Photo & story by Rizal Raoul Reyes
TELECOMMUNICATION companies and property developers will be having closer collaboration in the developing the future workplace, according to a document.
In a research paper titled “The Future of Work,” Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. head of corporate solutions research in Asia Pacific Susan Sutherland said the traditional office workplace is gradually going to be replaced by a new concept anchored on technology developments. Sutherland cited the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and robotics as examples of the latter.
“We will see greater working relations between the developers and the telecom companies as clients will demand buildings that can be technology-ready for their operations,” Sutherland told the BusinessMirror. “Smart buildings are also way of the future. They also want to optimize cost.”
She believes in the future, “there will be closer ties between developers and telcos to put up smart buildings”.
Sutherland said Philippine business leaders must embrace the changes in the workplace such as the use of technology in their processes and operations to become more relevant to new environment and next generation of workforce.
For instance, Sutherland said a client in the business process outsourcing industry may need a facility for its automation process or robotics-driven operations.
“Automation is rapidly taking place into more service jobs”.
Although the Philippines is still considered an emerging market, Sutherland said the Philippines can still keep pace with the rapid changes in the workplace. As long as organizations are receptive and have an open mind, they can join the march towards that change, according to Sutherland. She said these views were based from discussion with JLL’s clients about the role of technology in their operations.
“’Future of Work’ is really about how our clients can think of the future of the workplace and the impact of the corporate real estate,” Sutherland said. “Technology is a big factor in the discussion”.
She added the “work-from-home” concept is one that can be adopted as one of the changes in the workplace, “especially for a place like Metro Manila where daily monstrous traffic jams is the ‘new normal’”.
“We certainly see that it can be beneficial but it is really up to the company to determine what their needs are”.
Sutherland also pointed out that organizations can pursue future-proofing programs on its employees to ensure they are equipped to handle disruptions. One future-proofing program is to provide them the skills and the knowledge such as data analytics to handle new trends in the business environment, she explained.
Furthermore, it would be quite useful for an organization to also focus on the internet of things, artificial intelligence, robotics and automation and predictive capability, according to Sutherland.
Image credits: Rizal Raoul Reyes