DailyPost 728
FUTURE OF WORK
Future of work and compensation is by far the most fascinating and satisfying social pursuit which should consume and subsume employers and policy makers. Leaving the employees or the likely workforce to fend for themselves does not speak well of employers who go to the extent of corporate social responsibility and of governments who have long back declared the nation as a functional welfare state. Undeniably, even the thought of initiation of this exercise is dependent on data driven empirical research using the same high tech tools which are posing the challenge.
This research work in totality, it’s description of the process and findings; data points, data, analytics and projections will itself be an eye opener. It would shift the focus from benign generic debates to a trajectory of thinking on lines of policy and regulations. We can’t expect this nature of research by PWCs & McKinsky driven by the motives they are. Their superficial survey, figures peperred with some think tank / consultancy type thoughts are good enough for the intelligentia’s social talks. Sometime professional as well.
Globalisation was a boon for economic growth, companies and also consumers. Who thought about the implications for the workers, more so those caught in dislocations and transitions. Of jobs getting automated or going to other parts of the globe. On that front we did not do enough. This time around the issue may turn out to be much graver. Bland talks of Universal Basic Income is too naive to be even a serious thought, that too globally, in lieu of a job. Jobs provide a purpose in life, dole cannot compensate for that.
So the buck stops at the policy maker. Policy makers tend to deal with problems after it reaches the crisis levels. Anticipating the problem and heading it off is not there in their DNA. What is killing is not the pace of change but but the pace of reaction. Those who are legally mandated to react are actually still far behind in figuring out what the correct policy should be. Not a healthy situation at all.
WHAT DEFINES THE FUTURE OF WORK – REGULATED OR UNREGULATED TECHNOLOGY?
Sanjay Sahay