Extract the digital: workers fear organisations are not ready

Workers fear their organisations are not ready for digital changes.

Luca Martini is the Managing Director of Accenture Strategy in Australia and New Zealand

Digital divide

Strategy and consultancy firm Accenture says 80 per cent of Australian employees acknowledging digital technologies will transform the way they work in the next three years, but close to half fear their organisation is not ready and could do more to benefit from the changes.

Accenture Strategy in Australia and New Zealand managing director Luca Martini says the federal government’s recent innovation statement highlighted the need to empower employees to embrace digital change.

As more organisations use new technologies to enhance efficiency, automate processes and create a nimble workforce, he says the need to embed an innovating culture is increasingly important.

Martini says key strategies include aligning workforce and human resources strategies with digital strategies to influence workforce planning, engaging workers to reinvent business processes in conjunction with big-data analysis and social collaboration tools, and defining digital skills gaps.

IT in demand

The latest Hays report has found information technology professionals with experience in cloud-based systems, physical-to-virtual, security or DevOps are in high demand as the need for niche qualifications grows.

Hays IT regional director Peter Noblet says the sector is enjoying greater publicity since Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement that $1 billion would be spent on innovation initiatives.

“We are also seeing a spike in the number of organisations of all types leveraging technology to create or manage transformational change as well as more non-tech departments learning how to use the latest technology,” Noblet says.

“There really is no sector or department not exposed to technological change.”

Noblet says there has also been a significant increase in permanent roles within project services as employers recognise the value of retaining expertise and developing internal teams to deliver projects.

Scholarship wins

The Governance Institute of Australia has awarded its 2016 Leonard Watson Chant postgraduate governance scholarships to Western Australia-based ASX compliance officer Frieda Orr, Estia Health company secretary and general counsel Suzy Watson from Victoria, and NSW’s North West Local Land Services board member Libby Guest.

Orr wants to become a professional director and will use her scholarship to help her transition to a company secretary role with a small business. She also plans to promote women in business.

“Western Australia trails significantly behind the eastern states when it comes to women in executive and board roles,” Orr says. “I want to be part of the change in tide that sees more women in Perth boardrooms and executive roles, and I know a strong foundation in corporate governance knowledge will help .”

Future of work

Property industry leaders, human resources and business speakers will present at a conference on the future of work in Australia, called Worktech 2016 in Sydney on Tuesday.

Speakers will discuss strategies that are transforming working environments, including innovative technologies, smart buildings, cities, precincts and best practice industry examples.

They will include Delos Solutions executive vice-president Jessica Cooper, Mirvac head of cities and urban renewal David Rolls and Telstra’s general manager of its Future Ways of Working division, Nicole Birbas.