Winning the race for 4IR talent: Fulfilling the 'duty of care' (remote, flexible working)

In 4IR (as with every industrial revolution) there is a very significant dislocation of labour and skills, both what we do and how we do it. The response to the CoVid-19 pandemic has coincided with the availability of effective (if not yet perfect!) communication and collaboration platforms. These platforms are enabling millions to work remotely and flexibly. Flexible working arrangements can help to mitigate the epidemic of stress (WHO, 2015) enabling individuals to juggle multiple commitments (e.g. young children or aging parents) as well as attend to their own well-being. Flexible working can enable individuals to maintain more than one source of income, which can help to mitigate anxiety induced from income insecurity (that might be caused by arrangements such as zero hour contracts). Remote working can save commuting time, helping employees to be more efficient; reducing environmental impact from transportation pollution and saving out-of-pocket costs. One of the three axioms for businesses to win in 4IR is to 'win the race for 4IR talent' - a key tenet of winning that race is to proactively fulfil the 'Duty of Care' to workers (whatever their contractual arrangements). Supporting flexible and remote working, thereby helping to mitigate the epidemic of stress and also to be more inclusive of workers irrespective of their personal circumstances - is one element by which employers can fulfil their duty of care. This video from the Economist speaks to the impact and possibilities for remote, flexible working demonstrated by the reaction to the CoVid-19 pandemic.