This Is What The Future Of Work Is Going To Be — Are You Prepared For It?
Imagine it’s 2050!
The world of automation, robotics and flying cars. Sounds exciting, right?
Technology has already come a long way from what it used to be 50 years back. The world we live in today seems like a science fiction we all were keen about while growing up. As more technologies evolve and develop into something greater, our everyday lifestyle is likely to become more streamlined and dependent on machines.
Do you have any idea how this technological evolution will affect your future work life?
Just a single thought of “future of work” is enough to fill up the hearts of work professionals with fear. Whether they will be able to keep up with the fast and tech savvy changes is the major concern of worry for many businesses. Employees have a constant fear that they will be replaced by the robots, which is somewhat true. Artificial intelligence and machines have changed our lives dramatically and will continue doing the same in coming future.
Lately, if you ever look up for news related to artificial intelligence(AI), you’ll always come across interesting stuff like how it has managed to do things that humans do and that too in a far better manner.
As per the recent studies, by the year 2060 there are high chances of artificial intelligence to become the dominant form of intelligence on Earth which may disrupt various aspects of human work.
However, humans are still the ultimate creators of machines and that’s one reason why technology can only lessen human autonomy but can never replace human intelligence.
Machines lack wisdom and can only perform with limited learning capacity by matching the only patterns they learn. Humans are capable of learning unlimited patterns, and selecting the patterns as per the requirements.
“People will always surpass machines because people possess wisdom,”- Jack Ma
So, instead of freaking out, we should use technology as an advantage for our work processes. Roll your sleeves up and get prepped for the future of work with these excellent tips.
1. Adapt to ever-changing business environment
Change is unavoidable not just in our lives but in businesses as well. As the world and technology progresses, so should the businesses and work professionals. If you do not adapt to a new environment, you may lose the competitive edge and likely to lag behind in the race. Businesses should focus on the upgrades that need to take place in order to provide great experiences for their customers.
Adaptation to the latest business trend can be judged by the technology used by an enterprise. Our work process naturally evolves with the technology. For instance, earlier we used mail posts and letters to communicate which was replaced by emails.However, now you can even replace the emails using ProofHub.
Over time, it has gotten simpler to manage tasks and communicate within the company and even outside of it. It is amazing how a simple communication and task management upgrade has enhanced the workflow of many businesses.
“Tired of relying on emails for easy communication? Sign up at ProofHub and save loads of time!”
2. Develop the millennial mindset
New generation means new ideas! One of the biggest companies of the world, Facebook was founded by a ‘millennial’ (born between 1980–2000) , Mark Zuckerberg. There’s no denying that millennials grew up in the era of internet revolution. They understood and embraced the latest technology while the older generations were busy fighting over the importance of a personal computer. They are digital natives as they grew up using computers, mobile phones, social media, internet, and whatnot! They easily pick up and implement technical stuffs way faster than the older generation employees.
It is a fact that this stock of young humans helped us change the world and will continue to contribute more in the future. The best thing about Millennials is that they come up with fresh perspectives to the workplace. You attract more young customers if you hire young employees as millennials bring familiarity. They can help generate new marketing strategies that appeal to their age group since they are our ultimate future.
A recent study says that Millennials will make up around 75% of the workforce by the year 2025.
Therefore, it is important for businesses to make way for the millennial mindset now.
3. Manage and transform the workforce
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Give your workforce an idea of the scale of impending changes to work and workplaces. It is essential for you to create a roadmap explaining “future of work”. This will give your workforce an idea of what the world of your business will look like in coming years. It is easier to prepare if you know what the future holds for you. The plan should cover all the aspects that are likely to affect your workflow in future like communication, organization, technological skills, work culture, work location, etc.
It is true that the future of work might be intimidating for a business but with right planning, ideas and mostly right people you can utilize maximum opportunities available to move forward into a future stronger than it was ever before.
4. Be well equipped with latest technology
Believe it or not but there has been a great expansion in the role of technology in business and it will only keep expanding in the future. The reasons why your enterprise should consider using the latest technologies are infinite. It amazingly affects how a business operates.
Regardless of the size of your business, technology comes up with innumerable benefits to help you reach the heights of productivity. If a company lacks the latest technology, there are high chances of it getting left behind in the race to cope up with the future of work. Technology enables you to keep your employees engaged in various ways.
With the right technology, your employees can telecommute and collaborate with each other seamlessly using tools for file sharing. Better technology means better communication which ultimately means better results. Technology gives you the freedom to work wherever you want. It provides people a flexibility to function from their mobile phones as well. We all know that “work from home” is the ultimate future of work.Working from a fixed place is not a problem if you’re technologically advanced.
There’s no denying the fact that there have been some amazing technical advancements recently that help businesses increase their productivity and be more successful in no time.
“ProofHub is strategically designed to help you improve your efficiency and reduce lay time in delivering your projects.”
5. Motivate and inspire your workforce
Nobody knows what the future is going to be and it’s the uncertainty that generates fear in our hearts. As a business owner, if you create a work environment where your employees always feel motivated and excited about what the future holds for them instead of worrying, nothing can stop them from being successful.
Make sure that you always welcome the ideas of your workforce and inspire them to think creatively.
Create transparent and flexible work processes to build a productive and successful team. Motivate your employees to always keep up with the latest trends taking place in the market and prepare accordingly. Your employees will connect to their work emotionally and embrace company values only in a work culture that focuses employee engagement. If companies provide a meaningful work experience to its employees, it’s easier to retain experienced and talented employees who will ultimately grow and thrive in their careers.
Organisations do not progress by chance, they are designed and built as a result of hard yet smart work. They constantly work for creating an environment which provides values for the lives of their workforce and consistently empowering them to contribute.
6. Emphasize on skill development
Learning is a lifelong process and settling at basic knowledge is no longer enough to cope up with this competitive world. An employer should always make sure that his employees develop new skills continuously in order to gain a competitive edge in the market. Also, other than technical things, soft skills like creativity, empathy, critical thinking, emotional connection are extremely important as that’s something machines and automation can never have. The skills you develop for the future will highly depend on what actions you take, the process you work for and the experiences that you have.
As a manager, your supreme duty is to provide one on one training sessions on team building, loyalty, empathy to the employees
If you do not train your employees and keep them well prepared for the future, there are high chances they will become a liability instead of an asset to your organization. Which further has more cascade consequences, you may end up losing your employees to the organizations which constantly focus on providing training for their employees and incorporating them with the latest technologies.
No employee would want his skills to go waste and if you retain the workforce with old or technologically challenged skills, you may end up damaging the entire business in the coming future.
Therefore, developing the latest skills is necessary for an organization to sustain in the future. With both technical and soft skills, your business can surely stand out in the market and make progress like no other.
Conclusion
“As digitisation and disruption shape the next decade of work, companies that develop people strategies around these areas now will lead the way later,” said Kate Bravery, Global Practices Leader for Mercer’s Career business.
The future is uncertain! The only things that will determine our future are the choices we make today. Always being ready for the change is something that can help individuals to future-proof themselves. In this fast technically progressing world, it is important to focus on the skills that will ensure us that we’re already ahead of the change instead of simply fearing it and waiting for it to take place.
These top-notch tips will help you transform the workplace already and stay ahead of time. Being prepared for the future affects every aspect of work lifestyle and helps us adapt to the changes on a regular basis. Focusing on these approaches, you can surely prepare yourself and your team to be a champion in the upcoming working world.
As Malcom X has rightly said — “The future belongs to those who prepare for it.”
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