Dust pollution has not only escalated demand for masks and air purifiers, but also led businesses to adopt technology to allow remote working.
"Many companies allow employees to work from home, but most of them already have IT and working systems supporting remote work," said Prapussorn Pechkaew, senior market analyst at IDC Thailand, a global research firm.
The pollution could accelerate adoption of technology such as cloud, mobility or even artificial intelligence (AI), she said.
Ms Prapussorn said many firms have not changed their work culture as part of their strategic plan.
A lot of companies still perceive PM2.5 dust as a short-term crisis and think the situation will return to normal when the season changes, but this is a long-term crisis that will occur repeatedly unless the country builds an effective solution, she said.
"A country like Thailand manages the crisis reactively rather than proactively," Ms Prapussorn said.
Remote work policies also make employers more attractive to millennial workers.
The IDC Future of Work Survey 2018 for Asia-Pacific and Japan had 1,425 respondents, including Thailand, and found that 47% of Thai millennials (born after 1982, age below 36) had already worked remotely.
Some 64% of Thai organisations have a remote working policy in place, or are exploring one to make the workspace, work culture and technologies more millennial-friendly.
A full 59% of Thai organisations recognise the need to bring changes to workspaces, work culture and technologies as millennials enter the workforce. Of those surveyed, 51% recognise that there are different generations at the workplace (eg, millennials and Gen X, Y and Z) and have a policy, or are creating one, for more cohesive workspaces. And 49% of organisations have increased or are planning to increase flexible working and "any time, anywhere" working policies.
Top barriers to adopting modern workspaces and innovation accelerator technologies (AI, augmented reality/virtual reality and Internet of Things) are legacy systems and processes, security/privacy concerns and the high cost of technologies (software, hardware, resources).
The future of work trends is growing and will see Thailand's working culture, workplace and workforce become more automated and enhance productivity and efficiency in many new ways. But organisations should remember that technology is only an enabler and needs a strategy in place.
Organisation leaders need to demonstrate their commitment to employees, says IDC, by investing in employee wellness and team development in addition to individual development. Firms must be prepared to redesign human resource departments and have new roles focused on employees' experience.
Vatsun Thirapatarapong, managing director of Cisco Systems Thailand, said dust pollution could be a wake-up call for businesses and the government to use technology empowering modern workplaces where high-speed connectivity, applications and cybersecurity are available.
