Let tech handle the menial so people can fast-track the meaningful

As a country that prides itself on a strong work-life balance, it goes without saying that Australians work hard to achieve this balance. It does however beg the question: Are we working smarter or harder?

We are a nation of hard workers, and like everywhere else in the world, work expects more of us – and we expect more from work.

I shared my views with the Australian Financial Review recently on how technology will transform work. The key takeaway for leaders: If you’re not already talking to the Board and your teams about how technology will improve the employee experience, it’s time to start now!

With more access to technology in the workplace than ever before, leaders have the opportunity to make work better for people. But recent declines in Australia’s productivity growth tells us that Australians are falling behind global peers in embracing disruptive technologies that help them reverse this trend.

Technology has the power to free our teams from tedious work, to fix things that are broken and give people autonomy to focus on the innovative work—the best possible products and services to deliver the best consumer experience.

Earlier this year, ServiceNow conducted research to see just how much Australians value meaningful work and in light-hearted fashion, we explored what people would give up to avoid administrative busywork.

We found that people want the same seamless and intuitive digital experiences they enjoy at home through mobile devices, smart speakers and other tools. In fact, 60% of Australian millennials say they would forego a pay raise if they could get rid of the low-level tasks at work and be freed up to do more meaningful work.

Business leaders need to address the fears around automation and enable employees to capitalize on business investments in technology. Digital workflows give people time back in their day to focus on the work that will make a difference. 

One case in point is the team at TAFE NSW, Australia’s leading vocational education and training organization. TAFE is creating a workplace driven by mobile processes. TAFE’s employees now have access to easy-to-use portals and workflow apps for their field services and IT teams. Teams can self-serve the menial chores and fast-track the meaningful work.

As TAFE NSW has demonstrated firsthand, the future of work is now, it’s built around people, where organizations and technologies meet to deliver human benefits.

My challenge to all business leaders is to look at the steps you’re taking to enable the talent in your business to succeed. Help them to get rid of the menial and frustrating tasks and work with them to act on how they can make work, work better. This is something I’m incredibly passionate about and I encourage you to reach out to discuss how ServiceNow are seeing people achieve meaning at work—I’d be happy to share some local and global best practices with you.