Head of Talent Care, Training and Enablement Martin talks about the Future of Work
The Future of Work is what we make of it. That’s why we talk to our colleagues on a regular basis. We want to know what their everyday working lives are like, what they expect from the world of work, and how they imagine the working world of tomorrow. Maybe AI will play a bigger role? As a bonus, we also get very personal insights into the everyday lives of our colleagues. Read all about them and their views on the Future of Work in these interviews.
Martin is Head of Talent Care, Training and Enablement. He is convinced that his profession is very human-focused and that it is crucial that real people take care of real people’s needs. But technology plays also a vital role in his role. What does it entail and what is his view on the future of work?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
As a young boy I was heavily inspired by Chinese Kung fu movies. I got absorbed by historical portraits of martial artists but even more so by Chinese medicine which was practiced heroically in some of those movies. So I always wanted to become a martial arts / medicine scholar. Sort of a medical artist fighting injustice and helping people in need.
What has changed and what is your current dream job?
Following one’s dreams sometimes leads to unexpected crossroads. I didn’t become a medicine scholar. I did learn martial arts though. And I am helping people in need. Whether it is developing my teams at Zenjob personally and professionally or helping our talents to improve their work lives, I get to follow up on my dream I had as a boy which for me is a perfect description of a dream job.
Will robots or AI take our jobs?
That depends on how far in the future one would want to dare a look. I strongly believe automation and artificial intelligence will become an even more important partner in finding solutions to yet unanswered issues and a more efficient supporter in solving processes prone to human error. That doesn’t mean we won’t have any more jobs to do. But it will allow us a shift in focus to concentrate on the things we are good at.
Human vs. AI: Which aspects of customer service/Talent Care do you think can be replaced by technology? Is the future more human-centric than we think?
Everyone familiar with the Turing-test would argue that it is already possible to communicate with a machine without even noticing it not being human. That being true if you dare to look far enough into the far away future AI could be answering all your questions as a hologram projection on your watch or phone. But here and now and also for the years to come the best customer service is driven by the human touch no AI is able to imitate.
Technology today is already heavily supporting customer service to be more efficient by increasing operational capabilities without having to scale personnel on the same level. Also we are able to support customers asynchronously through AI managed email and chat-flows after business hours. I really appreciate having those possibilities taking on simple, easy to solve issues leaving the more complex requests to be solved by my colleagues.
What does flexible work and the future of work in general mean to you?
Being at peace and balance with an everflowing stream of curiosity to follow up on your dreams. Work and life should be regarded as a whole instead of two single entities. Your interests, passion and your goals at work should match the ones you have set yourself in life. Looking around today’s possibilities and young talents mindsets the future of work has already begun.
Interesting, right? You might also want to read about Ayo’s point of view on the Future of Work.