Why smart technologies will continue to transform workplaces in post-Covid-19 world
- Businesses and staff have seen efficiencies and other benefits offered by greater use of AI and automation and mix of home- and office-based job practices
- Additional security and data protection will prove vital as companies increasingly rely on videoconferencing technologies and co-working spaces
Technology has changed how we connect, consume and create in the workplace and caused a huge shift in the way businesses are run.
It has been about a decade since the start of the so-called fourth industrial revolution – a period marked by the merging of our physical, biological and digital worlds and the growing use of smart technologies.
The widespread adoption of automated tools featuring developments such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, cloud computing and the Internet of Things – the online interconnection of everyday objects embedded with computing devices – has transformed manufacturing and industrial practices and the way we work. Last year’s outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic served to accelerate these changes.
Suddenly, adopting the use of new technology was no longer an option, but a necessity for employers. Commuting and the use of office environments were considered risky and remote working practices became the norm.
Our evolving workspace
Although the global roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines is offering hope that the effects of the pandemic will soon subside, remote working could be here to stay, now that employers and staff have seen the benefits it brings.
