By Abhishek Agarwal
The Covid-19 has changed the lifestyle and the way people used to work. The pandemic has disrupted many workplaces as they shifted to working remotely to ensure the safety of their employees and maintain the business continuity. In these challenging times, companies have opted for innovative technologies like cloud computing, video conferencing, and cybersecurity that could help them to grow their business, keeping the health of employees in mind.
Companies have invested in best-in-class communication technologies helping the workforce to make their remote working more functional and efficient; this would include video conferencing subscriptions and their equipment; like zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google meets, Skype, etc. They have gained popularity by being an appropriate means to connect with the team. For this to work, they would have to invest in security as well so that they do not compromise on the company data and information. However, despite significant efforts, there have been many challenges as well, especially in the initial days for employees, like from connectivity issues, data security issues to severe technical problems. To resolve this, people can adopt AI-driven technologies that would be helpful for a more flexible organization. Investing in explainable AI and other tools that support the true human-AI partnership would help people experience new possibilities for their business and future workforce.
Data is considered to be a critical asset for the company, hence cyber security of data is another challenge that company has to overcome during the pandemic. To tackle such ever-increasing issues, companies have to enforce strict data management standard. For this, people can opt for Data Loss Prevention systems, strong passwords, using reliable VPN solutions, two-step authentication. Companies need to ensure to use encrypted systems to protect their company data, payment information, personal data of customers, and regular audits. Also, it is essential to educate the employees to use the latest anti-virus systems and aware of the latest cybersecurity threats as well.
To be successful in the current crisis, not only the company but employees will also have to refine their skill. According to LinkedIn, around 57 per cent of talent developers focus on leadership and management skills, 42 per cent focus on creative thinking and problem-solving skills, and approximately 40 per cent focus on communication skills. Job seekers should be able to work in a diverse digital environment, which will enable them to have a better understanding of critical technology, data valuation, and processes like machine learning and advance analytics. They should have comprehensive problem-solving skills, be able to maintain healthy professional ties despite remote working, and have enhanced creativity and innovation skills.
Though we assume that we have crossed the worst stage of Covid-19, the truth is the upcoming months will be not be easy, neither for the job seekers or the providers. Covid-19 not only had a drastic impact on the economy across the globe but also has transformed the employment market. However, we cannot oversee the positive effects the remote working has for the businesses such as lower operating expenses, real estate cost, transportation of employees, office daily expenditures, and many more expenses were eliminated. Companies can easily increase their workforce without worrying about office seating; they just have to ensure adequate tools of communication for employees, especially with the future workforce, who is already more comfortable with the latest technologies and could understand the upcoming trends better.
(Abhishek Agarwal is Senior Vice President, The Judge Group)
