)
- According to AFR columnist Jennifer Hewett, one employee benefit of the eventual return to COVID-19-safe offices is that it should finally signal the end of hot-desking. Meanwhile, Lucy Kelley from The Financial Times highlights some of the reasons we will miss the office if it dies, including the sense of belonging and sanity it imposes on us. (Subscriber access)
EQUITY REVOLUTION
- Britain is looking to turn the huge pile-up of unsustainable debt into an equity revolution, but the question is: where will all this capital come from, how will it be distributed, and by whom? Read the full AFR article here. (Subscriber access)
14 WAYS TO FIND JOY
- As the world shrinks to the size of our homes, the more joyful the simple pleasures can feel. The New York Times shares 14 stories from different writers on what is bringing them joy in these not-so-joyful times. Read the stories here. (Subscriber access)
Our daily briefing is not meant to be a summary of media coverage but rather, insights that may be helpful in understanding how organisations are communicating with stakeholders in a time of crisis – and what comes next. Sign up via email.