Editor's Note:
Silvina Moschini is an entrepreneur specializing in the digital transformation of the world of work.
She is the founder and president of TransparentBusiness, a platform that allows remote teams to be managed transparently.
In addition, she is the founder and CEO of SheWorks !, an online store for recruiting professional women with flexible models.
The opinions expressed in this comment belong exclusively to the author.
See more opinion pieces at CNNE.com/opinion
(CNN Spanish) -
After the crisis, the opportunity arrives.
We close this turbulent and demanding 2020 with a reflection on the trends that define the future and post-pandemic life.
The American philosopher William James said: “Life is in transitions.
We cannot ignore the central moments of life.
We have to accept them, name them, share them and, eventually, make them the fuel of our history ”.
In this transition to a new year –a new decade–, to the post-covid era, I would like to propose this exercise with the lessons that 2020 left us. Because changing the year always contains a seed of hope, this is a good opportunity to discover the opportunities that crises reveal and that, well exploited, will build a different and - hopefully - better world.
MIRA: Augmented reality, sensors and other innovations against covid-19
Technology reigns
What would have happened to us this year without the internet?
If before the pandemic it seemed like a great invention, there is no doubt that we live in the era of connectivity and that the Wi-Fi signal marks the pulse of our lives.
For health reasons, at the beginning of this year the entire world became dependent on technology overnight and we all began to study, work, shop and even interact through electronic devices.
In the past twelve months, the total number of people who connected for the first time climbed to 346 million, which is equivalent to a growth of 8% year-on-year.
More than 8 out of 10 mobile users declared that the Internet was essential to survive the pandemic, because it allowed them to sustain their children's education (76%), keep in touch with friends and family (74%) and even improve their well-being (43 %).
Capital is human
No matter how connected we are, we are not zombies.
The technological revolution gave Artificial Intelligence a seat at the board of directors, but, according to the Deloitte 2020 Global Human Capital Trends report, 60% of those consulted declare that Artificial Intelligence is used more as support than in replacement of the work of people.
In fact, the study maintains, the managers of the future will coordinate super teams that combine human capital with Artificial Intelligence: while technology will be responsible for data, traceability and transparency, people will be measured by their skills soft: their connectivity, of course, but also their social and emotional skills, their adaptability, and their resilience.
MIRA: 104-year-old Colombian engineer was able to finish his doctoral thesis during the pandemic
Remote is better
Among the disruptions of 2020, remote work consolidated itself as one of the great protagonists of the transition to the new normal.
To such an extent that he earned his own slogan: “Work is where the wifi is” (“Work is where the wifi is”).
According to a World Economic Forum report, between 35% and 40% of employees in developed economies reported that they worked from home in 2020. Depending on the activity in question, the report estimates that more than 20% of the workforce will be able to keep working from home three to five days a week as efficiently as in the office.
Remote work reduces production costs, allows remote access to talent, and maintains productivity levels with flexible hours.
In addition, it enhances concentration, ends the work-family axis and, as it reduces commuting from home to work and vice versa, it protects the environment.
In practice, remote work allows information to be stored in the cloud so that all members of a team are aligned and can monitor the execution of processes with transparency and efficiency.
The future is woman
According to the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs report, the covid-19 pandemic negatively impacted 87% of the world's companies led by women.
The reasons are various, from gender inequality in technological access to the majority of women in the areas most affected by the recession.
Paradoxically, the female segment holds the keys to recovery.
More women have turned to entrepreneurship, prompted by the independence and creativity that fosters liquid work, which is nothing more than structuring work based on three main ideas: digitization, flexibility and mobility.
Motivated by the leadership that best managed the pandemic, such as that of the governments of New Zealand, Germany, Finland, Taiwan and Denmark - all headed by women - they impose a confident and altruistic model that is spearheading the world , not only because it shows the way to a more inclusive and fairer society, but also because it has excellent returns.
Although we are all anxious to turn the page of the almanac, let us delay a moment in the valuable teachings that 2020 left behind. A few days after it is finished, it is important to realize that the change was so great, that this end of the year it will not be like no other because it is the transition to the future that we are founding. It is my wish that 2021 brings us the health and optimism we all need to keep looking at the bright side of life.