How will technology impact the workforce by 2020?

By Luis Banhara, CEO of Citrix in Brazil

 
 
Technology has significantly changed people's personal lives, the way they work and how people interact with objects and places. These modifications go beyond the tools or devices used to facilitate tasks, as they create new values and behaviors and inspire trends that will become standards in a short time.
 
A study recently developed by Citrix – Citrix Landscape 2020 – points out the main trends that will profoundly change work by 2020, including the increase in the number of freelancers and remote work.
 
Freelance work is booming in the world. In Brazil, a survey by the Freelancer website registered a growth from 17 thousand registered users in 2012 to 235 thousand in 2015. Worldwide, the company has 15 million registered professionals. One of the reasons for the increase is the need for professionals to have more control over their own time, to be able to choose where, how and for whom to work, and to increase income by serving several companies simultaneously, especially professionals from generations X and Y who are always looking for new challenges. and are more inclined to use excess creativity to set up their own business.
 
In addition to professional freedom, the ease of opening a company through the MEI program and the drop in job offers given the current economic situation have boosted the movement of freelancers. Although it may seem controversial, this increase can be very beneficial for the country's economy, as it encourages entrepreneurship and maintains the purchasing power of those who do not have a traditional job, either due to lack of opportunity or by choice. Companies benefit from reduced burdens and more agility and flexibility to hire the talent they want anywhere in the world.
 
On the other side is remote work. According to the Citrix survey, by 2020, half of the workforce will be remote and within legal standards, as is already happening in the United Kingdom. Technology allows this to happen smoothly, as long as they are implemented with all security criteria. The Citrix study also cites that, worldwide, 43% of workers would like to have more flexibility at work and many large companies already have home office policies. This option is very beneficial, especially in large cities where locomotion is extremely time-consuming and tiring.
 
In Brazil, a survey by PwC in partnership with FGV shows that one of the greatest desires of employees is to have alternative ways of working, alongside better remuneration and a merit promotion program. 64% of the companies interviewed want to offer remote work, but they do not do so for fear of legal problems. Law 12,551/2011 guarantees the same labor rights to employees who work remotely. However, the fear of companies is in the limits between personal and professional use, such as determining if there really was overtime and in case of accidents at work.
 
Corporate mobility solutions can help in this process, enabling secure access to company data from any network and device, in addition to having control mechanisms that allow differentiating access to personal and professional data so that employers can assess the time dedicated to work, defining the existence or not of overtime.
 
Although quite revolutionary at times, technological evolution is a process of no return. It is up to professionals and companies to adapt and take advantage of new resources and changes in a positive way. The way you use it will determine the return on this investment.