SEPTEMBER’ 20 ISSUE #6
Remote work came suddenly and is
INTERVIEW here to stay A 2-year digital transformation happened Adoption of teleworking in Latin America within 2 months, says Loredane Feltrin, will be uneven, following economic from Microsoft Latin America disparities, but there is no going back to SOCIETY the previous office life particularly in the Why basic emergency income programs service industry have become even more necessary EDITORIAL Seismic changes on business practices sent ripples beyond
workspaces LABS is a business news website about Latin America, focused on economics, business, technology and society. By providing deep s the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the globe, and accurate content about the business practices underwent seismic changes. economic and technological landscape of Latin America, both A Because of their naturally crowded nature, offices in Portuguese and English, we help suddenly became possible contagion spots, and so firms readers understand the region’s asked workers to work remotely. Not all industries and not particularities. all regions adapted easily, but they have been doing their best given the conditions they are presented with. In Latin America, with all its social inequalities, regional MASTHEAD disparities, and infrastructure challenges, adoption of home Thiago Romariz offices will be harder than in Europe and in the United Head of PR and Content at LABS States, for example. But new arrangements are here to [email protected] stay, even if they mean a more flexible workspace, divided between headquarters and individual dens. Fabiane Ziolla Menezes The changes sent ripples beyond office life and organ- Editor-in-Chief of LABS [email protected] izations' physical structures, though. As social distancing became the norm, usage of conferencing and collaboration João Paulo Pimentel tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet has Editor at LABS gone through the roof. So did the consumption of furniture [email protected] and home appliances. Companies like Pingboard, which were not initially focused on connecting people at bay, rede- Anna Lima Content Analyst at LABS signed their businesses to meet new demands. [email protected] Last but not a bit less important, governments had to
throw safety nets for those millions of people who could not Isabela Fleischmann do Amaral work remotely, who lost their jobs, or who saw their income Content Analyst at LABS diminish drastically because of the virus. Some kind of basic [email protected] income is sorely needed in Latin America, and adminis- trations must do all they can to balance this necessity with Project Design Lead by Leticia Mulinari economic stability. Cover Illustration by Felipe Mayerle All of these themes are reported on this edition of LABS Collection. The task of covering such all-encompassing subjects was daunting, and we hope you find useful and
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2 Interview: A 2-year digital 04 transition happened in 2 months LOREDANE FELTRIN, DIRECTOR OF MODERN WORKPLACE AT MICROSOFT LATIN AMERICA, TALKS ABOUT SOARING TEAMS USAGE AND FORECASTS FOR THE POST-PANDEMIC
Remote work came suddenly and is 08 here to stay ADOPTION OF TELEWORKING IN LATIN AMERICA WILL BE UNEVEN, FOLLOWING ECONOMIC DISPARITIES, BUT THERE IS NO GOING BACK TO THE PREVIOUS OFFICE LIFE
12 In times of remote work, the future of offices will lie on flexibility
18 Remote work is setting new home setups in Brazil
21 Teleworking tools surged 324% since March
23 How Pingboard fosters networking amid the pandemic
26 How recruitment platforms such as Revelo and Gupy are helping HR teams Podcasts are the sound of the future 29 THE BRAZILIAN JOURNALIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF AMPÉRE, ALEXANDRE MARON, EXPLAINS WHY ON-DEMAND SOUND ENTERTAINMENT IS HERE TO STAY
Why basic emergency income is so 33 necessary in Latin America EXPERTS DISCUSS WHETHER GOVERNMENTS SHOULD CUT SPENDING IN OTHER AREAS AND EXPAND SUCH PROGRAMS AFTER COVID-19
Culture on the spotlight 37 TIPS ON LATIN AMERICA'S MUSIC, CINEMA, AND LITERATURE
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 3 INTERVIEW A 2-year digital transformation happened within 2 months, says Microsoft executive
Loredane Feltrin, director of Modern Workplace at Microsoft Latin America, talked to LABS about the soaring Teams usage, the support offered by Microsoft so clients could adapt to fast digitization and forecasts for the post-pandemic scenario
BY JOÃO PAULO PIMENTEL
ocial distancing has given a boost to digital tools S for remote work, and this increase allowed new behavioral data to be analyzed. Microsoft, for example, saw the usage of videoconferencing on its Teams platform grow by 1,000% in just one month. In Mexico and Chile, over 40% of the time spent on calls are on video. There was also a spike in productivity and extended working hours – Team's chat feature is being used three times more frequently on weekends. But it was not just that. Empathy and gratitude among coworkers have also grown. LABS talked to Loredane Feltrin, director of Modern Workplace at Microsoft Latin America, on topics about the new scenario and trends that the company sees for the world of work in the post-pandemic.
Loredane Feltrin, director of Modern Workplace at Microsoft Latin America. Photo: Microsoft/Courtesy.
4 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA LABS What did Microsoft realize early in the LABS Based on that, did Microsoft make any pandemic, based on the usage of remote work adjustments? tools? FELTRIN We introduced several product features. LOREDANE FELTRIN In one way or another, Covid One of them is Teams "Together Mode", which ended up democratizing technology. Suddenly, distributes meeting participants around a virtual everyone had to work remotely. We had corporate table or in school desks. We have done brainwave clients coming to Microsoft and asking, "What research and this feature significantly lowered do I do with my office space? Should I close it?" stress levels. People feel more connected. It's not Within two months, we saw two years of digital just video conferencing, but how to make the transformation taking place. Those who were experience as human and natural as possible for reticent about digitization saw that there was no users who are 100% of the time looking at a screen. other way to go. LABS Is infrastructure still a barrier to using LABS Have companies adapted after the tools like video in the region? sudden digital migration? FELTRIN It is something that can be inferred and FELTRIN People are getting used to it. For that makes sense, but there are cultural aspects example, in a survey we made, 70% of respondents that influence it too. In France, for example, 37% said they expect to keep working remotely, even of meetings use video. In Singapore, with a very if partially, after the pandemic. Among managers, strong infrastructure, only 26%. Cultural aspect 82% enjoy having more flexibility. Some things will always be relevant in how much people want after the pandemic will change, but for others there to expose themselves, and infrastructure is also an is no doubt that we have evolved to a more digital issue, but we don't have data on it. Also, only 5% of world. users, globally, live alone, that is, the vast majority has to share broadband connections. LABS A recent study by Microsoft showed that Mexicans found it more difficult than LABS What trends do you see for the post- Europeans, for example, to arrange home pandemic workplace? office and domestic activities. What other FELTRIN What we see in surveys is that there is observations can be made in the region? a desire for personal encounters, even with the FELTRIN The fact that everything switched online possibility of continuing to work from home. made people turn on the video more often. In Balancing personal life and work has never been Mexico, 41% of the time spent on calls people use easy, in the pandemic it got more difficult. People video; in Chile, 52% – lower rates than in Norway suffer interruptions, in addition, home broadband and the Netherlands, for example, where it reaches fails, the environment is not always the most 60%. The frequency with which people are using appropriate, an ergonomic chair is lacking, another their web camera in work calls and meetings is monitor could be welcome and so on. There are twice as high as before quarantines. The total companies that help employees improve the number of video calls at Microsoft Teams grew by experience in their own home offices, and many over 1,000% in the month of March alone. people want more time to concentrate.
LABS Maybe people turn on the video as a way LABS Have corporate clients asked Microsoft to reduce isolation feelings? for help with the purpose of improving home FELTRIN Video is an important way to connect office experiences? people, so that they can see the reaction of others. FELTRIN Yes, many of them. Imagine a company Part of Microsoft's job is to make this relationship that had a 100% physical workplace migrating lighter. There is a very high level of stress online. It was very interesting to observe, for associated with working online. It demands fixed example, government cases. We helped some attention on the screen, understanding data that public administrations in the region to work is being shared and it makes it difficult to observe remotely, with a quick transition. We came up with everyone's reaction, especially in bigger meetings. guidelines for governments and citizens on how The level of tiredness of online work using video is to act in this new scenario, including step by step very high. manuals and best practices.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 5 LABS Has the workload changed? data, meeting schedules, quiet periods, but these LOREDANE FELTRIN Yes, we've seen in surveys are not shared with leaders, for instance. that people are working at least an extra hour a day, on average. Usage of digital tools intensifies LABS What about users themselves? at the beginning and end of working hours. At LOREDANE FELTRIN Empathy among colleagues the beginning of the day, the volume of work has increased. Everyone saw what real life is increased by 15%, and at the end of the day, by really like. A mother with a baby on her lap, a 25%. The Teams web chat saw a 200% increase father with his child pulling him, a dog jumping on weekends. The fact that people are always in the middle of the video call. Perhaps, in the connected ended up creating habits that we hope past, these things were seen as disturbances, now will improve over time. Right at the beginning of understanding has increased. Not only empathy, Covid, the workload curve has skyrocketed, now but also gratitude. I speak this out of personal it's gradually coming back to an adjusted level. feeling. People say "Wow, thank you, because we But there was an increase in workload. know how chaotic it must be, caring for a sick father or young kids. Still, you are doing this here LABS What are the main concerns of with us". companies? LOREDANE FELTRIN There are clients who LABS Are there particularities from one are concerned with whether the employee is market to another in Latin America? actually working. We explain that we measure LOREDANE FELTRIN In Mexico, feelings of productivity by results. They are also very empathy in video conferences are expressed by concerned with security, to protect data and 65% of people. But differences are more related information. Microsoft is the largest security to different industries than to specific countries. company in the world, and we take these issues Some sectors are more conservative, others are very seriously. We created more protocols more regulated, and there are the super advanced and became even more careful on the Teams ones. In medicine, for example, many clients have platform. Another request is data analysis, to asked us to help with virtual appointments. The learn about the participation of employees, new scenario demanded this. It was a segment for example. Here we are careful with privacy. that had not advanced much in the past digitally, Individually, people have access to their own but that Covid has changed that.
6 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 7 SOCIETY Remote work came suddenly and is here to stay – and Latin America is no exception
Adoption of teleworking in the region will be more uneven, following economic factors and disparities, but there is no return to the previous office life, particularly for the service industry
BY JOÃO PAULO PIMENTEL
he trend is undeniable: remote (26%). It is a somewhat distant reality from work is here to stay. Not only has countries like Luxembourg, Switzerland, the T technological progress made it United Kingdom, or the United States, where simpler and smoother, but the COVID-19 over 40% of jobs can be performed remotely, pandemic has accelerated a process that but one that is close to middle-income was already underway, albeit in a much slow economies in Europe, such as Spain, Greece, and gradual way. Companies, especially in and Slovakia. the service industry, have been realizing Geraldo Góes, a researcher at the Institute for quite some time that there was little of Applied Economic Research (Ipea), an sense, from an economic point of view, of agency linked to the Brazilian Ministry of maintaining the cost of facilities with the Economy, explains that studies point to a sole purpose of gathering workers side by strong correlation between per capita income side. Like any major change, however, the and the potential for teleworking. "Even mass adoption of remote work will occur within economies, there is a strong variation, more quickly for some people than for which mainly follows workers’ income and others. And in Latin America, this difference education. The greater they are, the greater will be even more evident. the potential for teleworking", he says A recent study by researchers Isaure The researcher, along with colleagues Delaporte and Werner Peña at the Global Felipe Martins and José Antonio Nascimento, Labor Organization (GLO) found that adopted the same methodology to measure countries in the so-called Southern Cone of disparities among Brazil’s regions. the region are relatively well-positioned for The composition of each economy, be it the transition. In these economies, more national or regional, influences the ability to than a quarter of all jobs could adopt the migrate the workforce to a permanent home home office.It has been estimated that 31% office situation. At one extreme, there are IT of occupations can be performed remotely services, at the other, industrial plants, or even in Argentina, a similar rate to those seen agricultural and extractive activities, in which in Chile (27%), Brazil (27%), and Uruguay the adoption of teleworking is not viable.
8 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA Informality is a setback Economic Commission for Latin America and for remote work the Caribbean (ECLAC), a United Nations body, It is also estimated that the percentage of infor- although 67% of the region’s population is using mal workers who would be unable to continue the Internet, there are significant disparities working from home is higher than the propor- both between and within countries depending tion of formal workers. If a country depends on factors such as socioeconomic status and more on the latter or on manufacturing, its geographical location. professionals will continue to have to commute While more than 80% of the population had daily to earn their daily bread. a mobile Internet connection in Chile, Brazil, In Latin America, countries such as Costa Rica, and Uruguay by 2017, the figure Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Ecuador dropped to 30% in Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, have lower potential for remote work, with rates and Nicaragua. between 14% and 19% of the total professions In countries where remote work was already that can adopt it. regulated, its use is being encouraged and stan- “Identifying which jobs cannot be performed dards have been issued to facilitate implemen- from home is useful as policymakers try to tation. This also means that this mode of work target social insurance payments to those that has lost its usually voluntary nature. In Brazil, most need them”, explained to LABS Jonathan implementation of telework has been simpli- Dingel, a professor of economics who co-au- fied, shortening the period of advance notice to thored the methodology to classify the feasi- the employee to 48 hours. Chile, Panama, and bility of working at home for the U.S. National Costa Rica, among others, are also examples of Bureau of Economic Research. “However, it countries where proper regulation exists, says is not straightforward to use these values to ECLAC – fostering the trend of home office estimate the share of output that would be pro- implementation. duced under stringent stay-at-home policies.” But it interesting to note that, even in places These aspects bring us to the huge challenges where such rules are inexistent, the sanitary Latin American countries face to adapt to the crisis provided the opportunity to pass ad new forms of work. While working remotely, hoc provisions that will probably be kept in a or teleworking, is an option for many work- post-pandemic scenario. Such is the case of ers, not all countries have the appropriate Paraguay and Ecuador, for instance. technology infrastructure. According to the
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 9 Cultural traits will influence in second, it erases the cost of commuting and teleworking adoption living near productive firms; and lastly, better communication technology facilitates the access Cultural aspects are a key factor in the adoption of knowledge, without the need of clustering in of changes in work habits and patterns. big, congested and polluted cities. Microsoft’s latest Work Trade Index, based on a “Once remote productivity is good enough, Harris Poll survey of over 2,000 remote workers and once the advantages of physical proximity conducted in six countries (U.S., U.K., Germany, to colleagues and peers decline enough, the Italy, China, and Mexico) hints at that. advantages of a larger labor market and the Mexicans are the ones finding the most ability to attract workers at a lower cost may be difficult balancing household demands while decisive”, writes Clancy. working from home. This burden was felt most The adoption of remote work, teleworking heavily by millennials as well as new entrants or home office, however we decide to call it, to the workforce, Generation Z. “This may came suddenly. Much faster, actually, than be because this group is more likely tasked the rising of factories and big offices, after the with caring for younger children or sharing Industrial Revolution. Latin America is no workspaces with roommates while managing exception to this phenomenon. And make no a full-time job”, explains the report. European mistake: it introduced a new age in the way respondents tend not to struggle that much with firms, particularly in the service field, organize the issue. themselves. So, yes, Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter may be the firms that most easily transitioned to the new standard mode of work. Nevertheless, it is remarkable how quickly companies from diverse sectors across Latin America have adapted. And it is comprehensible. Where it can be carried out, the home office presents numerous advantages and economic benefits. Economic advantages and benefits For many jobs working remotely is just as productive, if not more so, than working in the office. “Remote workers were found to be more productive than their co-located peers in experimental and quasi-experimental studies”, cited Matthew Clancy, a researcher on the economics of innovation at Iowa State University. According to him, that are at least three other reasons to be optimistic about remote work, wherever it is implemented: first, the easier it makes to match workers and employers who are physically distant from each other;
Source: Microsoft’s latest Work Trade Index
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LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 11 BUSINESS In times of remote work, the future of offices is flexibility
Plans and updates at the offices of WeWork, Volvo, Cubo Itaú and Co-Work Latam shed a light on workspaces changes in the post-pandemic
BY ANNA LIMA f the remote work was already companies, so that they are not tied gaining ground in light of the to just one building and employees I discussions and future trends re- can work closer to their homes," garding work, the Covid-19 pandemic points out Lucas Mendes, general propelled this process to a whole new manager at WeWork Brazil, in an level, even in regions such as Latin interview with LABS. America, where the mass adoption of For the executive, the post- this model tends to be more irregular. pandemic world will bring permanent While big techs such as Google and changes in the way companies Facebook, who extended their home interact with workspaces. But this office to June and July next year, doesn't mean that a working from respectively, and who also revealed home model threatens the coworking that they should turn remote work giant. into a permanent option for most of "We see here a great potential for their employees, the future of offices meeting large companies' demands seems to live in a hybrid model, in (which now represent more than half which flexibility is the new keyword of our clients) - in the same way that in organizations. we have already been working for "WeWork understands that companies that, even before forced flexibility has become an even more isolation, already had more flexible important value with regard to labor policies." Some of these policies WeWork Rio Claro 241, in workspaces, whether in terms of face- adopted by WeWork clients included, Sao Paulo – WeWork’s new to-face work, in the setups of offices in addition to the home-office, the headquarters in Brazil. or in the geographic distribution of option for employees to work from non-fixed workstations, such as more than one office, says Lucas. "WeWork is a global company, with 828 units globally and more than 100 in China alone. As a result, we were able to use much of what we learned from the way our local teams dealt with the pandemic," says Lucas Mendes, general manager at WeWork Brazil. In August, the company reached 30 units in operation in the country, with the opening of WeWork Rio Claro 241, in São Paulo - WeWork's new headquarters in Brazil. From March to July, the coworking firm had already started
Photo: WeWork/Courtesy. Photo: operations in six other buildings.
12 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA The possibilities in the industrial sector, according to Volvo Shutterstock Photo: Changes in the workspaces are not exclusive to the new economy sectors or to the so-called shared economy. "As a Volvo group here in Brazil, we have been practicing flexible working mainly for administrative [employees] for many years," Carlos Ogliari, HR and Corporate Affairs VP at Volvo tells LABS. "Of course, it doesn't compare to the intensity of what's currently going on, but employees already had the Courtesy. Photo: Volvo/ possibility to work at home or anywhere Employees wear masks at a Volvo factory in Curitiba, a city in Southern Brazil. remotely during a partial period of their daily journey, or even all day." "When I get these hygiene habits that we now live intensely and be- gathered what we had regarding best might become a place to socialize, come part of our routine, not daily, practices in factories worldwide and to interact, where work experiences our permanent routine, I think we will managed to develop a very robust are curated so that employees can keep this concern. This way of working health protocol in relation to protecting elopsocial bonds through a shared in industrial environments is not only people who would need to come to the experience which for human teams practiced in the administrative area. company's facilities to fulfill their role, is important and it increases People will be more concerned with this, notably in the manufacturing, industry productivity and engagement when inside factories, supermarkets, restau- and assembly areas." working remotely" explains Jennifer rants. We will all be a little more aware "We will have to seek a balance Magnolfi Astill, founder and principal of these issues and protect ourselves between the flexibility to work from investigator at Programmable Habitats, more," remarks Carlos Ogliari, HR & anywhere, it can be at home, as it can a consulting R&D practice specializing Corporate Affairs VP at Volvo. also be in the collective, shared work in the strategic development of high- Since March, the Swedish Volvo has environment. I earn engagement when tech future work environments. placed its employees from administra- I see other people engaged in the work "For other companies, that might not tive areas on a remote work regime. The environment," Ogliari adds. be as necessary, they might need the challenge, as expected, came mainly If, on the one hand, not only the workspace for something very specific, from the industrial departments. "From home office but also the non-fixed offic- that has to do with the work. Think of an office point of view, it is much easier es or flexible working hours are under any company that has to deal with large to do [remote work], when you look at the spotlight, on the other, workspaces equipment, like servers or robotics, that the industry side, the challenge is far whose nature makes it difficult to per- necessarily will have to be in a work greater, he ponders." form activities remotely, obviously will facility, just because those facilities are "But right away, due to the privilege of not disappear. designed specifically for interacting being a global organization, we quickly "Some companies will build work with those kinds of machines," adds the experiences that include mixed virtual researcher. Jennifer served as advisor workspace, options for employees to in headquarter workspace initiatives work from home, or remotely part-time for companies in the likes of Google, a week. For some industries, the office Microsoft, PepsiCo and BBC.
“In the post-pandemic era, we hear a lot about automation, flexibility, connectivity, so many things related to technology that we cannot forget about an important aspect: humanization. How do people want and like to work, that is the point. ”
CARLOS OGLIARI, VICE PRESIDENT OF HR AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS AT VOLVO
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 13 "We will have to seek a balance between adds the researcher. Jennifer served as advisor the flexibility to work from anywhere, it can in headquarter workspace initiatives for be at home, as it can also be in the collective, companies in the likes of Google, Microsoft, shared work environment. I earn engagement PepsiCo and BBC. when I see other people engaged in the work environment," Ogliari adds. Productivity and corporate If, on the one hand, not only the home office culture: the plans of Cubo Itaú, but also the non-fixed offices or flexible working hours are under the spotlight, on the other, and WeWork in Brazil workspaces whose nature makes it difficult to But if the workspaces of sectors that require perform activities remotely, obviously will not specific facilities won't necessarily face major disappear. changes - which spaces, effectively, will? "Some companies will build work experiences "The pandemic has caused us to experience that include mixed virtual workspace, options work without the variable of the office," says for employees to work from home, or remotely the expert. "Many workers, many companies, part-time a week. For some industries, the office have begun to ask themselves what aspects might become a place to socialize, to interact, of this work context – let's call it the bundle where work experiences are curated so that of the office – do we really need. What things employees can develop social bonds through a can we do without? If you really realized that shared experience which for human teams is your productivity during this experience was important and it increases productivity and not greatly affected, then you inevitably begin engagement when working remotely", explains to question what do we need the physical Jennifer Magnolfi Astill, founder and principal environment for?" investigator at Programmable Habitats, a The analogy used by Jennifer when she consulting R&D practice specializing in the evokes the concept of "office package", sees the strategic development of high-tech future work workspace as a purchase or an offering similar to environments. going to a conference. "If you think of the office "For other companies, that might not be as as a product, it works as a “bundle” the same way necessary, they might need the workspace for as a conference is a bundle - it’s both a product something very specific, that has to do with the and the delivery method. You purchase the ticket work. Think of any company that has to deal to go to a conference, but when you access that with large equipment, like servers or robotics, space, there are breakup sessions, there are that necessarily will have to be in a work facility, dinner parties, there are receptions, informal just because those facilities are designed interviews… So different types of customers of specifically that conference will be interested in different for interacting with those kinds of machines," things, they may not necessarily attend the entire conference program all that time. In a similar way
"In the past, we took the entire office for granted, we took for granted that a company and a business would simply have an office. Now that's not necessarily an axiom, we have proven it doesn't have to be that way. But there are many important reasons why an office is necessary or it might be required."
JENNIFER MAGNOLFI ASTILL, FOUNDER AT PROGRAMMABLE HABITATS
14 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA the office is the same," she explains, noting that the office experience is also made up of several layers. If these layers used to go unnoticed, now they tend to play a central role - evidenced by the pandemic - in what we are going to define as the future of workspaces. "Our physical office is one of our assets to deliver our mission, which is to foster tech entrepreneurship in Brazil," says Pedro Prates, co-head of the largest entrepreneurship hub in Latin America, Cubo Itaú, founded in 2015 by Itaú, Brazil’s biggest private bank, in partnership venture capital firm Redpoint eventures. After nearly five months, Cubo reopened its headquarters, a modern building located in Vila Olímpia, São Paulo. But resuming activities in the physical space was not the only update: the hub created a new membership model for its beneficiary startups, expanding digital operations. If Cubo used to split startups between physical and digital, depending on their use of the space coworking facility, in the new model, those startups admitted in the hub's selection process that choose to join the service will now have access to the connections managed by the hub, as well as events, internal programs and business challenges for potential customers. To have access to the physical space, the startup can purchase different bundles: one or more seats, private rooms, even daily, to be used by its employees according to their needs. "We are going to test products based on the "This period of rupture forced companies building's vocational usage". Pedro explains that to seek this knowledge [digital if, on the one hand, Cubo strategy is to increasingly uncouple its value proposition from the physical transformation] for now, and what space; on the other, the building's diverse facilities everyone is understanding is something now serve a range of needs. "If the startup chooses not to use the building that for us has been clear for a long at any time, assuming that will work remotely for time: digital transformation is a priority good, but every 3 months, wants to do a face-to-face meeting, in which you strengthen the culture, rene- for all companies." gotiate the metrics of success for the next quarter," he exemplifies. "Plannings every two weeks, sprint PEDRO PRATES, CO-HEAD OF THE INNOVATION HUB CUBO ITAÚ
With the reopening on August 3, the building will operate in the first months with only 400 work positions - 30% of the original capacity - distributed between traditional seats and private rooms. In-person events and the reception of guests remain suspended to reduce chances of crowding.
Photo: Cubo Itaú/ Courtesy
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 15 meetings. Or: I want the CEO and the commer- 13 thousand positions in the first quarter of cial team to be at Cubo because it gives us visibil- 2017 to 39 thousand positions in the same ity, or I want to use the building for events." period of this year. If space is no longer a limiting factor for work organization in these companies, it, in turn, What is at stake for the future becomes a point of connection. "Our teams, setups who have spent a lot of time working remotely, Productivity, culture, collaboration, learning. have accumulated some learning – mainly on There are many elements that are part of the the distance performance of one of our core concept of work - and that, traditionally - have activities, which is precisely community and been associated with their physical spaces. But engagement building," says Lucas Mendes, from if these spaces are being reconsidered, pushed WeWork. by the adoption of models such as remote work, "The teams surprised us in creativity, tangible changes in the architecture of offices will organizing a series of events, creating new arrive at a slower pace. communication channels and implementing "In the field of tech, most modern offices today online activities in different formats - and the have, in one way or another, been inspired by feedback from members has been very positive. the successful technology workspaces of the last We are convinced that nothing can replace 30 years, which generally come from Silicon the contact and interactions that take place in Valley's examples," Jennifer elaborates. "These our offices, which have already yielded many environments originally were not designed for partnerships and businesses." social distancing, in fact they were designed According to the company, the Enterprise for exactly the opposite. Collisions, encounters, segment (companies with more than 500 collaboration, for getting people together. employees) represented more than 50% of Introducing the variable of social distancing is WeWork's revenue globally for the first time simply incompatible, inconsistent with how these in the second quarter of 2020. Sales in the environments were designed. segment tripled in the last three years, from
“We recently launched ‘WeWork All Access’, a benefit that gives members free access to all WeWork units. Our goal is to meet the growing need of our member companies an their employees for flexibility.”
LUCAS MENDES, WEWORK'S GENERAL MANAGER IN BRAZIL
16 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA For the expert, modifications that offices have been adopting to comply with social "From a building perspective, so much change is distancing and safety guidelines are likely happening. It will take a little bit longer for this temporary solutions. "In that sense, these are temporary fixes and I think some will be change to begin to show up in buildings, but it integrated more permanently as we begin certainly will, we have no choice. to learn more and gain more insights after occupancy of the offices, about what works, It's a point of no return. what doesn't, what could be a permanent change and what couldn't. And I think we will JENNIFER MAGNOLFI ASTILL, FOUNDER AT PROGRAMMABLE HABITATS see that type of knowledge emerge in the next 6-12 months,” she points out. "Speaking of the sector more broadly, in the "In the medium and long term, companies short term, we understand that companies will question themselves several times before should look for alternatives with more making large investments in offices and signing flexible terms and more options to distribute very long-term contracts. The option of flexible employees among several locations, instead of offices should become an alternative for all having only one specific location," points out companies," the exec says. "Added to this is WeWork's exec. "In the long run, we believe the possibility of providing work teams with a there is a trend towards fewer large companies hybrid solution that allows the flexibility they wanting to manage their own rental properties. need for their lifestyle and a physical space to And with that, the transition to companies like promote culture, creativity and innovation." WeWork, possibly becomes an increasingly The pandemic is not the only factor driving alternative." all changes in workspaces. But, as it seems, it For Jennifer, companies and leaders will will be the one fueling the definitions in the begin to decide which elements of work modes coming years. "These are big innovations in should be part of the office and, consequently, many ways. I call them points of no return, of their investment in the office. "Particularly because the reality is that these changes are those for whom leases are up, those who are now things that most workers have experienced able to renegotiate their leases, or those who in and many have been proven to be very Sebastián O'Ryan, CEO of Latin about a year will begin to redesign their offices. successful. So how this mix and how this new American coworking firm Co- If somebody has to design a brand new office bundle will be formed in the future is where Work LatAm Photo: Co-Work right now for a company, they will start from really exciting things will happen." Latam/ Courtesy a baseline completely different from someone who started to design an office in January, just a few months ago," she ponders. "In the first days of August, the requests have multiplied by five compared to the first days of May, even exceeding the pre-pandemic months," says Sebastián O'Ryan, CEO and co- founder of Co-Work Latam, a Latin American coworking organization that has about 30 spaces throughout Santiago (Chile), Colombia, Uruguay and Miami (USA). "By 2021, we expect to resume the growth pace, with more than 15 openings forecasted for Chile, Colombia and the United States. We expect to reach 150 locations (140,000 m2) in 4 years," reveals Sebastián. Sebastián O'Ryan, CEO of Latin American coworking firm Co-Work LatAm, also shares the same logic.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 17 HOME OFFICE Remote work is setting new home setups in Brazil
AliExpress and Brazilian retailers MadeiraMadeira and Mobly saw a sales boost in home-related categories during the pandemic
BY ANNA LIMA acebook joined Google and oth- as well as small appliances – grew by an er big tech companies this past average of 300%. F week by letting employees con- “People are adjusting their homes,” tinue to work from home until mid-2021. says MadeiraMadeira’s cofounder As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, and COO Robson Privado. In the first remote work has long become the alter- moment, it was the sales of desks and native to meet social distancing mea- office chairs that have increased led by sures, even in Latin American countries the need for adaptation. Shortly after, such as Brazil, and if the usage of tools not only office items pushed the demand such as Zoom and counterparts soared, but also articles belonging to those areas so did the consumption of furniture and where people were spending most of home appliances. their time on, such as living rooms. At least this is what shows data “Couches, chairs, racks, vacuum from the Brazilian consultancy firm cleaners. There was a new arrangement Compre&Confie. According to the firm, of the house for that moment, related e-commerce orders for furniture in the to the time you spend there,” he adds. country accounted for 2.5 million orders Privado reveals that MadeiraMadeira’s during May and June – a 207,2% growth sales volume grew by 61% per month compared to the same two months of the since March. previous year. According to Compre&Confie, MadeiraMadeira, an e-commerce furniture categories in the e-commerce platform focused on household articles sector reached as much as BRL 1.5 billion that mixes products of their own with in revenues (about $ 278 million) during a marketplace operation, followed this May and June, a growth of 196.1% year- Before the pandemic, growth pushed by the pandemic. Since over-year. As for the top-selling products, MadeiraMadeira launched its March, categories such as office and wardrobe heads the list, followed by first physical store, a guide bedroom furniture have stood out with a beds, chairs, couches, and mattresses. shop with no stock in place, in 200% sales increase, while appliances – Chinese retail giant AliExpress also felt the city of Curitiba. mostly air conditioners and ventilation, this movement. The company told LABS that, in Brazil, a country that is always among AliExpress’ five largest markets, it saw double-digit growth between March and July on sales of home-related categories, comparing to the same months of 2019. “Some of our fastest-growing products in Brazil are webcams, home cleaning appliances, and laundry products,” AliExpress further added. “All of them have grown more than three times year- over-year during March-July.”
Photo: MadeiraMadeira/Courtesy 蛵
18 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA Photo: MadeiraMadeira/Courtesy
"What am I going to do to have greater also impacted Mobly, another e-commerce MadeiraMadeira founders, comfort and a smarter home? People started firm focused on furniture. While in late April, Marcelo Scandian (CFO), sales were already at the same level as before Daniel Scandian (CEO) and adapting homes to this new reality." the pandemic, during May and June, they Robson Privado (VP Sales & reached an 80% growth in relation to previous Marketing) ROBSON PRIVADO, COFOUNDER AND COO AT MADEIRAMADEIRA months. Categories such as office chairs and desks, were also the main drivers of growth, record- New workstations, new homes? ing a 250% rise in sales between May and June In spite of the fast rise of remote work adop- compared to the period pre-pandemic. “These tion, Luciene Magalhães, head of human cap- have always been among the top ten catego- ital at KPMG, does not believe in a complete ries, and now have moved to the top two,” adds shift from offices to work-from-home offices. Mobly’s founder and CEO Victor Noda. “We understand that it will be a hybrid model. “The emergency demand is gone, but people Companies should do a study, map opportuni- are now seeing that companies are migrating ties, to see a solution that will benefit the busi- to home-office or adopting a hybrid model. So ness and the employee.” For her, people must it’s a matter of ‘I will invest to have a better also be incorporated into work organization structure at home’,” he ponders. studies, as personal and professional develop- While office chairs and desk categories ment are areas impacted by the remote work. recorded a slight reduction in the past month But when it comes to home setups, updates or so, Mobly says that they continue to drive are likely to happen. “Circumstances will 200% more sales than before the social isola- determine the need for a space [at home] to tion measures. On a year-over-year compari- work. There are so many considerations, open son, the exec says that sales hit a 120% growth. webcam during videoconferences, time for More people at home with reduced leisure starting and ending activities. The fact that you and mobility options, followed by an increase need to be reachable 8h a day, for instance.” in the share of wallet, a greater assortment As Brazilians managed to adapt to changes of products, and a competitive pricing point, imposed by the pandemic, a closer look at were, for MadeiraMadeira’s exec, the reasons home setups and new arrangements for spaces behind the company’s growth in the period.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 19 Tailored content from Latin America to the world.
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20 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA ARTICLE Teleworking and distance education tools surged 324% and 60% in Latin America
Providers of collaboration and video conferencing solutions such as Zoom, Google and Microsoft have all seen the adoption of platforms skyrocket in the pandemic
BY JOÃO PAULO PIMENTEL
uring the first months of lockdown customers. the world was paralyzed or dramat- But in general usage of Zoom is impressive: D ically slowed down physically, but it has grown from 10 million daily meeting not virtually. According to the latest study the participants per day in December 2019 to 300 Economic Commission for Latin America and million in April 2020. Also, daily active users the Caribbean (ECLAC) made about the need of its mobile app are up an astonishing 1761% for universalizing access to digital technolo- year-on-year and 799% over the previous gies to address the consequences of COVID-19, quarter. New installs are up 319% over the website traffic and the use of applications for second quarter of 2020 – which, by the way, teleworking or distance learning, there was had already been hugely successful. a tremendous increase in the use of digital Zoom told LABS that in Brazil, it saw a 31- solutions. fold growth in free users sign-up in April over Between the first and second quarters January 2020, its latest regionalized public of 2020, the use of teleworking solutions data, while the number of paying customers surged by 324% while distance education rose with more than 10 employees in the country more than 60% in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, tripled. In Mexico, over the same period, there Colombia, and Mexico. All providers of collab- was a 49-fold growth in free users sign-up, and oration and video conferencing platforms felt the number of paying customers with more the boost. than 10 employees doubled. Zoom, for instance, confirmed on August 31 Overall, Zoom has seen an increase in paying it had been one of the biggest corporate win- customers, according to its latest quarterly ners from the coronavirus crisis, as the video report, with approximately 370,200 clients of conferencing service reported a surge in new businesses with more than 10 employees, up business in the three months to the end of July. approximately 458% from the same quarter last It reported second-quarter revenue of $663.5 fiscal year. And its number of large custom- million, up 355% from a year earlier. Since the ers – those generating more than $100,000 in start of the pandemic, the platform has worked revenue in the past year – more than doubled to convert the mass of free users into paying to 988 in the fiscal second quarter.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 21 Google Cloud partnered up with Latin American businesses and
organizations Photo: Shutterstock. Google Meet, in its turn, reached a peak of over 600 million video conferencing participants in a single week globally in the quarter ending in Microsoft beefs up Teams June. At the end of April, according to the com- The number of calls made using Microsoft’s pany, 2 million new users were connecting to Teams video conferencing software surged Google Meet daily, exceeding 2 billion minutes 1,000% in March as people collaborated online together – which equates to more than 3,800 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Teams users years of meetings in a single day. And, of course, also generated more than 5 billion meeting it's not just about work: 41% of people increased minutes in a single day in the second quarter of the frequency of conversation with friends and 2020. family, according to a Google Cloud survey. "Microsoft Teams is helping people be togeth- The search-engine giant cites a slate of cases er, even when they are apart. It’s the only solu- that display how its Cloud division kept Latin tion with meetings, calls, chat, content collabora- American businesses and organizations connect- tion with Office, and business process workflows ed and running during the most severe periods – in a secure, integrated user experience", said of quarantines and lockdowns. Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, during the com- Before the government encouraged remote pany's latest quarter earnings conference call. work across the country, one of Mexico's largest Sixty-nine organizations have more than insurance companies, the National Provincial 100,000 users of Teams, and over 1,800 en- Group (GNP), implemented a strict home-based terprises have more than 10,000 users of the policy. The company has developed a series of platform. new procedures and practices by which 6,700 A trait of Latin Americans using Microsoft employees use Google Meet for video confer- tools: in Mexico, 41% of the calls use video; in ences and G Suite's collaboration features. Chile, 52% do the same. These are lower rates In Peru, the Judiciary sector has used Google than in Norway and the Netherlands, for exam- Meet to continue operating during quarantines. ple, where they reach 60%, but higher than the Mexico's Milenio Televisión chose Google Meet U.S. (38%), France (37%) and Singapore (26%). to continue broadcasting some of its main TV "Cultural aspect will always be relevant in how shows away from its studios. And in Brazil, much people want to expose themselves", Lore- early in the pandemic, São Paulo's Hospital das dane Feltrin, director of Modern Workplace at Clínicas has partnered up with Google and Loud Microsoft Latin America, told LABS. Voice Services to develop a voice assistant that manages appointments, exams and medicines stocks using solutions such as Dialogflow and Speech API. With the increasing demand for these services, the company announced in June a new Goo- gle Cloud region in Santiago – the company’s second region in Latin America, after São Paulo. "In this new region, companies from around the world will be better able to reach their users in Google Cloud’s president Latin America", said Google Cloud’s president for Latin America, for Latin America, Eduardo López. Eduardo López.
Photo: Personal Archive.
22 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA TECHNOLOGY A virtual corporate handshake: How Pingboard fosters networking in corporate environments
Pingboard, an organizational-chart platform, was not first built for remote work, but it turned out to offer clients vital features during the pandemic
BY ISABELA FLEISCHMANN DO AMARAL he office seems to have migrated escalate. Now, if we are going to talk definitely to people's homes, to many of our prospective customers, T even if that means some partial almost all of them are mentioning this form of working away from corporate challenge where their employees are headquarters. In a period of more doubts disconnected and they use phrases like than assurances, there are companies that 'nobody knows who is who and who does are soaring due to remote work. Especially what'". those which provide the tools to perform Will corporate handshakes survive it. Pingboard is one of them. COVID-19? How to recognize a colleague The platform was not first built for that has done a good job virtually? How remote work, but it turned out to offer to properly onboard newly hired people clients vital features during the pandemic. who have never met coworkers in person? The US-based startup launched its office Trying to figure out how to answer these management tool in 2014 betting on the questions, Pingboard rebranded. "It is all modernization of company management. about helping really foster connections Since then, the tool has changed and with employees'', he says. gathered more qualities. Nouri says Pingboard helps traditional Right before the pandemic hit, work relationships, "like how to get Pingboard has been through a rebranding your work done" and also personal exercise. It launched a new brand a relationships, to be able to know little over two months ago. The shift people that connect oneself to a deeper was meant to mark its transition to an relationship to the business and its employee networking software, where it culture. For him, there used to be a big saw there was a market opportunity to opportunity, but now it escalated in terms Cameron Nouri, VP Of grow, as Cameron Nouri, VP Of Growth at of need. And as the need soars, demand Growth at Pingboard. Pingboard, told LABS. follows it. "We noticed many companies were From Pingboard's perspective, there becoming increasingly disconnected has definitely been an increase in users. and that was in part because some of Even though it does not disclose historical them were geographically dispersed and usage data, it has currently over 325,000 some were starting to adopt remote work workers using its platform. policy", he said. Answering the timely topic question, As remote work was affecting the Pingboard believes that remote work ability for employees to develop deep brought a huge change that will remain connections within their organizations, after the pandemic ends. "I think that this Nouri said that it also turned out to be a was a catalyst that helped push change challenge to workers' efficiency. faster and probably would have happened "The pandemic hits and you see that on its own", said Nouri.
Photo: Pingboard/Courtesy.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 23 Photo:Pingboard/Courtesy.
The rush helped companies to make different For those working from home, Pingboard decisions when it comes to working remotely is focusing on connections. The idea is to find and what that means for their businesses. In information that helps employees connect and Pingboard itself there are no plans to bring celebrate each other virtually. "An example of employees back to offices in 2020. Many of the this, we have a tool we call 'Applause' which is a startup's employees have chosen to use this time peer-to-peer recognition software for employees to travel and work remotely in certain areas of or managers to be able to recognize an employee the United States where the pandemic is under in a public way for doing great work", explains control. the VP. "That is a shift already. If we look back a year Saying "well done" in today's environment has ago, we probably wouldn't be open to that. We to happen through an email, on chat platforms have embraced remote work across the company such Slack, Microsoft Teams, or some type of and it is actually very beneficial for productivity", video conference. With that in mind, Pingboard he added. developed a way to do that synchronized with other remote work platforms. This is a kind of Embracing the idea that the future tool that Pingboard wants to keep investing in. of work may change, even though It just launched a new enhancement to it, which will be completely managed within Slack. life goes back to normal "That information will get stored in Pingboard's total funding amount is $6.8 Pingboard. There's data there that can be shown million, according to a CrunchBase estimative. for managers to recognize their employees It does not disclose the amount of partnered when they want to look back and say all the companies it has, but there are some referenced greater things they did in a simpler way, and enterprises like Peloton, Duolingo, The Linux other employees can see it as well". This type of Foundation, Meetup, Turo, and The Motley Fool. information is what Pingboard is going to focus It mainly attends companies that speak English, on this year and the next. thus mainly those headquartered in the U.S., but Another recently released feature is simply it also operates in emerging markets – Brazilian called "Connections". It shows coworkers that unicorn EBANX, which owns LABS, is a client. have similar connections, looking at the user's In Brazil, by the way, there were about 8.4 profile depending on what type of data he or she million people that have been working from shared on Pingboard. "In our office, for example, home as of July, according to the Brazilian we have different custom views set up for things Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, in like the school, college or university we went to, Portuguese). and we can see people that may have gone to
24 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA similar schools or where our hometowns are. the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Or more fun things like what their favorite Statistics, almost half of remote workers drink is. Every company is a little bit different are allocated in the Southeast of Brazil, a in terms of what they want to focus on". region that concentrates more qualified Integration with other remote work professionals and a greater share of GDP. On companies that people already use is part of the other hand, only 252,000 remote workers Pingboard's ongoing strategy. "One of them were in the North, the poorest region in the in our roadmap is going to be immigrating country. with Microsoft Teams. Slack and Teams At least where Pingboard is based, most are the two most common ways people are workers enjoy working from home. In a connecting outside of email and outside survey of 1,123 remote workers by The New Zoom or Google Hangouts. So these are the York Times and Morning Consult, 86% opportunities we continue trying to find and said they were satisfied with the current chase after", told Nouri. arrangements. Valor Econômico ordered a Slack is a great example of a company that survey from Instituto Travessia to discover adopts a very open mindset to partnerships. what is going to be like working after the It recently made a partnership with COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 45% Brazilians Atlassian's Trello as well. "We did work with who worked remotely, 67% defined the Slack but it wasn't like it was cumbersome experience as "good". to do that because they have developed So what does the future hold for the a process that almost any business can office and the workers who were unable create something that builds on top of their to work from home, or are doing so in platform". precarious conditions, or lost their jobs due Amid a pandemic that has left millions to the pandemic? To LABS, Cameron Nouri of people out of work, the home office can assumed that one of the keys could be finding be a new indicator of economic inequality mobile-focused solutions, for those who do worldwide. It divides Latin America from not have a good fixed-internet connection North America and it has been dividing at least try to get their work done through Brazil since mid-March. According to mobile connectivity. But only time may tell.
Photo: Pingboard/Courtesy.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 25 CARREER With remote work, HRtechs lead digital transformation of human resources
Recruitment and selection platforms such as Gupy and Revelo launched new services during the pandemic to handle increasingly digital people management sectors
BY ANNA LIMA
n the one hand, remote work contracts are Who has also surfed this wave was Gupy. In April, the leveraged by social isolation measures. On the Brazilian startup of recruitment and selection received an O other, it seems that timing has never been better investment of BRL 40 million from the also Brazilian Oria for HRTechs – startups mixing technology with human Capital, to leverage operations and optimize its technology resources. of fully digital recruiting processes. With a portfolio that Remote work models such as work from home, includes companies such as Via Varejo, Renner, Ambev regulated in Brazil in 2017, were already finding at and Grupo Pão de Açúcar (GPA), Gupy launched, in early HRTechs solutions to speed up the digital transformation August, a new service called Gupy Admissão. of a key department for business success. But with the pandemic, this movement gained extra pace. Right at the start of the social distancing measures, the recruitment and selection startup Revelo, for instance, launched its Revelo Remoto tool and saw over 95% of hirings and interviews taking place in a computer assisted manner, a demand that came from both clients and candidates. "We understand this movement as a trend that is here to stay and that is a priority for those looking for a new career," says Lachlan de Crespigny, Revelo co- founder. The largest HRtech in Latin America according to the company, Revelo connects candidates and vacancies on Photo: Revelo/Courtesy. its recruitment and selection platform and has currently more than 14,000 clients in its portfolio including companies in the likes of Mercado Livre, XP Inc and B2W "We thought of a solution that offered Digital. The startup gathered as much as BRL 90 million end-to-end remote hiring, anywhere in the in investment rounds during 2019, a milestone that made Revelo the most invested company of its sector in Brazil. world. With Revelo Remoto, companies can Revelo's growth follows the fast pace of the human save more than BRL 9 thousand with hiring resources startups sector in the world. Global investment in so-called HRTechs grew 75% between 2017 and 2018, tools and the selection process can be up to according to a survey by the American research firm six times faster. " CB Insights. US$ 16 billion has been injected into 2,918 businesses in the area since 2019. LACHLAN DE CRESPIGNY, CO-FOUNDER AT REVELO
26 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA "We were able to offer, on average, a 50% apply for the vacancy, the AI Gaia orders them reduction in the opening and closing time of a according to common affinities with those of the company. According to Gupy, more than vacancy, an 80% reduction in operational effort, 60% of those hired with the tool were in the top in addition to improving turnover, always 10 positions ordered by Gaia. Since its creation in 2015, the startup's promoting the connection of the right person solution has analyzed more than 15 million with the vacancy. " resumes and completed more than 20,000 job openings in different industries. "We launched the admission product, GUILHERME DIAS, CMO AND CO-FOUNDER AT GUPY which makes the recruitment, selection and admission process completely online. In the first half of the year alone, we increased our customer base by 150% [year over year], while Launched at the beginning of the pandemic the number of hirings through the platform in Brazil, in March, Revelo Remoto is the grew by five-fold," reveals Guilherme Dias, startup's tool that allows fully digital recruiting CMO and cofounder of the startup. In June processes. From initial interviews to sending alone, Gupy registered 20,000 hirings within a final proposal with an integrated video- the system. interview option, the platform exempts any Dias reveals that, even before the pandemic, external infrastructure. Lachlan de Crespigny the HRTech was already preparing for the (pictured above), co-founder at Revelo. launch of Gupy Admissão, given the great Revelo's growth follows the fast pace of the demand for a tool that would automate the human resources startups sector in the world. admission stage. "When we got to the admission Global investment in so-called HRTechs grew process, which still involves a lot of paperwork 75% between 2017 and 2018, according to today, in this moment of pandemic when many a survey by the American research firm CB companies adopted the home-office regime, we Insights. US$ 16 billion has been injected into saw that it was time to launch the product," he 2,918 businesses in the area since 2019. says. Who has also surfed this wave was Gupy. In Through the solution, the new employee April, the Brazilian startup of recruitment and can photograph and send all documents of the selection received an investment of BRL 40 process without leaving home. Through the million from the also Brazilian Oria Capital, to platform, the company monitors the process Photo: Revelo/Courtesy. leverage operations and optimize its technology and validates the documentation, which is of fully digital recruiting processes. With a automatically sent to the government agencies. portfolio that includes companies such as Via "The contract signature is also done remotely, Varejo, Renner, Ambev and Grupo Pão de through an integration with ClickSign," adds Açúcar (GPA), Gupy launched, in early August, a the executive. "This year, we want to learn a new service called Gupy Admissão. lot about how the two products work together. To reduce turnover, Gupy bets on artificial With the launch, we expect to at least triple our intelligence created at home. As candidates revenue in 2020."
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 27 Revelo, Gupy and other recruitment and scenario," ponders Revelo's exec. For him, selection companies are part of a category that everything was accelerated for the transition already accounts for 28.2% of the total number from a remote work routine. "I understand that of HRTechs in Brazil, according to a report by the this trend will continue, not only in Brazil, but innovation platform Distrito. The study, which worldwide. If it is not completely home-office, mapped 373 industry startups in 2020, classifies the hybrid format will also be adopted." companies into six categories: Development and Crespigny reveals that after the rise in talent management (160 startups); Recruitment distance hiring in February and March, 60% and selection (105); HR Core - which comprises of admissions today follow the same format. startups offering services such as compensation "Remote positions keep coming up." and benefits; Integrated solutions and worktime Dias, from Gupy, says that recruitment and tracking management (95); Operations (Office selection through artificial intelligence, which Services - 7); HRMS (Human Resource was already growing before the pandemic, Management System - 5) and Offboarding (1). took a leap. "After that, we know that even the The Brazilian sector is recent: 85.2% of HRTechs most conservative companies are seeing the have emerged in the last 9 years. importance of having a more assertive tool that "The changes in the universe of work were shows you the most qualified professionals for already being discussed in a pre-pandemic open positions."
28 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA ARTICLE Did you hear that? Podcasts are the sound of the future
Most of the conditions that made podcasts become part of the modern urban habits will still be valid in the years ahead. On-demand sound entertainment is here to stay
BY ALEXANDRE MARON* n recent years, podcasts have designed to be consumed today or years gained more and more space in from now. I people's lives, with ratings Podcasts were created in 2004 indicating steady growth in the because of an ex-MTV VJ and a listening audience. This rise showed programmer that wanted to distribute that audio never went out of style, digital audio on demand. People what happened was a decrease in would subscribe to the shows and the cultural weight of radio in the copy their episodes to their iPods, life of people in the big cities. Pure the iconic MP3 players that helped audio, which had the radio as its main resurrect Apple. Podcasts remained in broadcaster, was affected for sure, and the nerdy niche for another 8 years, this cultural weight was exactly the until Apple made an important move: thing that podcasts helped to recover. it began distributing the Podcasts The segment has evolved a lot since app embedded on iOS 5, bridging the its creation and should continue to gap between users and audio content adapt to the constant evolution of the on demand. It is not that there were digital world. But what will be the no dedicated apps on smartphones. changes that will dictate the evolution But they needed to be searched and of podcasts? installed on the devices. Boarding a There was a time when radio was dedicated app has changed everything. ubiquitous in people's lives. But Soon, Android followed the trend. the rise of TV changed the habits of Podcasts have gained space not families and radios became something because they have cutting edge restricted to cars. The reign of TV has technology or because they are new, been a long one. In the past decade, but because they fill a gap in people's however, smartphones have begun to lives. The modern urban citizen, a steal the attention that used to be on smartphone user by nature, spends TV screens. about two to three hours a day commuting to and from work. Wash Podcasts are not radio dishes for half an hour, walk the dog Many people like to compare podcasts for 15 minutes, go to the gym twice to the radio. But it's not that simple. a week. At these times, on-demand While the radio content is short-lived audio entertainment is the only one and happens live, the podcast is what that meets perfectly the needs of its is called a cold medium: pre-recorded, listeners.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 29 Voices of Brazil create Papo de Motora (something like Brazilians embraced podcasts since the begin- Driver's Chat), to build a direct conversation ning. The oldest active podcast in the country, with their huge base of drivers. Bradesco, the Nerdcast, was launched in 2006 and is still biggest bank in Brazil, it's the main sponsor going strong. It has over a million listeners of Mamilos and made possible a Brazilian per episode and is the most popular weekly version of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. title in the local market. The newspaper Folha All in all, the growth of podcasts resulted de São Paulo came up with a podcast about in bringing back formats that, in some parts Brazilian presidents in 2018, an election of the world, had been forgotten for decades, year. But the country felt a huge bump in when the radio abandoned them: audio- the market when big media got into the fray. dramas, game-shows, feature-length or Grupo Globo published a slate of news shows serialized documentaries, the list can go on with its top talents. The result: Folha's Café and on. da Manhã is the most popular title on Spotify, That's why, looking ahead, you need to and Globo's O Assunto (something like "The think about how the world will change to Topic") is always right after, at the top five in imagine how the podcast will continue to the platform. In 2019, a research from Ibope remain integrated into people's lives. registered that 40% of the population already knew what was a podcast. In 2020 the production of new shows grew After COVID-19 103% in Brazil, according to the study State of According to Podrac, a company that tracks the Podcast Universe, from Voxnest. We love ratings for over 500 of the biggest podcasts to hear them and we are making them more in the US, the quarantine was the only thing and more. capable of somewhat slowing down audience There are many podcast creators making growth. During the most acute months of money and exploring new formats. The veter- social isolation (between March and May), an Nerdcast is in the market since 2007. Oth- having people confined at home, without er indies, like Braincast, Mamilos, Somente commuting to work or going out to the gym, Elas, and Um Milkshake Chamado Wanda affected the growth rate. The most popular started making money later, as the produc- podcasts have had little or no impact on tion got more professional. There are now the number of listeners. But the segment's big players, able to make new shows happen. growth, which had peaks of 20% per month Black and LGBTQ+ podcasts are becoming in the previous year, fell to almost zero. more popular as well. Shows like Historia The usual prime time, commuting periods Preta ("Black History"), the blockbuster Am- between home and work, fell by 26%. But in arElo Prisma (Yellow Prism, in a translation a few weeks, the audience was redistributed that does not get all the meanings of the title), throughout the day and even over the made by Brazilian superstar Emicida, and weekend. People started listening more to Santíssima Trindade das Perucas (something podcasts at home and, because they had like The Saint Trinity of the Wigs). people around all the time, they started to Brazil already has a true-crime podcast listen to the shows together. So far, podcasts, that became a hit: Projeto Humanos (Project for the most part, were designed for people Humans). In its third season, the show told who would listen to them with headphones a story about the assassination of a kid in a on their smartphones. But in the post-COVID small city in the south of Brazil. The gruesome world, with people spending more time at story generated a book and is going to become home during their workweeks, we may see the a documentary series on Globoplay, the local rise of a new type of podcast: shows made to VOD service built by Grupo Globo to face be heard by groups. Netflix and Amazon Prime. In any case, the impact of the pandemic The brands are making podcasts as well. on business has also affected sponsorship They are putting money in novel ideas and contracts for several programs and has using the shows as vehicles to meet their caused many people to stop supporting their clients. Our company, Ampère, made over favorite podcasters. In the face of a global ten different titles for the Brazilian branch of recession, it will also be a challenge for the HBO, talking about their shows, and helped segment to maintain healthy levels of growth 99 (the ride-sharing leader app in Brazil) in monetization.
30 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA Photo: Fizkes/shutterstock
Economy: easier distribution Despite Spotify's influence, it is important and mature influencers and to remember that podcasts do not depend on a single distribution channel. This business models condition is a problem for the programs to The arrival of giants such as Spotify, which be discovered, but it also makes creators less reached 299 million users worldwide dependent on a single distribution platform, and 138 million premium subscribers in as happened with Youtube in the video the second quarter of 2020, was crucial market. Spotify (yes, them again) can change for the popularization of podcasts. Given that and become even more influential when the investments made by the company in they create an efficient monetization program acquisitions and exclusive contracts with that can attract independent creators. relevant creators, an even greater boost can Podcasts are also kind of an "overnight be expected in the coming years. Another success story built over 16 years". That is, difference that Spotify offers podcasters is a it became a known media channel when it really detailed metrics package. Until now, was already mature. Its biggest influencers creators worked with little information, such are people who have already set up business as the number of downloads, reproductions, models that work for them. Professional subscribers. This was because the segment's podcasters make money from advertising, decentralized structure made people listen to subscribers, or supporters and, following the programs in different applications that did script outlined by influence marketers, they not reveal statistics. As Spotify podcasts are are writing books, giving lectures, teaching played within the platform, the company is courses, and licensing products. able to accurately show users' behavior every Now, do you know what podcasters care second. This data helped several podcasts to little about? Automated ads. Much of the make a leap in quality. earnings from podcast advertising happens Spotify's entry in the field is also creating when the presenter makes the spots in a a favorable environment for the arrival of handmade, personalized way. Automated companies capable of creating and developing advertising, if done indiscriminately, destroys valuable intellectual property. Companies in this value, because it works on very large the creative industry, such as movie studios, scales. These kinds of ads are only of interest TV channels, and major book publishers, look to podcasters if applied to their oldest at the podcast as an interesting environment inventory. But for that, they need to have a for testing ideas that can then be explored in really large back catalog of old episodes and a the form of games, movies, TV series, etc. huge level of interest in these libraries.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 31 To infinity and beyond: cheaper The tech and cultural seesaw production, voice interfaces, Over the past few decades, we have seen a media seesaw. When new media channels and autonomous cars come up, the previous ones don't necessarily In 2020, Nvidia launched intelligent systems disappear, but they gain or lose cultural able to process audio captured in real-time influence in people's lives. Just remember and silence any background noise (even from what this article said about radio and TV. The a jackhammer) to capture only the voice podcast found its space fitting in the needs of an announcer. By the way, the result is of millions of listeners. The coming years impressive and very convincing. In a few will bring several challenges that will test the years, we can expect that the development entire cultural market. Podcasts and their of this technology will make spending creators have conquered their space, created on expensive studios and equipment a new market, and will continue to try to grab unnecessary. Recording a podcast with almost new slices of the pie. It is part of the pains and pro-quality will be easier than ever. pleasures of joining the main team. Another thing that is getting cheaper and more pervasive is the personal áudio Alexandre Maron is a journalist who has done assistants. More and more, people will have magazines, newspapers, books, websites, apps, Siri, Alexa, or just Google helping them in the podcasts, videos, and all types of projects in Globo most common tasks. Personal voice assistants and Folha media conglomerates. He taught narrative are already at a very advanced technological creation, game design, content strategy, and podcast level. And they will get better and better. For production both at the companies he worked for podcasts, the main effect of their arrival in the and at institutions like Miami Ad School and Insper. homes of millions of consumers is the idea He loves to discuss popular culture and the way that there will be speakers in virtually any it influences or reflects society and that is why he room in the house. Although voice assistants created the podcast "Zing". In 2018, he co-founded allow users to do things like turn on the light Ampère to focus on the passion for podcasts, produce or turn off the TV, the main effect of these original programs, and develop the growing market systems is to change the relationship between of sonic entertainment. humans and audio. Try browsing interfaces like that. It is very different to think about the result of a search, the use of menus, or how an interruption is going to happen. Audio is interrupted less and the levels of attention to what is being said are greater. Looking further ahead, we can imagine the effects of events such as the arrival of autonomous cars on the market. Smart cars are expected to have several huge economic and social effects. Millions of jobs will no longer make sense or become niche products. In this world, cars tend to become impersonal vehicles, shared by several people. But what will be the real effect on podcasts? Those who do not drive have more options for consuming content. Instead of just being able to hear something, you can read, watch videos, work, interact on more complex cognitive levels
Photo: Youpix Summit
32 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA Photo: Fred Cardoso/Shutterstock
SOCIETY Papagaio Hill slums in the Brazilian city Why emergency basic of Belo Horizonte. income programs are so necessary in Latin America
Even after the pandemic, governments should restrain spending in other areas and consider expanding such programs to mitigate the effects of unstable labor markets and informality
BY ISADORA RUPP he situation of Roseli Aparecida dependent on tourism, a sector globally Barbosa Duarte's family illustrates impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which T the social vulnerability in which still plagues the world and has already millions of people find themselves in Latin killed more than 200,000 people across the America. A resident of Ilha do Mel, a touristic continent. Roseli managed to keep her job; region in southern Brazil, she is an employee her husband, however, was fired, as was her at a small lodging establishment. The island son. Neither of them had enough time on jobs has just over 1,000 inhabitants and is totally to claim unemployment insurance.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 33 Then came what the family believed to be the solution: the BRL 600 Emergency Aid granted by the federal government during the coronavirus pandemic. In the family, only Roseli's husband got the benefit, and only one of three installments. The son has been waiting since then: he depended on the help of friends, who donated staple food baskets, to survive. It has been long known that Latin America is the most unequal region on the planet – the consideration was made on several occasions by the Economic Commission for Photo: Courtesy. Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which has been emphasizing the importance reached the amount paid today. The program, Daniel Duque, researcher of emergency basic income programs which had a positive impact on the president's at IBRE FGV, a think tank throughout the region. Situations like that popularity, will be extended until the end of of the Duarte family are common not only in 2020, with a reduced value of BRL 300. extreme events such as the one caused by the Even though the country implemented, in coronavirus: the threshold between comfort 2003, during the government of Luiz Inácio and poverty is tenuous. It is estimated that Lula da Silva, one of the largest cash transfer the pandemic crisis may leave up to 83 programs in the world, the Bolsa Família, million people in extreme poverty by the end it has been the first time in 30 years that of 2020, causing an increase in hunger levels. there has been such a strong reduction in The scenario of reductions in GDP, poverty rates in Brazil, says Daniel Duque, a employment and consumption, as well as researcher in the field of Applied Economics warnings about an imminent social collapse at FGV IBRE who combined data from the prompted countries like Brazil, Argentina, National Household Sample Survey (PNAD Peru and Chile to announce emergency Continuous) with the more recent PNAD measures for income transfer. In Chile, for Covid to arrive at the result. example, a $2 billion fund was created to The amount of BRL 600 and the coverage distribute resources and generate jobs in are two reasons cited by Duque: the low-income sectors. In Argentina, a single aid served informal, self-employed and transfer of ARS 10,000 ($135) served the unemployed individual microentrepreneurs unemployed and informal workers. In Peru, with monthly family income below BRL the government provided a $224 grant to 3,000. In families headed by mothers, the families in poverty or extreme poverty in rural monthly benefit reached BRL 1,200. “The areas. eligibility line is very high, and the program In Brazil, as soon as social distancing was has been progressive, with poorer families implemented by states and municipalities as earning more,” says Duque. In his data a measure to confront the coronavirus and analysis, the researcher points out that, in to save time for a better preparation of the 2019, extreme poverty reached 8% of the public Unified Health System (SUS), there population of Brazil. In June 2020, the was a need to help vulnerable people. One percentage had fallen to 3.3%. of the main problems in the country today is informality in the labor market, which exceeds 40% of the employed population and exceeds 50% in some states, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). After disagreements between the federal government and the National Congress, a financial aid of BRL 600 was devised, initially for three months, and popularly known as “coronavoucher”. Initially, Jair Bolsonaro's administration proposed monthly BRL 200 installments; Congress suggested BRL 500 and then
34 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA Photo: Courtesy.
Zeina Latif, economist Although worthwhile, the Brazilian Gerais (UFMG) simulated scenarios in which and financial consultant. emergency program was “poorly calibrated”, basic income was extended in Brazil until the believes Zeina Latif, an economist and end of 2020 and concluded that the measure economic consultant. “We saw operational could mitigate the negative effects of growth problems, from the concentration at Caixa by half; the Central Bank estimates that the Econômica [a state-owned bank] to the GDP retraction will reach -5% in the country. problem of registration and undue transfers The main reason keeping from a deeper fall to the military and civil servants", she says. "It is the positive impact on the consumption is clear that there was an excess and there was of the families receiving the aid. “Excluding a problem of lack of focus." automobiles and construction, retail trade has shown a rapid recovery. When we give more The importance of permanent money to those who have less, the reversal programs on consumption is direct”, stresses Daniel The positive impacts of the aid, even if Duque. temporary, made even more visible the importance of thinking about permanent Attention to public spending minimum income programs that are more must be kept comprehensive in Latin America, even though The main reason that keeps governments countries such as Mexico, for example, from devising more robust emergency basic already has Oportunidades, with cash income programs in Latin America is the payments to families conditioned to things high public spending. Both Daniel Duque and such as school attendance; same criterion Zeina Latif agree that there is no possibility adopted by the Brazilian Bolsa Família, which of maintaining the emergency aid in Brazil also mandates vaccination. for long. "The whole of Latin America is marked by "You would set a precedent after precedent, informality and high inequality. It is a region because the demands for public spending are where a basic income would be very welcome, explosive. If emergency aid is just another with a higher eligibility line", says Daniel program, it will have consequences. It cannot Duque. This is mainly due to the precarious be set to automatic continuity, said Zeina Latif. labor market, marked by informality and Zeina Latif also stresses that job creation less demand for services, generating more is the most efficient measure in reducing instability in household income, believes poverty and inequality. The IBRE FGV Duque. "That way people can be trapped, researcher believes that it is necessary to start going in and out of poverty." a debate to create a broad basic income for A study by the Center for Development and the long term in Brazil and in Latin countries, Regional Planning of the Faculty of Economic reducing other public spending and making Sciences at the Federal University of Minas income transfer programs a priority.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 35 On The Spotlight
From stories that date back to a few decades ago, to recent events in the region, check out this special selection of cultural tips and dive into some of the latest Latin American productions. Go beyond business and enjoy it!
36 LABS COLLECTIONSLABS COLLECTIONS STREAMING THE FUTUREGIANTS BATTLEOF WORK FOR IN LATIN AMERICA A sentimental journey How to reject a way A song for Mexico through scattered memory of life that comes from Grammy awarded Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade's latest project is raising money An Argentine prose book, El Común Olvido generations? for El Centro de Documentacion del Son is the most important novel by Sylvia Brazilian Alejandro Chacoff's debut novel, Jarocho, a cultural center damaged by an Molloy, one of the most forceful voices in Apátridas (Stateless) tells the story of a boy earthquake in Mexico in 2017. Her new contemporary Argentine literature. Last who watches everything without feeling album, released in May by Sony Music Latin month, Molloy completed 82 years. Her part of it, exposed to the weaknesses of his America, explores Mexican folkloric music book tells the story of the search for a lost parents and an unequal and corrupt Brazil with Lafourcade's style. It is available on Un identity in another country and another in the early 1990s. Son of Chileans, Chacoff Canto por México, Vol. 1 - Album by Natalia time. was born in Brazil and spent his childhood Lafourcade | Spotify. El Común Olvido, 2002, Grupo Editorial in the United States. He also lived in Chile, England and Argentina. Norma Un Canto Por México, Vol.1, 2020. Apátridas, 2020, Companhia das Letras
An Argentine work of art Political narratives with Sertanejo music in Brazil on In Argentina, the Museum of Latin mixed rhythms from South Netflix American Art in Buenos Aires (Malba) Available on Netflix since April 2020, the offers a virtual tour amid the Covid-19 America, the Caribbean to documentary "Amor Sertanejo", directed by pandemic. There, it is possible to watch the the USA the Brazilian Fabrício Bittar, tells the story work of the Argentine artist Alejandro Xul Produced by Alexandre Kassin, the South of the sertanejo, one of the most popular Solar. There are 19 arts he produced from American and United States-based collec- genres of Brazilian music, featuring testi- 1919 to 1946. Available on Pareja Malba. tive LADAMA released in June a new studio monials from established artists. Pareja, Alejandro Xul Solar, 1923. album, Oye Mujer. The second album of the women's collective that bridges Amor Sertanejo, 2020, Netflix Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and the United States creates political narratives about a mixture of rhythms and styles. Available on LADAMA - Oye Mujer.
Oye Mujer,LADAMA, Six Degrees Records, 2020.
LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA 37 38 LABS COLLECTIONS THE FUTURE OF WORK IN LATIN AMERICA