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Employees in Hong Kong reluctant to return to the office, with firms missing privacy office setting: Unispace Study

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Employees in Hong Kong reluctant to return to the office, with firms missing privacy office setting: Unispace Study

Key takeaways

  • Employers failing to spot burnout with 64% of workers impacted
  • Among 59% of hot desking employees, 95% prefer their own assigned desk to increase their sense of belongings
  • 63% of workers currently in the workplace four or more days a week, compared to 50% worldwide and 40% in Singapore
  • 64% of Hong Kong workers have experienced burnout, the same as in the UK, however most employers don’t believe this to be an issue
  • 82% of firms revealed that they had already expanded their space in the last two years, while a further 74% plan to do so by 2025

HONG KONG, June 15, 2023 — Employees in Hong Kong remain more reluctant to return to the office than in any other country, with mandates and heavy workload impacting employee wellbeing. That is according to a new study by global workplace creation experts, Unispace.

Returning for Good, a Unispace Global Workplace Insights report – which combined the results of an in-depth survey of 9,500 employees and 6,650 business leaders from across 17 countries worldwide – including 500+ Hong Kong employees and 100+ senior decision makers from mid-large sized companies  in Hong Kong – found that 60% of workers are reluctant to head into the office, With this largely driven by employer mandates, nearly 95% believe they will be asked to attend their workplace at least four days a week in the coming months. According to the data, employees in Hong Kong are in the office more than the global average, with 63% of workers currently in the workplace four or more days a week, compared to 50% worldwide and 40% in Singapore.

Burnout going unnoticed

According to the report, workers across Hong Kong are being impacted by burnout, but employers are failing to recognize the factors impacting their wellbeing. The majority (64%) of workers revealed they had experienced signs of burnout, the same as the UK, one of the most popular destinations for Hong Kong workers. Heavy workloads influenced this, according to 45% of Hong Kong people. However, just 29% of Hong Kong employers believed this to be an issue, suggesting firms are failing to spot the signs of burnout in workforces.

More privacy office setting for higher productivity

Meanwhile, the data revealed that the lack of privacy (29%) and more effective to work from home (26%) are two key factors causing more than half (60%) of employees reluctant to return back to the office. However, this goes opposite to the employers’ perspective, with businesses viewing the unwillingness of travel (21%) and carrying their work equipment between the office and home (20%) as the two key barriers for employees to come to the office daily.

The data also reveals that 59% of the respondents who are currently hot desking prefer to have their own space. Of those who are currently hot-desking, 95% would be more willing to return to the workplace more frequently if they have their own space. Comparing with UK, among 56% of the respondents who are currently hot desking, only 76% would be more willing to return to the workplace more frequently if they have their own space. It shows that Hong Kong employees prefer traditional workplace settings comparing with flexible workplace settings.

In Hong Kong, 82% of firms revealed that they had already expanded their space in the last two years, while a further 74% plan to do so by 2025. This indicates that businesses are responding to their employees’ preferences for an ideal workplace and are subtly encouraging them to come back to the office.

How Hong Kong compares with other Areas

Survey Findings

HK

US

UK

CA

SG

Employees currently in the office four or more days a week

63 %

57 %

34 %

50 %

40 %

Employees expecting to return to office in coming months

95 %

68 %

53 %

62 %

88 %

Reluctant to return to office

60 %

43 %

58 %

55 %

54 %

Workers currently hot desking

59 %

38 %

56 %

41 %

56 %

Employees struggle to work in current offices

69 %

52 %

63 %

53 %

68 %

Employees impacted by burnout

64 %

65 %

64 %

59 %

66 %

Sean Moran, Senior Principal, Client Solutions, Asia at Unispace, commented:

“As a world-class financial centre, Hong Kong is ranked as one of the most overworked cities in the world. Our study indicates that the significant disconnect between employer and employee has contributed to the struggling working environment and culture in Hong Kong. Hong Kong businesses need to understand the concerns and struggles of their staff, from work arrangement and office productivity to burnout. We see the need to build an encouraging workplace aligned with their employees’ needs and values as a platform to promote positive influence and culture. Fostering a better relationship with their employees, businesses can drive higher talent retention and attract high-quality talent, the stepping stone to the company’s success. ”

Unispace is a global leader in workplace strategy, design, project management, and construction with a goal of creating people-centric spaces that spark brilliance, deepen connections, foster a sense of belonging, and propel success. In Asia, Unispace has helped many corporations to design and revamp their office space, including TripAdvisor, Boston Scientific, Smith & Nephew and VaynerMedia.

About Unispace

A strategy, design, and construction leader creating people-centric spaces for a rapidly changing world. Unispace is a global firm that offers a unified team solution for creating spaces that spark brilliance, deepen connections, foster a sense of belonging and propel success. With 5,500 projects completed, a presence across 26 countries, and 600+ employees worldwide, Unispace creates spaces powered by collaborative client partnerships, delivered seamlessly across borders, and enabled by real-world insights

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Mappable launches Neurogeocoder API to revolutionize mapping solutions for UAE businesses

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Mappable

Mappable, a global company that brings powerful and highly customizable mapping solutions to the local markets, announces the launch of its new product — the Neurogeocoder API, which is now available to all clients in the UAE.

The Neurogeocoder API, powered by machine learning and AI, is a game-changer in geospatial solutions, particularly in light of the projected 14.2% CAGR growth of the global digital map market by 2030. Unlike standard geocoders with fixed algorithms set by the development team, Neurogeocoder’s adaptive nature ensures precise results, even with unstructured location queries containing errors or typos. This advanced tool allows for the seamless display of user-entered addresses on maps and facilitates the transformation of map points into detailed street addresses, ensuring precise and reliable location results. By recognizing local expressions for districts, towers, and roads, the Neurogeocoder effectively links them to specific addresses or points, a feat beyond the capabilities of standard geocoders.

The Neurogeocoder API is a powerful tool for various industries, including e-commerce, real estate, food-tech, ride-tech, and logistics. It helps quickly translate large address volumes into coordinates and vice versa, as well as process intricate or locally specific location queries for different business scenarios. For e-commerce, the Neurogeocoder can enhance customer service by displaying pickup points on maps, allowing users to choose the most convenient location when placing orders. For real estate companies, the tool can accurately showcase property locations, helping potential buyers visualize the surroundings to make informed decisions when considering a purchase. For logistics services, the API optimizes operations by providing accurate addresses to managers for better cost estimation of deliveries, leading to increased operational efficiency and cost savings for the business.

In addition to the Neurogeocoder API, Mappable offers a comprehensive suite of solutions tailored to multiple business needs:

  • Performative, customizable, and data-rich maps for clients’ websites, apps, or CRM.
  • Automatic geo verification and easy search by address, coordinates, and other parameters.
  • Navigation and route planning tools that take into account traffic and weather forecasts as well as other parameters, to help drivers, couriers, and other professionals efficiently move around the country.

“The UAE is rapidly progressing in the fields of technology, e-commerce, and smart mobility and we’re excited to support businesses on this journey. Mappable solutions allow companies to optimize logistics and enhance customer service quality by automating processes and reducing workloads on internal personnel, call centers and order-processing specialists. We know what local businesses need and are constantly updating our products, using machine learning and AI to give our clients the best possible mapping solutions. The newly launched Neurogeocoder is a great example of this. It understands our address-inputting habits and adapts to them”, explained Sabina Mirza-Akhmedova, Chief Executive Officer at Mappable.

Sabina Mirza-Akhmedova, Chief Executive Officer at Mappable

All Mappable solutions provide extensive customization opportunities, and a wide range of licensing choices. The company has also launched an online self-service desk, which gives easy and fast access to its APIs — for trial or license purchase. More information can be found at mappable.world.

About Mappable:

Mappable is a global mapping and geospatial solutions provider based in the UAE, offering powerful and customizable business solutions to local markets. With a focus on innovation and precision, Mappable provides cutting-edge mapping, geospatial, and navigation technologies to meet the diverse business needs of e-commerce platforms, retail chains, logistics and delivery firms, manufacturing enterprises, ride-tech and food-tech companies, telecommunications corporations, banks, as well as the public sector.

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Yango showcases latest innovations to transform urban transport at Mobility Live ME

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yango

Abu Dhabi, UAE, Yango, an international tech company, made a significant impact as the Silver Sponsor at Mobility Live ME, the region’s most crucial event focusing on disruptive technology in mobility. Being committed to leveraging the power of technology to improve its users’ lives, Yango showcased its latest products and innovations and presented insights tailored to the MENA region’s evolving demands.

Building on its reputation for unique service offerings, the company recently launched Yango Drive, a comprehensive car rental marketplace integrated within the Yango SuperApp that is gaining substantial traction in Dubai. It features a digital booking system that offers an array of 3,500 cars, providing a seamless, high-quality rental experience from booking to return. This service reflects Yango’s commitment to comfort, convenience, and sustainability, supporting the shift towards shared mobility and aligning with the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 and Dubai Urban Plan 2040 initiatives.

Furthermore, in alignment with its dedication to enriching local communities, the ‘Prayer Mode’ for Muslim drivers was recently launched during the holy month of Ramadan. This feature facilitates drivers’ adherence to prayer schedules and includes innovative mapping and smart routing technologies to locate the nearest mosques. The app also mutes notifications during prayer times and provides directions to the Qibla, ensuring drivers can seamlessly balance their professional responsibilities with their religious practices.

Islam Abdul Karim, General Manager, Yango GCC, said: “We have seen great demand for our services since our entry into the market and are dedicated to developing a safe and comfortable urban transport system to keep up with this demand. With technology at the heart of our mission, we are not just responding to the current status but are actively shaping the future of mobility with innovative solutions and features. We will continue to set new standards in the industry, contributing to creating smart, sustainable cities.”

Islam spoke in a panel discussion at Mobility Live: “Movers and Shapers: Shining a Spotlight on the Game-Changers in Modern Transport Systems.” Shashi Shekhar Singh, Director of New Markets at Yango, delivered a keynote speech on the “Future of Mobility,” delving into how the company redefines urban mobility.

The company’s commitment to innovation is reflected in its diverse range of services, including Yango Maps, Yango ride-hailing service, Yango Play, Yango Tech, the advanced Arabic human-like AI voice assistant Yasmina, and many more, all of which are designed to enhance the everyday lives of local communities. As one of the leading apps in the region, the company is committed to supporting local transport providers, creating jobs, and fostering long-term partnerships with local communities and governments.

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Trident IoT Launches Taurus Z-Wave Series Silicon

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Chip series and SDK support next-generation Z-Wave capabilities for the global market.

Trident IoT, an RF technology and engineering company focused on decreasing time-to-market for connected device manufacturers, today announced the release of the new Taurus Z-Wave Series of silicon solutions.

The Trident IoT Taurus Z-Wave Series will encompass system-on-chip (SoC) solutions and modules that support the latest advancements in Z-Wave technology, including Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) for the U.S. and the implementation of the ZWLR European specification. The Taurus Z-Wave Series will ship with an SDK based on Open Z-Wave Specification Release 2024A.

“The Taurus Series gives global manufacturers access to cutting-edge Z-Wave capabilities,” said Trident IoT co-founder Bill Scheffler. “This silicon series and SDK will be the first to implement the ZWLR European specification, accelerating IoT product development worldwide.”

Taurus Series Silicon Specifications
The Taurus Series is based on an ultra-low power, high performance Z-Wave SoC. The Taurus SoC solution is designed to enable Z-Wave solutions with class-leading battery life, range, and memory.

Taurus Series chips feature an ARM® Cortex®-M33 microprocessor, 1MB of flash program memory, and 288KB of SRAM data memory for exceptional processing and response time. The powerful sub-GHz radios transmit at +20dBm and +14 dBm, enabling communication over distances up to 1+ miles.

Taurus chips support Z-Wave Plus, Z-Wave Plus v2 and ZWLR, enabling the development of highly secure, reliable, scalable, and backwards-compatible solutions for smart home, hospitality, multi-dwelling units and more. Using the ZWLR 12-bit addressing space, the Taurus Series supports networks of up to 4000 nodes; Taurus chips also leverage ZWLR dynamic power control, enabling end point battery life of up to ten years from a single coin-cell battery.

“ZWLR is a revolutionary technology, with the power to expand the reach, scale and utility of IoT applications while preserving full backward compatibility with currently deployed Z-Wave devices,” said Avi Rosenthal, Z-Wave Alliance Chairman of the Board. “This new Z-Wave silicon offering, paired with the Trident IoT SDK and design services, will enable more Z-Wave Alliance members to take advantage of ZWLR capabilities, bringing exciting new products to market faster around the globe.”

End-to-End Product Development Support
In line with the company’s mission to decrease time-to-market for IoT devices, Trident IoT will offer end-to-end engineering consultation for new products integrating Taurus Series silicon. In addition to the Taurus Series SDK, Trident IoT customers will also have access to an exclusive library of both Z-Wave and ZWLR device and sensor reference designs, created to accelerate the development of innovative new edge-of-property applications.

Trident IoT also offers in-depth consulting from some of the industry’s foremost experts on wireless connectivity, including Z-Wave technology. “Trident IoT was launched in response to a gap in the availability of IoT product design services,” says Mariusz Malkowski, Trident IoT CTO and founder. “The demand for consultation has been extraordinary: in just six months we’ve had to double our engineering resources.”

To support the development of market-ready products, the Trident IoT lab is fully equipped and available for Z-Wave, Z-Wave Plus v2, and ZWLR end product compliance and testing.

By providing silicon, design services, and in-house compliance testing, Trident IoT can help device manufacturers decrease time-to-market for new Z-Wave products by more than 60%. According to Kevin Kraus, VP of Technology Alliances and IoT Business Development, Yale – Fortune Brands Innovation, “In-depth consulting services from the Trident IoT team will be an invaluable accelerator for Fortune Brands, helping us to bring new Z-Wave-certified products to market in the near future. With the launch of this new single-die silicon solution, we look forward to collaborating on new devices with next-generation capabilities, including long-range and potentially even multi-protocol devices.”

Taurus Series Previews for Product Developers
Taurus Series silicon will begin shipping at scale in Q4 2024. In the meantime, Trident IoT will issue Taurus Series samples to select partners for initial testing and product development.

About Trident IoT:
Trident IoT is a technology and engineering company focused on simplifying RF development, increasing product success rates, and decreasing time-to-market for connected device manufacturers. Founded by a team of IoT veterans with over a century of industry knowledge, Trident IoT is aimed at making connected devices work as intended. With an initial focus on companies manufacturing Z-Wave devices, Trident IoT seeks to expand and build new relationships through a human connection at every level, including certification and market knowledge. 

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