Monthly Archives: March 2024

PR Newswire

Locus Robotics Partners With Booktopia To Revolutionise Its Customer Order Fulfilment

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Cutting-edge robotic technology will enhance efficiency and fulfilment speed in Booktopia’s new state-of-the-art customer fulfilment centre

WILMINGTON, Mass., March 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Locus Robotics, a global leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for fulfilment warehouses, has partnered with leading online Australian book retailer, Booktopia, to enhance its customer order fulfilment processes at its new customer fulfilment centre at South Strathfield in Sydney.

The strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone in Australia’s e-commerce landscape, as Booktopia becomes one of the first companies in the country to leverage the power of Locus AMRs to significantly optimise its order fulfilment processes, enabling a reduction in handling time and faster delivery to customers.

Locus Robotics’ cutting-edge AMR technology will propel Booktopia’s fulfilment operations into the future, increasing efficiency, accuracy, and speed within its new distribution centre. The partnership aims to enhance Booktopia’s existing capabilities while meeting the ever-increasing demands of the online retail landscape. Locus Robotics’ adaptable and intelligent robots have begun seamlessly navigating the warehouse floors, working collaboratively with human counterparts to ensure timely and precise order processing.

Rick Faulk, CEO, Locus Robotics, said: “This partnership reflects Booktopia’s innovative forward-looking view of robotics and automation technology. Booktopia is uniquely positioned to optimise its fulfilment processes and seamlessly scale for growth using our powerful AMR solution. We are thrilled to partner with a leader in Australian e-commerce as they push boundaries through fulfilment automation.”

David Nenke, CEO, Booktopia said: “Our partnership with Locus provides the technology that enables us to take a significant step forward with our customer fulfilment operations and support our overarching commitment to delivering a first class experience for customers looking to buy books and gifts. The Locus team shares our dedication to operational excellence through their cutting-edge capabilities and desire to put the customer first. Thanks to technology like this, we have been able to deliver an even better service for our customers including through the busy festive retail period at the end of 2023.”

This collaboration underscores Booktopia’s commitment to investing in state-of-the-art solutions to support its future aspirations across its ANZ operations and cement its role as a leader in Australia’s e-commerce and logistics landscape.

–ENDS–

About Locus Robotics:
Locus Robotics is a global leader in autonomous mobile robots for fulfilment warehouses. The company’s innovative solutions enhance operational efficiency, increase productivity, and streamline order fulfilment processes. By seamlessly integrating advanced robotics with human expertise, Locus Robotics empowers businesses to meet the challenges of modern commerce head-on.

About Booktopia Group Ltd:
Booktopia is a leading Australian online bookstore, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX:BKG), selling books, ebooks, etexts, games & puzzles, stationery, e-readers, and audiobooks, delivering to every corner of Australia and New Zealand.

Booktopia has access to over 6 million books in its database and thousands of books in stock and ready to ship from its Sydney distribution centre, offering Australian readers a wide variety of international and local publishers. Proudly locally operated, Booktopia is Australia’s local bookstore.

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For more information or enquiries about Booktopia:

Adam Freedman
Chief Brand and Communications Officer
adamf@booktopia.com.au
0429 493 313

For information or enquiries about Locus Robotics:

Kary Zate
Sr. Director Marketing Communications
kzate@locusrobotics.com
+1-774-249-4477

PR Newswire

Snail Games Announces ARK Franchise Tops Charts at Steam’s Dinos vs. Robots Fest

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CULVER CITY, Calif., March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Snail, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNAL) (“Snail Games” or “the Company”), a leading global independent developer and publisher of interactive digital entertainment, today announced the ARK franchise’s achievement at Steam’s Dinos vs. Robots Fest, held from February 26 to March 4, 2024. ARK Survival Ascended emerged as the number one best seller, spotlighting the strong market presence and growth potential of the ARK franchise.

Steam’s Dinos vs. Robots Fest, a week-long celebration featuring dinosaur- and robot-themed games, offered discounts and demos to gamers worldwide. ARK Survival Ascended’s top chart position, alongside ARK Survival: Evolved’s ranking among the top ten best sellers, highlights the franchise’s lasting appeal and robust community support. These achievements highlight the ongoing popularity of ARK Survival: Evolved, which continues to attract new players eight years post-release, and the strong reception for ARK Survival: Ascended. Fueled by the success of the ARK franchise and its loyal, growing community, Snail Games is motivated to further expand and innovate within the ARK franchise.

“Our recent achievements at Steam’s Dinos vs. Robots Fest highlight the ARK franchise’s incredible journey and potential,” said Jim Tsai, CEO of Snail, Inc. “The continued support from new and existing players reinforces our dedication to delivering innovative and engaging gaming experiences that exceed players’ expectations, and to exploring new opportunities for growth, innovation, and storytelling. Looking ahead, we are dedicated to continuing to expand the ARK universe and our other gaming offerings, as we aim to further push the boundaries of creativity and development to deliver high-quality games.”

About Snail, Inc.

Snail, Inc. is a leading global independent developer and publisher of interactive digital entertainment for consumers around the world, with a premier portfolio of premium games designed for use on a variety of platforms, including consoles, PC’s and mobile devices.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “may,” “predict,” “continue,” “estimate” and “potential,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this press release and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Snail’s intent, belief or current expectations. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of Snail’s business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, plans and objectives. The statements Snail makes regarding the following matters are forward-looking by their nature: growth prospects and strategies; launching new games and additional functionality to games that are commercially successful, including the launch of ARK: Survival Ascended, ARK: The Animated Series and ARK 2; expectations regarding significant drivers of future growth; its ability to retain and increase its player base and develop new video games and enhance existing games; competition from companies in a number of industries, including other game developers and publishers and both large and small, public and private Internet companies; its relationships with third-party platforms such as Xbox Live and Game Pass, PlayStation Network, Steam, Epic Games Store, the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, My Nintendo Store and the Amazon Appstore; expectations for future growth and performance; and assumptions underlying any of the foregoing.

Contacts:

Investors:
investors@snail.com

Press:
media@snail.com

Source: Snail, Inc.

PR Newswire

SONATRACH and Huawei Jointly Innovate a Smart Oil and Gas Pipeline Fiber Sensing Inspection Solution

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BARCELONA, Spain, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — At the MWC Barcelona 2024, SONATRACH, the state-owned oil company of Algeria shared the achievements of the smart oil and gas pipeline fiber sensing inspection solution deployed with Huawei. The solution ensures high security, intelligence, and high efficiency of pipelines through automated pipeline inspection, which is enabled by distributed fiber optic sensing technology.


As a key contributor in the oil industry of Algeria, SONATRACH runs about 43 oil and gas pipelines, accompanying with 14,000 km optical cables. Traditional manual inspection is costly and inefficient, and it is difficult to obtain the pipeline running status 24/7 in real time. The SONATRACH Joint Innovation Center hopes to work with Huawei and other partners to reduce O&M costs, proactively warn pipeline damage, and quickly locate fiber cuts using innovative technologies.

Huawei has developed an innovative pipeline fiber sensing solution using the distributed fiber optic sensing technology. In the solution, Huawei OptiXsense EF3000 (an optical sensing device) is deployed to implement 24/7 high-precision automatic pipeline inspection and warning.

The smart oil and gas pipeline fiber sensing inspection solution is based on Huawei’s optical fiber sensing solution and live-network service management process. When external construction occurs around a pipeline, the accompanying optical fiber deployed along the pipeline collects vibration information and transmits the information to the optical sensing device deployed in a station or block valve station (BVS) equipment room, thereby achieving precise positioning.

Joint innovation practices show that the fiber warning solution has excellent performance in pipeline inspection scenarios, for example:

  1. Different events such as fiber cuts, manual excavation, and mechanical excavation can be accurately analyzed, so that a valid site visit can be arranged.
  2. The alarm accuracy is high, with a false positive rate of only 0.012 times/km/day. All alarms within 2 meters above the optical fiber can be reported normally.
  3. The positioning capability is powerful. The average positioning error is less than 10 meters, and the GIS location information on the optical cable map is accurate.

Sana Lallali, manager of SONATRACH Joint Innovation Center, said, “Fiber Sensing Inspection Solution helps solve problems such as difficult manual inspection and slow risk identification. We are satisfied with the joint innovation achievements with Huawei. We hope to further cooperate with Huawei to promote the intelligent transformation of the oil industry.”

PR Newswire

DreamSmart Group launched open AI terminal MEIZU 21 PRO and other new products, fully embracing AI

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BEIJING, March 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On 29 February 2024, DreamSmart Group held a special event to launch the first open AI terminal MEIZU 21 PRO and a new colour variant of coronet blue of MYVU smart AR glasses, and announced its “All in AI” new strategy to embrace the promising future of AI technologies.

MEIZU 21 PRO is available in five colours: Black, Ultra Black, White, Purple, and Green. The 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at RMB 4,999 yuan, the 16GB + 512GB variant at 5,399 yuan, and the 16GB + 1TB variant at 5,899 yuan.


MEIZU 21 PRO: Building an open AI terminal

MEIZU 21 PRO is a futuristic device crafted for the AI era, incorporating the pinnacle of design, interaction, and craftsmanship of classic smartphones, embracing the AI era.

As MEIZU’s first flagship phone with an open platform, MEIZU 21 PRO is open to all large model platforms, providing developers with system permissions, API documents, and the processor’s AI computing power, so that developers have full freedom to develop more innovative functions and application services.

To attract large model teams across the world to construct the AI ecosystem, MEIZU will invite all interested teams to develop large model applications on its open platform. At the same time, MEIZU will also set up a reward as high as 1 million yuan for large model application teams with the highest number of monthly active users to stimulate their innovation vitality.

Based on the powerful AI capabilities of the FlymeOS operating system, MEIZU 21 Pro has rich new AI features including the AI Portal, AI-Assisted Input, AI Gallery and AI Voice, refreshing user experience, making itself standing out among AI terminals.


MEIZU 21 PRO is not only an open AI device, but also a large-display flagship smartphone with AI features that is holdable in one hand, with a 6.79-inch 21:9 ratio “one-hand large display” and 74mm ultra-narrow body design, which not only makes the phone more comfortable when held in one hand, but also provides a more immersive experience in scenarios such as watching movies and playing games.

MEIZU 21 PRO uses a 2K+ colourful display on the front, whose colours are super delicate and rich. The display accuracy of up to 512PPI allows every pixel to show every detail in extreme. Whether watching high-definition videos or playing large games, you can enjoy excellent visual effects.

In terms of appearance, the double-sided arcs of MEIZU 21 PRO makes the users’ hand more comfortable when holding it; the innovative Xingyuan technique applied to the back, an integration of technology and art, creates extremely advanced frosted texture. The newly developed MEIZU Titan Glass 2.0 makes its drop resistance more than 200% higher than the previous generation, bringing users safer experience.

In terms of performance, MEIZU 21 PRO is equipped with a third-generation Snapdragon 8 flagship processor, LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0, bringing users an unprecedented smooth experience. Its unprecedented innovation in improving interaction experience brings mobile phone interaction to a new height.

With Qualcomm’s latest generation of mTouch Max wide-area ultrasonic fingerprint recognition technology, the fingerprint recognition area of MEIZU 21 PRO has been increased from 8mm*8mm to 30mm*20mm. This means users can easily unlock the phone by touching the fingerprint area from any angle, which is more convenient and comfortable.

MEIZU 21 PRO also achieved a new breakthrough in fingerprint recognition. Its one-key unconscious fingerprint addition function enables users to gently touch the fingerprint area to add their fingerprint, without other unnecessary operations. The pressure interaction function greatly improves the interaction experience of users.

The imaging system of MEIZU 21 PRO has also been greatly upgraded. Its hardware reaches the top in the industry and software optimisation demonstrates MEIZU’s excellence in imaging technologies. Its back cameras include a combination of a 50-megapixel wide-angle main camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera to achieve full-focus coverage.

At the same time, the airframe of MEIZU 21 PRO has also been significantly improved, whose water and dust resistance reaches IP68, improving its durability and reliability, bringing users freer experience to use it.

FlymeOS: Building new experience with an AI-enabled system

As a leader in human-machine interaction systems, MEIZU’s Flyme team released its strategic vision of All in AI to users, revealing the future direction of FlymeOS intelligent operating system, providing the best example for the industry in terms of new applications, new architectures and new concepts of human-machine interaction.

There are now many AI features in FlymeOS, including Aicy voice assistant and AI gallery. The Aicy assistant is able to answer not only general questions, but also provide professional knowledge, and also generates texts or pictures according requirements described in natural languages; AI Gallery supports the use of natural languages to search for images, and its functions like Image Enhancement, Magic Eraser, and interesting AI Portrait give users more freedom to experience its powerful image editing and creation capacity.

At this special event, the Flyme team put emphasis on new features such as AI Portal and AI-Assisted Input. AI Portal integrates AI into mBack familiar to Flyme users, who can wake up system AI at any time by simply repressing mBack, making every conversation between users and the large language model more comfortable. AI-Assisted Input autonomously comprehends the context of conversations and automatically generate accurate responses on behalf of users. When generating texts, AI-Assisted Input not only provides one single choice, but also presents multiple alternative suggestions to satisfy different needs of users.

The Flyme team also came up with an ambitious new vision of design, namely AI Native and AI First. AI Native defines the way to use the product according to the characteristics of generative intelligence, making the interaction experience of FlymeOS more convenient and clearer; AI First means with more powerful and generalised large-scale model intelligence, AI functions need to be easier and more accessible for users.

To create outstanding FlymeOS system experience, the Flyme team proposed a number of groundbreaking new concepts of AI technology from a forward-looking perspective at the event, including AI Pocket Secretary, Task Robot, AI Memory Manager, AI Mini APP and Open API Open Plan. These new concepts of AI technology proposed for the AI era are intended to lead the innovation trend of future operating systems.

In this new AI era today, the way to interact is undergoing fundamental changes. With more than 10 years of dedication in developing operating systems, the MEIZU Flyme team will make full use of its significant advantages in human-computer interaction to accelerate the upgrade and optimisation of intelligent operating systems built for the AI era, bringing users more intelligent, convenient and efficient experience.

MYVU: First to realise connectivity with Apple Watch

Since the launch of MYVU All-weather fashion AR smart glasses, MYVU has been widely acclaimed and paid much attention to by various industries. With the success of the special event, MYVU once again announced product upgrades at this event, including practical AI functions such as Smart Music, Smart Meeting Minutes, AI Persona, as well as AI Interpreting and Transcribing supporting 6 languages.

MYVU is also the first to achieve connectivity with Apple Watch, enabling iOS users to enjoy MYVU’s all-weather fashion AR smart experience.

It is worth mentioning that at the event, DreamSmart Group also announced its collaboration with Malaysia’s Digital Way Group to launch the international version of MYVU smart AR glasses, priced at $599, which will premiere in 11 Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

“All in AI” strategic plan: Embracing AI

At the special event, MEIZU also released details of the “All in AI” strategic plan, including the creation of AI Device, the reconstruction of the Flyme system and the construction of the AI ecosystem.

Among them, MEIZU’s AI Device includes AI-based product form design, AI-based global call of hardware computing capacity, etc. By reconstructing the form of hardware products, MEIZU will bring users a more intelligent, convenient and innovative AI product experience. Flyme will also restructure systems and applications from the bottom up by deeply integrating AI technology into the operating system to bring users a more intuitive AI interaction experience. MEIZU will also focus on the construction of AI ecosystems, and fully open MEIZU AI Device hardware to international top large model teams, including OpenAI, to jointly promote the innovation and development of AI technology.

After two years of teamwork, resource allocation, product planning and full pre-research of related technologies, MEIZU now has the ability to switch to the field of AI. As a fully-developed technology ecological company, MEIZU has all-round hardware teams ranging from R & D to the supply chain, as well as a software teams responsible for systematic development, design and interaction, providing solid technical support and service guarantee for implementing the All in AI vision.

MEIZU will gradually put the vision into practice through three years of ecosystem planning and technical development. According to the vision, in 2024, MEIZU’s newly created mobile operating system for the AI era will be updated to build the infrastructure capability for the AI era; MEIZU also plans to release its first AI Device product during Black Friday in the United States this year, and compete head-on with the world’s top AI Device manufacturers.

DreamSmart Group is a full-stack platform of smart terminals across multiple industries. The Group seamlessly integrates smartphones, smart AR glasses, and smart cars around FlymeOS, thus establishing an ecosystem of smart mobility with software and hardware combined. With the advancement of technologies, the interconnectivity of automobiles and smartphones leads the industry into an era of intelligence and ecosystem 3.0. Due to its profound technological expertise across multiple industries, DreamSmart Group is hailed as a representative enterprise in smart ecosystems, along with companies like Huawei and Xiaomi.

The MEIZU brand under DreamSmart Group has enjoyed a history of 21 years and boasts over 30 million MEIZU fans. Shen Ziyu, Chairman and CEO of the Group, stated, “MEIZU had once been a pioneer in China, dashing from the era of MP3 players into the smartphone era. Today, as we transition from the smartphone era to the AI era, MEIZU stands at a new starting point. Through continuous innovation and efforts, we strive to become a leader in AI technologies and to bring users an immersive experience across multiple devices and all scenarios.”

PR Newswire

NXCLOUD Announces Strategic Partnership with Zalo to Redefine Global Communication at Mobile World Congress 2024

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BARCELONA, Spain, March 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NXCLOUD, a leading innovator of cloud-based communication solutions, announced a groundbreaking partnership with Zalo Cloud, a platform developed by the premier messaging platform popular in Vietnam, Zalo, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona. The announcement at the world’s most influential exhibition for the connectivity industry highlights the significance of the partnership which is aimed to revolutionise customer engagement and facilitate global expansion.

This strategic partnership propels NXCLOUD’s global customer engagement solutions to new heights by leveraging Zalo’s vast Vietnamese user base. This synergistic partnership positions NXCLOUD as the gateway for global enterprises looking to expand into Vietnam, facilitating their access to this market by providing enhanced reach, reliability, and user experience while offering unparalleled service and efficiency.

Throughout the MWC, NXCLOUD will be showcasing its cutting-edge solutions that simplify customer engagement, unify communication channels, and enable companies to tap into new markets to achieve revenue growth. This partnership will see NXCLOUD working closely with Zalo Cloud, the messaging platform’s technological solutions wing in the integration of Zalo Notification Service (ZNS) into its offerings. NXCLOUD will be responsible for deployment, consultancy, and providing direct support to businesses aiming to reach Zalo users, particularly global enterprises that plan to penetrate or expand their operations in the Vietnamese market.

With the ZNS integration, NXCLOUD’s offerings enable businesses to interact with their customers through the messaging platform with ease. This encompasses communications throughout the entire customer journey from the onboarding phase via ZNS Verification Codes and brand awareness messaging, to transaction management via ZNS Transaction, customer care via ZNS Customer Care, and campaign promotions via ZNS Promotion – all in full compliance with local regulations. Further, NXCLOUD’s technical experts offer support to ensure seamless implementation and effective use of omnichannel strategies aimed at expanding brand presence in Vietnam.

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Zalo Cloud at Mobile World Congress 2024. This collaboration represents a significant milestone in our mission to empower businesses with transformative communication solutions. By combining NXCLOUD’s expertise with Zalo’s messaging platform, we are poised to redefine the global standard for seamless and convenient communication,” said Hunk Huang, Founder of NXCLOUD.

The benefits of NXCLOUD’s integration with ZNS go beyond cost-effective messaging as it offers custom branding and templates for every occasion, and robust ISO/IEC 27001-certified security standards with failover mechanisms that guarantee messages reach their intended recipients.

As a key player in the digital transformation landscape, NXCLOUD is dedicated to empowering businesses worldwide with solutions that connect businesses with their global customers, driving business growth and brand engagement.

For more information, please visit NXCLOUD’s official website: https://www.nxcloud.com
Partnership Email: partner@nxcloud.com

About  NXCLOUD
Singapore-headquartered NXCLOUD offers communication solutions and services that simplify global customer engagement for businesses of all sizes. Our robust APIs, zero-code services and unified customer engagement platform streamline communications from messaging to voice calls, eliminating siloed channels, complex integration and limited reach. Serving over 10,000 clients across 185 countries, we have been instrumental in expanding our clients’ business presence globally, quickly and flexibly thus creating new opportunities and revenue growth. To learn more, please visit: https://www.nxcloud.com .

About  Zalo
Zalo is a leading chatting platform with over 75 million active users and more than 2 billion messages sent per day. It is the most popular chatting application OTT in Vietnam – making it the perfect messaging channel for businesses to interact with their customers.

Definition of Zalo Notification Service (ZNS): ZNS is a feature provided by Zalo Cloud, which is a platform developed by Zalo. ZNS enables businesses to send notifications and messages to their customers via the Zalo messaging app from Zalo Official Account of enterprise. It allows businesses to engage with their customers, deliver updates, promotions, and other relevant information in real-time through the Zalo platform. This service helps businesses enhance their communication with customers and improve customer engagement and satisfaction.

PR Newswire

PaperCut: How to assess the performance of your hybrid workforce

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PORTLAND, Ore., March 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Laura White, PaperCut Head of Talent, provides industry insights: 

Laura White, PaperCut Software's Head of Talent
Laura White, PaperCut Software’s Head of Talent

The Covid-19 pandemic pushed hybrid working into the mainstream, and it looks like the trend is here to stay. While employees are slowly starting to return to office, many prefer to continue working from home for at least part of the week.

I felt deeply during Covid that we were going to swing back to office work very quickly. But people have built their life on being at home five days a week for about two years. They’ve moved away, there are cost of living rises and family care for children to consider, so employers must manage the expectations of how feasible that is.

But with traditional talent evaluation based on visibility and performance, how can organizations assess their employees’ commitment and leadership in a hybrid working environment?

Understanding the challenges

According to my colleague Caz Butcher, Global Head of People and Culture at PaperCut, one of the key challenges in a hybrid working environment is employee engagement. For a global organization like PaperCut, it’s important not only to connect people with their direct team but across functions as well.

“The engagement element is about how you share knowledge and bring people together – getting people aligned outside of individual teams is a big thing,” Caz says. “If your business is growing, you need to build those foundational elements of communication and connection when people are new. That’s much harder in a global and hybrid business, so things take longer, and your expectations might need to change.”

Particularly when organizations have employees around the world and across time zones, effective communication is critical to ensuring everyone is on the same page. “From the business perspective, it’s how you communicate your strategy, your purpose, and your values so that it lands, even though people are all working at different times,” Caz says.

From performance reviews to feedback loops

While the move towards remote work has accelerated since the pandemic, a broader shift was already taking place in how companies review and assess talent. There was a school of thought that was evolving prior to hybrid: some people are throwing out the annual review process altogether and instead having more regular feedback though consistent check-ins.

Because hybrid working has limited face-to-face time between managers and direct reports, this has impacted on the ability to provide immediate feedback and to ensure people are prioritizing the right work. Says Caz: “Feedback is always difficult but it’s even harder over a virtual meeting. In a global hybrid business, giving feedback is something you really have to work at.”

In a hybrid environment, managers may also be at home for much of the week – forcing a change to their approach to assessing performance. They rely on a lot of virtual connection with the team, measuring output through deliverables and milestones, and really optimizing their time when they do come into the office.

For many organizations, this has actually led to a more structured approach to feedback. PaperCut is working on putting systems in place such as 360-degree feedback surveys to determine a more holistic performance rating. With hybrid working, businesses need to be more intentional in creating feedback because they can’t just grab someone at any time of the day in the office and have a chat.

Nurturing talent in a hybrid environment

Although hybrid working has become commonplace, not all workers are impacted equally. There’s a combination of lifestyle and economic factors that make it easier for senior leaders to come into the office more often. They’re more likely to live closer to the city because they can afford it; they may be older and have children already at school, so care isn’t as big of an issue.

In fact, people seeking remote-only roles will find themselves competing among the highest level of job applications – putting them at an immediate disadvantage for career opportunities. But even employees who are in the office only part of the week run the risk of being less visible than their peers, which is a more significant issue for those who are in junior positions or new to the business.

Work is still very much a relationship-driven environment. The more junior you are in your career and the newer you are in your organization, the more time you realistically need to spend in the office, to build up those capabilities and contacts.

But employers can take steps to nurture hybrid talent through coaching and mentorship programs that connect workers with more senior team members. If you have relationships at all levels, then you have multiple people looking out for you. That must be more prevalent in this environment because we don’t learn by osmosis from having people around us every day like we used to.

The next generation of hybrid workers

So where is hybrid work headed?  A generational shift is also underway as Millennials start taking on senior management roles and Gen Z move up in the workforce. The greater role played by younger talent is driving a change in attitudes towards both work and technology.

 Young people understand that you can stay highly connected without being face-to-face. At the same time, they’re requesting more flexibility than any previous generation. They’re forcing us to adapt to their needs because we already have a talent shortage, and we don’t want to lose out on great talent.

As the baton for executive leadership is handed between generations over the coming years, we’re likely to see a greater push for new models of talent evaluation. I think we have an opportunity to evolve how we assess the quality of someone’s output.

We’ll get better at understanding that just because you can’t see someone physically, doesn’t mean they aren’t a huge asset to the organisation – and therefore would be great for promotion or leadership position or investment in their development.