However, the role of the people manager and the competencies required to effectively lead others in a hybrid workplace is emerging as a critical topic that businesses must address to ensure organisational success in the future.

According to Gartner the changing role of the manager is one of the top that greatly impacts the employee experience post Covid-19 and 鈥楨nabling managers to manage a hybrid workforce鈥� and 鈥楿pskilling leaders to lead in a hybrid environment鈥� are top challenges when setting strategy for a hybrid workforce.

What鈥檚 changed and what鈥檚 the big deal?
analysis of HR business press trends shows the awareness of a new viewpoint on the competencies required. Noting the pandemic has extended both the organisations and leaders鈥� roles to be more emotionally supportive of their employees, with managers expected to support their team members as whole people with passions, aspirations, and preferences, rather than just workers with a set of skills.

As a result, people managers must balance being an advocate for their team members鈥� needs while also meeting the expectations of executive leadership and upper management, with this balancing act more pronounced in a remote or hybrid environments.

When you consider that Management can be viewed as 鈥榤anaging the work鈥� – controlling a group or a set of entities to accomplish a goal and not necessarily about the people, you being to realise the potential magnitude of the task. Leadership in comparison is characterised as an individual鈥檚 ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organisational success.

In a hybrid environment with fewer opportunities for spontaneous in-person interactions, a workers’ connection to their manager may be stronger than their connection to the organisation as a whole, it follows that the manager-employee relationship is critical in shaping the employee experience and connection to the organisation.

How can you support your managers to make the transition?
The 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors analysis provides a perspective and fledgling insights on the skills required and the role HR Practitioners and HR Technology can play in assisting both existing managers of people in making this transition to be holistically supportive of team members鈥� work and non-work experiences and in the selection of future managers of people.

HR needs to come to the fore
Analysis of how leadership and management roles have changed in the organisation should be undertaken by HR and reflected in updated job descriptions, performance management criteria, and succession-planning practices.

For example, rethinking the role of management in the employee journey not as a necessary step in the career ladder recognising that not everyone should or wants to be a people manager, but rather organisations that focus more on identifying and developing the most effective and supportive people managers will create better teams and a better culture. Proactively addressing people manager burnout from having to quickly learn new and complex management skills is also identified as a well-being action item for HR.

Technology can be your friend and your foe
While it would seem obvious that the effective use of to support processes virtually which have historically been in person, such as performance and succession planning roundtable discussions is a must; As is 鈥榝reeing up鈥� People managers time to be more supportive of employees by automating administrative tasks, increasing automation also places more emphasis on certain 鈥渉uman-centered鈥� skills, such as empathy which remain central to leader鈥檚 role and arguably even increase in importance in a hybrid workplace.

Human Centred Skills are a must
People Managers can no longer manage just for performance they must also manage for experience. The Human-centric skills that are generally associated with impacting workforce health and operations include empathy, agility, creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability and emotional intelligence. Gartner suggests that equipping leaders for the Hybrid workplace is a key area of opportunity for organisations to evolve their approach towards Human Leadership, where leaders are:

Authentic – Act with purpose and enable true self-expression, for both themselves and their teams.

Empathetic – Show genuine care, respect and concern for employees鈥� well-being.

Adaptive – Enable flexibility and support that fit team members鈥� unique needs.

Recruiting, promoting, and managing employees with human centred skills which reflect personal characteristics in addition to experience, however, raises further challenges to ensure these processes do not promote inequity.

It is clear that in a Hybrid workplace all people manager roles need to be more emotionally supportive of their employees. The transition to Human Leadership should be part of your company鈥檚 strategy to support long term hybrid working. Although this change was borne of the pandemic, an evolution to Human Leadership is a change that will benefit us all, employees, managers, and leaders and above all humanity.

Interested in sharing your company鈥檚 perspective on the Transformation of People Management? Our is looking for Customers to participate in our research study. Or continue the discussion by joining us at in on 30 August and on 6 September or on 30 August.

The post Are Your Managers Ready for the Hybrid Workplace? appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

On the one hand, new technologies and possibilities generate excitement and a sense of wonder. On the other hand, we feel anxiety when faced with multiple emerging trends, uncertainty, and change.

How can organisations guide employees to navigate a jungle still growing wild? Above all, how can we achieve a sense of inner calm and perform purpose-led, deep-work?

Predict vs Prepare
There is no dearth of predictions about the Future of Work, especially how AI and automation would transform man’s relationship with work and life as such. Even a century ago in 1932, renowned philosopher Bertrand Russel said, “in a soon-to-be automated world, ordinary men and women, having the opportunity of a happy life, will become more kindly and less persecuting鈥� and even lose their 鈥渢aste for war鈥�.

Around the same time, John Maynard Keynes predicted that by the early 21st century, we would work only 15 hours per week. Alas, we now know economic prosperity does not necessarily lead to more kindness. Nor that automation has led to less hours of work per day. It serves us well to prepare for the future than to predict it.

Gain Perspective
However, if we are to construct a view of future work and skills landscape, we better step back in time to gain a broader perspective, using the lens of our evolutionary past. James Suzman, through his fascinating book: Work – A History of How We Spend Our Time – takes us back by 300 thousand years to illustrate a strong correlation between work and our evolution.

He explains how for our ancestors, work wasn鈥檛 a way to spend energy, rather to capture it from the environment (by mastering fire and cooking). The work they did and tools they created shaped Homo Sapiens physically and neurologically. As a species we “became skilled at acquiring skills”. Another key insight is how we adapted to change by being generalists.

This is relevant for us here and now. David Epstein’s recent book: Range – how Generalists Triumph in a Specialised World – extols the virtues of ” breadth, diverse experience, interdisciplinary thinking, in a world that increasingly incentivises, even demands, hyperspecialisation”. Meta-learning, cross-domain knowledge, curiosity, and grit are essential for the new age worker.

Radar and Navigator
My own radar equipment is my . I pay attention to contemporary best practices and practitioners – books like Tribe of Mentors and podcasts like The Knowledge Podcast. One cannot fail to notice frequent references to neurochemistry, with fresh ideas on personal mastery and peak performance made easily consumable by the likes of Andrew Huberman and Steven Kotler.

To navigate the unknown and uncertain, I leverage my network. Being part of a large and diverse organisation enriches the individual. Reaching out and tapping the collective intelligence has helped me deal with complex situations at work. After all, we are social animals, and we thrive when our peers validate our ideas.

Organisations that facilitate serendipitous networking in teams across boundaries stand to gain in the long term. I particularly remember my earliest trip to the 麻豆原创 headquarters when my manager made me work out of the coffee area for a week, to nudge me to connect with many team members. 厂础笔鈥檚 recent research into this topic includes Network as one of the six drivers for .

In the new age of work, individuals accomplish personal mastery, while the team achieves collective differentiation to stay ahead of time.

Back to the future
In the end, there is no crystal ball to predict what the future of work holds for each of us. Learning from history, we know we are learning machines. And we have the radars and navigators to rely on. With a refined focus and clear vision, possessing the curiosity of a child, let us embrace the new age of work.

William Gibson said, “The Future is already here, it is just not evenly distributed”. It is time to bring everyone, across organisations to be ready for the future. Let us ride along with Marty McFly and Doc Brown, powering up the DeLorean to get Back to the Future.

The post New Age Of Work 鈥� A Blast From The Past appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

鈥淓mployee benefits around health and well-being are a major topic within the Australian culture because people in this country expect more work-life balance,鈥� said Chi Tran, head of workforce market insights and data at Mercer. 鈥淥rganisations want to make sure they have the flexible programs in place to attract and retain people. We see well-being benefits becoming increasingly non-negotiable as a core component of an organization鈥檚 ability to deliver an effective employee experience.鈥�

The same study also showed that 97% of organisations had a health and wellness benefits program in place, and employees were more attracted to organisations that have a sense of purpose.

Pandemic puts employee wellness at center stage

Like everything else, the pandemic has fast-tracked the future of work. Another Mercer poll revealed that respondents from one in two companies in Asia-Pacific saw indications of worsening employee burnout and pandemic fatigue. As a result, Tran said many organisations are taking a risk-based approach with data-driven prevention programs to reduce insurance premiums while addressing worker well-being, particularly mental health.

鈥淚n addition to keeping responsive employee assistance programs in place, many companies are shifting to proactive strategies that bring people in with virtual wellness workshops on a more regular basis,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no one-size-fits-all program. Organisations need to listen to their different employee cohorts, investing in benefits that will resonate with everyone鈥檚 unique needs.鈥�

Personalised, flexible benefit programs

One example is 厂础笔鈥檚 global 鈥淧ledge to Flex鈥� program designed to fit every鈥� employee鈥檚 鈥媟ole, style, and location while continuing to meet business and customer needs. At 麻豆原创 ANZ, where the pandemic鈥檚 impact was nascent in 2020, but revved up through 2021, the company established a framework for employees to consider when determining their work style preferences.

鈥淲e want people empowered to find the ideal working style that will meet their individual, team, and customer success responsibilities,鈥� said Debbie Rigger, head of HR at 麻豆原创 Australia and New Zealand 鈥淲e have parents with young children or other caregiving responsibilities. We have early talent working at home out of their bedroom. We want them to ask themselves, what is my role? Who are my stakeholders and what are their expectations? What family-related and other personal commitments do I have? Given all these factors, what do I need to do my best work?鈥�

Looking ahead, Rigger expects to see the unexpected, meaning employee requests for things HR has never thought of before. Meantime, the 麻豆原创 ANZ team as doubled down on creating a safe in-person reentry experience for employees based on legislation and government guidance, as well as the company鈥檚 global policies.

鈥淭his has been more of a re-education for employees about the options they have, and being transparent about what鈥檚 possible when it comes to working schedules that span full-time, part-time, compressed hours, job sharing, and even geographies,鈥� said Rigger. 鈥淕iven the border closures, people have been interested in traveling within the country, while also being able to work remotely for a specified time period. Through candid conversations with managers, employees determine how, when, and where they work based on their personal circumstances and the needs of the business.鈥�

Organisations adjust employee experience to the new normal

Flexible working practices are likely here to stay. analysts predicted that by 2023, digital transformation and business volatility would drive 70% of G2000 organisations to deploy remote or hybrid-first work models, redefining work processes and engaging diverse talent pools. The beauty of being flexible is obvious during these times of rapid change and market uncertainty.

Rigger said 麻豆原创 ANZ was already exploring how to make the most of the company鈥檚 office spaces in compliance with local legislation guidance. Hybrid work models might demand new spacial configurations, not just for social distancing, but for fundamentally changed workplace norms. From impermanent individual workstations to virtual tools that let people effectively brainstorm when they aren鈥檛 in the same room, organizations need to create that employee community again, bringing people back into a space so they can continue to be more productive.

Companies still struggling with remote versus in-person work mandates are missing the point about addressing the opportunities the global pandemic continues to reveal. Innovative organisations will jump at this historic inflection point to redefine the future of work with benefits for both organisations and their employees.

This article was originally published on

The post Flexibility Is Non-Negotiable When It Comes To The Australian Employee Experience appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

What was your first job? Did you deliver? Newspapers? Babysit? mow lawns? Or work at the shops?

While I remember the smiling faces of the kids I got to work with, I also remember the frustration. Filling out a paper timesheet so I got paid on time, reviewing my schedule on a whiteboard, and picking up a physical check. These paper-based tasks led to inefficiencies, and I knew there must be a better way.

Bringing us back to 2021, we鈥檝e certainly come a long way. Hopefully, your timesheets are automated, your scheduling is digitised, and – do checks even exist in Australia anymore? Our smartphones, watches, voice assistants, computers, and myriad of devices ensure that our daily lives and movements are tracked. Recommendations for being more efficient are made at each moment. We鈥檙e now able to operate at a different pace.

With these advancements in technology, the ways that we work have evolved, and in a lot of ways, we could say that the future of work is already here. We鈥檙e humans and we’re constantly looking at what’s going to happen next, and that’s where the future of work truly comes in.

At 麻豆原创, we know that the way you work is constantly changing which is why we鈥檙e consistently looking at what the future of work means. Laptops outsold desktops for the first time in 2005, in 2015 麻豆原创 launched , and in 2020 virtual conferencing finally became more popular than traveling.

But as we shift beyond the now 鈥� what does our future hold?

First, we see people and computers working together with human computer augmentation. We’re putting resources into your hands for how to make better, smarter, faster decisions. No longer do you have to wait days for the reports that you need to find out the information about how your business is running.

The information you need to make real-time decisions for your business and keep you moving at scale is ready now. And nothing was more evident than when we had to transition an entire organisation from working in offices to working at home. Your teams are now made up of two things human intelligence and . These AI-Powered Superteams allow everyone to take the best role possible.

Transforming How We Work

Next, we see a transformation in where we work and whom we work for. People resources continue to be scarce, and we see a drive away from the traditional 9 to 5. The shift towards project-based hiring requires new approaches. We need to shift from billing for people in seats to delivering on organisational outcomes. Similarly, in COVID-19 we saw a massive flight out of cities. People are looking for business to move with them. This opens opportunities to connect people beyond geographies. This Jobful Future creates a collaborative structure where each contributor is equally valued, and each person feels deeply connected to solving the problem brought about.

Traditionally, we talk about diversity as having different genders, country of origin, age or identity. This leads to counting up differences, now our goal is to create work environments so people can Inclusively Belong. Beyond a simple checklist, inclusivity means we are acting to learn from the experiences that our differences harness.

In 2020 surveyed a cross sectional group of people and found that 1 in 5 identify as 鈥淎 Passionate鈥�. care not only about what businesses are providing but how they provide it. Across all topic areas, The Passionates require businesses to take meaningful action, and they are vocal about the change they want to see. As these groups enter boardrooms, they mandate social action, and businesses that don鈥檛 anticipate this change will be left behind. Inclusivity is paramount for any organisation in the future.

Finally, the biggest change we will feel in the shortest amount of time is how we react to recovering the 114 million jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are some of the most conservative numbers for what 2020 looked like. For so many people this disruption was pervasive, many of these roles will revive like hospitality, entertainment, and transportation.

But in other industries will build back digital. The jobs that exist in the years to follow COVID-19 are ripe to be dramatically different than what we see today. There are new roles for people to connect networks, become the manager of our AI teammates, move outside a major city, and bridge the gap between a physical and digital world.

Organisations need to prepare to upskill staff, support new types of workers, create different ways of connecting to work, and realise the power of AI to adapt to the Future of Work.

Check out across Australia and New Zealand to find out more about how 麻豆原创 is creating the Future of Work.

This blog originally appeared on .

The post Is The Way We Work Changing? appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

That said, Australian executives may be underestimating upcoming challenges. Less than half (47%) expected COVID-19 to increase flexibility for remote work over the next year. They did expect that maintaining productivity given new ways of working (49%) and establishing a culture that supported more remote employees (44%) would become top challenges for businesses, but at a far lower percentage than many other countries in the survey.

from employers and employees in 10 countries, including Australia. It was conducted in partnership with , Oxford Economics, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Deliberately design for employee engagement

Speaking during the , Sarah McCann-Bartlett, CEO of Australian HR Institute, said that her organisation鈥檚 research revealed challenges as companies moved to hybrid work. While most organisations In Australia fall somewhere along a continuum between onsite and remote work choices, having a hybrid model that equally engages all employees can be more difficult.

鈥淭here鈥檚 concern among some HR practitioners about creating a two-tiered system in the workplace, and that employee engagement among those who can鈥檛 work remotely will drop. Some are considering other flexibility benefits they can provide to support the work/life balance of these employees,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need to give it the thought, time, consultation, project management, training, and engagement that we would any change project. Envision your future and deliberately work towards that.鈥�

Don鈥檛 leave out culture change

Just because it鈥檚 possible to have workers all remote, doesn鈥檛 mean that鈥檚 necessarily the most productive working model. McCann-Bartlett advised companies to make hybrid work decisions in the context of the corporate culture.

鈥淔or those looking at moving to a new workplace model, culture change has to be part of this process. she said. 鈥淭his is even more urgent for Australian organisations鈥o focus on building much healthier, and more inclusive, ethical cultures.鈥�

Think digital first

Most of the surveyed Australian leaders were satisfied with the technology they have for new ways of working鈥攂ut they may not be accommodating all workers. For example, less than 23 percent said that most of their workers had the necessary technology and environment effectively work remotely. Customer service workers (54%), general staff (51%), and service/field workers (51%) were especially disadvantaged in this area.

鈥淗R needs to think digital first. It鈥檚 one people strategy that leads with digital,鈥� said Jason Averbook, CEO and founder of Leapgen. 鈥淒igital starts with a mindset and vision鈥econd, it鈥檚 how do I understand my people and how they work鈥ow do I make sure I鈥檓 designing for them and not HR鈥hird, that HR develops not processes, but employee journeys that generate feelings which create the employee experience鈥nd fourth is the technology.鈥�

Holistic employee experience

With the advent of digitalisation, employers have the tools to find out what workers are going through and act on their input. However, in the same survey, Australians were significantly less likely than respondents in other countries to conduct regular employee pulse surveys (25%).

鈥淥ne of the biggest learnings from the pandemic is that humans are more important than ever, and I hope this stays with us in every country鈥t鈥檚 time to start checking in with people instead of checking up on people, enabling people instead of monitoring people,鈥� said Averbrook. 鈥淭hose organisations that listen and act are going to be key. We need to design the employee experience for the whole person鈥hysical, emotional, spiritual, social and intellectual.鈥�

Bridging the workforce learning gap

The report also found that although companies viewed reskilling as a long-term talent investment, just 30 percent expected to invest in learning programs for reskilling and upskilling over the next year vs. 38 percent in other countries.

鈥淩eskilling is very pertinent because we鈥檙e looking at potential labor shortages in a number of areas,鈥� said McCann-Bartlett. 鈥淭he border has been shut for over a year with no skilled immigration and a reduction in foreign students鈥ho stay on and take up roles in Australia. If we don鈥檛 focus on this, the skills our workforce needs are not going to be developed.鈥�

The future of work is now

Organisations can take advantage of the massive appetite and opportunity for change by designing employee-centric HR strategies.

鈥淧eople realise we have to be much more agile in fragile times,鈥� said Averbook. 鈥淭hat takes an understanding of the employee. We have to stop counting heads and make heads count鈥hen based on employee persona, we can say some work can happen in the office, at home鈥e design for the mindset of the organisation.鈥�

This blog also appeared on the

The post HR Research: Employee-Centered Experience Drives Business Agility In Australia appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

While the COVID 19 pandemic demonstrated that many organisations great and small could in fact accelerate digital adoption for their customers and employees alike, successfully tackling some of the technological aspects of the future work, the human element still often considered ancillary is equally critical.

What are the Human Factors that organisations need to consider?

Well-being and belonging and ethics were ranked at the top of , with 80 percent and 79 percent of organisations, respectively, considering them fundamental for their success. Recent suggests that these factors are valued even more today post-pandemic; With well-being and belonging falling under the 鈥榩urpose鈥� umbrella, companies must try to embed meaning into every aspect of work, every day.

And ethics under the 鈥榩erspective鈥� umbrella, embracing an orientation that focuses on creating future, as well as current value, suggesting companies must pay careful attention to facilitating standards of behaviour and interaction to generate social cohesion, build shared trust and be more cognisant of choices on organisational norms and culture.

Recent research also suggests that remote work in some capacity will remain as an irrevocable consequence of the pandemic, having some employees work outside the office will require reinventing processes and policies reflecting the increased autonomy and flexibility, changes include leveraging small, independent teams, changes to performance management and learning strategies and associated investments and even investments in physical office space as leases expire.

Prior to the pandemic, identified five main types of actions that companies will need to take to build the workforce of the future: retrain, redeploy, hire, contract, and release.

Retrain – Raise the skill levels of employees by teaching them new or more advanced skills.

Redeploy – Shift parts of the workforce by redefining work tasks or redesigning processes.

Hire – Acquire individuals or teams with the requisite skills, increasing the workforce.

Contract – Leverage external workers, such as contractors, freelancers, or temporary workers.

Release– Remove skills not needed by freezing new hiring, waiting for normal attrition and retirement, or, in some cases, laying off workers.

Clearly, building successful workforces of the future will require Leadership and Human Resources to adapt, including a change in mindset and talent strategies to orchestrate the changes. But even with a change in mindset and recognition of the human factors that will shape success in the future:

How do organisations formulate and execute these strategies?

This is the intersection with Technology, business leaders should be considering human capital and technology together not separately. Human experience solutions that allow employees to engage, learn, and connect easily, provide continuous feedback supporting measurement of employee sentiment; And collect and aggregate both qualitative and quantitative data from the many multiple sources both within and external to the organisation and present it as metrics that support actionable insights are crucial.

Organisations of the future must link both the People and Finance perspectives in all mission-critical decisions, operations, and planning. 鈥樷�� outlines how 麻豆原创 solutions can support your organisation to better adapt to the new ways of working. For more Future of Work perspectives please on 24th March.

This article originally published on .

The post The Future of Work – The Human Factor appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

Many industries were agile and fortunate enough to operate remotely, creating the digital environments necessary to work from home. But how will how we work? Our businesses evolve sustainably? And how will the data underlying the technologies that support our businesses provide us the necessary insights for differentiation?

These ideas will be explored with research analysts and local executives at the upcoming 麻豆原创 ANZ digital event, on 24th March at 9:30 am AEDT / 11.30 am NZ.

This digital forum offers three panel discussions running sequentially: The Future of Work, Purpose-led Sustainability, and Creating a Data-driven Culture.

As the nature of work has changed dramatically since the pandemic, businesses everywhere are still trying to understand what workforce strategies can keep their employees safe, connected, and empowered.

Delve into The Future of Work with panellists Nicola Bourke, General Manager IT Program Delivery, The Star Entertainment Group, Gaston Carrion, Managing Director of Strategy and Consulting for Asia Pacific Talent and Organisation Lead, Growth Markets, and Global Employee Experience Lead at Accenture; and Abbie Lundberg, Business Technology Analyst, Harvard Business Review Analytic Services.

The panellists will discuss how with the rise of hybrid workforce, we鈥檝e definitely seen a paradigm shift when it comes to how organisations maintain employee engagement and morale. How do you keep employees engaged and enthusiastic about what they do? Hybrid working arrangements means that it鈥檚 now possible for a lot of candidates to pick up positions in entirely different cities or even countries so although there is a wider pool of available and suitable talents it also means the environment is far more competitive.

How will organisations need to re-think their talent acquisition policies?

In the second session, understand how we can work together and create sustainable, scalable solutions for our shared global challenges with Purpose-led Sustainability. Join panellists: , Graham Winkelman, Head of Carbon Management, BHP and Todd Pruzan Senior Editor for Research and Special Projects at Harvard Business Review Group.

This panel discussion will look at how organisations can pivot profit towards purpose by supporting a purpose-led and sustainable agenda. It will look at how the panellists are fostering a culture of 鈥榳in-win鈥� sustainability and embracing the circular economy. They鈥檒l also delve into how can organisations of all sizes manage to scale and remain competitive with sustainable business practices at the centre of their strategy.

A vital tool in creating a better future for all of us is intelligent technology backed by data-driven insights. The power of data analytics can create lasting business change that enhances the experiences of customers, suppliers and employees.

To create ongoing success in this digital economy, tune into Creating a Data-driven Culture with: Julia Jack, CMO for Mercury; David Scullin, Chief Digital Officer for Zespri; Andrew Birmingham, Editor-in-chief and Associate Publisher at Which-50; and Alex Clemente, Founding Managing director of Harvard Business Review Analytic Services.

厂础笔鈥檚 will reflect on the future of work and how to sustainably grow your business, and the power of intelligence in delivering great customer experiences. and join us, 24th March at 9:30 am AEDT / 11.30 am NZ.

The post Creating New Perspectives for 2021 and Beyond appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

At 麻豆原创, our purpose is to help the world run better and improve people’s lives, providing businesses with ideas, inspiration and solutions that support agility, sustainability and innovation. After last year鈥檚 success, we are excited to bring in 2020, to showcase our ideas and the technologies that are reshaping the world we share.

This year we will be sharing experiences, insights, and innovation across a spectrum of industries in three weekly episodes, with each highlighting a critical element of change affecting the business world and wider society today. Each episode will also include a series of inspirational speakers and domain experts.

In 鈥淔uture of Work鈥�, the , we will be joined by Susan Ferrier, NAB鈥檚 Group Executive People & Culture; and Martin Wezowski, 厂础笔鈥檚 Chief Designer & Futurist for 厂础笔鈥檚 Technology & Innovation; while Chad Davis and Jake Meadows will play one of their amazing compilations made especially for Effect, demonstrating the melodic uniqueness of the harps.

Susan will share how NAB has adapted to different ways of working in a remote environment 鈥� supporting their customers and colleagues, as well as the concept of 鈥淔ungibility鈥�; while Martin will explore the role of machine learning and artificial intelligence, while explaining the value of curiosity and creativity in our workplaces.

The world is transforming more rapidly than we could have imagined, with 麻豆原创 playing a key role in helping people and organisations navigate through these challenges by becoming more future proof and efficient, while elevating customers鈥� experience through the use of technology.

I am personally very excited with what we have in store for you at Effect this year, so don鈥檛 forget to , and join us to discover the 鈥淔uture of Work鈥� on 17th September.

The post Understanding the Effect of Technology in a Rapidly Changing World appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

The transition 鈥� at scale 鈥� to remote home offices and virtually connected work has demonstrated the rapid speed at which perceived barriers to bringing about change can and will dissolve. The future of work, as it was being predicted as recently as at the start of 2020, is already here, with some arguing recent events have taken us five to 10 years forward into this future.

So, now that the future of work is simply the present, what鈥檚 next? And how can we be better prepared? What are the next big transformative ideas that will drive the evolution of businesses and their employees? What is the role of humans in workplaces that are increasingly augmented by technology? These are a few of the many questions 厂础笔鈥檚 chief designer and futurist Martin Wezowski has been exploring for the past six years, and will be sharing at the upcoming

“You don鈥檛 predict the future. You work for a desirable one.”

Working in the business of predicting tomorrow, one could be forgiven for thinking that Wezowski is a sorcerer of sorts. His presence leaves those he speaks to enchanted by his seemingly supernatural ability to perceive the future. And fundamental to his role at is to channel long-term visions for the future of work to drive strategy and tactically innovate.

The possibilities of tomorrow
For Wezowski, and other leading thinkers like him, his role is not about merely predicting the future, but creating futures.

“Futures are designable – it鈥檚 up to you to make them somewhere we want to live in. There is an infinite possibility of things you can do. You don鈥檛 predict the future. You work for a desirable one.”

And when it comes to creating what lies ahead, how we redefine work and ensure human relevance alongside other significant disruptions to how we work, such as the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), will be crucial.

Innately human work
A found that more than half of the companies surveyed are already starting to use machines to perform tasks previously undertaken by humans. If the trend continues, we will have near-universal adoption of robotic process automation (RPA) within the next five years.

With tantalising benefits such as improved compliance, quality, productivity and cost reduction, it’s clear that automation will play a leading role across sectors to help streamline operations and create greater time efficiencies.

So, what does the role for humans look like against a backdrop of technological progress? Arguably, we must be more emotionally and cognitively agile, which will enable us to achieve a growth mindset; to learn, exchange and discover more. Perhaps, most importantly, it will mean focusing efforts on more meaningful work that adds true value, and which people enjoy doing.

“Humans will focus more and more in the unknown with curiosity and more quality work time on their hands,” Wezowski says.

Indeed, playing, experimenting, imagining and capitalising on our emotional intelligence and contextual knowledge will all prove paramount. These innately human attributes are often exercised, for example, when teams creatively brainstorm for ideas, and these attributes will pave the way to an 鈥渆mpathic symbiosis鈥� with machines, according to Wezowski.

“We need more punk rock in business, man! Let people play and be together,” he says.

“When I hear a start-up say, ‘We will challenge the status quo, do the unusual, go fast and break things’, that sounds like your average punk rock band. But it is also your average curious person.

“Curiosity and creativity are one of the skillsets of this decade. It is not purely engineering 鈥� you can read that in a book. Everything you can be instructed on is less important to have in your blood and your education. It’s things you can鈥檛 search for online.”

Undertaking laborious and time-consuming tasks will most certainly not be part of the job description.

job is to bring forward high-value work. Artificial intelligence will automate the boring, the repetitive, the insignificant and mundane. Machines will be ever more effective and efficient in the known tasks, the repetitive and predictable.”

To him, traditional manual jobs involving spatial or memory capabilities have the potential to be automated. So too installation and maintenance tasks. Wezowski predicts the management of financial resources, logistics, contracting and other roles within the supply chain will be assumed by algorithms.

With such changes will come opportunities. The “new species” of human will embark on a lifetime of active learning, wherein they’ll employ heavy reasoning, analytical thinking and revel in doing “all the good stuff you love”.

“We need more punk rock in business, man!”

Wezowski envisions designers in politics and philosophers in boardrooms. It will be a place and time where individuality is celebrated for its contribution to work.

“How about acknowledging our differences, our uniqueness as human beings? The 10 billion people living on this planet in 2050 鈥� will we have 10 billion different sets of skills? Yes we will.”

“We will become superhuman because the average will be taken care of by our friends, by technology.”

Not a zero sum game
This perfect marriage with technology and the notion of a future human鈥檚 emotional 鈥� possibly whimsical 鈥� role, sits at odds with the often bleak man versus machine world depicted in sci-fi dystopian blockbusters.

We are now living in an era where advanced robots are the new factory workforce, where self-service checkouts have replaced human till operators and high street travel agents are becoming obsolete. Physicist Stephen Hawking, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have all warned too that artificial intelligence poses a significant threat to mankind, fuelling fears of job security.

Yet this assumes machine exceptionalism. 鈥淪how me a machine that can explore the ideas of how your business should be more relevant and thoughtful, and how you would build better relationships with people you care about,鈥� Wezowski says. In many ways the pandemic has accelerated this trend, by pushing empathy in business to the forefront.

Wezowski argues we must embrace technology wholeheartedly, as innovation will lead to a thriving workforce where “competitiveness is replaced with the complementary”, which will lead to what he calls “completion”.

“[Humans] have a unique contribution to make,” he says, envisaging a future where people are better enabled to discover their unique skillsets, and are able to collaborate with others possessing different strengths.

The “me-we era”
In this era of self-isolation, paradoxically we are already experiencing increased togetherness and teamwork under new guises, as remote working ushers us online and opens digital doors. Never before have we been so accessible, willing to meet the unknown and exchange ideas. We are on the periphery of what Wezowski describes as the 鈥渕e-we era鈥�, where the focus on the individual evolves and collaboration thrives.

鈥淭here is no next big thing; however, there is an infinite amount of things coming together.”

鈥淲e have not been human yet. We will become human at last. Because we鈥檝e been busy hunting and gathering and making Excel spreadsheets,鈥� he says. In other words, the true potential of what human workers are capable of has 鈥� up until now 鈥� been constrained because of the necessary mundanities of modern work.

In the short-term, Wezowski imagines machine learning will improve AI to the point where a system will help monitor your caffeine intake to guarantee you make a better business decision. He anticipates we will adopt visual augmentation devices and several more wearables.

鈥淲e will have 20 devices on our bodies that will tell us a little bit better how to be more optimal in each situation we encounter,鈥� he says.

鈥淭here is no next big thing; however, there is an infinite amount of things coming together. This is why, at , we are building this one platform, integrating data from sources we could not even imagine into one piece.鈥�

As a futurist, Wezowski鈥檚 prophecies are ever-changing, both responding to and reimagining the world. When asked how he deals with decade-long deadlines he says: “I鈥檓 quite childish about it, which I think is a great trait in business, because that awakens your curiosity. I sometimes think I work for the NASA of work. We are on the final frontier.”

After all, curiosity is a fundamentally human trait and skill. Embracing it means being open to changes in business operations, processes and even purpose, which will enable businesses to be more resilient because change will be welcomed rather than feared.

Bringing things back to here and now, Wezowski advises: 鈥淏uild lasting relationships, be a long-term thinker and the rest will follow. That鈥檚 your post-Covid agenda鈥�.

Join Martin Wezowski in conversation on the Future of Work at e鈥檉fect at 11am AEST on Thursday, September 17 2020. .

This article was produced for 麻豆原创 by , the commercial content division of BBC Global News.

The post Where to from here: Why we need more ‘punk rock’ in business appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

We explored how COVID-19 has changed the way we work and how the work environment has shifted more towards people鈥檚 health, safety, and wellbeing.

Gina explained how 麻豆原创 has been offering flexible working options to staff prior to the virus outbreak, making it easy to transition to 100 per cent virtual seamlessly. However, COVID-19 tested our business continuity and the way we support staff remotely.

鈥淲e came out with a lot of initiatives such as , ensuring we have the tools in place for our employees and our customers, looking after their mental health. We鈥檙e also checking in with them regularly through our own technology 鈥� surveys 鈥� and then rolling that out to our customers as well so they could have access to that technology at no cost.鈥�

Since provides flexible workspaces, Brad has noted how managing work environments has fundamentally changed, particularly in terms of cleaning, visibility, and technology.

鈥淲e always used to do our cleaning after hours so we did not bother people. Now we鈥檙e doing it during the day because people actually want to see it happening.鈥�

鈥淎lso, staff training. We鈥檝e also got staff that need to feel healthy and safe coming into work. A huge amount of investment has been around our team. We need to give them very good, clear communication and tools to help all of our customers, which ultimately have their own staff that they鈥檙e responsible for.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had to invest a lot in the communication for them to use. One of the things that we鈥檙e putting in place at the moment are people counters so people can be confident about the density on the floor and will display the number publicly, so there鈥檚 real transparency and it gives people confidence right from the get go. We鈥檒l also be displaying air quality. There鈥檚 also sanitiser and disinfectant wipes around the workspaces.鈥�

Managing return to work is challenging as people adapt and teams consider their safety. At 麻豆原创, Gina says they have been working in split teams to help ensure continuity while mitigating risk for staff and customers.

鈥淲e鈥檝e also given 100 per cent flexibility,鈥� Gina said. 鈥淪ince Victoria is back on lockdown and children are home, back to remote learning, we鈥檙e ensuring we support the managers and teams with total flexibility, encouraging them if they need to take more time off or work more flexibility.

鈥淲e鈥檝e also looked at what technology we can use to help our teams as they return to the office with visitors, helping them feel safe. 麻豆原创 has a COVID app.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e also used our Qualtrics technology to do our contact tracing in the offices, so that if a situation should arise, we can easily respond and meet all the regulations.鈥�

Gina also expressed the importance of managing virtual fatigue. 鈥淲e鈥檝e looked at our remote working survey results; while they鈥檙e really good and people are as engaged as ever, they鈥檙e really telling a strong message around how they鈥檙e feeling about virtual fatigue. So we鈥檙e ensuring we put in place some initiatives around staycations and different programs they can do should they want to take some time out and not feel like they should be working. Looking at meeting-free days and meeting-free commute times to really help our employees and support them.鈥�

Looking ahead, Brad believes the future of workspaces will be distributed and better suited to people鈥檚 needs. 鈥淥ne of the great things to come out as well is there鈥檒l be a much greater focus on workspaces that people love rather than creating workspaces that tick a box on a balance sheet or come in at a certain amount of dollars per square metre. Organisations will need to provide a distributed range of options for their teams and for attracting and retaining the best talent.鈥�

According to Brad, another emerging trend in flexible workspaces is suburban work hubs. 鈥淣ot all tasks can be done from home, but also they shouldn鈥檛 require an hour commute to get into the city. Having work hubs closer to home, ticking security and technology boxes, but not needing to be in the city, we see those emerging. Workspace becomes a choice of options managed in a distributed fashion 鈥� how and when you want.鈥�

Hub Australia is a member of the , which recently published an and considerations for business returning to office spaces. Brad also noted that flexibility will remain critical as employees have demonstrated the capacity to work remotely and expect new business environments that provide services that facilitate collaboration in a safe manner.

At 麻豆原创, Gina outlined that they are moving to a new office space in North Sydney, which has a future proof design and provides an enticing space for collaboration. As Gina explained, the office鈥檚 COVID-19 safety measure are an extension of the existing office鈥檚 practices with signage and resources to ensure everyone鈥檚 safety and wellbeing. Whether in the office or digitally, 麻豆原创 is focused on supporting staff to help us maintain or improve on our recent award as 3rd Best Place to Work in Australia.

To hear more about the new nature of workspaces and returning safely, hear the

This blog originally published on .

The post The Changed Nature of Work Environments and Practices appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.