The Sapiens@Work MD explained to the OFM Business Hour that the 5IR marks the development of a symbiotic relationship between technology, data, artificial intelligence and human beings. Van der Walt says the 5IR will move the pendulum back to human beings in organisations and in workplaces.

This is already evidenced in the development of the Great Resignation and the Quiet Quitting movements in the last two years. 

Also Read: #OFMBusinessHour: Open communication key to countering ‘great resignation’

Getting ready for the 5IR in steps: 

• Softening The Attitudes – through knowledge, skills and attitude development
• Placing Human First
• Admired Leadership

A softening of the attitudes which is the only step covered in part 1 of the interview, is directed not only toward our fellow colleagues in the workplace but also toward ourselves as individuals. “It is okay not just for others to think differently, for others to look and sound differently, but it’s also okay for me to be different from anyone else,” concludes Van der Walt.

The Great Resignation

Previously on the OFM Business Hour, Wesley Field, the provincial manager for the Consolidated Employers' Organisation in the Free State and Northern Cape said the "great resignation" is a phenomenon or movement that started during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which employees leave their workplaces in great numbers, owing to varied factors. 

He says remote working really changed the game for many employees worldwide, especially those for whom job satisfaction was low.

Field suggested that in reaction to the "great resignation", employers should:

1. Quantify their employee turnover rate and gauge where they stand.

2. Identify the root causes of employee resignation in their businesses/companies.

3. Design retention plans.

OFM