In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there
Hot desk, cold beer
Remote workers have been making the most of coffee shops’ free Wi-Fi and power outlets for some time. Now pubs are trying to attract professionals and their laptops too.
BrewDog in the UK is promising limitless coffee, printers, pens, paper and a pint as part of its DeskDog initiative, which has the tagline, “Hot desk, cold beer.”
Remote workers can book desk space at BrewDog pubs in London, Sheffield and Edinburgh, with more pubs being added soon. However, desks can only be booked for up to two and a half hours and BrewDog’s pubs don’t open until midday.
Conspiring to prejudice
Conspiracy theories fuel prejudice towards minority groups, finds research.
Researchers have found that people exposed to conspiracy theories about a particular group aren’t just more prejudiced against that group afterwards, they are more prejudiced against all minority groups, according to a paper published in the British Journal of Psychology.
Lead author, Dr Daniel Jolley, from Staffordshire University, said, “Our research suggests conspiracy theories can have a widespread negative impact on intergroup relations, though further research is needed to measure how persistent it is. Efforts to reduce prejudice should look at their role.”
Money’s too tight to mention
Princeton professor and author Eldar Shafir will explore how people’s behaviour in tough financial times can have a negative impact on how they make decisions, at the BPS annual conference this month (1 May).
Professor Shafir will argue in his keynote, Psychology and policy in contexts of scarcity on 1 May, in Harrogate, UK, that when money’s tight, not only is it difficult to think about things other than the basics, it’s also a drain on mental resources and can undermine our ability to make good decisions about money.
His research seeks to develop better insights into the mindset that arises in times of scarcity, with an eye towards improving policy making and hopefully improving people’s wellbeing. Eldar’s recent book, Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, focused on how scarcity, and our flawed responses to it, can shape our lives, society and our culture.
Smiley happy people
Once again, Nordic countries have topped the United Nations’ World Happiness Report, an index of the happiest nations.
The index, produced by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens see themselves to be. It’s based on factors including economic wealth, life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices and levels of government corruption.
Finland is top of the league again this year, with researchers saying the small Nordic country of 5.5 million has generated a happiness recipe for a balanced life not simply dependent on economic and material wealth.
It’s followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and the Netherlands. The remaining top 10 nations were The Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria.
The US slipped for a second year, to 19th place from 18th place despite enjoying a booming economy in the past few years.
The report noted that happiness has declined the most drastically in the past 10 years in the 108th placed Venezuela, a South American nation currently in economic turmoil with a severe political crisis. South Sudan is the least happy country, followed by Central African Republic and Afghanistan.
Engineer loses ‘bullying through flatulence’ case
An Australian appeals court has dismissed a bullying case brought by an engineer who accused his ex-boss of repeatedly breaking wind near him.
The Victoria state Court of Appeal upheld a Supreme Court judge’s ruling that even if David Hingst’s allegations were true, flatulence did not necessarily constitute bullying. Hingst failed to establish that his former employer, Construction Engineering, had been negligent. Hingst testified he had moved out of a communal office space to avoid supervisor Greg Short’s flatulence.
His first allegation of bullying was thrown out of the Supreme Court last year. Hingst had applied to appeal the case, saying “flatulence was a form of bullying”. He said he had suffered a psychological injury and has not returned to work since he was dismissed 10 years ago.
Hingst said he would take his case to the High Court, Australia’s final court of appeal. The 56-year-old is seeking AUS$1.8 million (US$1.3 million) damages from his former Melbourne employer. His claim includes compensation for lost past and future earnings of about $100,000 a year.
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Email: liz@coaching-at-work.com