Tech overuse can limit personal interactions
coherence between teams is much higher because of technology’s ability to connect discrete teams. The silos culture is going away and collaboration is becoming the norm.”
TECH IMPACT AT THE WORKPLACE
The latest Randstad Workmonitor survey reveals interesting findings regarding the consumption of technology at the workplace today. A majority (95%) of the survey respondents agree that today, technology and digitalisation have a major impact on their jobs and an even higher percentage (96%) say they see this trend as an opportunity. As many as 89% indicate that they need more training to keep up with technological developments and make them work to their advantage.
Moorthy K Uppaluri, MD and CEO, Randstad India, says, “Just having the right technological tools will not transform an organisation. Tools are only effective when the right environment, the right culture and the right support are in place.”
WHAT IT MEANS FOR COMPANIES
Companies across sectors are adapting to digital practices in various ways. DP Singh, vice president and HR head, IBMIndia, South Asia, says, “We have used digitisation across functions to enhance employee experience. IBM offers HR services via mobile app for the convenience of our employees. Training, chat, social networking, application access while out of office, digital calendar and video conferencing are a few to name.”
Newer technologies such as cognitive, smart devices, artificial intelligence, internet of things and augmented reality, are making headway into mainstream adoption for many companies. The HR at IBM is leveraging technologies available to
As many as indicate that they need more training to keep up with technological developments and make them work to their advantage
A very high percentage of the survey respondents
state that they feel face-to-face meetings are the best way to interact with someone improve employee experience. “IBM has an integrated talent acquisition solution, which provides greater flexibility to engage with internal and external candidates and collaborate better with hiring managers,” he says.
Another example of digitisation has been around the employee performance management system - Checkpoint. This system is designed to watch the way the employees work. Checkpoint was created by the employees for the employees. With Checkpoint, an online evaluation tool, IBM employees will set shorter-term goals, and managers will provide feedback on their progress, at least once every quarter.
Sectors such as life insurance, which are sales driven, are also going digital. In order to ensure better management of its sales force, Bharti AXA Life has decided to create android applications that help in monitoring and tracking of its sales employees. Technology is impacting and changing the way people work, but there are a number of challenges that come with it.
Overuse of digital practices can limit personal interactions, openness and accountability. Sriram Vaidhyanathan, chief human resource officer, Bankbazaar.com, says, “Openness and accountability is all about managing people and processes. Technology is an excellent tool, but it is just a tool. Results will always depend on how well you utilise it.”
The one disadvantage, believes Vaidhyanathan, is the in which people tend to become dependent on technology for everything. “If technology fails us even for a little while, the entire system becomes paralysed. There is no work-around this as the kind of benefits, in terms of speed, reach, and analytics that technology provides cannot be replicated in any nontechnical model. So the only way is to build in high degrees of redundancy,” he says.
Giving another example, Monica Gupta, co-founder, Craftsvilla.com, says, “During interactions through digital tools, absence of a face makes the interactions lack a human touch. This limits personal interactions to a very transactional level. Openness and accountability also get impacted.”
Too much dependency on technology has an impact. Those who leverage tech to speed up processes and eliminate redundancy will benefit from it. However, those who have become addicted will face challenges. “Collaboration and communication can be effectively done through digital platforms but brainstorming will not happen. The user needs to decide when and where to use technology,” says Gupta.
Training employees to adapt to digital practices is also a herculean task for companies. According to Nagina Singh, chief human resource officer at Bharti AXA Life Insurance, “One of the biggest hurdles is to factor in the multi-generational workforce. Baby Boomers and Gen X find it relatively harder to accept the new changes as compared to the Gen Y or the Millennials.”
GAURI KOHLI