Maybe you’ve heard the dire predictions: advancements in technology are on track to create a society in which most people work at home, traditional workplaces are a thing of the past and relationships between co-workers are less defined.
Not so. In fact, say many prognosticators, technology such as cloud software, artificial intelligence and machine learning is not the end of real human connection, but only the beginning of a greater need for collaboration in the workplace. That’s bound to call for better focus and an enhanced ability to communicate clearly with others — both of which can be boosted by training in mindfulness.
Those are among the messages in an hour-long webinar sponsored by Gravity Software scheduled for today, Dec. 10 starting at 2 p.m. EST. The title? “Mindful technology: Embracing technology, innovation and mindfulness to create lasting human connections.” The presenter will be Amy Vetter, a CPA, author and motivational speaker who is CEO of The B3 Method® Institute and Drishtiq Yoga. Named one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor for four consecutive years, Vetter specializes in technology innovation and teaching financial professionals to transform their careers and businesses.
One of her goals is encouraging workplaces to embrace and perhaps even teach mindfulness, defined as a calm awareness of the present moment and one’s feelings, thoughts and sensations.
“There are so many reasons why accounting professionals can benefit from mindfulness training,” Vetter advises in Accounting Today. “For one, many of us do very focus-intensive work. When you’re crunching numbers for hours on end, it can be easy to get frazzled and frustrated and even distracted. Building in time to get away from the screen allows people the chance to step away from the minutiae.”
Points to be discussed in the webinar:
- Your organization’s future success with human collaboration and communication will depend on how you optimize the latest technology to create a unique experience.
- Rather than isolating employees, new technology can provide focus, empower them to become more mindful leaders, improve their communications and empathy and create greater work-life harmony.
- Mindfulness as part of a business approach can foster authenticity, creativity and innovation.
- Unlocking the potential of new technology may call for unlearning past ideas about how it should be incorporated into the workplace.
- Enabling technology to do much of the “heavy lifting” in the workplace frees up more time for developing the soft skills needed for relationship-building. That’s increasingly crucial in today’s business environment; one study of Fortune 500 CEOs found 75% of long-term job success depends on people skills, 25% on technical knowledge.
Register here for the webinar and learn how Gravity Software along with Amy Vetter can help you automate a wide variety of your routine accounting tasks.