Workplaces are constantly shifting and the nature of work is ever-evolving, which requires organizations to take proactive steps in order to stay in front of these changes and prepare for them early on.
Understanding both your workforce (supply) and talent needs (demand) are of utmost importance in order to recognize potential skills gaps before they become competitive liabilities.
1. Robotics
Technology is evolving at an incredible rate, altering professional landscapes and opening up job opportunities at an unprecedented rate. Robotics has emerged as a promising emerging technology, helping some workers manage email, book meetings, create spreadsheets and more with advanced robotic assistants already helping. Although many hail them as productivity boosters, these tools may present unique set of challenges as well.
Human colleagues tend to be more intuitive or creative, so teams must work closely together in order to generate ideas. This requires social skills such as emotional intelligence (EQ), which allows people to recognize and understand both their own feelings as well as those of others. Furthermore, recent changes have seen offices create sleep rooms, meditation areas and music to promote employee health and wellbeing.
Staying ahead of these trends may be challenging, but not impossible. According to experts, organizations must answer two main questions about themselves and their business operations: “How do we make money and get work done?” Aligning these goals allows organizations to ensure employees are prepared for the future of work by aligning supply and demand factors for workers within an organization – this allows for identification of skills gaps before they become a competitive liability and impact sourcing for new talent with appropriate skill sets.
2. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) represents the next wave of technological disruption and may have significant ramifications across every industry. While previous technological disruptions mainly impacted blue-collar workers, AI may affect white-collar jobs as well. A recent Brookings Institution study suggests that any occupation which does not require human interaction or creativity are at particular risk from automation.
AI can improve worker capabilities and efficiency without replacing workers, providing greater capabilities and efficiency than before. A study of customer support agents using generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) AI found they increased their productivity by 14%. As AI use grows within companies, companies must focus on creating agile workflows which allow them to incorporate and adapt processes to meet changing demands quickly and effectively.
As AI advances further into labor-oriented technologies, such as those found within tech sectors, this is of critical importance in order to avoid AI pushing toward anti-labor positions akin to tech’s previous actions on wider social issues. Labor voices and government regulation have played a vital role in driving pro-labor actions in the past and should now use these tools again so as to refocus AI toward beneficial effects for all – such as creating policies to mitigate its harmful impact and avoid job polarization or income inequality – all this requires collaboration among business leaders, governments, civil society actors as well as civil society groups.
3. Big Data
As businesses embrace generative AI, companies must prepare for an unprecedented future of work that is far different than what most people expected only a few years ago. From five-day office weeks to hybrid working styles and beyond, businesses need to prepare for what lies ahead with an understanding of its challenges and opportunities.
World Economic Forum projections anticipate a sea change in workplace skillsets by 2024, with analytical thinking, creative problem-solving and technological literacy among the most sought-after competencies. This doesn’t indicate more skilled workers will enjoy greater prosperity; rather it suggests those able to adapt quickly to changing demands will find greater success than their less knowledgeable peers.
Women, people of color and migrants who are especially affected by globalization and automation face particular hardship from such changes in society. To take full advantage of them requires an all-inclusive coalition that spans hierarchies, generations, functions and geographies as individual action is often inadequate in dealing with system-level challenges; that is why trust-building practices such as supporting transparency or encouraging employees to live by core company values is so essential – done right they will enable organizations to foster the next stage in our workforce evolution with supportive activists who are ready and capable leaders!
4. Social Media
Workplaces no longer resemble cubicles and conference rooms alone, thanks to advancements in technology. Workers now have more ways than ever before to collaborate effectively – for instance, many organizations offer virtual and augmented reality collaboration tools that enable remote working, which enables employees to stay in communication with one another no matter where they’re based out of. Employees can stay in contact even while telecommuting from home or traveling around the globe for business.
COVID-19 pandemic has only furthered this trend, prompting companies to adopt technologies in warehouses, call centers, grocery stores and manufacturing sites in order to reduce workplace density and meet surging demands for items. Furthermore, nonlinear career paths have become more attractive as more individuals search out gig-based work that fits with their schedules.
McKinsey Global Institute predicts that one in 16 workers may need to switch occupations within five years due to automation or increasing demand for certain skills such as complex problem solving, original thinking and fluency of ideas and active learning.
Though the future of work can be complex and multifaceted, one key takeaway for business leaders should be creating a human-first workplace. Businesses can prepare themselves for success in this realm by emphasizing connection among employees, addressing health and wellbeing concerns, providing flexible workspaces, and being transparent in how they ethically collect employee data.
5. Digital Marketing
Agency professionals requiring digital skills should have a working knowledge of social media platforms and e-commerce software, search engine optimization (SEO) practices and data analysis techniques. Staying current will allow agencies to provide better results for their clients while keeping business moving forward.
Contrary to popular belief, AI does not replace human jobs – most companies report positive impacts from macro-trends and technology on workers’ roles in the workplace. Instead of replacing entire roles entirely with AI technology, instead it redefines job duties while opening up opportunities for workers to demonstrate their value in the workplace.
AI and big data skills, talent management and systems thinking have emerged as top three growing skills; however, other capabilities are being prioritized by companies, including leadership and social influence, environmental stewardship, network cybersecurity and user experience design/user interface design analytics – among others.
Soft skills have become an increasing priority in agencies today, from adaptability, remote work, emotional intelligence and problem-solving ability to interpersonal communication and adaptability. Agencies should ensure their employees receive training in these areas to prepare them for the future of work and nurture a culture of curiosity to anticipate changes in customer behaviors, client expectations, workplace technologies and operations that may occur over time.
6. Automation
As automation becomes an everyday part of business, it is essential to understand its potential implications for employees. While many fear job displacement due to automation, in reality job roles will transform rather than disappear as humans become freed up from repetitive tasks and can focus on more challenging and creative aspects of their work. By combining human and machine capabilities companies can become more productive, innovative, and competitive than ever before.
Automation not only lowers labor costs but can also increase employee satisfaction by freeing them up for higher-value tasks that require creativity and critical thinking. A recent McKinsey study demonstrated this finding with well-implemented automation leading to significantly reduced turnover rates among companies using it successfully.
Companies should ensure their workforces possess the necessary skills for thriving alongside automation, investing in ongoing learning and development to stay abreast of industry trends and advances. Reskilling is key in this effort.
Occupations in the bottom-right corner of this figure exhibit high observed exposure to automation while having low expected displacement probabilities by it. This category encompasses occupations that provide services likely to benefit from automation such as biochemists and respiratory therapists, and includes some clerical/office support roles which could be eliminated due to either automation or the shift toward e-commerce; but most individuals are expected to move out of these occupations over their careers into higher skilled roles.
