Functions are increasingly getting robotised, automated and streamlined. The routine, mundane and repetitive jobs can be replaced by BOTs in the near future and some companies already have BOTs

Every aspect of work today is changing. This is not only due to the advent of technology into every aspect of our lives but also due to the pace of change this technology is bringing in. 

First and foremost we will not, in my view, see the workplace as it is. 

Millennials are coming to work in greater numbers and their outlook differs vastly from the older workforces. This, compounded by competition in the marketplace, will make employees adopt a more collaborative and team-based work style. Scrum and agile work will be a common practice. 

Technology allows anytime work from anywhere. Thus, teams may work from home as employees today want more flexibility. They may work from any space in the office or at a coffee shop depending on their choice and comfort. Reports today suggest that, in India, the workforce spends 7 percent of their total productive time travelling. Technology-using teams skype and such web-based and cloud-based apps allow connection from any device – tablet, laptop, desktop, etc. To ensure speed, rapid communication is important and team-based seating with open spaces will be the norm. In some offices today, people don’t have a fixed desk or a cabin or even a laptop. They use thin-client and access what they need from devices from anywhere. Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) have become quite common now allowing companies to save and giving employees a choice of device that they are comfortable with. 

Then, functions are increasingly getting robotised, automated and streamlined. The routine, mundane and repetitive jobs can be replaced by BOTs in the near future and some companies already have BOTs. These BOTs are helping answer questions of employees internally as well as clients externally.  This frees up employees to focus on tasks that require judgment, compassion, patience and time. The future workplace will see robots and human beings working together. 

Not only this, but decision making is also faster due to real-time data analytics and decision-making tools and technology giving access to knowledge and information at the click of a button. Predictive analytics and AI are allowing for situational mapping and problem solving beyond the human mind. Employees are, thus, becoming more productive as they focus on the impact and outcome rather than the inputs and analysis. 

Communication is enhanced today, saving long-distance and local travel, through Unified Communication and Collaboration (UC&C) and tools such as WhatsApp, Anchor, Voxer, Yammer, and Slack. 

Most importantly, these are not all governed and managed by hierarchical structures but by self- managed teams that connect in and outside the office through multiple social media channels making decisions faster and thereby enhancing productivity per person. Storage and sharing of data are easier, faster and safer using tools like Box, Dropbox, Hightail and can be accessed from teams anywhere in the globe.

There are also tools in the market that access multiple social media platforms at one time, saving us time from sourcing talent to understanding client feedback and sentiment. Entelo is one such example.  

Furthermore, we don’t really need to create programs any longer for training as we have companies like Udacity, Thinkful, Codeacademy that build these for us. Learning can be done in bites, chunks or days as per our choice leading to higher productivity. Nowadays, we have virtual classrooms, online quizzes, self-paced courses, discussion forums, blogs, and even video games (i.e. gamification) all adding to the ease of learning.

In addition to this, present-day leaders can now access technology, helping them track and analyse performance and progress towards goal completion. Tools such as Asana, Todoist, Relaborate help in tracking and are further enhanced by reporting tools such as Mixpanel, and Quantifind.

People are now more comfortable with technology and this has freed us up to do what we like when we like and from where we like - faster and better.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house