Digitalization now and in the future
The world has changed and keeps changing around us. Revolutions have gone from Industrial revolution-> Internet Revolution and now to Industrial internet. Technology is transforming, some machines can see, hear and even feel. We have more data, meaning we have more opportunities. Machines keep learning also on their own or with other machines, they can process it to us and find solutions to our problems. Digitalization has huge impact on every aspect of our lives.
Today you can remotely do things that you couldn´t had even imagine in the past for example check what is in your fridge while you are shopping for grocery, put sauna on while you are still driving to your house, have video conference from any location, use drones to capture nice pictures. In professional life there is more meaningful use for all new inventions. For example drones can give first response to many things look for intruders, chemical leaks, help in search and rescue, transport cargo. COVID-19 was speedway for digitalization. We have different ways of collecting data.
Many people have changed their working habits. Hybrid working is more common, and many work remotely. There is always something new to learn and adapt to new working ways. Some fear that robots will be taking our jobs, and that is true, but it will also bring new ways of working.
In future physical and virtual world will create new intellectual realm. This world will cross human senses. Things we create will have nervous systems, meaning they serve us better. Computation system helps us think, robotic system to make and AI with digital nervous system to connects virtual us. When future development moves forward we will have more variety, connectedness, dynamics, complexity, adaptability and beauty.
My experiences of digitalization in personnel service industry
There is many trends in personnel service industry. I work in HR tasks, we recruit staff for several industries. In my work we have online recruitment platform and HR management system, just like almost all rival companies. This same system manages our employee records, track their working hours, process payroll etc. Same platform is used by job appliers, customers, our recruited staff in client companies and of course us. We have job appliers from all over the world. I use Teams, Zoom, WhatsApp etc for video interviews. Sometimes I also need to use online translator. In my job I also sign documents by verifying my identity usually through my bank codes.
Lately I think that apps here in Finland in this industry that have been broad to peoples attention have failed or haven´t really been that great in use. Development in these for me feels to be lacking lot of features. I Am sure AI powered tools can enhance these apps and help us develop our working ways in other aspects too. Once I was already offered virtual reality tool for special recruitment case. I think when this is more affordable it could be very useful.
I would gladly use chatbots with appliers in some cases, as well as with our workers. There is so many times we go through same issues with different people. Chatbots could guide them quicker and at any time. There is also lot of talk of chatGPT, and when combined to chatbots we could really benefit of more intelligent chatbots.
Overall, digitalization in the personnel service industry aims to improve efficiency, accuracy, and provide better cooperation for employers and employees.
Evaluation of the risks of open digital society
Digitalization is improving our life quality, but there is threats. With Internet has changed our understanding of privacy. There is standing amount of personal information we have shared online, or told or wrote it even when we have not realized it for example through social media, searches and emails. The business model of internet isn´t compatible with privacy. We should support internet business that is not totally relaying on advertisement money. People should be more educated how to protect and keep control over personal data and privacy.
Cyper criminals are professional, they are watching us and ready to exploit both weak code and trusting human nature. These attackers can work from anywhere. They can approach you by email, through social media, snoop your data and tap your bank account.
Due to concern to protect data EU generated data protection regulations GDPR. The EU has strongest data protection rules in the world. Here personal data is a fundamental right. GDPR limits automated processing of data. Gives people right to rectify and remove data, and notificate us if data is compromised. Demands businesses operating in the EU to give more detailed info of data processing. Gives us permission to see what data companies have of us.
This GDPR has impact to my work. Sharing appliers info or employees info with coworkers from our other office is not possible, we can´t look back to old sick leave papers even if I need to check something for insurance company. We have to make sure all info of applier or employee is destroyed by the due day for filing expires. If you want to check job appliers performance in his/hers past working places you need to have permission from job applier and former employer has to be informed about this too. It feels that things are now more complicated but on the other hand when we have more help from machines handling data it will get easier all the time.
In private life I appreciate that I can control what data companies have of me and know how they have used it. I know i should pay more attention what I share online and whom I accept to register my behavior online. With simply things I could protect myself more. Probably reasons why I have not done this yet is easiness that comes with internet use when you have support for example to automatically remember passwords to different pages. I know this is lousy excuse but I am now more awaken to this subject.
Self evaluation
This task has made me think more about my own use of data and how I share my personal information. I am also really fashioned about innovations that has been already made or what will be done in future. I was surprised that already decade ago there was so many great inventions that are still not in proper use. I am going to start following more intensively what new inventions there is in personnel service industry world wide. I think I have focused too much on what we already have in use in Finland. I plan to study more about use of AI.
Digi society Blogs that I commented