A possible future of work

According to a recent article in CNBC, major companies are considering shifting from a work-in-office model to a work-from-home model.

Humankind history has shown that human beings can work under tedious circumstances. For instance, people detained in concentration camps managed to survive and work under extreme conditions of stress, fatigue and hunger.

In comparison, the remote working conditions for those who can execute their job through a computer or a phone are far less challenging. Soon, human beings will adapt and learn how to work under remote conditions. The next generations will get even better.

To imagine a work-from-home world is not confusing. What is more adventurous is to foresee the many consequences of such a shift at the individual and organizational levels.

Nonetheless, one may argue that such a change may accentuate the current approach under which to work is primarily about executing a task requiring no real social interaction. At the risk of oversimplifying, the heart of the task could be summed up in an exchange of data that would eventually be processed, synthesized and digitalized.

However, once that information would become directly accessible to the individuals, no more interaction may be needed anymore. The main competencies of the workers would be to formulate the right questions and to navigate through some large databases of tutorials, chatbots and reports to find the answers themselves.

This may look very appealing to those who would thrive while being autonomous. On the contrary, those who would look for guidance, authority and some sense of boundary may find it challenging to meet the expectations of being self-discipline and independent.

Within the world of social media, everyone has to voice themselves loudly to exist and to be remembered. Within the post-crisis world, everyone might have to learn how to lead themselves to avoid being left aside.

A possible future of work - May 2020 - article réalisé par Sebastien BAERT