BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
Editor's Note: March is National Reading Month. Everyday reading increases knowledge and develops personal and professional skills. Throughout the month, the DLA Disposition Services Pathways to Career Excellence program participants are sharing insights from books* they recently finished.
*No official Department of Defense endorsement implied
For National Reading Month, I chose to read, “Office Shock: Creating Better Futures for Working and Living,” by Joseph Press, Christine Bullen, and Bob Johansen. I selected this book since it gave insight on what the future might look like for work and our personal lives.
The main topic “Office Shock” introduced was the term ‘officeverse.’ This is the future of office work, and it is described as workers being able to make it their own due to technological advances and situational events such as COVID.
The authors stated that society will move forward using the future back approach, which essentially means translating a vision to an action plan to accomplish goals and get to where you want to be. This type of thinking will enable us to rapidly advance as a society and greatly change how we work.
Additionally, the authors point out that everything about “officing” will be different. They foresee where and how we work will be different, how the office climate will be different and what we need to do to improve it, like diversity changes, advances in augmentation, and other important changes to work.
I enjoyed reading, “Office Shock,” and the authors presented Innovative ideas on how the future will look for our working lives.
My two biggest takeaways were where we would work and augmentation. Our society will always have an office they can go to and work but “Office Shock” states that soon where and how we work will be up to the workers.
The authors explained that nobody thought remote work was possible this soon but events like COVID proved networks were ready for this type of event.
I believe that being forced to work in an office every workday is an outdated policy. The authors believe the workforce will have more of a choice in the near future. Additionally, it reminded me that I work for an agency that provides flexible work options, such as telework and flex time, for their employees which I find to be a huge incentive to work for Defense Logistics Agency.
Another notable takeaway was the augmentation segment, specifically advancements in Artificial Intelligence. Robots or computers will soon be capable of doing the work that was traditionally completed by humans. Although, the primary focus was most of the augmentation impact will be humans and AI technology working together to become increasingly efficient.
As pointed out by the authors, machines will never fully replace humans because machines rely on humans to build them and program them.
It was interesting to read about how we will work together with AI capabilities to create a more efficient work environment.
I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about how the future of work may look in the “officeverse.” It provides excellent insight into work related topics and helps the reader explore what kind of employee or leader they desire to be in the future.
For me, I know I will take away multiple key points from “Office Shock” into my work life that will better me as an employee and potential future leader.
*This book is available through LMS/Skillsoft for DLA associates.