The future of work will require smart action and skills

The world has considerably altered while we have been firmly rooted at home, and the future of work is upon us. Returning to work won't be returning at all; rather, it'll be a new game. Future success will also demand new abilities, some of which could surprise you.

Also the term Moonlighting became a topic of conversation, many workers in the IT industry moonlight "secretly" after hours to earn extra money. This can be due to many factors like job security. Moonlighting, however, is viewed by certain businesses as the "future of work."

We spoke to Srinivaas R Katkoor, Director, Human Resources,  SAS India, about the current condition. Excerpts from an interview:

Is there still a crisis of talent shortage and how are you coping with the problem? 

In nearly every industry, there is a global talent shortage. When it comes to software development, however, the shortage perhaps is the most severe. Tech advancements & growing demand in recent years have increased the need for niche & specialized jobs. 

This makes hiring the right talent a crucial process and at SAS we try to be innovative in terms of expediting our hiring process, ensuring the roles we offer are specialized as well as challenging & fulfilling. Most importantly, we take keen interest in our employees career aspirations (job rotations, internal mobility, onsite opportunities) to ensure we offer the best can in terms of Compensation, Flexibility and Retention 

What is your current policy on moonlighting? 

In a full-time employment, the employee is expected and required to spend his entire working time, efforts, and energy for the employer’s interest.  We have very clearly defined that anything which is conflicting to our business, competition or intellectual property should be treated as policy breach by our organization. 

We also look at conducting a rapid assessment to identify any red flags using tools & techniques to detect and report activities related to moonlighting.

What are the new skills that are required by employees due to the changes in the last few years? 

The future of work is upon us and while we’ve been entrenched at home, the world has changed significantly. Getting back to work won’t be getting back at all, it will be a new game. And success in the future will require new skills—some of which may come as a surprise. 

The employees will have to go extra mile and develop skills like Entrepreneurship and Empathy, Resilience, Curiosity, Readiness to learn.

The future will not belong to the cynics who sit on the side-lines. The skill of the future will require smart action—the ability to make things happen, marshal support, invest time and expend effort.

Has the HR process become more streamlined and tech-enabled? 

Technology has given HR professionals tools that reduce time they have to spend on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on issues that require more hands-on attention.

Prior to mobile apps and cloud computing, HR was defined by piles of paperwork and a constant struggle to keep up with compliance, hiring and unending stacks of employee information. By simplifying responsibilities like recruitment, record keeping and payroll, human resources technology has significantly improved efficiency, accuracy and even employee morale.

With potentially ground-breaking HR technology solutions emerging, we are seeing a tech boom that is fundamentally reshaping the way we work — and how we think about HR. While there’s a range of technologies, some of the most interesting  and disruptive examples are powered by artificial intelligence and automation.

Technologies such as AI, analytics, AR /VR and machine learning are opening the door to a whole new world of possibility for the human capital space and are changing the face of HR. A few examples of these include

• AI making recruitment smarter
• Compliance is more efficient and sophisticated
• Analytics driving better performance management
• Analytics boosts diversity and inclusion
• Training enhancement with AR and VR

How will you equip learners with the relevant skills required to cater to industry-ready? 

We understand that the educational institutes have a very important role to play in this dynamic era and society needs a more robust education system to face the challenge. 

Along with the strong digital skills, the new skills required will be complex problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, teamwork and collaboration, emotional intelligence, judgement and decision-making, service orientation, negotiation, and cognitive flexibility. 

We should include expert talks, career counselling, personality development, soft skills training, and major/minor projects that make students both technology &  employment ready.