automation – Ven India

A new essential skill set requirement added to all job descriptions across the world –
Experience and management of work from home model.
“Do you know to handle your teams on WFH model. What have been the productivity levels and what has been the engagement hours? The emotional quotient required to manage people on the other side of the screen remotely will be a major HR skill .This will be the most essential question hereafter from any organization in an interview.

Whoever will develop this skill the best way will only be eligible for a job of leading and managing the team, else only fit for an Individual contributor. Learn the skill sooner than other to avoid getting redundant in the system. Else system will take the leap of introducing and adapting to automation preponing the plan of redundancy of people in the system.

A big wave of retrenchment and job loss among desk and process jobs to begin post- pandemic since all the processes will have got automated and human intervention and engagement will drastically reduce. Industry will have prepared for the next pandemic which will occur after 100 years assuming it will be similar to COVID. But in reality, Industry will have insulated itself from human dependency by the means of automation. The threat posed by robotics, AI and Machine learning has been executed by COVID beforehand.

It wouldnt be surprising if people will be managed by robots which was mentioned as an irony and laughed out earlier.

Industry digitization would have remained a temporary arrangement if Covid would have ended up in the first wave. But since covid has prolonged to second, third wave followed by black fungus or better mutated covid virus, the digitization will be further extended, improvised, sustained and habituated to.

Industry needs formalising the skill of WFH as a major training need and build training programs like how people management, motivation etc.., were identified as a skill earlier.

Impact of COVID on Industries and Job Market. Equip yourself to survive, sustain, and progress.

Job Market and Employment trends have undergone multiple transformations with time due to Recession, Globalization, Automation, and Digitalization. Currently, Industry is going through a tough phase due to pandemic, which has appeared nearly after 100 years.
The whole of the Industry is making assumptions and anticipations based on ever data possible. But unfortunately, most of them are not in alignment with the facts to date.

The changing scenario of the COVID census in different states, mortality rate, key people in politics, Govt or Essential services – tested positive, their duration of recovery, disturbance in the functionality of essential services … all have added to more confusion.

There were predictions made that, the second quarter of 2020-21 will see a considerable recovery. Whereas the job loss has increased, and pay cuts have prolonged till next quarter. Few of the Companies have announced pay cuts till March 2021. Appraisals, Bonus, and Variable Pay, have deferred until infinity.

Sectors most affected like Hospitality, Airlines, Automotive, Aerospace, Retail are struggling for survival. The Recovery Rate of Industries impacted due to COVID is very slow. The cascading effect is creating an enormous blow to the other Industries in the supply chain. Employees with higher Salaries, Senior people with monitoring roles, Support departments, Jobs that can be replaced by digitalization, Business Development roles are on the Target for retrenchments. Campus recruitments stopped for a year.

The positive side of the situation is, Junior level, capable and efficient people are elevated with higher responsibilities and opportunities to perform and acquire more senior roles once the market stabilizes. Most of the jobs are using virtual platforms to interact, reducing cost and time for both organizations and employees. The Industry will further explore and innovate newer means to perform and sustain.

Work from home will, in the future, give opportunities to more people in 2- tier, 3- tier cities, villages to work for MNC’s from their homes. Geographies won’t limit people to smaller or lesser opportunities. Educated Men and Women in small towns or villages will not have restrictions in career growth or opportunities. Lifestyle and exposure will improve in small cities.

Sectors like Pharma, Retail like Grocers, Vegetable vendors, Automation, Digitalization, few Mfgg units, Telecom, Networking, Computer Hardware, Infrastructure have seen the demand. Today’s job market belongs to only those people who can commit and deliver results in the least turn around time with utmost quality, integrity, and accountability. The changing demands and the situation of the Industry will force Companies to expect more from the employees. And Darwin’s theory of ‘Survival of fittest’ and ‘Natural Selection’ will force employees to thrive on competition. New Normal will come with many demands from the employers, better gauging criteria for performances and deliverables

Change is inevitable. One who adapts sooner will succeed, be it an Organization or an Individual. Equip yourself to survive, sustain, and progress.