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In this debut episode of "Hedaux, Hogg & the Machines", host Simon is joined by guest co-host Ed Hogg, CEO of SolvedBy.ai. Together, they explore the fast-moving state of AI technology and its practical applications across retail, hospitality, and customer-facing environments.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Data Security: Why enterprise security settings matter when using LLMs and the hidden risks of unvetted open-source models.

🔹 Head Office Efficiency: How area managers are using AI agents to automate weekly store action plans in minutes.

🔹 Shop Floor AI: How retail giants like Walmart, Tesco, Lowe's, and M&S are rolling out AI tools to frontline teams.

🔹 What’s Next: What to expect from upcoming models, enterprise forecasting tools, and the realistic timeline for store robotics.

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report

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This month on our business productivity podcast, we spoke to Will Eadie, Chief Strategy Officer at WorkJam.
We discussed how Task Management tools are helping drive compliance, productivity and colleague engagement, and looked ahead to when systems will automatically suggest actions, saving even more admin time.

Key takeaways:

Productivity Drives Engagement: Why giving frontline workers clear expectations and streamlined tasks boosts overall job satisfaction and engagement.

The £6.25 Billion Opportunity: Insights from the Rethink Productivity 2026 report, highlighting the massive savings organizations can unlock by managing capacity intelligently.

From Insights to Execution: How AI is moving beyond data-dumping to provide store managers with actual decision support and dynamic task prioritization based on real-time signals like footfall and POS transactions.

Democratizing Tasks: Real-world examples of how digital collaboration platforms allow managers to assign tasks based on skill and availability, keeping operations running smoothly even across differing shift patterns.

The Autonomous Frontline: A look ahead at the next 12 months, predicting a shift toward systems that automatically suggest optimized actions—freeing managers from administrative burdens so they can focus on coaching teams and serving customers.

Event Alert: Catch up with the WorkJam team at the Rethink Forum on September 10th in Birmingham.

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report

#theproductivityexperts
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We sit down with Peter Kuhlang, CEO of the MTM Association, to unpack MTM as a process language that turns work description into reliable time standards. We also test the hype around AI by looking at how video and motion data can speed up analysis without losing credibility.

• Peter’s path from industrial engineering to leading MTM globally
• What MTM is and why predetermined motion time systems matter
• How the MTM Association maintains methods, rights, and training standards
• Picking the right MTM method based on repetitiveness and detail needed
• The top benefits we see in practice: transparency, standardisation, cost planning
• Where AI helps and where human judgement still has to step in
• How MTM Motion validates AI-identified motions into a correct MTM analysis

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

#theproductivityexperts
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The countdown is officially on. We are just two months away from the annual Productivity Forum on September 10th in Birmingham, and this week on The Productivity Pulse, we’re giving you an exclusive sneak peek at what’s in store.

With over 150 operational and productivity leaders already registered, this year’s event is shaping up to be our biggest and most impactful yet.

Join hosts Sue, Simon & James as they break down the 2026 agenda, which is built entirely around real feedback from the industry and our latest retail report.

• Rethinking Efficiency: How leading businesses are tackling rising costs by smartly reducing task loads in-store.
• Deploying Tech Pragmatically: Moving past the hype to look at real-life success stories in implementing workforce and task management tools.
• Managing Capacity Intelligently: A cross-industry look (retail + hospitality) at how to protect and maximise your peak trading periods without burning out your resources.
• Our 2026 Keynote: We are thrilled to welcome serial entrepreneur and ex-Dragon Sarah Willingham, who will be sharing her hospitality and business wisdom!
• Insider Tips: The team shares their top strategies on how to network, collaborate, and get the absolute most out of the day.

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

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Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat

We take a look at May’s retail and economic signals, where the mood stays low but the sales numbers finally lift. We tease out how heat, online shopping, and where people choose to spend time reshape the outlook for high streets, retail parks, and seaside towns.
• Consumer confidence stuck at minus 23 on the GfK index
• Unemployment improving slightly to 4.8%
• Retail sales rising year on year across BRC and ONS measures
• Online spending driving much of the uplift, especially in non-food
• Fashion outperforming food on value growth, with different online shares
• Footfall declining overall, with retail parks holding up better than high streets and shopping centres
• How extreme heat changes destination choice and town centre comfort
• Lessons from the US out-of-town, climate-controlled shopping model
• Hospitality and fast fashion adapting quickly to weather-driven demand
• Summer trading patterns by location, with seaside towns relying on August like Christmas

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

#theproductivityexperts
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What separates guesswork from actual, sustainable efficiency? Professional training.

In this episode, our resident experts—Sue, Simon & James—are joined by special guest Phil to break down why credible productivity work must start with the right foundations.

They dive into how the ReThink Academy is shaping the next generation of industry experts through our four core courses:

• Introduction to Productivity – Building the baseline
• Work Study – Measuring the essentials
• Method Study – Designing smarter workflows
• Labour Modelling – Optimising your workforce

Ready to level up your team's capabilities?

🌐 Explore the Academy: ReTime Academy

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

#theproductivityexperts
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Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat

April’s numbers look grim on the surface, but Easter timing shifts spending into March and distorts the year on year story. We discuss the real signals behind falling footfall and softer sales, then ask what rising costs and uncertainty are doing to jobs, confidence and everyday choices.
• Easter timing and strong comparables shaping the headline results
• Footfall declines across high street, shopping centres and retail parks
• BRC sales turning negative and what that suggests about demand
• Beauclair town-centre spend falling with discretionary categories hit hardest
• Inflation cooling overall while hospitality and transport stay high
• The “how expensive is too expensive” question and what markets will bear
• Unemployment at 5% with much higher youth unemployment
• Wages keeping pace with inflation for those in work
• Consumer confidence staying low and driving caution
• Experiences still winning over material purchases

#theproductivityexperts
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We recorded our first live ReThink Productivity podcast at the Retail Technology Show after-show party, talking candidly about what retail tech is actually doing for productivity right now. Chris Chandler and Steve Young share what is changing with AI, wage pressure, training, and the practical realities of running stores on land and at sea.

• AI at the show feeling more integrated and less like marketing
• Cruise ship retail productivity focused on freeing time for guest experience and sales
• Training challenges with rotating contracts and the value of app-based learning
• AI forecasting as a key lever, especially when demand varies by itinerary
• National Living Wage at £12.71 pushing retailers beyond “low-hanging fruit” tech
• Shifting focus towards operating models, partners, and commercial arrangements
• AI workflow management to drive the right task at the right time
• Supply chain visibility and QR codes for end-to-end product tracking
• Funding AI through a mix of labour efficiency and sales growth

Download your copy of the Retail Report

#theproductivityexperts
Register for the 2026 Productivity Forum
Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn