The modern workplace is continuously evolving, and modern engineering tech must keep up. Today’s workforce is increasingly remote, with a whopping 70 percent of workers globally reporting that they telecommute at least once per week, according to CNBC. That number means that adaptability is key among the majority of workers. Further, everything from payroll to workplace safety and beyond is now automated to some extent, and technological engineering is paving the way for remote work possibilities in practically every industry.
Some of the most innovative advancements in the workplace include applicant tracking systems and e-commerce platforms. New tech is helping to streamline various aspects of the workplace, making businesses of all types more efficient and cost-effective overall. In addition, researchers are working to reduce accident rates among industrial workers, thanks to a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics.
AI Adaptation and Workplace Safety
One of the primary considerations in every industry is workplace safety, and modern AI is paving the way toward safer work environments across the board. By adapting within dynamic environments and situations, AI can help bridge the gap between human error and machine learning.
Research toward better dynamic learning capabilities among AI is already underway, with the Science of Artificial Intelligence and Learning for Open-world Novelty (SAIL-ON) program leading the charge. The program hopes to shine a light on why AI often fails to adapt to sudden, unexpected changes and continues to apply outmoded techniques rather than adapting to environmental and situational needs.
When it comes to workplace safety, AI adaptability is critical, especially within industrial fields. The most common hazards faced by industrial workers are falls, exposure, and incorrect load lifting, according to researchers at MIT. Those researchers are using analytics and AI to develop a wearable safety vest that can adapt to its environment and reduce workplace accidents. This is a great example of the practical (and novel) applications of AI in modern workplaces.
Innovations in Applicant Tracking
Human resources (HR) is another facet of the workplace that has gotten a major overhaul thanks to automation, especially in the realm of recruitment. Finding the right job candidates is now a streamlined process that starts with intelligent tracking software.
Potential candidates fill out their information in the software, and those candidates are vetted by it automatically. This means that HR professionals no longer have to slog through countless applications by hand in order to narrow down the list of applicants. Automation in applicant tracking saves time and money, and it allows HR professionals more flexibility in the workplace.
Other attractive features of applicant tracking software include collaboration tools for hiring managers and easily customizable analytics. With today’s innovative software, hiring managers can pre-build a report template or customize metrics to meet specific guidelines. This helps HR reps keep an eye on trends and avoid candidate bottlenecks by identifying issues before they affect the search to find the right candidates.
Legal Assistance Tech and Software
No matter the industry, every workplace faces legal issues from time to time, so it’s in the best interest of every workplace to be proactive when it comes to seeking legal assistance. Fortunately, high-cost legal assistance that’s only available from nine-to-five, is a thing of the past thanks to modern tech.
Legal professionals today must be versatile and cost effective, so many law firms and solo attorneys have gone digital. One legal success story is that of LegalZoom, which has provided affordable legal advice and assistance to 4 million small businesses and families since its launch in 1999. Forbes reports that, over the last 20 years, LegalZoom has grown from a small startup to the world’s largest filer of trademarks, with more than 250,000 trademarks filed in its history.
LegalZoom wouldn’t be a success without automated software that connects businesses with attorneys at a moment’s notice, no matter the need. A business simply needs to choose a legal plan with a small annual fee to be connected with LegalZoom’s network of attorneys in all 50 states as well as the U.K. The versatility of modern legal assistance tech is imperative for remote workers who may have no other way to access legal advice.
E-Commerce Hosting and Payment Options
At its core, e-commerce was created by the tech boom. Today, there are millions upon millions of e-commerce vendors online. But of those, only a small fraction earn substantial revenue. And the difference between a lucrative e-commerce store and one that’s destined to fail could be due to its hosting platform.
Whatever products or services offered by an e-commerce store, the right hosting platform must provide a wide array of features and benefits, and be customizable as well as functional. Consumers must feel as though they understand the products offered and how those products can meet their needs. When it comes time to finalize a sale, payment options must be clear-cut and simple to execute.
There are many factors that a business should look for when it’s choosing a hosting platform, including cost and popularity, as well as capacity and transaction volume. The operator’s knowledge level must also be taken into account. A hosting platform that’s too complex for a business owner to understand or integrate with their current site is essentially useless.
Savvy business owners may also want to select a hosting platform that collects and compiles its own analytics. That way, buyer trends and sales can be easily identified and tracked. Analytical data is invaluable when it comes to making business decisions, and that data can mean the difference between a lucrative e-commerce store and a failed business venture.
Final Thoughts
From digital legal assistance to automated applicant tracking, modern tech is helping companies improve productivity on every level. Workplace tech continues to revolutionize the worker experience in a variety of industries, such as e-commerce and industrial fields.
Analytics and AI are at the center of recent workplace tech advancements, collecting and analyzing data that can help streamline the hiring process, tackle legal issues with ease, and improve workplace safety. As workplace tech continues to advance, we’re likely to see improvements in job satisfaction and efficiency at every level, from HR to the industrial workplace floor.