I was attending a coaching conclave and one of the panelist’s who is an expert on predicting the future talked about “ Re-humanising the workforce” as the fifth industrial revolution. It kindled my conscience and I thought I could share what organisations can do in the future to bring back “humanness at the workplace”.

Although I am not an expert on predicting the next industrial revolution or in generally predicting the future, I still believe that we could take the following actions to bring back “humanness” in organisations.

1. Focus on the individual : Today employees are not treated like human beings who are unique and talented in their own way. Most employees are considered a cog in the wheel and treated like commodities. They are further branded as bad, good or great and then their treatment in the organisation is linked to the type of categorisation. Organisations can bring back focus on every individual as a resource and build the organisation processes around her or him.

2. Family as a social institution : Organisations no longer value family as a social institution. The employee is considered as a unit of purchase to meet the goals of the organisation. Her/his value is determined by the market and is negotiable. An employee is no longer valued as a member of a family, which is part of the larger community around the organisation. Organisations need to connect with families and communities and involve them in development of the individual.

3. Equity & fairness : The principle of equity and fairness is no longer considered an essential norm in organisations. We tend to treat employees as units of consumption and individually negotiable in the market place. The need to be fair and equitable and perceived to be that way, is no longer valued by organisations. It is high time equity and fairness is not only a value within organisations but permeates across the society at large. This will reduce social tensions and crimes in society.

4. Team work : The focus on individual talent and the need to retain her or him has gone to the extent that team work is not considered an important glue in organisations. It is increasingly believed that excellent individuals can take care of lack of teams by bringing value to organisations. Organisations have to believe that team work is critical for organisational success in the market place. The best individual is as good as the team she or he works with. No individual is bigger or better than the team.

5. Purpose : Organisations no longer have a compelling purpose which is beyond product, service and profits and impacting the society at large. This results in employees’ inability to identify with the purpose and thereby employees leave organisations when their purpose in life does not match with organisational goals. It is high time , organisations rise beyond narrow boundaries of profit and work for societal well being.

6. Community connect : The fact that organisations exist to add value to communities around them is no longer valued. With increasing globalisation, the connect with communities around organisations is almost defunct. Today corporate social responsibility is more of a statutory obligation rather than a sacred duty of organisations. It may be time for organisations to remember that their growth and success in the market place is linked to the prosperity of the communities around them.

7. Valuation vs Value creation : Today most organisations are keen on working towards valuation of their brand and shares. They seem to look short term and not necessarily keen on value creation. Value creation could mean adding value to all stakeholders like employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, communities around them and the government at large. It is time to wake up and realise this responsibility.

8. Technology & human connections: I am a great fan of technology and have always tried to use all forms of technology including social media to connect with employees and other stakeholders. However, today technology has made relationships impersonal. We do not know the birthday of our own team members and do not wish them in person. We are not aware of our neighbours and think that technology can bridge this gap. Organisations need to promote human interconnectedness through human relations and not only be dependant on technology.

9. AI & emotions : While artificial intelligence and machine learning may be able to do most of the jobs which humans are doing today, they may never be able to express emotions like humans do. We need to keep in mind that human beings are born emotional and hence organisations need to be more sensitive to human emotions in the future than they have been in the past.

10 Employee wellness & health : The focus on employee wellness much beyond employee health and safety is going to be critical for organisations in the future. We need to care for physical, social and mental health of employees. WHO has said “wellness is optimum state of health of individuals and groups and positive approach to living”. The pandemic has made organisations realise the importance of wellness. It is critical for organisations to proactively promote wellness in the future.

It is time for organisations to bring back humanness in all their dealings. They need to realise that employees like suppliers, customers, shareholders and governments are partners to their progress. If they do not deal with them with humane approach, their extinction will be sooner than later. However organisations which are humane will continue to thrive and grow in the future.

S Ramesh Shankar

29th August 2022