Much has been reported about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the traditional workplace. The effects of the pandemic are expected to be long-lasting, making it challenging for companies across all industries to keep operations running smoothly.
Globally, companies had to be agile and adapt to a new normal, in addition to dealing with supply chain disruptions, nationwide labor shortages, and The Great Resignation, where an unprecedented number of employees were leaving their jobs for a plethora of reasons.
Technology has and will continue to play a significant role in the workplace. The future of work will depend on many factors, including the increased adoption of emerging tech like the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), to name a few.
Which technology companies contribute to this future, and how are they changing the way employees work? Below are six examples of tech companies that will impact the future of work in one way or another.
1. Fetch Robotics
Fetch Robotics is a leading technology company focused on creating on-demand automation solutions for various industries. The past few years have been quite successful for Fetch Robotics, recently acquired by Zebra Technologies. The company offers the only autonomous mobile robot (AMR) that can deploy in just a few hours and uses a unified, cloud-based platform.
Fetch will likely impact the future of work because increased automation may decrease the need for human employees. There are some sectors where automation already exists and plays a critical role — it’s expected that more industries will benefit from AI and automation in the future.
2. Okta
Some companies are trying to invest more in their employees and in their well-being. Take Okta, for example. It’s a San Francisco-based company offering identity and access management services. Okta recently announced its new workplace experience application called Atmosphere, which acts as a digital concierge for Okta employees to:
- Keep employees connected to their teams
- Keep employees engaged with company culture
- Help employees make decisions about their work location
- See real-time updates for live staff events, team schedules, and worksite information
There may come a time when more companies offer digital applications to make employees’ work lives a bit more manageable. Companies cannot successfully operate without giving employees the tools to accomplish their daily tasks and responsibilities.
3. Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization dedicated to independent product testing, consumer-oriented research, consumer advocacy, investigative reporting, and public education. It’s a mission-driven nonprofit with an unwavering commitment to supporting its employees.
According to the company’s website, they want all employees to feel a sense of belonging and contribute to bringing the average consumer wealth information regarding the products they use every day.
The company even goes so far as to display data showing that most employees are white — they treat this data as a baseline and are transparent in their efforts to create a more diversified workplace in the future.
4. Collective Health
One of the priorities of Collective Health is to make primary health care in the United States more accessible. Collective Health, as a company, believes that the current system is broken.
Collective Health uses cutting-edge technology, focusing on empathy, to try and rebuild the health benefits experience for Americans. This comes when more medical practices are offering telehealth services to help meet ever-changing patient needs and expectations.
Company employees come from diverse backgrounds, and the overall mission of this company is to make health care effortless. They are currently expanding their team, hoping that employees will offer viable solutions to their everyday problems. It recently received $280 million in Series F funding and will scale its current platform.
5. Oracle
Oracle is a multinational computer technology company that believes the future of work is more about ongoing learning than anything else. In a blog post, Oracle explains that supporting employees and achieving high-performance levels rely heavily on employees’ ability to adapt to fast-paced changes in the workplace.
Oracle also prides itself on being an inclusive workplace and celebrates employee diversity. Oracle has over 60 employee communities that bring together members of the Black community, the LGBT community, and veterans, for example.
Diversity is a priority in the tech industry, as research suggests that the industry has lagged in being as inclusive as it could be.
6. Bell
Bell is a telecommunications company that has become famous for its Let’s Talk Day, highlighting the importance of global mental health advocacy. The Bell Let’s Talk Day is super popular on many social media platforms, and Bell has partnered with more than 1,300 organizations that have worked to support over 4,500,000 Canadians.
Because this company invests so heavily in mental health initiatives for other organizations, both large and small, it’s certainly going to impact the future of work.
The pandemic shone a light on the importance of mental health, and many companies have taken steps to offer support for employees who may be struggling.
7. Experfy
Experfy, founded in the Harvard Innovation Lab, specializes in identifying and deploying the world’s best AI and engineering talent at breakneck speed, all while maintaining a high level of quality and compliance. Our award-winning SaaS platform is also used by businesses and governments to create their own bespoke future of work solutions, such as talent clouds.
The Future of Work Looks Bright
While it’s challenging to know exactly what the future holds for the workplace, these companies are just some examples of organizations trying to create a positive, diverse, inclusive, and supportive environment where employees can do their best and feel their best.ff
