Technology & The Way We Work

We’ve already seen the changes automation has made to different professions, visit the factories of a manufacturing company that used to be teaming with people and you’ll find hardly a living soul there. When the development of automation started to accelerate in the 70s, robots were accused as “job killers”, but now, we’ve learned to live with it and really reap the benefits.

Today we’re seeing technology and automation affecting more and more sectors due to the emergence and further development of big data and artificial intelligence. For the shopping centre and retail market, technology is really enhancing the industry, improving the guest experience and allowing retailers and shopping centre landlords to create and implement truly innovative campaigns, making the entire sector much more advanced and seemingly having the ability to continually evolve! For the real estate sector, technology has been developed to improve all aspects from the process of designing and constructing new property to managing assets more effectively and efficiently.

Technological innovations are changing the way we work, driving companies to re-think what skills they need in new employees to achieve organisational goals. Here a few ways technology is changing the way we work:

• Millennials Making an Impact: Millennials and those after having been brought up with technology, are extremely tech savvy and are often much more confident utilising the latest technology as soon as it’s released. This attitude and knowledge make them very attractive to employers looking to implement new technologies into their strategies. That said, flexible workplaces have become a priority for this generation. A formal telecommuting and flex-work policy is key to attracting top-tier candidates who want to work for companies with a fair and standard flexible work policy in place – so that will need to be considered into the whole company structure.
• Workplace structures: Go to any bookshop and you’ll find millions of books promising to share the secret to climbing the corporate ladder, however, it won’t take long until these files are obsolete with the current on-going technological advances. Technological developments are changing the way days are structured, how assets are managed and employee’s overall duties and responsibilities.
• Data Analytics: Data Analytics provide information to employees to create and implement campaigns that are really targeted. Currently, the human input and creativity are essential in order to get ahead of competitors and introduce something new and innovative. Fears about artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are becoming the norm in the workforce, with predictions about AI completely replacing the human workforce. While the way we work may need to be revised down the road, for the time being, it would seem that AI might actually help individuals become more effective. Merging technology with human power is an extremely strong mix – delivering a force to be reckoned with!

Technology doesn’t have to be a threat to people in the workplace, what it is doing though, is changing and enhancing job roles to include technology, which is raising a challenge as the skillsets for roles are adapting. So if you want to stay attractive to potential employers do your due diligence. Find out how technology, automation, and shifting market forces affect your industry. Do your best to cultivate a culture of learning to better prepare yourself and give yourself the ability to fully utilise the opportunities available to you.

“People are usually afraid of change because they fear the unknown. But the single greatest constant of history is that everything changes.” 

― Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow