On 28 May, the School of Engineering at the University of Minho (EEUM) hosted a conversation on the role of engineering in transforming society. The event, entitled ‘Future of Engineering’, was part of EEUM’s 50th anniversary celebrations and brought to the debate increasingly central issues: innovation with conscience, technology with purpose, and humanisation in engineering.
Among the guests at the round table was Frederico Magalhães, President of SISQUAL® WFM, who shared his vision of the challenges and responsibilities of modern engineering. The conversation, moderated by Fernando de Almeida Santos, President of the Portuguese Association of Engineers, also included a contribution from theologian and professor José Rui Teixeira in an atmosphere of interdisciplinary reflection and constructive criticism.
During the debate, the President of SISQUAL WFM highlighted the ethical challenges of innovation and the social impact of technological solutions in organisations, emphasising the current role of workforce management tools in operational efficiency and societal implications.
‘The automation of processes is a response to the needs of the labour market, but because a company’s greatest asset is its people, we are concerned that our tool not only increases productivity but at the same time provides quality of life for those who use it,’ he explained.
Humanisation is a competitive asset
During the debate, several audience members asked the speakers about the role of humanisation in technological processes, particularly in the context of the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI). For the President of SISQUAL® WFM, technology and humanisation go hand in hand, making it a challenge for companies today to innovate with principles of ethics and human sustainability. With a background in robotics, Frederico Magalhães has reiterated this point of view in different contexts, including in a recent interview with the Expresso newspaper podcast “O CEO é o Limite” (The CEO is the Limit), in which he mentioned that ‘the leader if he is not human, he cannot win’.
Believing that technology should serve people, SISQUAL WFM develops solutions that put employee well-being at the heart of operational management, enabling companies in healthcare, retail, industry, hospitality, and other sectors to optimise resources and promote a genuine balance between productivity and quality of life.
Check out the debate’s photo gallery down below:
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