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tance. In the field of medicine, there are already exam-
ples of this: a doctor who performs an operation with
the assistance of a specialist in a different location or
a paramedic who receives instruction on the telephone
from an emergency doctor in head office. The logical
continuation of this development is to have work ac-
tivities that are entirely remote-controlled; examples
of this can already be found in plant and equipment
maintenance.
Consequences for workers
The interaction between humans and machines has
reached a new level of complexity.
•
The human being becomes part of an integrated,
controlled system. Thus, ceding autonomy to digital
control, but at the same time having to detect errors
and react to them. This applies not only to manufac-
turing processes but also to service processes.
•
New technologies can help the creation of decent,
human-friendly work. The possibilities include:
shifting physically demanding work from people to
self-organising production systems; physically sepa-
rating workers from a hazardous environment thanks
to remote-controlled systems; or self-determination
of when we work, where we work, how we work and
even the content of work.
New Forms of Work
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