It’s close to about half a century since Star Trek was conceptualised and in many ways, this series was a foreteller of the world to come, with connected people, handheld communication devices, voice activation, virtual reality and instant teleportation. Well, the last one hasn’t happened yet, but we may get there eventually.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the inter-networking of physical devices to computer systems that is expected to make our lives better. Add to this the human neural network — the process that generates, shapes and reshapes our nervous system from the earliest stages of embryogenesis to adulthood, full of complex connections and changes. To me, the interface between the network of neurons in a human (also among humans) to the other network of machines and computers is the first time we could actually bring some of the unfulfilled use cases from Star Trek to life.
What has all this got to do with the human resource function, you might ask. I would say lots, and therein lies our ability to imagine the workplace of the future. Let’s look at four key areas where technology is enabling companies to do better with their people.
Build: Organisations are built by people. From the selection of the best talent to creating a nurturing and learning environment for them, we see an active immersion of technology across domains. Between now and 2020, we will see the number of connected devices skyrocket to 40 billion. There is no doubt this will make HR practices highly dominated by digital enhancements. For example, deep analytics that will help you hire right; virtual reality onboarding that will help your new hire get ready from day one; learning solutions driven by simulation-based systems, and most importantly, the ability to know your team quickly through connected devices.
Engage: IoT won’t just empower things, it will also empower people to better manage aspects of their work lives and, by corollary, help companies derive better productivity from their people. Providing customised experiences for employees can be strengthened with IoT. When data flows in from the device, such as a smart ID card or a fitness band, it will take customisation to a new level. Two examples of how this could work: an IoT-enabled transport system would upload work packets to employees in advance, enabling them to prepare for the day’s work; similarly, individual fitness trackers would help the unit to plan for absenteeism, handle system updates and plan replacements ahead of time.
Collaborate: One of the most challenging aspects of our work is to get people to collaborate across desks, offices, time zones and mindsets. Wearable devices will not only help us do our job better, but will change how we interact. Imagine the video conference of the future, where participants can instantly be connected through a wearable device. This is IoT at work – to knock down walls, both physical and virtual to bring teams from different places in one environment.
Optimise – With the availability of high-order processing power and easy availability of data, intelligent systems will help humans make better decisions. Transforming people insights will help the HR team create new opportunities for people as well as for the business. IoT will enable data analysis, smart networking and predictive analysis to enable deep optimisation across interconnected employees and other people.
IoT is but one aspect of an explosion in technology that will no doubt dominate the budgets and mindsets of HR organisations in the foreseeable future. IoT should be seen for what it is — a way to make life better. Many companies, including ours, has a workforce straddling multiple generations with various levels of comfort with technology. So upskilling the workforce on IoT and other related technology is mandatory.
While we are on the cusp of a huge change, we also need to redefine our understanding of security and data protection, and deal with the negative results of technology. Industrial espionage and individual privacy will move to a new level, where organisations and individuals will have to protect themselves against vulnerabilities.
Finally, it is important for HR to look into the future and predict greater uses for technology, both existing and that which will soon be upon us. Since the workforce is already ready, with everything at their fingertips, what is really holding us back? So perhaps, the time has come for us to make an evolutionary leap of historic proportions. Beam me up, Scotty.
(The writer is Executive Vice President and Head, HR – Infosys Ltd)
Published 22 August 2017, 17:42 IST