2nd December 2020 – Dublin, Ireland – A team of researchers from Trinity College Dublin have partnered with Zarion, a global leader in Intelligent Work Software based in Ireland, to undertake research about the future of work and the requirements for new work practices and software applications within the financial services industry. The research project is being funded by Enterprise Ireland as part of the Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP).

Dr Joan Cahill from Trinity’s School of Psychology who is leading this research alongside Professor Yufei Huang from Trinity’s Business School explains further; “This project uses human factors, operations management, business process analysis and artificial intelligence knowledge to define innovative and human-centred work concepts such as the workplace of the future which will optimise worker wellbeing, safety, productivity and efficiency, using novel ‘intelligent work’ concepts and allied technology systems. Critically, these systems will deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies in an ethical manner.”

Gerry O’Connor, CEO at Zarion, comments “Financial services organisations are experiencing what was set be 2 to 3 years of change in the industry, in a matter of months. Most of us have experienced the shift towards working remotely with distributed teams. Now, there is a call for stronger focus on employee wellbeing, ethical work practices and responsible business that’s good for people, society and sustainable economic success. This research initiative is key to uncovering the important trends which will inform the development of intelligent technologies that will shape the way people work both now and in the future.”

Preliminary research insights uncovered so far:

• Healthy Work, Wellness & Societal Impact
  Employee wellness is a predictor of organisational performance. Respondents believe that workplace strategies addressing wellbeing have the power to increase job engagement, job satisfaction and productivity.
• Productivity & Work
  Disorganised, fragmented, imbalanced, and unfair workloads can impact on worker productivity, engagement, and ‘the flow state’. Technology may not be the barrier here – when there is insufficient information and poor teamwork, productivity significantly decreases.
• Performance
  There is a clear link between trust and performance, especially in remote work and teamwork contexts. With the right technology and ‘intelligent support’, employees can monitor their own performance – as opposed to being monitored by others.
• Covid-19 / Future of Work
  The future of work involves remote work/collaboration. COVID-19 has not created this – it has accelerated an emerging trend. Employers, workforces, and society are now experiencing the ‘future of work’ and need to have their say in terms of how remote work and the blended workforce is supported by intelligent work systems. The regulator has a role too – regulation needs to change with the changing work landscape.