Is empathy the one skill we are not teaching?

This article argues that the education system is still geared for the industrial era and not the fourth industrial revolution. Data backs this up by showing an 48% decrease in empathic concern among American students. More people are so distracted by their phones that they cannot concentrate long enough to engage in conversations.

More companies and organisations are waking up to the value of making empathy one of the foundations of training at home and work. These initiatives recognise the fundamental shifts that society is undergoing and the need to prepare for the changes that are still to come.

Virtual Office and workers

It is noticable in a number of companies that there is a marked increase in the number of workers who are not regularly present in the company office. Some companies in Silicon Valley are assuming that up to 40% of the workforce will be telecommuters in the near future. 

There are sites devoted to the issues around telecommuting and teleworking, such as http://workingnowhere.com which also offer definitions and practical advice on running a home office and up to date information on developments including this info graphic.

A recent article on the BBC website also addresses the workplace of the future looking as far forward as 2025. Mark Heraghty, Managing Director of Virgin media Business forecasts a world where we will interact with co-workers who appear as holograms and be using interactive surfaces in the home to communicate ideas. 

It looks like there are enough statistics to demonstrate that telework and telecommuting are moving into the mainstream.The advantages are not just for emplyees, employers can expect to save around $4000 a year per employee. So it looks likely that telecommuting is entering the mainstream and is also here to stay.