Bots, burnout and blame: Using technology to build better organisations

In our working lives we have tools that would seem magical to employees a hundred years ago. The small computers we keep in our pockets connect us immediately to most of the combined knowledge of humanity. Our working conditions have improved immeasurably. We sit in air conditioned offices, no longer toiling in coal mines and factories. Despite this, levels of anxiety and depression amongst employees is at an all-time high. The unhealthy psychological environment which gives rise to this suffering leads to poor decision-making and organisational failure.

This talk identifies the key personal and organisational factors which give rise to workplace stress, and what can be done about them. It highlights research which suggests that the most effective organisations are not the most stressful, and that high performance is not the result of over-work. It will help you both as an employee and a manager to build an environment which allows for greater wellbeing and higher performance.

Making our own field better is only just the start. Technology can improve the working lives of employees well beyond the IT department. We now have a unique opportunity as IT professionals to build systems which more effectively meet human needs than those before, and to do so at scale.

Speaker: Matthew Bellringer