8
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 08 October 2021
kilkennyobserver.ie
News Opinion
The Fact Of The Matter PAUL HOPKINS
When we grow up, this is what we could be ... THE future of the workplace will be digital, with the ‘new normal’ in the post-Covid era shaped more definitively by technology than any other consideration. Every aspect of our lives, from wellbeing to work, and all in between, will be massively ‘disrupted’ – that is changed – in the coming years, thanks to technology. Specifically, the way people work and interact with their workplaces and the way companies operate will see big changes. Location-independent jobs have become de-facto in the current pandemic wherein modern tools, technologies and telecoms have provided the ability to work from anywhere. Surveys, here and globally, show that companies expect about 40% of their employees to follow a remoteworking model in the future. Or, more likely, a combination of home, hybrid and the workplace.
A greater number of jobs done remotely will likely see a bigger percentage of the population participate in what was otherwise location restrictive and favoured cities and large towns. Employers will also gain as they will have access to a wider reservoir of talent. Work in the future will become ‘smarter’ as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human/ machine collaboration will take over repetitive and routine tasks, thereby freeing employees to focus on more meaningful work. Robotics and automation can also play a stellar role in surgery and life-saving technology. Also, in augmenting or replacing we humans in highrisk situations, like the frontline of the current pandemic, and in disaster recovery. For our young people just finished exams and looking to third level courses or perhaps an apprenticeship, it might be worth considering what kind of new jobs this soon-to-be, post-
pandemic world will be offering, given AI, remote working and having to live in a world perhaps populated by intermittent viruses. How about a job as a Work From Home Facilitator? Before now, it’s estimated that less than 5% of companies had remote policies. Now, with the full post-pandemic expectation that remote work remains the norm, companies want to apply lessons learned to further optimise workingfrom-home. Far from being a futuristic job of tomorrow, WFH are being sought now by global tech companies, according to the Wall Street Journal. Or how about a Fitness Commitment Counsellor? We despair at the extra pounds packed on during months of pandemic-induced lockdown. To remedy the situation, preventative approaches like our digital Apple watches and FitBits allow for our own accountability in getting fit again.
But many of us, lacking the will-power or determination, need a minder. Fitness Commitment Counsellors are your new VBF, according to the global Cognisant Jobs of the Future (CJoF) Index. Among the well-heeled and affluent, there is a big demand for Smart Home Design Managers, according to Interiors magazine. A lasting lesson of the pandemic for many is that “everyone’s home is their castle”. The rise of Smart Home Design Managers will boom as the homes of the rich and the top brass are built – or retrofitted – with dedicated home office spaces, replete with routers in the right places, soundproofing, separate voiceoperated entrances, and even Gorilla Glass wall screens. One could make a tidy sum in this profession, as could you in its sister profession — a Workplace Environment Architect, which is kind of self-explanatory.
Or what about becoming a Data Detective, Sherlock? Openings for data scientists remains one of the fastest growing job in the tech-heavy ‘Algorithms, Automation and AI’ family of the CJoF Index since its inception, and has continued to see 42% growth in
‘Access to a wider reservoir of talent..
”
the three quarters of this year. Or how about a HumanMachine Teaming Manager who keeps people and robots in good form as they work in seamless collaborations? Meantime, if my Editor turns down my request for a pay rise, I’m packing it in and am going to take on a job as a Cyber Calamity Forecaster – the title just conjures up such intrigue and malice. Aside from Covid-19, it’s arguable that the other, big catastrophe of the last year was the continued onslaught of both massive cyberattacks like on our own HSE, down to individuals promulgating ransomware exploits. My new job would be to forecast events like these and kick ass, big time. Now, I’m not yet sure of how I would go about this but I am up for learning about being a forecaster of doom and gloom. Hmmm... Not a million miles from being a journalist, I hear you say...
