It is an undeniable fact that the global Covid-19 pandemic has turned the global economy upside down. For more than one year, the debilitating pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy and public and private sectors hence the widespread redundancy, retrenchment, and lay-offs. As if that is not bad enough, workers have been forced to take a long unpaid furlough due to businesses’ insolvencies and bankruptcies while others are run on shoestring budgets due to economic hiatus in the country. Put differently, the place of work in many organizations has never been the same again.
Digital Technologies
“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.” John F. Kennedy, former US president famously remarked. To navigate the murky and turbulent economic and financial landscape, go-ahead businesses and governments have come up with a raft of measures like the adaption of modern digital technologies in a bid to remain afloat. To say the least, the Covid-19 pandemic has arguably accelerated the embracement of the future of work; many employers have adopted remote working and virtual meetings using online tools like Gotomeeting, webinars, WebEx, and zoom platforms. Simply put, the Covid-19 disruptions coupled with new technologies have leapfrogged the future of work.
“New technologies, demographic shift, and the impact of the Covid-19 on the labor market have been radically transforming the way that organizations conduct business and the type of skills their talents needs to help them thrive in their new age of work.” the World Economic Forum report noted.
Indeed, innovative organizations have been at the frontline of navigating the murky waters of disruption and unlocking infinite possibilities through modern digital technologies.
While there is innovation and growth potential, the success of digital and related technology adoption depends on having the right supportive policies in place.
According to World Bank’s World Development 2019 report titled, The Changing Nature of Work, “because most countries face different development challenges such as levels of productive technology adoption and more under-employed people than other regions, an increase in digital technology adoption has the potential to have a positive effect on economies.”
The fact of the matter is that those organizations which changed to become nerve-center for digital technological innovation and creativity are now the epitome of productivity and competitiveness. It is self-evident that the future of work and technology are inextricably intertwined. “Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anybody can meaningfully talk about one without talking about the other.” Bill Gates, Microsoft boss once said. Technological development is here to stay. For instance, the launch of 5G mobile network by Info.com Safaricom in collaboration with Nokia Corporation and Huawei heralded a new dawn in the future of work in Kenya and Africa in general.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
The adage old that change is inevitable is an irrefutable truth. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, especially Artificial Intelligence, will make many employees redundant while many jobs will become obsolete. There is incontrovertible evidence that the use of mobile banking and proliferation of smartphones and digital banking platforms like ATM, mobile banking, mobile Apps have rendered many bankers redundant hence retrenchment.
Other industry 4.0 technologies like Big data, Cloud computing, the Internet of Things, robotic automation, and Blockchain have profoundly changed the world of work and boosted the digital economy and the future of work in Africa. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many people have embraced digital learning, filing of court cases electronically and online court proceedings. In addition, e-government and e-citizens platforms have made accessing government services easier and faster. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the future of work are inseparable.
Remote Working
The February 2021 McKinsey Global Institute report titled, The Future of Work after Covid-19 states, the pandemic accelerated existing trends in remote work, e-commerce, and automation, with up to 25 percent more workers than previously estimated potentially needing to switch occupations. The report further says that remote work and virtual meetings are likely to continue, albeit less intensely than before. On the flip side, it is unfortunate that some organizational leaders seem unwilling to embrace new technologies and transform their organizations’ bottom lines. They continue to cling to traditional physical workplace and micromanaging employees. Resistance to change could adversely affect the employees’ performance and financial health of the entire organization.
“Remote work may seem like a challenge for many leaders, but it’s actually a valuable opportunity for leaders to take an honest look at how they need to prepare their businesses for the future. Leaders who are successful in the long term with remote work tend to be quick to adapt rather than inclined to cling to their existing processes and tactics. ” Robert Glazer, the founder, and CEO of Acceleration Partners wrote in his book, How to Thrive in the Virtual Workplace.
Remote working offers flexibility and proper planning of work schedule or work plan. More notably, flexibility is intrinsic to creative management. Empirical research has shown that many employees are comfortable with remote working – even during the post-pandemic period. Remote working offers a plethora of opportunities for the employees to multitask, learn and relearn as well as enhance employees’ development and career growth.
According to a recent study by Silkroad Technology, 40 percent of employees are actively considering leaving their current employer post-pandemic. This can be attributed to a lack of flexibility on the side of employers. In this day and age, employees expect flexibility and autonomy in the remote workplace. Many employees have proved adaptable in changing economic and technological conditions. The flexibility offered by remote work could go a long way toward fostering more engaged and balanced employees.
Takeaways
It is high time Africa countries, Kenya included, embrace modern technologies and digital economies as means to the future of work with open arms. And by continuously creating pathways for tomorrow’s workforce. This will definitely pay huge dividends later on in organizations. Africa can pull itself up by its bootstraps by banking on digital technologies. Tomorrow’s future of work success begins today, not tomorrow. “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”
