When are you most likely to do your best work? Two economists think they know.
Monash economist Denni Tommasi and University of Granada economist Alessio Gaggero examined five years’ worth of tests taken by STEM students in the UK and came to the conclusion that our brains work best in the middle of the day - if asked to perform abstract, logical or problem-solving tasks. Their research was published in a working paper by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, a non-profit research institute based in Germany.
Having studied the results of exams scheduled at 9 am, 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm, Tommasi and Gaggero’s findings suggested the cognitive peak happened in the middle of the day – on average, STEM students performed best in the 1:30 pm exam.
New research shows that our brains work best in the middle of the day - if asked to perform abstract, logical or problem-solving tasks. Why 1:30 pm specifically? Chronobiologists, who specialise in circadian rhythms, say it’s because that’s when the “fluid” intelligence used in problem-solving, logic and abstract reasoning is at its daily peak. Fluid intelligence is used by surgeons, data analysts, those coding software etc. We also employ it during meetings when we’re required to respond to various – sometimes conflicting – points of view.
The time-of-day advantage was only apparent in science, technology, engineering and math exams, but not in humanities subjects. Humanities students are more likely to utilise crsytallised intelligence which depends on language skills and cultural knowledge.
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5 Most Sought-After Skills In A Post-Covid Workplace
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Upskilling is the order of the day whether it’s because your industry has been affected, you’ve been asked to leave or simply just considering a change. And the new normal means that certain skills will be highly sought in the post COVID-19 world, given that many of our usual ways of living have changed. Employees all over the world are compelled to adjust to digital infrastructure and work remotely. This requires acquiring new skills – not just technical but also soft skills to make a smooth transition into the new way of working. Lakshmi Mittra, VP – Center of Excellence (CoE) and Clover Academy, Clover Infotech, shares the top skills that in a post covid world:
Upskilling is the order of the day whether it’s because your industry has been affected, you’ve been asked to leave or simply just considering a change. And the new normal means that certain skills w..
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Problem solving skills become essential in a remote working scenario. Since employees are collaborating and communicating virtually, this can raise a series of challenges. Problem solving skills enable employees to approach problems rationally and view them as opportunities. In this way, they can identify the most effective methods to rectify situations and ensure smooth functioning of business operations.
Problem solving skills become essential in a remote working scenario. Since employees are collaborating and communicating virtually, this can raise a series of challenges. Problem solving skills enab..
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The current global crises have not only tested employees’ capabilities to perform in a remote working environment but also their emotional resilience. With some enterprises announcing remote working till the end of 2020, it has become imperative for managers to develop strong leadership qualities to manage teams remotely, inspire and bring out the best in them by outcome based management. Enterprises are organizing courses to skill their leadership and mid-management teams to plan and manage their work better and build camaraderie among their teams remotely.
The current global crises have not only tested employees’ capabilities to perform in a remote working environment but also their emotional resilience. With some enterprises announcing remote working ..
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Since the majority of the workforce is operating from home, hackers are using this as an opportunity to launch cyber-attacks. As per recent reports, there has been a significant increase in the number of cyberattacks on personal computers, networks, and routers. With IT and cyber security becoming more critical than ever, cybersecurity experts will be on the priority list for every enterprise.
Since the majority of the workforce is operating from home, hackers are using this as an opportunity to launch cyber-attacks. As per recent reports, there has been a significant increase in the numbe..
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With remote working and collaboration, it is very important to communicate clearly and be well-planned to get the best out of teams. Right from training and skilling employees to getting projects delivered on time, communication skills will become very critical and could be a key factor that distinguishes successful projects from the others.
With remote working and collaboration, it is very important to communicate clearly and be well-planned to get the best out of teams. Right from training and skilling employees to getting projects del..
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When it comes to the remote working culture, organizations are transitioning their operating models to incorporate remote working capabilities. They are trying to get as many applications and technology infrastructure on the cloud as possible. The enterprises that are already equipped with a cloud strategy have been able to seamlessly transition to virtual working quicker, and with minimal disruption to their teams and customers. With cloud being a key part of enterprises’ digital transformation strategy, there will be a greater demand for cloud architects and cloud IT admins in the post COVID-19 new normal.
When it comes to the remote working culture, organizations are transitioning their operating models to incorporate remote working capabilities. They are trying to get as many applications and technol..
