Utilizing And Focusing On GoodTech

This article was previously published on Forbes.com.

In a post-pandemic and significantly more digital world, the workforce has become more globalized than ever. Still, not everyone is afforded the same chances. Based on where someone is in the world, they could be missing out on employment opportunities that they may be more than suited for and would improve their standard of living.

I see how many companies are missing out on capital and other growth opportunities by focusing on potential talent located only in their current location. Many businesses are already dealing with a fraught talent landscape.

As we shift into a more globalized world, we have a huge opportunity to tap into technology, particularly automation, to result in real, measurable quality-of-life differences for employees while improving bottom lines. This kind of technology can also help with remote hiring and employment. I call this kind of tech “tech for good” or simply “GoodTech.”

Where Aid And Charity Fall Short

The U.S. government, the European governments, as well as countries like Israel, China and India, have all helped build critical infrastructure in less fortunate economies. This means building roads, bridges, railroads, power plants and other crucial needs like telephone lines and cell towers. In theory, this should help people in these countries access technology and communications irrespective of adverse circumstances such as natural disasters and epidemics.

Billions of taxpayer dollars go into funding these projects, and yet, at the grassroots level, most of the population lacks access to necessities. The reason I find is that quite often they do not have jobs. You might be surrounded by world-class infrastructure and still not have access to electricity. You cannot buy power from the power plant if you do not have money to pay the bills. I see the need of the hour is for business leaders to help create more jobs and match skill sets with the right kind of work. This is where tech for good comes in.

What Constitutes GoodTech?

Any technology that contributes to measurable quality-of-life improvements for workers and results in enhanced personal, professional and societal productivity comes under the ambit of GoodTech. Technology that enables better transparency, a richer user experience and for anyone to participate in global wealth creation is good for society.

Weaker economies are prone to experiencing?brain drain?as talent emigrates in search of better opportunities, often depriving a community of highly skilled and educated workers. Infrastructure automation makes it possible to integrate and create jobs for locals, allowing them to stay where they are if they want.

Countries can rely on tax dollars as the earnings per capita increase. Moreover, as our personal and professional lives continue to merge through social channels that allow people to communicate cheaply, effectively and immediately, it also becomes possible to think of a future where workers and entrepreneurs alike can make a living through such technologies.

GoodTech Isn’t Just To Make You Feel Good

While aiming to help countries with smaller economies is a noble task, using GoodTech ultimately helps your company’s bottom line. Not only does your talent market increase, but having employees worldwide can open up new customer lanes and even save your company money.

While outsourcing is often looked down upon, it can bring jobs to economies that may not have access to the level of income your company provides. By opening that income stream to people around the world, a company can help communities through the employment of people living in a certain area. These opportunities can be opened by ensuring companies have the automation and AI to allow work to be transferred online and easily done through a portal or other hub so that employees can access work via their laptops, tablet or even phones.

Based on my experience, I highly recommend utilizing custom tools to help you collaborate with partners all over the world and outsource work when your full-time employees feel a bit stretched. By doing this, you allow full-time employees more breathing space and flexibility while keeping to your customer commitments and deadlines.

How GoodTech Can Help Your Talent Search

With the competition for talent getting more competitive by the day, I think the primary consideration for any organization should be to retain the best talent—no matter where they are located. In order to do this seamlessly, companies should focus on creating a largely automated central hub to process work. Employees should be able to log into the hub using equipment at their disposal (even just a basic internet-enabled phone, iPad or an entry-level PC) and get work done.

You can effectively engage employees across cultural and political contexts by simplifying the system and reducing the barrier to entry. This enables businesses to cast a much wider net for talent than they may have considered historically.

If your business can’t create such a hub internally, you should consider outsourcing to companies with niche expertise in building global work outsourcing platforms. The key here is to modify your work environment and evolve your work style to match that of your employees. You can empower them to bring their very best to the table by allowing them enhanced flexibility and maneuvering space.

The enhanced flexibility afforded by automation makes it possible for companies to forge a deeper bond with employees, so switching jobs becomes a more nuanced consideration than just the promise of better pay. It empowers employees to gain a modicum of balance and perspective without stress. It enables them to consider various choices regarding their personal or professional lives instead of being tied to a geographical location to earn a livelihood. I see Goodtech and automation as the key to unlocking all that and more by connecting citizens, countries and global economies wanting to do good work.