Future of Workplaces and the Role of Technology The synergy and integration of technology with human efforts not only optimizes work, but also makes for a complete experience
By Suvodeep Das
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Digital has moved centre stage, playing the lead role in the workplaces of the future. The impact of digital technology and tools in the transformation of businesses, including their how, why, when and where, is already tremendous with far-reaching consequences. The ubiquitous influence and pervasiveness of digital tech has encompassed every aspect of business, from customer experience to talent acquisition to business strategy.
With the workplaces of the future being dominated by the digital natives, management vision, policies, procedures, and structures need to undergo a paradigm shift to ensure the continued relevance of business and its sustained growth in the future. Not only is it important for the management to facilitate the smooth transition, it is also imperative that fears of redundancy etc do not hinder the progress sought to be made. Changing mindsets and behaviour, providing the workforce with the right environment of trust, encouraging and ensuring learning and skilling, empowering employees with the requisite tools and the training to use them, implementing transparency - the management has to be proactive to visualize and create an adaptive, agile workplace, with cross-functional, collaborative teams for creativity and innovation to thrive. Employee Experience then becomes pivotal, driving success.
Role of Digital in Future Workplaces
The benefits of digital technology on speed, accuracy, productivity, efficiency etc are well-known. The synergy and integration of technology with human efforts not only optimizes work, but also makes for a complete experience. Evolution of future workplaces is unthinkable in the absence of digital. Be it in the use of advanced cognitive tools, greater and better integration of AI in all aspects of business from strategy to talent management to HR to customer experience, automation of work, or enhanced security measures, use of digital technology is imperative. The future of workplaces is digital.
Yet, we need to remember, investment in people has to be in tandem with investment in technology for the symbiotic relationship to work. Without the infrastructure, access, skills, training or freedom to embrace the digital, the future workplace can easily shift into a disaster.
So, let's embrace digital technology and all it promises, without losing sight of the greatest assets, our workforce, while transiting to the workplace of the future.
