With evolving employment dynamics and markets, technology will be key enabler for businesses to successfully scale their services for future, says VICKY JAIN
Even before the pandemic, technology and innovation were significantly reshaping organisations and transforming the nature of work. With businesses rebuilding in the post-COVID world, digital technology is all set to play a critical role in where, how work gets done and the number of people required to do a particular job. Accelerated by the changes brought about by the pandemic, there is no doubt that technology will underpin the drive to a distributed workforce and change the way organisations collaborate, engage and promote their work culture. With rapidly evolving employment dynamics and markets, technology will be the key enabler for businesses to successfully scale their services for the future of work.
How Technology will Impact the Future of Work
Emerging technologies and innovation will impact these categories in the future of work:
Nature of Work
One of the major areas where technology will play a major role is changing the way repetitive tasks are done manually. While work in the future will include fewer workers for manual tasks, more people will be employed in job functions that involve strategic and creative thinking. AI, smart robots and automation will enable employees to focus their attention on more critical tasks like designing products, interpreting data and solving problems. Employees will also need to adapt and continuously stay updated to become the future workforce of the world. According to research by PWC, 38 per cent of jobs in the U.S. could be performed by automation in the next 15 years.
Who Carries Out the Work?
The emergence of new communication platforms will allow companies to leverage a mixed/hybrid working model involving full-time employees and remote employees in a cost-efficient manner. With new technologies and the tech market continuing to grow, corporations will utilise different employment formats to get hold of the passion, creativity, expertise, experience and skill-sets required for the successful completion of projects. Additionally, companies will also hire talent from different corners of the world to achieve their targets and goals in a cost-effective way.
Reduce Dependence on Physical Infrastructure
With the rise of cloud computing working models, companies will gradually lessen their reliance on physical infrastructure. While, until a few years ago, large spaces were required by offices to accommodate their database centre, the inception of cloud computing has removed the need for physical database infrastructure. Cloud computing services not only help in the efficient storage of data but also keeps it safe and secure.
Integrate Well-Being into Work
In the post-pandemic, employee wellness is one of the crucial areas of focus for organisations. With major disruptions and work from home becoming the new norm, several of employees are reporting stress, burnout, anxiety and depression. However, with the advent of the latest technological innovations like wearable devices, health apps, telemedicine services, etc., organisations can track, promote, manage, and measure the well-being of employees over time and take adequate steps to optimise and reinforce healthy behaviours among employees. With the passage of time, tech leaders are expected to increasingly collaborate with HRs and business leaders to come up with further efficient tools to help companies formulate their well-being strategies.
Resilience and agility will be the foundation of the future of the workplace. Technology, like automation, will help build a future where organisations can work seamlessly with distributed teams and preserve the creativity and culture that'll help them achieve the desired goals.
The writer is Founder, uKnowva, A 360- degree HR Automation Software