Technology, the workplace environment and skills are among some of the themes Milwaukee-area Hispanic professionals delved into recently during a panel discussion about the ongoing need to innovate.
The professionals discussed their careers and where they see the workplace going at the talk, aptly titled “Innovation of Work,” during the Prospanica Conference and Career Expo.
The panel discussed how technology has — and will continue to — transform the workplace at a brisk pace in the years ahead.
Several specifics were shared during the discussion, including the emergence of artificial intelligence and what it means for employability in the road ahead.
Amilcar Chavarria, CEO of FinTech Portfolio, acknowledged the fears surrounding AI, but said he believes it will supplement — not supplant — today’s workforce.
“Did the ATM get rid of the personal teller? No,” Chavarria said, pointing out his belief AI will co-exist with a human workforce. “I think automation is going to help. I think it will create an opportunity for us to upskill.”
From the speakers’ vantage points, however, adaptability will be increasingly important as the way startups and established companies conduct business.
Irissol Arce, assistant director of technology advancement and outreach with Northwestern Mutual, said she encourages employers to give workers an opportunity to try different roles within the company.
The scenario, Arce said, has played out at Northwestern Mutual and could be an antidote to highly skilled employees moving from one company to the next to seek out the next professional challenge.
“I think that’s one of the things employers have to consider,” Arce said of giving employees the tools for different jobs.
In recent decades, as technology has made inroads in how business is conducted, workplace flexibility has followed in a similar trajectory.
But several of the panelists said more can be done, particularly from the standpoint of employee recruitment and retention, in addition to overall productivity, as prospective workers look to leverage technology in search of greater work-life balance.
From the employee side of the equation, standards have changed as remote working has become more commonplace, said Patricia Cabral-Mercado, engineer manager of digital field solutions with Northwestern Mutual.
“People want to be able to work from home,” Cabral-Mercado said. “People want to be able to work from anywhere.”
While such a scenario once seemed unfathomable in the not-too-distant past, worker mobility has been on the rise. Craig Schedler, a venture partner with Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, said he anticipates the trend continuing.
“You can still travel the world, do your job and do your job well,” Schedler said.
Much of the discussion about the future workplace has focused on the need for tech savvy employees.
But from Cabral-Mercado’s standpoint, having a workforce from a variety of skills and disciplines will remain important in the future, much as it is today.
Cabral-Mercado pointed out workers adapt and the arts can and should have an important role in the future workplace, just as someone with a skill set on the opposite end of the spectrum — such as engineering — will as well.
“Look at the person,” Cabral-Mercado said. “Look at the whole picture, rather than that degree.”
Schedler offered a similar sentiment, particularly for today’s startups.
“The best teams have both sides — the yin and the yang, the technical and the non-technical,” Schedler said.
Northwestern Mutual sponsored this year’s Prospanica Conference and Career Expo. It led into Hispanic Heritage Month, which continues through October 15.
Disclaimer: Northwestern Mutual is a founding partner of Wisconsin Inno.
