Page 37 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Spring 2021 Digital Interactive Issue

transitioned from the past of work to the future offices to accommodate employees' preferences LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
THE FUTURE OF WORK IS HERE of work, it seems people were longing for a for quiet spaces, shared-desk spaces, and lounging The trend of remote workers and digital nomads
areas.
new culture. Working from home, there seems
AND ANYWHERE to be more family time; working from a shared TECHNOLOGY AS A PRECURSOR TO FDI has been on the rise over the last five years, but has
space, there seems to be less water cooler
accelerated dramatically due to the pandemic.
conversation and more purposeful conversation,
where you learn about each other’s work, where Coincident with, but not directly attributed to, Countries like Curaçao, Ireland, Portugal (Açores
and Madeira), and Guadeloupe, traditionally
you share stories, and maybe even collaborate. the pandemic, there’s been an emergence of tourist destinations, have been quick to adapt
Even government has shed tradition in allowing technology-enabled innovations, not only as a their economies through the substantial global
It remains to be seen how these now unused, The old vault has been repurposed to “work from employees to create their own workspace culture, foundation of infrastructure like at USTATION to
THE PAST OF WORK – REAL ESTATE growth in remote work, including attracting FDI.
or less used, buildings will be repurposed, in a anywhere” as it houses lockers and mailboxes blurring the lines. ease the transition to remote working but as a The Government of Curaçao has launched
“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 But perhaps the biggest catalyst to a global shift in way to promote location and FDI. a new program to attract remote workers, allowing
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 them a life balance for an extended period through
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. the work culture has come from large enterprises Take Kognitiv Spark for example, transforming a Digital Immigration card, and allowing foreign
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 giving their blessing to how and where their remote working through augmented/mixed investors residency through their Investors Permit.
us traveled from home, a place of residence, to collaboration and transformation, and not only between physical mail arrives, the envelope is scanned employees work. While pandemic restrictions reality, and cutting-edge software developed
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 companies of all sizes to quickly enable in collaboration with researchers at the UNB’s In February, PCMag, a leading U.S.-based
forced us to adopt life balance. mail scanned and sent to you electronically, a temporary solution, mostly around working Human - Computer Interaction Lab. It seems even technology magazine, ranked the best 10
Basically, we will still have public spaces and private shred, or put into a mailbox for future retrieval from home, a number of large companies when miles apart, and pandemics prevent us Work-from-Home communities in Canada.
spaces, and we’ll even have mixed use spaces where with the automated access. have since shifted to more permanent remote- from traveling, remote workers can still interact
Industry, government, and academia alike Interestingly, the top four spots went to Atlantic
invested significantly in individual brick-and-mortar you may even see the emergence of integrated work policies; companies like Facebook, Twitter, seamlessly with each other across the globe, just Canada, due to the combination of much lower
using a smart device; because we’ve accelerated
residential, commercial, and community services.
Salesforce.com, each announced their own
workplaces. Much like a place of residence, unless There also appears to be an emergence of variation: Facebook allowed employees who the building of bridges, digital ones. real estate prices than Canada's major centers
you worked in one of the “Most Beautiful Places THE FUTURE OF WORK – ANYWHERE triple helix co-working spaces, where industry, were experienced, with manager approval, to and the availability of superior 1.5Gbps Internet.
government, and academia are innovating
in the World to Work” where physical beauty together, such as Block One in Canada’s most work from home; Twitter’s CEO sent an email to Now apply that to the world of FDI and, combined Just one year ago, amidst a global pandemic,
abounds and all other things being equal, the With the global realization that individual entrepreneurial university, University of New employees saying that workers who don't have to with Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality headsets, Wattpad chose Halifax over Calgary for their
physical structure sadly became a status symbol brick-and-mortar structures are no longer a Brunswick (UNB). Here, in the innovation district work in an office to perform their job function can investors can participate on every level of a site visit second headquarters, starting with one employee
and one of the differentiators for choosing your prerequisite for working, as well as a virtual of Canada’s first incorporated city, startups get work remotely; and Salesforce recently unveiled – hear, see, interact – from no matter where they who wanted to get out of Toronto, and now at
workplace… location, building appearance, everything, this new movement of work-from- to work with MBA candidates in a learning its own work-from-anywhere policy as well. are, as if they are on-site. 15.
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 Most recently, Spotify announced its work-from-
digital nomads, but with a global pandemic to government programs such as mentorship, home program, allowing 6,550 global employees
While physical workplaces are still required comes an accelerated and more open mindset. funding, and talent. to choose how they want to work — in an office, BERNADETTE FERNANDES
in industry, especially if you’re manufacturing remotely, or at a co-working space that the CEO, THE VARANDA NETWORK
something – at least until all the robots arrive Now, in addition to physical spaces and virtual A NEW CULTURE company will pay a subscription for. Even more The Varanda Network is an Economic Development Organization
– there are many organizations, specifically spaces, there are hybrids like where I work, interesting, especially in terms of equaling the connecting governments, innovations, and communities globally. We
technology-based companies, which no longer USTATION, where we have the opportunity to With the playing field being somewhat equaled, FDI playing field, is that they will continue to pay subscribe to a Work-from-Anywhere culture.
require a physical workplace. But what becomes create our own culture. In addition, the technology the differentiator now really is more as it should San Francisco or New York salary rates, based
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- on the type of job. That model will certainly help bernadette.fernandes@thevarandanetwork.com
place of residence where people have been digitally independent, yet still provide the illusion living, productivity, and culture. companies attract talent regardless of location;
downsizing and sharing living spaces, companies of your own office space, complete with your own and, it’s in stark contrast to Facebook and www.TheVarandaNetwork.com
have been downsizing and sharing work spaces branding and your own corporate address where No question, the pandemic upended traditional Twitter. Further, in an effort to promote employee bernadettefernandes
in the form of co-working facilities. you can receive mail. work culture. Yet, based on how quickly we’ve happiness, they will be redesigning many of their

37. FDI ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL