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By Dr Ismini Vasileiou, Associate Professor in Information Systems, and member of the Cyber Technology Institute (CTI) and Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility (CCSR) research groups

Technology, it is widely accepted, and has been at the forefront of our lives for a number of years. 

For at least the past three years everyone has been talking about Industry 4.0 – the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practises using modern smart technology. It has been clear to people all over the world the impact technology is having on education, the industry and all aspects of our home and working lives.  

But the truth is that is has taken a global pandemic for us to truly see this and accept technology into our lives to the extent that it is now an intractable and fundamental part of our shared culture. 

The tech was in itself not enough of a driver. Covid-19 has proved to be the catalyst and it may be seen in future years that it was the global pandemic of 2020-21 which marked the point at which we truly inhabited the Tech Age. 

Dr Ismini Vasileiou

The pandemic has leveraged technology, and its lasting impact on enabling more equal opportunities is finally gaining the recognition it deserves. Suddenly all conferences have moved online. All continuing professional development (CPD) events are delivering their material virtually. Individuals with caring responsibilities are no longer struggling to get to the other side of the world to attend a conference. They can do it from the comfort of their living room. 

So, the question is, why hasn’t technology been used this way before? We have been driving schemes and policies on equal opportunities for decades, yet almost nowhere in those policies does it outline how the use of technology can play a key supportive role.  

Technology is not perfect and it is true that the Covid-19 pandemic is also impacting on the ‘Digital Divide’, . Nevertheless, technology is an enabler of greater diversity and inclusivity. It can change our thinking, improve global collaborations and it can drive change.   

Last year, I was invited to be a keynote speaker at two conferences – one in London and one in Berlin. Thanks to technology, it was much easier for me to participate without travelling, and this has become the ‘norm’. More and more of us are able to collaborate and work with organisations and colleagues in different parts of the world and it’s become more widely accepted.  

Where those of us living with families and children might have struggled to juggle travelling for work with caring responsibilities in the past, we are now encouraged to participate virtually. Suddenly, the realisation has come that everybody has responsibilities outside of work. Most of us have families, and for those with children, it’s nothing to be ashamed of when they pop up in the background during virtual talks and discussions.  

Our thinking, inclusivity and understanding about the role technology can have has improved in line with our realisation that we are all only human.  

Photo by Standsome Worklifestyle on Unsplash

As part of the  Research Group, we conducted a study where we collected more than 1,000 responses from professionals working during the pandemic and produced an  on understanding how women, especially those with caring responsibilities, have used technology to do their job.  

We also explored whether or not employers empowered their employees through the use of technology. We wanted to know whether employers were offering training for those colleagues who lacked confidence when it came to technology and how businesses supported those to develop their careers from the comfort of their own homes. 

What we found was that CPD had come to a halt in most instances. Many employers had put the brakes on encouraging employees to focus on their professional development – either because of financial constraints or because they lacked the ability to effectively support those colleagues who were balancing caring responsibilities with work. 

The study verified the perception that technology, cloud services and remote meetings are only there to act as repositories of documents and facilitate meetings, rather than creating and developing a diverse and flexible working environment. 

By working remotely and online, it has never been more obvious that everyone’s situation is unique. Every employee is facing such personal circumstances that when developing policies on flexible working it becomes impossible to find the ‘golden rule’.  

Our evidence from the WHEN study suggests that employers need to start looking not only to create flexible working opportunities that utilise tech, but opportunities that can be personalised to meet their employees’ individual requirements.  

With roll out of vaccines for Covid-19 well underway, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel and hope that the world will get back to normal sooner rather than later. There has therefore never been a more important time to reinforce the narrative around the crucial role that technology has, and continues to play, during these turbulent times.  

By drawing on the results of our research and highlighting the positive impact technology has had, we can empower both employers and employees to transform their cultures and embrace digital transformation. We’ve seen first-hand how the workplace can adapt blended approaches, combining human-centric methods with the use of technological tools to develop and improve equal opportunities and inclusivity.  

The pandemic will not be here forever. Now is the time for organisations and industries, including our own education sector, to seize the digital opportunities