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What workplace of future will look like: Industry leaders discuss at India Today Conclave Next 2017

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DailyBiteNov 07, 2017 | 18:04

What workplace of future will look like: Industry leaders discuss at India Today Conclave Next 2017

Governmental push or not, India has largely turned digital. With newer, more innovative technology penetrating various sectors of our economy, there is an aspect that needs urgent attention: how will these changes affect the workplace?

Speaking about this at the India Today Conclave Next 2017, Kiran DB, senior director of Solution Sales, Microsoft India, Harmeen Mehta, CIO and head of digital, Bharti Airtel, Keshav Murugeshm, Group CEO, WNS, Manish Bahl, senior director, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant, Padmaja Alaganandan, partner consulting at PwC India, and Mayur Danait, CIO of Lupin Limited, discussed how technology will define the workplace of the future.

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Social media

One of the most important aspects of this discussion ultimately takes us to social media and how we use it. That social media has become an intrinsic part of our lives is a fact. But when it comes to using social media at the workplace, things get a little tricky.

According to Mayur Danait, both employees and employers need to be careful when it comes to the behaviour and use of social media. He is of the opinion that guidelines and policies need to be in place that dictate what should and should not be posted. This refers to not only conduct, but also confidential and sensitive information.

A recent example was cited where a software engineer was fired from tech giant Apple after a video of his daughter using the then unreleased iPhone X went viral. While this wasn’t espionage or that it was done by a relative of the employee in his/her private capacity, and not for any monetary incentive, one fact stands true: the lines between social media and work can be a bit blurred. Adding to that, Harmeen Mehta said: “Social media is looked at beyond the employee base. It’s the family, the neighbours, the friends.” 

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Photo: Indiatoday.in

Work-life balance

Another aspect of the modern work experience in this age of technology is that of work-life balance. Work-life balance is something that cannot be broadly defined. It is something that varies from one individual to another. Sadly, as is the case of every paradigm on the cusp of a shift, the lines here too are rather blurred.

Speaking about its advantages, Mayur Danait said that work from home would obviously help with productivity. Cutting commute time is a big factor in that. On the flipside, he mentions: A lot of people use this commute time to destress themselves from work. They use it to switch off from work mode and switch on to other aspects of their lives. With a work-from-home or tele-working environment, such a thing may not be possible.

Padmaja Alaganandan adds that the whole concept of work-life balance itself is under question. According to her, the concept of what this means, is more present in areas where there are clear physical demarcations. She further observed that for a lot of the younger workforce, their balance lies on how they adapt. It is up to the individuals themselves on maintaining this essential balance and not the organisation they work for.

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Speaking about how to maintain this balance, Keshav Murugeshm says: “[Work-life balance] is very important. As a company we are not owned by a family. We are essentially run by [you] people. You decide the policies you want. Involve yourself in culture creation. That is what we have created. People should not resent office. They should enjoy their work.”

Padmaja Alaganandan also noted that the overall mental well-being of employees should be a point for focus. Stress, mental health issues etc should be given the required attention, and this is the employers' responsibility.

Surveillance and privacy

The rapid digitisation of the world has created a gamut of challenges. One of them is surveillance. Surveillance, one of the panellists noted with extreme accuracy, has become a natural side effect in the wake of the digital revolution. There are two broad reasons behind employers watching over employees: productivity and conduct.

Padmaja Alaganandan believes employee surveillance is a nuanced topic. All organisations should respect employees and trust them to do the right thing, but there have to be certain regulations. It is all part of “the social contract”. She adds, however, that regulations would do well not to get in the way of the work culture.

Manish Bahl observed that there is a thin line between tracking someone’s work activity and being invasive. He recalled how US company Three Square Market installed microchips in the hands of 40 employees, “for convenience, a way for them to bypass using company badges and corporate log-ons to computers,” so that “now they can just have their hands read by a reader”.

Future of workplace

Coming to the end of the session, all the panellists spoke about what will redefine the future of the workplace. Mayur Danait believes that we are entering the era of specialists: Specialists who come together, execute the project and move out, much like how the film industry works.

Padmaja Alaganandan added that companies need to reinvent themselves to grow. Manish Bahl observed that in the age of AI and automation, a lot of mundane laborious tasks would likely get automated in the near future. Companies then would need to double down on human-centric skills and identifying talent would become more and more important. We are going to get talent in clusters.

Harmeen Mehta said that organisations need to be like amoebae: they should be able to adapt quickly. She also added that the way millennials function, hierarchical work would slowly go away. Companies would then need to give employees space to breathe, and the only factor that should count is outcome. As Kiran DB sums it up, hyper-specialisation is where the future lies.

The new workforce, he said, does not want employment. it wants money.

Last updated: November 08, 2017 | 12:20
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