The World in 2050: Future Technology
The world is changing. Thanks to technology, the way we live, work and play is evolving.
In 2022, a record number of people will work remotely – whether from home or a coffee shop – freeing up time to focus on other areas of their lives, like family or leisure. In fact, more and more companies are moving to a fully remote structure. Why? Well, it's becoming easier to work remotely. Thanks to the likes of Slack, Zoom, Teams, and Skype for Business. These platforms make it easier for people to work together regardless of their location.
While technology has played a huge role in changing the way we live, it's also had an impact on the way we work. In the field of office technology, Rocking Solutions (Rocking Solutions) has observed an incredible trend: fewer and fewer employees are required to do the menial tasks in office jobs. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. For example, DocuSign (NASDAQ: DNSF) reports that nearly half of its 20-person legal department now works remotely, taking advantage of the conveniences that digital life offers.
AI Helps Office Workers
Let's take a case study. Imagine that I (a senior executive in a large company) hire an Office Permanent Virtual Assistant (OPVA) to help me with my work.
The OPVA will take care of all my document processing, email correspondence, research, and even some administrative work, like parking my car and checking my mail. In exchange, I will pay the OPVA a salary (this will vary, of course, depending on the size of my company).
The purpose of this example is to show how AI is changing the way we work. First, the OPVA will help me get my job done faster. Second, AI is making some tasks more efficient, thus reducing my overhead. Finally, AI is helping me work in a way that suits my personal style and moves me to acchieve greater productivity.
Remote Working Gives You Flexibility
Another advantage of working remotely is that I can set my own work hours. In my case, I am a professional pediatrist and motherhood has prevented me from setting my own schedule. Fortunately, my job describes my work preferences, so I am able to set my own timetables and duties. In fact, I am so productive that I am often available to work after my children have gone to bed. This flexibility is attractive to me, as it allows me to parent my children while still being an active member of the society they grow up in.
Flexible Working Lowers Health Retirement Costs
Another way in which technology is reducing health retirement costs has to do with flexible working. As I describe in my book, The ROCKING SOLUTION: Secrets of Innovation and Productivity, technology is making it possible for people to work less. Thanks to a growing number of companies offering alternative work schemes, like the one I shared above. If I want to, I can work partially remotely.
In my case, I can choose to work from home two or three days a week, reducing my travel and wasting time on the road. This minimal presence reduces my health retirement costs, as I am able to work at my own pace. Less stress means less sick days, which in turn, means less health insurance premiums.
Reduced Overhead Benefits The Companies You Follow
Thanks to technology, the costs of doing business are changing. First, there is the cost of real estate, which is essential if you want to have a physical office location. Second, there is the cost of energy useage, as data centers and other large offices use more electricity than most homes. Third, there is the cost of maintenance, as building an office requires more of a tunnel vision than looking for spots of black and yellow on a white background. Finally, last but not least, we have the cost of human capital. Hiring and training new employees is no longer a fixed cost, as itused to be. Hiring a temporary assistant or an OPVA is now a cost that varies with the performance of the assistant. Furthermore, as I mentioned above, technology is making it easy for people to work from home, thereby cutting down on office hours.
Technology Upends The Way We Look At Work
Finally, let me conclude with a few words about the way we look at work nowadays. Thanks to technology, work is no longer a settled state of affairs. It's a fluid, evolving and changing process. Workers are in constant motion, searching for projects that suitable to their skills, desires, and personalities. This is great news for employees, as a result, we can expect an innovation wave at work, as companies will have to constantly update their ways of doing business. This is a feature, not a bug.