Home ›› 07 Aug 2021 ›› Corporate
Technology is playing a big role when it comes to balancing between work and family life amid the coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen has said.
The minister said that in the era of fourth industrial revolution, technology will be the most used variable in people’s lives.
Abdul Momen said these while addressing a webinar titled ‘Work Life Balance Embracing Tech’ organised by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) and the Women Leadership Committee of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) on Thursday.
The minister said that technology and human life will go hand in hand in this era. How much control the state, society and the individuals will have in it, is a topic to be discussed. At a time when everyone is sitting at home and people are embracing work-from-home as a means, everyone must know how to use technology. This will help people to keep a balance between work, family and workplace.
ICAB President Mahmudul Hasan Khusru FCA said, smart technologies make life easier and balanced. Robotic process automation (RPA) can take on repetitive tasks, enabling humans to focus on more value-adding work. Cloud services can help people to focus on organisation’s core activities, minimise costs and reduce operational risk.
He further said, technology encourages positive work-life balance within any organisation. Employers put together a few benefits to inspire employees to develop a durable work-life balance.
Artificial intelligence like RPA tools, AI applications can automate manual and low-skilled work, freeing people to enrich their roles while driving efficiency. Using data-driven dashboards, predictive analytics can make informed decisions, anticipate challenges and make the most use of new opportunities.
Maria Hawlader FCA, Vice President of ICAB and Chairperson of the SAFA Women’s Leadership Committee, conducted the event highlighting the issues that technology is affecting the workplace, the balance between work, family and workplace, and how technology will impact the future of the profession.
She said, the issue of working women’s balance between workplace, family and work is currently being discussed widely. There are many challenges for women in the workplaces, she added.
Anoji De Silva, Council Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), Partner, E&Y, Sri Lanka presented the keynote paper at the event. In her paper she highlighted the changes in workplace environment, the market challenges during Covid-19 and the technology adoption strategies. She said, the style of audit of CA firms has now changed. Firms are providing their services with the help of technology. However, there are some complications in such an audit process. There are also specific reasons to be concerned about cyber security and data security. She suggested that auditors are involved in institutional risk, document verification and information. She said that regulatory policies are needed during Covid situation for data security and compliance. As organisations become more technology dependent, auditors also need to assimilate technology. Using technology, enable women professionals to maintain balance in their careers and have the opportunity to do office work at home as well as take care of the family.
As a panel speaker, Chairperson, Underprivileged Children’s Educational Programmes (UCEP) Bangladesh and former President of ICAB, Parveen Mahmud FCA, said that women need to maintain a balance between work and family. As employees or professionals we must learn to make maximum use of technology to provide services. She suggested that backward women professionals should be taken forward through training of them.
Noting some steps taken in the use of technology in CA profession in India, Kemisha Soni CA a member of SAFA Women Leadership Committee said, “People’s expectations towards CA professionals are increasing day by day”. There are some disadvantages as well as advantages for working women during the pandemic.
