On June 23, the Chamber held its annual Mid-Year Chairman’s Forum, giving the full membership and guests an opportunity to learn about the what the Chamber has been engaged in so far this year and about the work that’s underway.

Chamber President & CEO Beverly Robertson welcomed the attendees and introduced Chairman Willie Gregory as he informed the group on how the Chamber is working to combat impacts of COVID-19 as well as racial injustice. Following Gregory’s update, keynote speaker Benjamin Pring, co-founder of Cognizant’s Center for the Future of Work, presented on how the future of the workplace will be affected due to the impact of coronavirus.

Pring shared that “technology is changing the rule of business” signifying that the way in which we interacted with each other before would now be conducted more often in the digital space. The pandemic has sped up the shift towards the new dependence on technology forcing companies and employees to quickly learn and adjust to this new form of communication.

As companies pivot to incorporating new technology in their business model, Pring shared that human qualities such as passion and empathy would become more important and have more value as machines take on more hands-on responsibilities and are less likely to leave a personal touch.

View the full video of the 2020 Mid-Year Chairman’s Forum below: