Page 36 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Spring 2021 Digital Interactive Issue

THE FUTURE OF WORK IS HERE

AND ANYWHERE

It remains to be seen how these now unused, The old vault has been repurposed to “work from
THE PAST OF WORK – REAL ESTATE
or less used, buildings will be repurposed, in a anywhere” as it houses lockers and mailboxes
“If you don't know where you've come from, more carbon-conscious way, for vertical farming that have an automated access system; if you
you don't know where you're going.” – Maya facilities perhaps, or innovation centers, like Cyber need a locker it is booked on your mobile and
Angelou. I think we can all agree that in the past, Centre in New Brunswick. Here you not only access to the locker is delivered to your mobile.
as far back as any of us can remember, most of have tenants, you have tenants innovating, you have The mail is virtual mail which means that when
us traveled from home, a place of residence, to collaboration and transformation, and not only between physical mail arrives, the envelope is scanned
work, a place of employment. If nothing else, it industries but between industry and academia. and sent to you – with the choice of having the
forced us to adopt life balance. mail scanned and sent to you electronically,
Basically, we will still have public spaces and private shred, or put into a mailbox for future retrieval
spaces, and we’ll even have mixed use spaces where with the automated access.
Industry, government, and academia alike
invested significantly in individual brick-and-mortar you may even see the emergence of integrated
residential, commercial, and community services.
workplaces. Much like a place of residence, unless There also appears to be an emergence of
you worked in one of the “Most Beautiful Places THE FUTURE OF WORK – ANYWHERE triple helix co-working spaces, where industry,
government, and academia are innovating
in the World to Work” where physical beauty together, such as Block One in Canada’s most
abounds and all other things being equal, the With the global realization that individual entrepreneurial university, University of New
physical structure sadly became a status symbol brick-and-mortar structures are no longer a Brunswick (UNB). Here, in the innovation district
and one of the differentiators for choosing your prerequisite for working, as well as a virtual of Canada’s first incorporated city, startups get
workplace… location, building appearance, everything, this new movement of work-from- to work with MBA candidates in a learning
turnkey, state-of-the-art infrastructure, office anywhere has emerged. Oh, it was around in environment where they can build and grow
perks, and camaraderie. the form of remote workers, road warriors, and their business together, while having access
digital nomads, but with a global pandemic to government programs such as mentorship,
While physical workplaces are still required comes an accelerated and more open mindset. funding, and talent.
in industry, especially if you’re manufacturing
something – at least until all the robots arrive Now, in addition to physical spaces and virtual A NEW CULTURE
– there are many organizations, specifically spaces, there are hybrids like where I work,
technology-based companies, which no longer USTATION, where we have the opportunity to With the playing field being somewhat equaled,
require a physical workplace. But what becomes create our own culture. In addition, the technology the differentiator now really is more as it should
of those bricks and mortar? Well, much like a allows you to not be tied to infrastructure, to be be…quality of life, job opportunities, cost-of-
place of residence where people have been digitally independent, yet still provide the illusion living, productivity, and culture.
downsizing and sharing living spaces, companies of your own office space, complete with your own
have been downsizing and sharing work spaces branding and your own corporate address where No question, the pandemic upended traditional
in the form of co-working facilities. you can receive mail. work culture. Yet, based on how quickly we’ve

36. FDI ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL