< PreviousAnd finally The world of Frazer The value of VR VR (virtual reality) has been making its way into the business realm for quite some time and is a handy piece of tech that is constantly being improved for wider implementation. However, a new use for VR glasses is proving rather peculiar. Boffins have developed VR goggles for lab mice to simulate a life of freedom — as well as show what it’s like to be hunted by a bird (just what every mouse wants!). Like VR for humans, the mice are unable to see the outside world and are made to feel as though they are somewhere else, ultimately allowing researchers to gain a greater understanding of their behaviour. Though it might seem an odd use of research hours, with findings showing that the mice wearing VR specs learned more quickly and were better at completing tasks, the goggles could help gain new insights into how the human brain adapts and reacts to VR exposure — an area that is currently little understood. 50 Business Link www.blmforum.net Out of office email avoiders We’ve officially returned from the festive season, when many businesses down tools for a well-earned break. This usually becomes the period of ‘out of office’ messages galore, yet a new survey has revealed there are mavericks amongst us. Bosses…look away — a shocking one in five Brits have NEVER sent an out of office email, according to a Preply study. What’s more, a quarter of those surveyed admit to only occasionally switching on their out of office automated response. Interestingly, there are demographic differences, with more people who identified as female finding themselves regularly forgetting to put their out of office response on, while when it comes to age groups, the demographic most likely to switch on their auto response are 55+. © stock.adobe.com/ sitthiphong © stock.adobe.com/ Antonioguillem © stock.adobe.com/ ihorvsn A new pet peeve or two More and more studies are coming across Frazer’s desk on office pet peeves, but a recent press release has highlighted a fresh, and odd, wave of ‘icks’ that are quite different from the traditional. A curious mix of tech-savvy, health-conscious, and lifestyle-driven pet peeves have come forth, according to Digital ID. First is the rise of the ‘Office TikToker’. These are colleagues who, at any given opportunity, are filming their latest dance challenge right in the middle of the office; while it may be a bit of fun, it can also be a bit of a distraction. Next up is ‘Vapers.’ The issue arises when the sweet scent of various vape flavours starts permeating the office space; not everyone wants to walk through a cloud of candy floss! Finally, we have the ‘Cold Water Swimmers’ — the colleagues who start their day with an icy dip and like to share their experiences in detail. While it’s certainly an impressive habit, the constant talk about cold water swimming can become too much, annoying colleagues. Fortunately for Frazer, no co-workers have yet participated in these behaviours!SC SAINERONT H C ALS S &ALE C S S AFTERSLE AINASED CNEW & UONT STT UK DEPOT OCK NOWTIN S AINA’ C02ONT A SNER SNER YTRSOR ANY INDUF ed & BespokStandarඵ ertifiedSC CC ඵ edested & TInspectඵ sembee asfr-oolack tatplFඵ OR ANY AINERFAC ORTTI-PURPOSE STMUL ONT ybl TIONTL GERA OCA osionorrar anti ce10 yඵ s and jacorktruck runnerFඵ eablevobust and moRඵ oo....ontour CoYainerY ck rings yaour W orlery UK or WDeliv uk.oc.axatpfl.www ernationa.hscintwww ernationes@hscintlsa 110332 4744 14+ ll adwide Cl uk.oc.la uk.oc.lna xt 200 eTEL: 07496 315038 FUNDING@HEYLEP.COM WWW.HEYLEP.COM *Grants of between £5,000 and £250,000 and/or loans of between £75,000 and £250,000 ARE YOU… AN SME WHO IS LOOKING TO GROW THEIR BUSINESS? BASED IN THE EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE LOOKING FOR CAPITAL INVESTMENT? 3 3 3 GROWING PLACES FUND GRANTS & LOANS AVAILABLE*Next >